IZZY TECK
The Honda Jazz was the very first hybrid supermini and featured some very clever engineering. Buyers on the used market might worry that this will make it complex and expensive to maintain, but Honda doesn’t design its cars like that. Here’s what to look for if you’d like a petrol-powered supermini with diesel-style economy that’ll won’t let you down and is a bit different to the norm.
The second generation Honda Jazz arrived in 2008, but the major change to this design came at the point of its mid-life facelift in 2011. That’s when the Japanese brand introduced the petrol/electric Hybrid version we’re going to look at here, well before Toyota came to market with its rival Yaris Hybrid. This technology pushed this Honda’s price up of course, but in return, buyers got a higher quality road going experience with a smooth CVT automatic gearbox.
Prior to this Jazz model’s arrival, hybrid technology had never been seen in really small cars, models which didn’t have room for the bulky battery packs and intelligent power units that drive hybrid power. Automotive designers found these easy enough to package into an SUV, or even a Prius-sized family hatch. But in a little supermini? Prior to 2011, the general thinking was that the practical compromises would surely be greater than family buyers could bear, especially in the supermini segment. Honda disagreed.
With this Jazz model, the brand claimed to have incorporated a petrol/electric powerplant with virtually no compromise in practicality, something only possible because of the way this second generation Jazz was designed around this engine. So the clever Magic Seating system remained, even if the two-tier boot floor didn’t. For hybrid devotees who can’t get on with Honda’s larger but quirkier Insight, it might well be tempting. This Jazz sold until the third generation version was unveiled in mid-2015.