Author Topic: Hybrid Jazz - good or bad idea? (Read 2624 times)

RichardA · « **on:** October 20, 2008, 10:10:15 PM »

So it's official - there will be no diesel Jazz - instead, we have 90-100bhp petrols which can do over 50mpg, and a petrol-electric hybrid will follow by 2010.

Are Honda wise or have they shot themselves in the foot? Should they instead develop or buy-in a small diesel to slot in the Jazz, or even develop a BMW/MINI-style stop-start system, where power is cut when stationary?

Petrol is still much cheaper per litre then diesel, even after recent price cuts at the pumps. But, many small diesels can do 60mpg+ and some question the mpg figures of hybrid cars.

guest238 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 27, 2008, 09:14:13 PM »

Can't see personally see how Honda will do it for the money.

Diesels make little sense at this end of the market if you pay £1000 more for less then 10mpg improvement for diesel costing over 10p more per litre. And the stop/start system as used by BMW & MINI is useless out of town.

I could never see Honda developing a small diesel anyway. The 2.2 DTEC/CTDi units balance the sheets because Honda can install it in the Civic, Accord, CRV & FRV. Any suitable diesel for the Jazz would have to be around 1.3-litres and produce about 80bhp - too weak for the Civic, but any more powerful and the ecomony gains would be negilible. And no-one outside Europe really wants diesels.

I think in the old days Honda bought-in Isuzu and (via Rover) PSA-Peugeot-Citroen diesel engines, but this is not a realistic option.

E27006 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 01, 2009, 01:39:21 PM »

The problem is the cost to the owner of replacing the batteries during the life of the vehicle, it can far outweigh the fuel savings, £3000 for the battery pack for the 2000 to 06 Insight

culzean · « **Reply #3 on:** September 02, 2009, 08:30:10 AM »

At the moment having a hybrid only makes sense if you need to go into a congestion charging zone very frequently.

Otherwise someone doing average 10K a year, who now has a normal Jazz or other car doing 50mpg who trades it in for a hybrid which does 60mpg would save about 35 galls of fuel a year = about £170 + saving in road tax of about £90 = £260 p/a saving on a car that cost maybe £5K to 8K more than a 'normal car'.

That is a payback period of 20 years on the 5K premium!!!! I know you may get a better price when you sell it, but that is a gamble because who will want to buy a 5 year old hybrid with a potential £3K battery replacement bill to be paid soon?