SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8
This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you can get at home.
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* Please note that prices quoted are those in effect at the time the vehicle was tested
We sing the blues in the Honda Jazz 1,5 EX automatic
This new Honda comes with excellent credentials. Not only is it an update of the popular Jazz that’s sold more than two million units worldwide, but its manual transmission sibling is a Car of the Year (COTY) finalist as well.
The update goes beyond a simple nip and tuck. It’s 55 mm longer and 20 mm wider, wheelbase has been extended by 50 mm and front and rear tracks are 35 mm and 30 mm wider, respectively.
The two engines available, 1,4 litre and 1,5 litre i – VTEC units, produce more power than their predecessors while improvements to the bodyshell and suspension make for a more exciting and safer drive.
The 5-speed automatic ‘box as fitted to our test car is new as well, but more on this later.
The interior is more airy and open feeling than that of the previous model, while its “cab-forward” body design allows better visibility and means the new Jazz is even more spacious, specifically benefiting rear legroom and boot space.
The interior layout of the previous Jazz, with its compact suspension and centrally mounted fuel tank, ensured exceptional interior space and cargo carrying capacity. The new Jazz retains that configuration, but its increased dimensions take interior comfort to a new level.
Rear seat passengers have 37 mm more knee room, the distance between front and rear passengers is up by 30 mm and the slightly wider body means shoulder room has been increased by 44 mm in front and 43 mm in the rear.
What this means is that fully grown people have plenty of head and knee room, even when the driver’s seat is pushed well back. My only reservation is that the rear seat back feels a little too upright for long distance comfort.
While we’re talking back seats, the previous Jazz’s innovative “cinema-style” units are retained in the new car, but have been made even more convenient to operate.
It is no longer necessary to move the front seats forward to collapse the rear seats. Thanks to headrests that are virtually flush with the seatbacks, the 2:1 split rear seats clear the fronts even when they have been moved as far back as possible.
The resulting flat Utility Mode measures 1720 mm in length, enough to accommodate three 26-inch mountain bikes with their front wheels in place. Load length in Long Mode is even greater: slide the front passenger seat fully forward, recline the seat back and a 2,4 m long load space is created.
When raising the rear seats, the bases stay locked to the seat backs. In this position, also known as Tall Mode, a useful secondary load area between the front and rear seats accommodates items up to 1 280 mm tall – and is now even easier to access because the rear doors open wider.
Visibility is improved thanks to slimmer A-pillars, a bigger windscreen and front quarter windows that are three times larger than before.
The single-CD receiver fitted to all models offers MP3/WMA playback capability and speed-dependent volume adjustment. An auxiliary audio jack for use with MP3 players is supplied on all models, while EX and EX-S (1,5 litre) versions also get a USB port in the centre console storage box.
This enables fifth-generation iPods and several other portable music devices to be played via the Jazz’s audio system while providing simultaneous charging (depending on type).
Handy storage spaces abound throughout the cabin. For instance, there are eight cup and bottle holders, two gloveboxes, a pocket to the left of the steering wheel, a flexible compartment in the centre console and a passenger seatback pocket on EX and EX-S versions.
Air-conditioning is standard on LX models, while EX and EX-S versions come equipped with fully automatic climate control. The upper glove compartment is refrigerated.
Out on the road, the Jazz is easy-driving, stable and comfortable, with reassuring steering response and excellent road manners. Geared for economy rather than outright performance, it returns good real-world fuel consumption figures.
Admittedly possessed of a heavy right foot, my best attempts at driving frugally usually result in indifferent consumption figures. Not so with this Honda.
According to its on-board computer, I averaged 5,8 litres per 100 in just under 200 km of freeway travel and a further 150 km or so of town driving dropped the overall average to 6,5 l/100km. For me, that’s a record.
What a pity, then, that such a fabulous little car had to be saddled with a disappointing automatic gearbox. It reminds me of units from the eighties, with lots of built in slippage to make shifts feel smoother.
Don’t get me wrong – it works well enough if you want to drive like a little old lady day in and day out, but this scribe isn’t ready for the old age home just yet.
Hoofing it is met with very little action as the ‘box searches momentarily for an answer to your urgent request, drops down two notches with a corresponding increase in noise, but makes no real attempt at hurtling toward the horizon.
A CVT unit with Tiptronic-style override is available in some overseas markets and was previously fitted to SA models. Bring it back, I say.
Overall, I can understand why the manual version of this car is a COTY finalist. It’s just a pity that the automatic version loses the plot somehow.
The numbers:
Price: R 180 400
Engine: 1 497 cc inline 4 cylinder, 16 valve iVTEC DOHC
Power: 88 kW at 6 600 rpm
Torque: 145 Nm at 4 800 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 11,5 seconds
Maximum speed: 189 km/h
Fuel index: 8,42 l/100 km
CO2 gm/km: 196
Tank: 42 litres
Service plan: 4 years/60 000 km
This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.
What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to in order to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and visit to kick back and relax. So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8