Torque curve

[stephen_m]

I've been reading that the 1.3 in the Mk 3 Jazz needs to be revved hard to get anywhere.

I like to putter around at low RPM though.

Is the 1.3 engine useable at low revs?

Thanks for any insights.

[Kenneve]

Unless I’m pushing on, my revcounter rarely rises much above 3000rpm which is only half the maximum available.
With the CVT gearbox you really don’t think about engine speed, you just leave the box to get on with it!

[stephen_m]

Thanks. (I would be going for the manual transmission. I wonder if the engine tuning is different.)

[Jocko]

My Mk 1 1.2 i-DSi rarely exceeds 2,500 rpm and never goes near 3,000. The Mk 1 is the torquiest Jazz until the new Mk 4 arrived on the scene.
Stephen, is your Mk 1 a DSi engine?

[stephen_m]

@Jocko — my current car is actually a VW Up! Not sure why it said 2007 Jazz on my profile but I've changed that. Apologies for any confusion. (My next car will be a Mk 3 Jazz though.)

[Derkie54]

I have the 1.3 with the manual gearbox and it's fine for pottering about. It's true that the engine doesn't have a lot of torque at low revs but I find once I'm out of first gear the engine and it's close ratio gearbox are fine.
My previous car was a VW UP

[Derkie54]

I had a normally aspirated  UP and the Jazz compares well with that.
I also had an UP with a turbo and from a standstill the UP was quicker as you'd expect but once I'm in second gear and beyond I find the Jazz is just fine.
Only my opinion but I think the Jazz is a better car and feels more solid than the UP.
If your talking about interior space then there's no comparison.

[Jocko]

Not sure why it said 2007 Jazz on my profile

That's what confused me. No worries, I'm easily confused.

[Derkie54]

Just out of interest, why are you changing your UP for a Jazz ?

[John Ratsey]

I had the CVT version of the Mk 3 and it had been programmed to substantially increase the engine revs in response to more than the lightest touch of the accelerator pedal which I found annoying (I think Honda might have adjusted the operating rules when they did the refresh). However, with the manual gearshift the driver has much more control over how the engine behaves. It will happily tick over at about 1000 rpm when pottering along at about 30 mph but be aware that there isn't much torque as the engine is in the more efficient Atkinson cycle mode. If you do need torque and power then the engine starts to deliver at around 3000 rpm.

[stephen_m]

Just out of interest, why are you changing your UP for a Jazz ?

Derkie — the Up! is fine for now but I'd like something with a better safety rating (The Up was downgraded to 3 stars by Euro NCAP recently).

Japanese reliability and the bigger load space also appeal to me.

My Up! is seven years old. Not sure how much longer I'll keep it. No great hurry to replace it but a Mk 3 Jazz will almost certainly be my next car.

[stephen_m]

I had the CVT version of the Mk 3 and it had been programmed to substantially increase the engine revs in response to more than the lightest touch of the accelerator pedal which I found annoying (I think Honda might have adjusted the operating rules when they did the refresh). However, with the manual gearshift the driver has much more control over how the engine behaves. It will happily tick over at about 1000 rpm when pottering along at about 30 mph but be aware that there isn't much torque as the engine is in the more efficient Atkinson cycle mode. If you do need torque and power then the engine starts to deliver at around 3000 rpm.

Thanks John. I'm not sure what the Atkinson cycle is but I'll look it up.

[John Ratsey]

And this is what you can get in terms of fuel economy if you potter along at a steady 40 mph https://www.theaa.com/about-us/newsroom/fuel-economy-record-attempt .

[stephen_m]

And this is what you can get in terms of fuel economy if you potter along at a steady 40 mph https://www.theaa.com/about-us/newsroom/fuel-economy-record-attempt .

Cheers John. Interesting.

[Jocko]

Be great if you were followed everywhere you went with an AA van with flashing amber lights behind you. I find I can drive slower, with better mpg, if there is nothing behind me, but feel duty-bound to speed up to nearer the speed for the road when something comes up behind.