USED Honda Jazz Hatchback (08 - )

My car

Good news first... As long as you drive with a light throttle, which I tend to, then the official mpg figures for the Jazz Hybrid are easily achievable. On a regular 70 mile extra-urban trip, I would get 70+ mpg every time, (cruising at 50mph of course). On my daily 20 mile round trip extra-urban commute (cold start each way), I would get 62 mpg day in day out. Inside the car, the updated dash was funky. The engine was nippy enough. Magic seats as versatile as ever for load carrying, and the new standard driver and passenger seats had perfectly curved lumbar support – the best standard seats I've sat in yet (BMWs included).

Now the bad news... Poor primary ride quality – the car crashes over pot holes. Poor secondary ride too – journeys at higher speeds and especially on concrete motorways were a nightmare of constant jiggles and vibrations. Poor cornering grip too. And amazingly, for a car assembled in Japan, lots (and I mean lots) of dashboard and trim squeaks and rattles – I've never heard anything like it before. The steering was overly light too.

Summary: I drove the Jazz Hybrid for two months (as a short term company car) and was very glad to get rid of it. After the Jazz Hybrid, I bought a brand new 2013 Fiesta 1.6 petrol auto, which I rate light years ahead of the Jazz Hybrid in every department; and I'm only losing 10mpg to the Jazz, and the Fiesta driver's seat is almost as good. Best car decision I ever made. I would not recommend the Jazz Hybrid at all.

My car

I have owned this car for 2 years now from 6 months old. It now has £21k miles. I mainly use this car for work (I am a GP) and do predominantly urban driving. This is my second Honda Jazz and third Honda Positives - Large Folding wing mirrors - very handy, especially as I live on a narrow private road and this provides excellent visibility - Economical - Interior very practical and I particularly like the large boot - Tight turning circle Negatives - Has 185/55/16 tyres - these usually cost approx. £100 each for Dunlop brand. They are very difficult to source and usually need to be ordered. This was particularly problematic when I had a flat tyre recently. - No spare wheel - as with many modern cars now it only came with a puncture repair kit, which is less than useless. - The seats are really uncomfortable - this is my main gripe with the car. - The suspension is very hard, although I do not think the 16 inch alloys help. - Thin paintwork easily chipped by stones on motorway. - Ride / wind noise on motorway is unbearable - I feel the need to put the radio on to drown out the sound. - Let's face it this is not a cool car in the UK (although it arguably is in Japan). I am in my 20s and my friends are bemused as to why i bought it. - I have taken it back to Honda twice as various cheap looking interior plastics have fallen apart! Would I own this car again? This is a definite no. I will be looking for an alternative shortly when the 3 year warranty runs out.

My car

1.4 EX model september 2009, mileage around 25000. Onthe roads round eastbourne it suffers badly from the uneven and broken road surfaces. Little softening at all in fact when you go over a slight joint in the road it bangs badly. OK on run on decent roads but noisy at any speed.Spoke to Honda but once they get your dosch they dont seem to care. Inside the seats are very versatile, reasonably comfortable and adjustable. There is a silly gap between the rear seat and the luggage shelf which would point to reclining rear seats available but not fitted.It has a button on flap which drives me mad everytime i have to refit the shelf having carried a bulky item. Performance reasonable for a 1.3 something engine with four in it struggles though.Heating good as is climate control. Stupid sized tyres at 185 55 r16 which NOBODY stocks. Why the hell they chose this size baffles me. So stick to the 15" tyres cheaper ones available to suit your budget. Would i buy another lone...no, what should i have bought? VW Golf 1.6 tdi low mileage demo or similar. Would not have bought this if i had realised ride so bumpy during the test drive. My fault entirely. Dont suppose any one from Honda willread this but it gets it off my chest!!

My car

I bought the iShift version of this car and so regretted it. The peformance was jerky and poor bordering on the dangerous in terms of overtaking etc. but, apart from this, the car had absolutely no "spirit" - it was a bland, boring drive with no urgency. No one is saying that this should drive like a performance car - it is not designed for that, but, bearing in mind the cost of the EX version I believe one has a right to expect a more spirited experience. The only plus points were the intelligent seating/boot layout and interior space. The image of the car is also a problem - despite the fact I am retired friends were always making remarks about the "average age of a Jazz owner" - I also noticed during a recent "fly on the wall" documentary with some traffic cops they remarked to the effect "don't worry the Jazz will remain in lane 1". When I recently traded the Jazz in the dealer said the price would be reduced due to the fact it had the iShift gearbox. I've never been less emotional or more delighted about seeing the back of a car than the Honda Jazz EX - how it tops the JD Power charts I really don't know. I replaced the Jazz with an Audi A1 1.4 Sport which brings a smile to my face every time I go out in it.