Honda Jazz GE Reviews (LOCKED - please start new topic for each review)

[olduser1]

Went down to see the new Jazz - the model in showroom was the top spec EX manual
Pluse points - Its here at last, the vin number was Japanese built , good finsh, paintwork as Honda , shut lines improved, massive multi funtion boot, rear seat when folder in up position exposes the hidden compartment for your valuables / service book.
Nice feel of the leather steering wheel, sitting in the car feels like a Golf Civic more room better the driver passenger area, good visability.huge glass roof - this was the EX model.
not convinced of the price for the EX the spec of the ES looks good value though.

Minor niggles- the price has risen over old model, no spare wheel just a can of slosh, the size of the passenger wiper arm is a triumph of eastern engineering why not adopt the Mercedes 190 centre single wiper? Could't get a drive untill Tuesday.
Oh and the ealiest for the ishift January or 5th december if you order today - now who would spend £12/13k without a 20 mile 30 min drive not me forsure.

Will let the forum know how they go on Tuesday.....

[title changed and topic merged by Admin to create single review topic of the new Jazz (15/02/2009)]

[andyfr]

I was told that a spacesaver spare wheel can be ordered as an option. 

[guest581]

although i don,t own a  jazz as yet , as soon as finances permit i will be changing to one from a 2.0 focus, i had a look at the new 2009 fiesta before i saw the jazz and i hated it,i found it crapped and under equiped compared with the jazz As soon as i sat in the jazz i felt right at home and i found the driving position comfortable and there was plenty of space,i was also very impressed by the equipment levels offered including  Panaramic roof and All round disc brakes of which the fiesta has neither, i about rolled around the ford show room floor laughing when i saw a top of the range fiesta 1.6 titanium with drum brakes on the back,no sunroof or glass roof,electric front windows only and 15 inch alloys, i have seen the future of small cars and it is the new honda jazz. 

[RichardA]

Prices and variants are as follows:

    * 1.2 S - £9,990
    * 1.2 SE - £10,990
    * 1.4 ES - £11,490
    * 1.4 EX - £12,790

All models are five speed manual with metallic paint avaliable at extra cost. I-SHIFT 'automatic' follows in the new year.

Anyone else....please reply with your views on the new Jazz if you've have sat in one or had a test drive.

[RichardA]

....All round disc brakes of which the fiesta has neither

Later versions of the previous Jazz had disc rear brakes...and reports of handbrakes not holding the car on a slope. 

[guest581]

even the last version of the jazz had disc,s all round, ford are so behind the times  to be honest,i can remember having a 1999 peugeot 206 roland garros and that had a glass roof way back in 2000 when i bought it, the roof  area was about the same as the jazz,s it was great to drive home and be able to look up and see the stars at night it also made the car seem  bigger inside. I think with ford is just being pure lazy to be honest.I am looking forward to driving a jazz one day

[guest582]

Hi all this is my first post.
I looked at a Jazz at the dealer's yesterday and I have to say I came away a little disappointed. On the good side:
i) The car looks good from the outside, I prefer the shape to that of the old Jazz.
ii) Although I've not driven it the general consensus among the reviewers seems to be that the engines and the drive comfort are a lot better.
iii) The flexibility of the rear seats is great.
iv) A nice driving position and a good range of adjustment on the driver's seat.

What I did not like, however,was:
i) The paintwork on the Jazz seems OK but it just can not match the quality of that on my wife's Polo. I think this is disappointing for what is perceived as a car a cut above most others in its class ( I make this comment because there are places e.g. the very ends of the door sills that are matt finish instead of gloss).
ii) Hard plastic fascia and the air vents seemed flimsy.
iii) Although this is subjective I thought the choice of colours could be better e.g. only one solid colour (red), no metallic red and no greens, browns etc.
iv) I only noticed this from the brochure but there is a lot of extra width added to the car by the mirrors. These increase the width from 1695mm to 2029mm. I think this is more than for most compact cars and could be an important factor for people with narrow driveways. I also wonder if this contributes to the "so much wind noise at motorway speeds" reported by What Car.
v) I thought the boot divider was a bit gimmicky.
v) The most important thing to me, however, is the lack of a spare wheel. It is possible to buy a space saver spare and, on the 1.2 that I looked at, this could be fitted in a well in the boot. On the 1.4 cars though the boot well is carpeted and I don't think a spare would fit. In any case if you did carry a spare it looked like you would have to hack a hole in the carpet in order to screw it down to the threaded hole in the floor (assuming there is a threaded hole there). I would be interested to hear other people's observations on this.
I told the salesman that my breakdown organisation (Britannia Rescue) did not cover you for instances where you did not have a spare wheel. He said not to worry as Honda included a three year breakdown plan of their own. I did not ask for any details of this plan but wonder what happens after the three years i.e. can you extend the plan and how do the costs compare?

In general the comments above can be seen as minor gripes, with the exception of the spare wheel situation. I hope Honda have not spoiled what could have otherwise been a good product by this.

[bill888]

iv) I only noticed this from the brochure but there is a lot of extra width added to the car by the mirrors. These increase the width from 1695mm to 2029mm

fwiw, my old Jazz 2006 brochure quotes the width as 1878 mm including wing mirrors.  It is 1675 mm excluding wing mirrors.

Nevertheless, it would appear the new model is a good 15 cm (6 inches in old money) wider than the old model.

[RichardA]

I sat inside the new Jazz today, here are my thoughts:

Good:
- Looks good, espeically in Cerulean Blue with the glassroof
- Glassroof is fantastic!
- All round visability is improved, espeically up front. And the rear headrests retract out of the way.
- Excellent driving position
- Supportive seats with improved seat fabric quality...very nice!
- The rear seats fold without having to move the front seats forward or remove the headrests.
- Civic-style steering wheel looks and feels good, esp. the leather wheel on the EX.
- No Civic-style changes-for-change sake, like the digital instruments or scratchy piano-black fasica

Not so good:
- The interior plastics are hard and don't feel or look as upmarket as the old model, such as the dash top and the door pulls. A bit of a step back, TBH.
- The AUX-in socket is located on the radio; the gap between the two gloveboxes won't accomated most MP3 players, so you have the lead hanging down the dashboard to the centre console.
- Top glovebox is quite small
- As before, options are limited and pricey; the Cronos alloys look great but expensive at £700; Bluetooth phone connection will set you back £350, £255 for side moulding strips, etc.

One other note...the Jazz does appear expensive, but the EX for example does get more kit then the nearest Fiesta and this is true with pretty much the rest of the range - curtain airbags, USB port, rear electric windows, glassroof - either options or not available on the top-of-the range Fiesta Titanium which costs about the same as the Jazz EX.

[guest221]

I took one for a test drive yestaday.

The outside looks great, I quite like the Civic-style nose and the 16" wheels on the EX. Inside though is a disappointment - all hard and shiny plastic, no soft-touch materials like in the new Ford Fiesta. Although if you've come from a Corsa, Punto, Clio, Yaris, etc, then you won't be disapointed and will feel it's a quality piece of kit, but I think the marterial quality is a step backwards from the old Jazz, just like it did with the VW Golf Mk4 to Mk5 models.

The increase in wheelbase means the cabin and boot space is even better, and it's good to see the front seats no longer need to be move forward to flip the backrest down (one of my few criticisms of the old model). Here I choose to disagree with tonyf - the split boot is something we'd find very useful, although I question the lack of spare wheel. Unlike the new Fiesta, the rear view is excellent (thanks to the design of the headrests)!

On the road the Jazz drives much better then the old model. The ride, handling and steering are all improved. The new Jazz no longer feels bouncy on some surfaces and the steering is more direct and better weighted. It's no Fiesta, but it's close. Refinement is also much improved - perhaps the biggest area where the 02-08 model was starting to show it's age. And the 100bhp VTEC feels much more willing then the Fiesta's 1.4 96bhp petrol.

The standard kit is impressive. To demostrate this, I'll point out the key features of the Jazz EX compared that the Fiesta Titanium misses out on:

1. Glass roof (not avalable on fiesta)
2. USB socket (£200 extra, although you do get Bluetooth phone connectivity, a £300 extra on the Jazz)
3. Electric rear windows (Fiesta option)
4. Curtain airbags (Fiesta option! Come on Ford!!!!!  )
5. VSA (again, optional on Fiesta! Don't Ford take safety seriously?  )

On the other hand, Ford only charges you £100 for different style alloys of the same size and not the £700 Honda do, and a spare wheel is no extra cost option on the Fiesta (although as per norm these days, it's not included as standard).

To wrap up, the new Jazz drives much better, is more pratical but just feels a little less quality inside. But for space, nothing else still comes close and that remains the trump card.

[guest436]

Eye-catching in that deep blue & glass roof. Much better then old one!

I might go have a closer look at the weekend.

[guest581]

I dsi you forgot those ghastly drum brakes on the fiesta , my god what a joke they are

[guest598]

Picking up the new jazz EX tomorrow down sizing from the 2.2 es civic, hope i have made the right decision will keep you informed.

[RichardA]

Picking up the new jazz EX tomorrow down sizing from the 2.2 es civic, hope i have made the right decision will keep you informed.

I downsized from a Civic 2.2 Sport to a Jazz Sport last year.

[Ashizuru]

Bought the Jazz EX,with manual box, last week, well impressed,drives like dream, only one gripe, cant get my memory stick to work in the USB port, minor really, but there you are.