Honda Jazz 1.4 Sport : SYNCOPATED SPORTS

Expert Rating:

The Honda Jazz Has Established Itself As A Supermini Benchmark. Andy Enright Tries The Range-Topping 1.4 Sport Version

First things first. We should take the Sport part of this particular Honda Jazzs moniker with a fistful of salt. After all, its mechanically similar to the rest of the Jazz range with just a few bits of additional trim. Right? Well, yes and no.

Honda reserve their Type-R sub-brand for their hotted up creations but dont discount the Jazz Sport as a pedestrian pedal. This is Honda remember.

Theres an unmistakeable buzz you get behind the wheel of the Jazz Sport. Its that feel you get when you drive well-sorted BMWs, Porsches and Subarus, namely that this car has been built by enthusiasts, car nuts who cant resist engineering a big shovelful of fun into even the most sensible transport. Of course, the Jazz can play the sensible card with aplomb, but get it on a twisty road and itll plaster a big grin across your face in a way that few of its rivals could ever countenance. There are a couple of small changes that help the Jazz Sport in this regard.

The first is the steering. Whereas the cooking Jazz models have a steering rack that takes 3.71 turns to move from full right to full left lock, the Jazz Sport takes only 3.54 turns.

The result is a more direct feel to the steering that gives the Sport a noticeably pointier feel than youd at first expect in such an innocuous little hatch. The other factors that help the Sport wear its badge without feeling a fraud are the specially designed wheels and lower profile tyres. Although they dont exactly make the Jazz look like an escapee from a pit lane, they do firm up the ride a little, and give more feedback through the chassis and to the seat of the drivers pants. All good stuff.

"Its not hot, or warm, heck its barely tepid, but you wont care"

At £11,967, the Jazz Sport is a hefty £1,000 step up from the Jazz SE, but for some the fancy wheels, rubberwear, sports grille, bodykit, front fog lamps and a meaty CD based stereo system will convince them to stretch to the Sport. Other items of equipment unique to this model include locking wheel nuts, an intermittent rear windscreen wiper, outside temperature gague, black interior trim and a drivers seatback pocket. Whilst its doubtful that total road atlas stowage space will figure in too many peoples buying decisions, the Jazzs styling will attract a good few people through the doors of their local Honda dealership. The first thing thats apparent is that the Jazz looks like a previous generation Civic five-door thats been in a hot wash a tad too long.

Yes, there are individual touches such as the flared wheel arches and the light clusters which were revised for the latest version, but its not going to be mistaken for anything other than a Honda. Its makers claim the styling is based on a design concept called zenshin, meaning new, progressive and integrated. Given that the nose is especially derivative of Stream and Civic models in adhering to the Honda family face, wed question quite how new and progressive the overall philosophy is. Still, the styling certainly works for its intended market.

Although the external dimensions only read 3,830mm long by 1,675mm wide, the Jazz Sport is a good 1,525 mm tall, making it loftier than a Toyota Yaris and even its senior sibling the Civic. The driving position is fairly upright as a result and even those well over six feet tall should be able to find a comfortable position behind the wheel. Once there, theyll spot a bold curve to the centre console and a quality feel to the construction. A metallic instrument panel and an aluminium-covered cluster of three main dials make the Jazz appear somewhat sporty.

As would be expected from a car that will have to play the family role at times, the cupholder count is well up to the class standard with a pair positioned aft of the floor-mounted gearlever and a couple more in front. Arrive home with a soggy KFC Variety Meal in a Honda Jazz and youve only yourself to blame. The floor mounted centre console is usefully sized and theres also a storage tray that runs beneath the instrument panel big enough to fit an atlas. This being Honda, we can almost take ridiculously good engines for granted, but in this instance the Japanese company seems to have searched long and hard for a couple of extra stops to pull out.

Engine-wise, theres only a 82bhp 1.4-litre powerplant available in the Sport but it is a clever one, utilising i-DSI (intelligent Dual Sequential Ignition), a system that uses two spark plugs per cylinder and compact combustion chambers to ensure good performance, economy and compactness. The economy figure of 48.7mpg is not to be sneezed at and neither are CO2 emissions of 137g/km.

You can get a five speed manual transmission as well as an amazing seven-speed semi-automatic CVT gearbox. Although the Honda Jazz Sport is more an exercise in badge engineering, the inherent excellence of the Jazzs underpinnings mean that it never feels like its trying to hoodwink us with its competition credentials. This is a car that has motorsport in its blood. However distant the family link, its there.

You can feel it the moment you turn a wheel, whenever you feel the suspension load up, every time you lean on the low profile tyres. Its not hot, or warm, heck its barely tepid, but you wont care. The Jazz Sport has been tickled by the fun stick. Have you?

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Honda Jazz 1.4 Sport
PRICES: £11,967 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 3
CO2 EMISSIONS: 137g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 12.0s / Max Speed 106mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 48.7mpg / (urban) 38.7mpg / (extra urban) 55.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/heightmm 3830/1675/1525mm