HONDA has launched a new version of its best selling car ever – and the biggest demand is expected to come from the owners of existing models.
The Honda Jazz first took to the road back in 2001 and since then a staggering 5.5 million have been sold.
Now the third generation is set to go into showrooms in the , flexibility and value for money.
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The Japanese car maker has a fiercely loyal customer base and Jazz owners will be the first in the dealerships to order the new model, but Honda bosses are convinced the latest car is also good enough to snatch large numbers of buyers from rival brands.
The new, slightly longer Jazz has loosely retained the best selling design of its predecessor but it now has a sharper, more distinctive form with a sportier nose and deep cuts in the bodywork. But perhaps more importantly it also has even more headroom, elbow room and space for luggage.
The Jazz’s famous “magic seats” have been retained, but increasing the wheelbase by 30mm (and the overall length by 95mm) has helped with the creation of 115mm more rear seat legroom and added 17 litres more boot space.
And should you happen to be a surfer you can now lower the backs on all but the driver’s seat and get your surfboard inside rather than having to carry it on the roof.
But it’s not just the car’s length that has increased. The new model now offers 20mm more space between passengers who are sitting alongside each other. flat in seconds to create van like proportions of space or left upright but with the seat squabs folded up like cinema seats to take large items across the width of the car, has always meant the Jazz could punch above its weight as far as coping with luggage was concerned, but the latest car takes it to a new level. The new car is available with just one engine, a new 1.3-litre i-VTEC petrol unit which replaces both the 1.2 and 1.4-litre ones available on the outgoing model.
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There’s a choice of either six-speed manual gearbox or CVT automatic on all six of the trim levels available.
Prices in the 海角视频 will range from £13,495 for the entry level S model to £17,425 for the top-of-the-range EX model with CVT. Manual models promise a 0-62 miles per hour acceleration time of 11.2 seconds compared with the CVT’s 12 seconds. Their top speeds are 118 mph and 113 mph respectively.
Fuel consumption is down to diesel car levels with average figures ranging from 55.4mpg on manual models to 61.4 on CVT versions while CO2 levels – determining what rate of road tax you pay – start from just 106g/km.
Get behind the wheel and you soon find the Jazz is a light and very easy car to drive with nimble handling. By the same time it feels well planted and offers a comfortable ride and good manoeuvrability.
I did find the engine noisier on acceleration than I would have expected, however, especially as Honda power plants tend to normally be particularly refined. And while manual models are quite nippy through the gears the CVT models can lack urgency if you suddenly need an acceleration boost to get you out of trouble. , however, with all but base models getting safety features like forward collision warning, lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition system. And mid to high level models add a 7-inch touch screen with internet browsing and access to real time news, traffic and weather.
Having already clocked up sale of more than five million there is little doubt the latest Jazz will not let Honda down when it comes to adding to that number.