Jazz vs bigger cars

[Geoff_W]

With my 2021 Crosstar coming up for its 5th service I have been investigating alternatives which have more boot space whilst retaining most of the Jazz's other features (Full Hybrid, rear view camera and front & rear parking sensors, physical controls for Air Con etc.) Google AI suggested a Hyundai Kona 2nd Gen; Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid and a Renault Captur E-Tech. Or, if wanting to retain the 'Magic Seats' a Honda CRV.

Examining the specs and reading reviews of these cars lead me to the following conclusions. Some cars (Toyota) are much more expensive than the others. Other issues for me include, poorer fuel consumption, bigger turning circle, harsher ride quality because of bigger wheels etc. And some have an 'automated gearbox' which can be jerky, instead of a CVT.

Is it true that I would lose about 10mpg on a CRV? This would put me back into the days of an old Mini!

At this rate I think I'll probably stick with my Crosstar and live with the small boot, which is only a problem when trying to fit suitcases in. And after all, I've only done 11,500 miles in it!

[Nicksey]

My friend has the Yaris cross and I sometimes go out in it. I was surprised how small the interior was, and the drive was quite harsh (from a passengers perspective), I thought the boot wasn't bigger than my EX too, maybe a little higher.. but I do remove my parcel shelf which gives me more than enough. If you are only doing a tad over 2000 a year, whats the point in changing? At 11k the car is only just breaking in.

[Downsizer]

I sometimes enlarge the boot space either with a rear seat back down or a  seat squab lifted. As the rear seat is split you can obviously still take one rear passenger but not two. However, there is a loss of visual security when you park the car unattended.

[FMIB]

With my 2021 Crosstar coming up for its 5th service I have been investigating alternatives which have more boot space whilst retaining most of the Jazz's other features (Full Hybrid, rear view camera and front & rear parking sensors, physical controls for Air Con etc.) Google AI suggested a Hyundai Kona 2nd Gen; Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid and a Renault Captur E-Tech. Or, if wanting to retain the 'Magic Seats' a Honda CRV.

Examining the specs and reading reviews of these cars lead me to the following conclusions. Some cars (Toyota) are much more expensive than the others. Other issues for me include, poorer fuel consumption, bigger turning circle, harsher ride quality because of bigger wheels etc. And some have an 'automated gearbox' which can be jerky, instead of a CVT.

I don't think you can equate harsher ride quality of other cars to the Jazz just because they have bigger wheels. The Jazz is not exactly having the best ride over certain poor UK roads. My XC40 had 20 inch wheels, lower profile tyres and yet the ride comfort was in a different league to the Jazz.

Maybe a Honda HRV might be worth a look, keeps all the things you like with your Jazz, but with a bigger boot. The CRV is a lot bigger and comes with a 2.0L engine, so yes it will use a bit more fuel.

[Lord Voltermore]

If you only do about 2000 miles a year I can understand wanting a car suitable for your needs when you do use it .  But is a relatively small increase in fuel consumption over 2000 miles really significant ?

But an accumulation of  millions of owners  , each choosing unnecessary gas guzzlers ,is not good for the environment   

Larger wheels ,which of necessity normally means the tyres have to have lower side walls  ,can result in a harsher ride.   IMO 15 "vs 16" makes little difference. 17" (or heavens forbid 18" or 19" ) may be more noticeable. .    But not always. Some tyres brands have more a comfortable ride than others of the same size, 'posh ' cars sometimes have more comfortable and  supple suspension ,  and sports suspension, designed for tauter handling ,may have a harsher  ride regardless of tyres or wheel size.

[Jazzfan49]

A CRV Hybrid is £48k but the HRV starts from £32k and has basically the same powertrain as the jazz, it’s fuel economy is 52mpg combined according to Honda uk although I am getting a genuine 58/60mpg out of mine with a fairly light right foot, the CRV has a 2litre engine and Honda quote 5.2/8L /100km (35/54mpg) and it’s a big car, the HRV sits roughly between the Jazz and CRV sizewise why not go and try one  

[emp]

there is also the ZRV full hybrid

https://www.honda.co.uk/cars/new/zr-v-hybrid-suv/configurator.html#mtoce=ZR-V%7ERZ483VGT%7EKE%7E%7CNH-820P%7CBK%7C&id=2027zrvhybridElegance11Automatic&colour=NH-820P&trim=FBK&accessories=wheel-elegance&additionalProducts=&payment=cash

[Geoff_W]

Thanks to all of you for your helpful replies. I'm mulling them over but tending towards hanging on to my current car. As Lord Voltermore points out, my 2,000 miles per year usage is probably not worth the expense of changing if I only increase the boot space by a few litres.

[stefan]

Thanks for replies, and back to my original question. We've just got back from a 4,000 km camping trip to Norway in the Jazz, and we've decided to keep it.

A few more test drives since my OP (plus sitting in a Model Y at a campsite) convinced me the step up to an SUV buys almost nothing inside. The HR-V makes the point best with its 319 litres of boot against the Jazz's 304 on the same platform. When I sat in one it felt like a lifted Jazz. Whatever the extra exterior width is doing it isn't reaching the occupants.

Sometime last month after the dealer I also became fixated on centre consoles. Front seats are pretty much the same width in every car, so console width works as a good proxy I reckon for how much of the exterior width actually makes it into the cabin. I peered into many parked cars and eyeballed interiors, which I suspect looked like I was about to steal them. It's a rabbit hole, most of what's down there turns out to be door thickness.

On ride comfort, I'd agree with what was said above, it's suspension tuning (materials, geometry, etc.) rather than size. Anybody who has ridden aluminium and steel frames will know what I mean. The Jazz seems to have been tuned to feel more "sporty".

The gap in my reasoning in the OP is the roof box: it's less about boot litres and more about not wanting a box up there. That's what will eventually push us to a proper MPV rather than to anything in between. We saw a lot of Kia PV5s in Norway and liked how they looked. It's a shame we don't get something like an Odyssey or Stepwgn here in EU...

We'd need only one car either way, since the metro is a minute away and neither of our commutes needs driving.

In the jazz boot I managed to fit a huge stroller chassis (Graco evo XT, just the chassis) + a small one (yoyo babyzen) + backpacks etc. All in the boot.  I could also have a lot of space for putting a changing mat + kid for changing, in the Jazz boot lol. The boot is amazing.

sebastiand, that's roughly our experience too, though the chassis we have behaves differently. Worth its own thread maybe?