Honda Jazz Hybrid 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $22,990
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): N/A
Crash rating: Five-star (ANCAP, regular Jazz)
Fuel: 91 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 4.5
CO2 emissions (g/km): 107
Also consider: Ford Fiesta Diesel (from $20,290); Toyota Prius c (from $23,990); Volkswagen Polo Diesel (from $23,990)

The Honda Jazz is a good compact car. We've reviewed it a number of times since it was originally launched in 2008 [Ed: a facelift followed in 2010] and lauded its clever use of interior space, build quality, drivability and frugal engine.

So the addition of a (petrol-electric) hybrid powertrain should make a good car better, right?

This is where things get a little murky, because even though this trendy little number is currently Australia's most affordable hybrid, it's still $2000 dearer than the previous range-topping Jazz VTi-S (from $20,990).

This begs the question: Is the premium worth it?

It all depends on where you live and what you value most. If your daily drive doesn't involve a trip on the highway -- and you value being seen to be green -- then the Jazz Hybrid will certainly appeal.

The ‘mild’ hybrid technology this car employs -- essentially the addition of a battery and an electric motor to assist the regular petrol engine -- is claimed to deliver combined cycle fuel efficiency of around 4.5L/100km. That’s well below the 6.6L/100km of the most efficient petrol-only Jazz.

It sounds great on paper, but driven around the city for a week the Jazz Hybrid returned figures of 6.0L/100km, and that was with me driving efficiently.

I’d managed much lower fuel consumption when I reviewed the Toyota Prius c (5.1L/100km), and having enjoyed that particular car a great deal, I have to say I felt a little disappointed to discover that the Jazz Hybrid cannot move away from a standstill using pure electric power -- something that makes the Prius c an interesting and engaging vehicle to drive.

Don't get me wrong, the Jazz Hybrid is still a pleasant car to drive, and the engine isn't as annoyingly buzzy as the Prius c's.

Plus its feels bigger inside.

From the driver's seat there's decent visibility in almost every direction, with only the rear D-pillars causing a bit of a blind spot. Drop your eyes and the instruments feature new LED flourishes which add a touch of high-tech imagery to proceedings.

There's also Honda's Eco Assist function which changes the background colour of the instrument panel from green to blue to let you know when you're driving efficiently. It works well, allowing you to see just how green you’re being with your peripheral vision.

An 'ECON' button assists further by reducing power and torque output, softening the transmission’s shift pattern and delaying ancillary systems, such as the air-conditioning fan.

Jazz Hybrid also offers a great deal of equipment in the form of cruise control, (single-zone) climate control, Bluetooth connectivity, USB and auxiliary audio ports, a detailed trip computer, alloy wheels, foglights and hybrid badging.

In fact, there were really only three things about the Jazz Hybrid that were a bit annoying during everyday use -- noisy tyres, a simplistic idle stop-start system and its smaller boot.

The low rolling-resistance tyres would screech like enraged banshees on some surfaces (concrete underground car parks especially) and the idle stop-start system reignites the engine when the park brake is engaged, while also cutting in before the car has come to a complete stop.

Also, as the boot floor is 150mm higher than regular versions' (due to the placement of the hybrid’s battery), it offers a reduced cargo are of 223 litres, down from 337. Fortunately, the Jazz Hybrid retains its donor car’s Magic Seats.

In and around town the Jazz Hybrid is at its best. It's got a tight turning circle that makes it easy to park while the level of steering assistance really suits urban driving (read: it’s very light). The suspension is also nice and cushy so you'll rarely be bounced around on rough patches of road.

Honda's eco-friendly Jazz gets around smoothly thanks its combination of CVT (continuously variable transmission) and 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine; while the electric motor allows the car to flit briskly from stop sign to traffic light without using too much juice.

Total power output for the Jazz Hybrid is 72kW and 167Nm. The petrol engine makes up 65kW and 121Nm of this, with the remainder coming from the electric motor. The figures themselves aren’t bad, but when you factor in an extra 70kg of hybrid infrastructure, performance can, and does, suffer -- especially on the freeway.

Perhaps the key to understanding the Jazz Hybrid is to view it as a very frugal premium city runabout, rather than a high-tech Prius c rival. And while the price might be worth the extra outlay for some, the car ultimately wasn't compelling enough to make me want to go back for seconds.

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