Living with my Jazz

[Jocko]

I bought my 1.2 56 plate Jazz back in July with 87K miles on the clock. It replaced my aging Volvo S40 which came as a bit of a shock to the system. My Volvo was automatic (I had been driving a series of automatics for the previous 25 years), and the manual transmission seemed a bit of a pain when in traffic. The reason I had gone for the model I did, was based on the Road Tax. Since retiring I have had to reduce my outgoings a bit, and at less than half the Tax and twice the mpg of the Volvo, the 1.2 looked like it would fill the bill.
The first issue I had, and to a certain extent still have, is the ease with which I can stall it when pulling away. Especially when cold. This was exacerbated by starting a part time driving job, driving a diesel van, which will happily do a hill start on tick over.  My Jazz requires a fair amount of revs for a smooth take away and it has taken me a while to achieve smooth throttle control. For a long time it was either screaming revs or stalling!
After 5 months and 5K miles I have grown to like my wee Jazz. I have averaged 52 mpg during the time I have owned it (mainly town driving with weekend 80 mile round trips on mainly dual carriageways), I love the ease of parking. As a six footer I find the room equal to the Volvo, and it is comfortable enough for the journeys I make.
I know I will miss the A/C once the warm weather returns, my wife still tries to open the door before I get the key in the lock, being used to remote locking, but all in all I think I will stick with it. It is a great wee car for an OAP like me.

[peteo48]

Good point about the room Jocko - like you I'm a 6 footer and there is still a margin for error as I don't need the seat fully back.

The Jazz is a great piece of design.

[guest1372]

Tall people seem to interact with the Jazz OK, higher specs have a height adjustable drivers seat which helps, although I find as high as it goes is most comfortable for the legs.
--
TG

[Jocko]

Unfortunately I have the S variant, with no toys. I don't find the seating needs adjusting though. What I do like is the fact that after the Volvo, the seat is fairly high, As I got older, the seat in my old S40 seemed to get nearer the ground. Sometimes I felt I was going to roll out onto the kerb!

[peteo48]

Unfortunately I have the S variant, with no toys. I don't find the seating needs adjusting though. What I do like is the fact that after the Volvo, the seat is fairly high, As I got older, the seat in my old S40 seemed to get nearer the ground. Sometimes I felt I was going to roll out onto the kerb!

I prefer a highish driving position. I wonder if that explains the phenomenon round my neck of the woods (bungalow city lol) of oldies driving giant SUVs?

I also find a high driving position alleviates the strain in the old right leg. I find the Jazz much more comfortable in this respect than the Civic I owned until 2013.

[John Ratsey]

The Jazz may not be as high as the average SUV but it has higher seats than most cars. I like the better view provided by a higher seat but, as people age, they appreciate the convenience of just swinging legs around and being able to get upright rather than pulling and heaving to get upwards out of a seat near the floor (the same applies to the chairs in the lounge). One of my friends decided it was time to sell his sports car when he discovered that he couldn't get out of the seat after a 3 hour journey.

[guest6436]

I have had both 1.2 and 1.4 jazzes (current) , the 1.4 engine is so much better on it, total night&day.
Also love the sunroof on mine. 
I'm 6'2 and I have more than enough space in it as well.

[Jocko]

My 1.2 seems extremely low geared. I don't know if the 13" wheels make a difference. 5th gear will pull happily from 30 mph on the flat, and about the only time I use 4th is on hills. 1st is virtually a "crawler" gear, and if the wheels are turning at all, I only need to drop down to 2nd. I block shift between 3rd to 5th and 5th to 3rd a great deal (even 5th to 2nd on some occasions). I detest driving in slow crawling traffic, as 1st is too low and 2nd just a shade too high. But that is after 25 years driving automatics!
My previous two cars had sunroofs, but I was not enamoured. Especially as the Volvo also had A/C. I preferred the A/C cranked up and the sunroof closed. I always kept the blind across too. Just personal taste.