Author Topic: Jazz 1.2 mini-review  (Read 2530 times)

RichardA

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Jazz 1.2 mini-review
« on: July 10, 2008, 10:03:23 PM »
Today I had a Jazz 1.2 i-DSi S courtesy car when my 1.4-litre Sport was in for a service. Seeing as this was the first time I'd driven a 1.2 (in the past I've been given either a last generation Civic or CR-V) I'd thought I'd write a review.



Looks wise, it still uses the door mirrors off the pre-facelift models but with slightly different bumpers and 14" wheels (which look too small). And its the same story inside, with the same radio and instrumentation as before. After my Sport model, it does look a touch bare. On the plus side, the build quality of this 57-reg Chinese made model appeared to be upto the same high standard on the Japanese models.



Performance figures suggest little difference compared with the 1.4-litre - on the road the same opinion is reached. I really couldn't tell much difference, well, maybe just a little when leaving a roundabout onto a dual carriageway or in the 50-70 range. To my ears the 1.2 emitted more engine noise at 70 but this could be more noticeable due to the reduced road noise from the smaller wheels.



With 14" wheels the ride is certainly smoother then with the 15's on my Sport - even more so then I expected. The difference is quite noticeable. In terms of handling, I feel the smaller wheels let go of grip sooner then the wider 15" inch wheels but the steering feels lighter, especially on self-centring and when parking. It feels just a little more direct although some might find this translates to the car feeling more nervous.





Spec-wise it's pretty basic; no air-con, electric windows in the front only; electric mirror adjustment but no mirror heating. Remote central locking? No, key in the door lock I'm afraid. Seat height adjustment is standard but the front passenger seat misses out on the lever to move the seat forward and there are no map pockets in the backs of the front seats.



At £2k less then the SE, the S is at last a viable buy - in the past the margin between the two was so small the SE grade was the smarter buy in terms of value. Even so, at over £9k for a car with no air-con is still pretty expensive - I think the 1.2 is best purchased second-hand as I still think its not cheap enough when new. But it is still otherwise a decent car.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2009, 02:53:07 PM by RichardA »

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