Enjoyment of driving the Mk4 Jazz

[Kenneve]

Well guys, As the OP on this post, I've now passed the 1000 Mile mark, since purchase and think it's time to review, what I think of the car so far. The mileage includes 1 motorway trip of roughly 250 miles, during which I maintained a steady 60-65mph, the rest being mostly local/country roads

I like:-

The quiet relaxed drive and the acceleration from the EV drive when required.
Most times it's difficult to know whether the engine is running or not, except when peak acceleration is required, when of course the engine wakes up to supply the additional power necessary.

Fuel consumption, the attached photos show 67.5 Mpg over 1059 Miles. And 73.2 Mpg over the last 77 Miles, Which is a significant improvement, compared to my previous Mk3 CVT, I estimate something around 24% better, in terms of Mpg.

In my opinion the car is much better built than previous models, with reduced panel gaps etc. and more attention to detail and finish.

I've not driven a Crosstar, but I feel the ride is better than the Mk3, not sure why, possibly the fact that it is shod with Yokohama Bluearth tyres, rather than the Dunlops of all my previous cars.

I dislike:-
 
Not much really, I guess my main gripe is with the Honda Sensing gizmos like:-
LKAS, probably OK on motorways, but can be switched off and it stays off.

The RDMS system is a real PITA, in that it has to be disabled for every trip. In my opinion it can be downright dangerous on narrow country lanes, where you need move in close to the verge to avoid cars coming the other way. To have the RDMS attempt to turn the steering wheel, away from the verge and towards the approaching vehicle, is quite disconcerting!

CBMS and ACC, I can live with as they are not so intrusive as the others

Now, several members have questioned possible issues with engine noise, particularly under fierce acceleration, when the engine breaks into sweat to maintain sufficient EV power. I had hoped to be able to measure RPM with my OBD2 adaptor/smartphone, but at the time writing I can't get the thing to work properly.
Perhaps someone can give me the name of a suitable OBD2 adaptor and software that will work with the Jazz and an Iphone or Ipad

Suffice to say I don't believe noise to be an issue, I guess in overall terms the vehicle is so quiet, that when the engine does start, it's noise is occasionally more noticeable, but only under fierce acceleration. Normal cruising  speeds, it is perfectly acceptable. I still think it is quieter than the MK3 and does not rev as much as the CVT under similar conditions.
If I can eventually take RPM measurements with an adaptor, then I will report back.

And so, all in all, I think this is the best Jazz yet and I'm very pleased with my purchase.

[nowster]

I've only driven a little over 50 miles so far.

The lane departure warning system doesn't like certain local road markings. For example, driving into the start of a limited hours bus lane outside its hours of operation will get a reaction from the system.

The road sign recognition system is easily confused by 20mph zone signs on side roads.

I'm still getting used to driving an automatic after many decades of driving a manual. I got distracted yesterday and "put the clutch in" and did an emergency stop (at about 5mph).

The general feel of the car is that it's less plasticky overall than the Mk2 that I had for 12 years.

Around town, on the few short journeys I've done, fuel consumption appears to be better than 60mpg. That compares with the 40mpg I was getting on similar journeys in the Mk2. Obviously I'm still on the first tank of fuel, so I can't do a more accurate fill-to-fill calculation.

Some time in the next few weeks I'll be seeing how it copes with the back roads of rural Wales.

[John Ratsey]

I find that the mpg is very sensitive to the weather. A trip to Cornwall in wind and rain resulted in below average mpg but last Friday, in warm, dry, almost wind-free weather, resulted in the car claiming over 80 mpg on both the outward and return legs of an 80 mile rural A road trip (average speed around 30 mph and rarely exceeding 50 mph).

[Kenneve]

Wow, John I thought I was doing well with my 73 mpg, it seems I have some way to go, well done!

[Kremmen]

Bad weather - lights, wipers, wet road tyre drag, all have an effect, as does the cold on the low under floor flat fuel tank. Fuel, like other things contracts in the cold so you don't have as much and mpg suffers.

[culzean]

Bad weather - lights, wipers, wet road tyre drag, all have an effect, as does the cold on the low under floor flat fuel tank. Fuel, like other things contracts in the cold so you don't have as much and mpg suffers.

I would have thought closed loop fuel injection would have sorted the denser fuel out, just like it sorts out lower oxygen in the incoming air in hot weather.  Thing is fuel companies make petrol more volatile in winter,  which lowers the energy content ( but ethanol is lowering the energy content already  ).

[peteo48]

Great updates from new owners. I think that the new Jazz is clearly a step change for the better in every respect. I will admit to having slight buyers remorse about my new Mk3 although, just looking at my invoice, the new car would have been about £5,000 more once all the discounts on the old one (clearance of old stock ahead of the new model) were taken into consideration.

I can see me getting one although not for about 18 months.

[Kremmen]

I'm waiting to see the MY22 specs, what's changed.

There's always something the Honda designers and testers miss for the first model year that's picked up by owners for the second model year.

[John Ratsey]

Wow, John I thought I was doing well with my 73 mpg, it seems I have some way to go, well done!

That trip (evidence attached) was the best to date by a significant margin and it's just about a real 80 mpg after allowing for the car's 3% optimism. The temperature was such that neither heating nor aircon was needed. I've sometimes seen nearly as good mpg going in one direction but not on the return as weather factors and the altitude difference between the two ends can cause significant differences between the two halves of a return trip.

80 mpg is still well short of the 95 mpg achieved with a Mk 3 Jazz between Land's End to John O'Groats on one tank of fuel https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/462773-lowest-fuel-consumption-from-lands-end-to-john-o-groats-petrol-car.

[nowster]

Using the aircon (even on Eco) can make a big difference to the mpg on a hot day.

After my 10km run this morning, I decided not to go directly home but drove up into the Pennines, just to get a feel for the car's handling.

Climbing the A58 up Blackstone Edge, I had to pass a pair of cyclists safely, so put my foot down. Boy did it shift! I'd set the speed limiter too.

The Mk4 ate that climb too. The mpg did suffer but it had no trouble with it. Down the long run to Sowerby Bridge I set cruise control for the open country parts. The battery indicator kept going up and up from the regenerative braking, and by time it reached the traffic lights at the bottom the battery was showing full.

The return leg through Rishworth and down the M62 was instructive too. It handles well through corners (if you gently accelerate through them as you ought to) and on undulating surfaces.

The motorway driving in ACC on the long downhill from Windy Hill to Milnrow was mostly in EV mode, with the excess energy going back into the battery.

In general the engine is quiet, unless you floor it, and the angry engine sound you get then is cosmetic to make you aware that it's eating energy when you do that.

PS. To the driver who tried to muscle in from the slip road at Milnrow. It's a courtesy not an obligation on my part to move to lane 2 to let you merge. There was a clear five seconds of space in front of me you could have merged into if you'd been doing the right speed on the acceleration lane. (I did, in the event, move over because a gap had opened up in lane 2 just before he was about to side swipe me.)

[toolroomboy]

Just taken delivery of a new Crossstar. Drove it home, so only done 25 miles.
Very first impression ?, having come from a mk3 1.5 Sport CVT, is how smooth the drive is.
Driving 160 miles tomorrow fully loaded, will report my findings upon my return.

[richardfrost]

Down the long run to Sowerby Bridge I set cruise control for the open country parts.

Hey, I live above Sowerby Bridge. You should drop by next time you’re over this way. I’ll show you some really hairy roads you can test your car on 😉

[nowster]

Down the long run to Sowerby Bridge I set cruise control for the open country parts.

Hey, I live above Sowerby Bridge. You should drop by next time you’re over this way. I’ll show you some really hairy roads you can test your car on 😉

I'm pretty sure I've driven some of them in my previous car!

Nothing could compare with the night I drove (crawled) from Outlane to Denshaw (A640) in fog so dense that you could barely see the white lines and the road signs were totally invisible. That was two cars ago. Front fog lights would have helped but that 2002 Nissan Micra K11C didn't have any.

[toolroomboy]

I have just returned from a 330 round trip Newquay- Bournemouth in a new Crosstar.

I have driven this route fully loaded hundreds of time in all mk’s of Jazz from 2003 to now.

In terms of drivability the Crosstar is easily the best I have driven. (for example: I set the ACC to 70 at Exeter, and the car dealt with it no problem at all for 80 miles. Some engine noise on hill climbs, but certainly no worse than a 1.5 sport trying to do the same thing)

I personally love the gadgets, but can understand they will not be for everyone.

Round trip mpg approx. 56 according to the car (compared to 45 on 1.5 sport). That equates to a 25% improvement, and I am very happy with that.

[Kenneve]

Well guys, have just past the 2000 mile mark with this Mk4 EX, do I still think the same about it?
Yes, I still think the car is the best Jazz yet, and I am still impressed with the general quietness, performance and fuel consumption.
I still find it difficult to know exactly when the engine is running, except of course when max acceleration is required, which really is no different to previous CVT cars.

As you can see from the attached photos, fuel consumption in my opinion is very good, with an average of 72.7 over the last 501 miles and 69.6mpg over the total 2002 miles so far.
The Fibometer seems to be more accurate than previous, at only about 2.0% optimistic error, which to me, is neither here nor there.

My only concern is still with the safety gizmos and the fact that RDMS has to be disabled on each time I start up, a real PITA. Why can't it be disabled permanently like LKAS. To have the hand of God take over the steering when I've forgotten to disable it, is not funny.

I have noticed some very fine scratches on the Red paintwork, which seems to be quite thin, no idea where they came from, can only assume car park scrapes or similar.

This afternoon I had to do a 45mile journey, against the clock, as I was late starting, traffic was mostly stop/start rush hour with several minor delays.
I was using 'B' mode mostly and still returned 68mpg. I guess the regeneration derived from the frequent braking, was able to largely offset the fuel used in heavy traffic and extend the EV mode distance

All In all, quite satisfied, and at 84 it could well be my last car, mind you, I said that a couple of years ago with the previous Jazz, so time will tell.!!