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Honda Jazz 1.5 i-MMD Hybrid EX Style 5dr eCVT Review

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Best small SUV

Best family car

Best small electric car

Best luxury car

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You don't need to worry about choosing an engine because there’s only one: a 1.5-litre petrol-electric hybrid. With a total of 108bhp, it allows the Jazz to accelerate quicker than our favourite Volkswagen Polo, and it's very economical in real-world driving, too.

1.5 i-MMD Hybrid

Hatchback

Honda is a company that doesn’t like to follow the crowd. So, while it competes in most of the traditional sectors of the car market, in each case it does something a little bit different.

The Jazz, for example, might look like just another rival to Britain’s best-selling car, the Ford Fiesta, but it’s actually much more practical than its rivals, with a flexible boot and Tardis-like interior.

The bigger Civic is also a practical choice, but it’s mainly distinguished by having eye-catching, love-it-or-hate-it styling, despite competing in a sector of the market that’s usually more conservative than a blue rosette.

And while it may not seem so radical now, Honda’s large SUV, the CR-V, was one of the first to forego any pretence of being an off-roader and instead focus on on-road driving dynamics.

HONDA

JAZZ

Range-topping EX Style comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, a contrasting black roof, mirror caps, side body mouldings and a rear spoiler. It also gets a rear-view camera and blind-spot monitoring system as standard.

EX Style

1.5 i-MMD Hybrid EX Style 5dr eCVT

15-i-mmd-hybrid-ex-style-5dr-ecvt

Bluetooth hands free telephone connection

Electric power steering wheel with variable gear ratio steering

BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Monitor

Functional Fun Tuscan Orange - Jazz Hybrid

Honda Jazz

The Jazz is the small car to beat for passenger space, and its unique and incredibly flexible rear seating only adds to its practicality. It’s neither the most fun car in the class (that’s the Ford Fiesta) nor the most comfortable (that’s the Peugeot 208), but with excellent visibility, it’s definitely easy to drive. Hybrid power also makes it really cheap to fuel, and slow depreciation helps make up for high prices.


<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Spacious enough for four adults to sit comfortably</li> <li>Logically laid-out interior that doesn’t</li> <li>feel too cheap</li> <li>Mature driving manners </li> <li>Decent-sized boot</li> <li>Competitive buying and running costs</li></ul>

Small cars, or superminis as they’re also known, used to be bought almost exclusively as first cars or by people with no children – but the likes of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/fiesta/hatchback/review/n106">Ford Fiesta</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/ibiza/hatchback/review/n17359">Seat Ibiza</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/polo/hatchback/review/n83">Volkswagen Polo</a> have grown to the point where they can be considered all-round family transport, albeit with the odd compromise.

The Fiesta remains a star of the class, thanks to its strong Ecoboost petrol engines and suspension settings that are beautifully judged for British roads. However, the latest Volkswagen offers even more practicality, decent performance and a classy interior that has the edge on the Ford’s for quality.

Any of these models will be a competent commuter car – especially if fitted with one of the increasingly popular small turbocharged petrol engines – but just remember that while you’ll be able to carry two adults and two children, it might still be a struggle to get all of their luggage into the boot.

Car of the Year Awards 2023 >>

Honda Jazz 1.5 i-MMD Hybrid EX Style 5dr eCVT Review

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