1.3 HS 5dr Hatchback

Practical, economical, comfortable, well-equipped - hopefully reliable too!

I bought the hybrid Jazz for two main reasons. 1. We've owned a conventional Jazz CVT from new in July 2006 & have been very satisfied with that in all respects. 2. I fancied something a bit different. I found the Hybrid smoother on test-drive than the conventional CVT Jazz: it certainly feels perkier at low speeds & seems more relaxed at speed too. After owning two previous turbo-charged cars, the Hybrid Jazz is certainly no fire-ball, but it's comfortable with a good adjustable driving position. I find it quiet and refined & not tiring to drive. The interior is very well thought-out and extremely practical too - the flexible rear seat arrangement is really excellent and greatly enhances the car's versatility. If reliability is good, I'll be very pleased. I was able to buy 4 years' Honda servicing for a very reasonable £399, which to my mind was excellent value.

Downsides? 1. Loss of boot space due to the IMA batteries, so no space for a spare wheel. 2. More expensive to buy than the conventional Jazz. 3. Honda offers a 5 year warranty on the Hybrid's batteries, but any problems after that might prove costly, I guess. 4. My car has "auto-lights" and "auto-wipers", both of which are a pain as they don't operate consistently enough. I'd much prefer intermittent wipe with driver-selectable variable delay, and day-running lights (not fitted). 5. The driver's seat isn't ideal for long trips, requiring breaks every hour or so to stretch the muscles to avoid discomfort.

Update: December 2013. The Hybrid Jazz has proved to be an excellent touring car - relaxed and quiet on the open road, and economical - getting close to the quoted overall mpg on a touring holiday. Average fuel consumption from purchase has been 56 mpg.

UPDATED NOVEMBER 2014. Still pleased with my purchase. Average fuel consumption since new is just over 55 MPG. Still think the auto-wipers function is more or less useless because it doesn't fulfil the key requirement of keeping the windscreen clear of rain. The car's modest power is only an issue on hills or sustained uphill gradients, where the Jazz struggles to maintain momentum. Otherwise it's a comfortable, practical car that's relatively easy to drive.

UPDATE FEB 2015: Using the "green" Econ button doesn't seem to affect the way the car handles & performs too much, but oddly fuel consumption is much the same as having the Econ button off! Otherwise the car is still going very well.

UPDATE JUNE 2015: the Jazz sailed through its 2 yr service with no problems at all. Overall mpg is around 54, but I get much better mpg on longer runs or when touring. Not very comfortable over long distances unless I take regular breaks. Lack of oomph only an issue on steady uphill sections of road where it feels sluggish. Still very pleased overall with my purchase.

UPDATE FEBRUARY 2016: Overall fuel consumption from new is 55 mpg. After 17500 miles, wet grip on the original Michelins had started to deteriorate. I've just put on a set of 4 Pirelli Cinturato All Season tyres as replacements, mindful that we're often one of the first spots in the South-East to get snow. At identical tyre pressures, the new Pirellis have helped ride comfort somewhat, while handling seems little different. They seem to provide really excellent grip on wet roads.

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