Discussion
Has anyone had a drive of the new Jazz Hybrid?
My 75 year old mum is thinking of getting one. She spends a fair bit of time abroad, so main concern is it sitting and draining the Hybrid battery as its not a plug-in, which I've heard can wreck it. Is this a fair concern or are they better these days than early Priuses?
My 75 year old mum is thinking of getting one. She spends a fair bit of time abroad, so main concern is it sitting and draining the Hybrid battery as its not a plug-in, which I've heard can wreck it. Is this a fair concern or are they better these days than early Priuses?
I had a poke around one last week and was actually impressed. Exterior looks smart, not a work of art but functional and tidy. Interior is actually really nice. Good driving position, loads of space inside. Really clever bit of packaging, at a time when everyone else is doing the same old thing.
I'm going to try and get a test drive soon, FWIW I'll report back.
On the battery side - I don't think it's a worry. The Jazz has a hybrid battery (traction battery) and also a normal 12v battery for powering the accessories. In normal use the 12v battery is charged from the traction battery, there is no alternator. The traction battery is comparatively massive, and is recharged from the engine acting as a generator, so in normal use the 12v battery is kept topped up.
When the car is off, the traction battery is isolated (only the 12v battery stays live to power the alarm etc.). So it is very, very unlikely that the traction battery will get depleted to the point of going wrong. I guess if you kept the car for years without moving it, it could happen.
I think that Honda say that the car should be driven for at least 30 minutes every 3 months to avoid draining the 12v battery.
I'm going to try and get a test drive soon, FWIW I'll report back.
On the battery side - I don't think it's a worry. The Jazz has a hybrid battery (traction battery) and also a normal 12v battery for powering the accessories. In normal use the 12v battery is charged from the traction battery, there is no alternator. The traction battery is comparatively massive, and is recharged from the engine acting as a generator, so in normal use the 12v battery is kept topped up.
When the car is off, the traction battery is isolated (only the 12v battery stays live to power the alarm etc.). So it is very, very unlikely that the traction battery will get depleted to the point of going wrong. I guess if you kept the car for years without moving it, it could happen.
I think that Honda say that the car should be driven for at least 30 minutes every 3 months to avoid draining the 12v battery.
FWIW, I went out for a test drive today.
Things I liked:
IMHO anyone interested in design and engineering should take a look at one. Sadly, I think that most will either ignore it or make fun of it. Shame really.
I am discussing colours and options with the dealer with a view to ordering one if they get the numbers right.
Things I liked:
- Very refined for a small car. Definitely more refined than say a Fiesta.
- It's actually quite quick. I could easily keep up with traffic, overtake on motorways etc. I was surprised at how quick it is in real life.
- Very easy to drive. Very comfortable, great visibility, easy to place on the road.
- Good fuel economy, I made swift progress on lots of country roads and motorways and I still got 60mpg.
- You get physical climate controls with a proper temperature readout. I hate having that stuff buried in a touchscreen.
- The infotainment screen is really nice, especially the navigation.
- It's pretty plush inside. Feels premium.
- The road departure warning system is overly intrusive. You can be driving along, move to the right to overtake parked cars, and it starts beeping and trying to pull you back. It comes on every time you start the car, so I would manually disable it most of the time, which fortunately can be done with 2 button presses.
- The audio system is not that great.
- It's pretty pricey for a small car. Although admittedly it's a hybrid and it does come with a lot of stuff (e.g. even the base model has auto-folding mirrors, electronic parking brake).
IMHO anyone interested in design and engineering should take a look at one. Sadly, I think that most will either ignore it or make fun of it. Shame really.
I am discussing colours and options with the dealer with a view to ordering one if they get the numbers right.
Looking at one for my daugher, with the other option being the Yaris.
She is tied between them, with each having benefits. I had a test drive in the Jazz and as you say it was a very pleasant experience.
My car is Mini E and driving experience was very similar to that, as you would expect given it is solely electric motor powered until you get to 50-60mph.
Did you consider the Yaris and if so what swung you to the Honda?
The unique benefit of the Jazz I think is internal space, where it trounces the Yaris, but as it is mainly her in the car most of the time this is not a big factor for us.
Looking at Jazz SR and Yaris Design, so Jazz gets front/back parking sensors vs. Yaris just getting rear camera. I must admit in the Yaris I found it hard to judge where the front of the car was, something that was a lot easier in the Jazz.
Toyota reliability is legendaty, just look at taxis and Ubers, but Honda also very good.
Not sure about longer term serviceing costs etc. but assume they will be similar.
She is tied between them, with each having benefits. I had a test drive in the Jazz and as you say it was a very pleasant experience.
My car is Mini E and driving experience was very similar to that, as you would expect given it is solely electric motor powered until you get to 50-60mph.
Did you consider the Yaris and if so what swung you to the Honda?
The unique benefit of the Jazz I think is internal space, where it trounces the Yaris, but as it is mainly her in the car most of the time this is not a big factor for us.
Looking at Jazz SR and Yaris Design, so Jazz gets front/back parking sensors vs. Yaris just getting rear camera. I must admit in the Yaris I found it hard to judge where the front of the car was, something that was a lot easier in the Jazz.
Toyota reliability is legendaty, just look at taxis and Ubers, but Honda also very good.
Not sure about longer term serviceing costs etc. but assume they will be similar.
AmitG said:
- You get physical climate controls with a proper temperature readout. I hate having that stuff buried in a touchscreen.
- The infotainment screen is really nice, especially the navigation.
We've got two mk2's (2009 and 2014) in the family - those, and the mk1 we had before, were good cars but that was helped by the dealers, mainly smaller independent places, being very good. Both our local ones got canned and Honda gave the franchise to regional dealer group who are just useless - I stopped using them as soon as the 5yr service and warranty plan expired on the 2014 car. I really don't need a face to be pulled at me because I won't pay for the "premium service upgrade". A couple of times I contacted Honda UK in the past and it was clear the dealer got a kicking. I last did it when the 2014 car was still in warranty and dealer wouldn't cover a braking issue and Honda UK's response was basically 'get stuffed' and if you don't like it then go to the motor ombudsman.
So I would say make sure you're comfortable with the dealer and see if there's an alternative available in case you need it - their dealers are quite thin on the ground now.
For context: my current car is a Toyota Camry, which is lovely (and rare in the UK) but I want something smaller now.
I used to own a Gen2 Insight hybrid but moved to Toyota when Honda cut all the interesting cars from their range, including all the hybrids - ironic, since they were once world leaders in hybrid. I was looking for something new but Honda had nothing left that I wanted to buy. I've always been a fan of Honda but they really lost their way in Europe.
I think that 4 out of my last 5 cars have been Toyota or Lexus, so I did try out the Yaris. The Yaris looks really cool and has a sportier feel. It's lower than the Jazz. They are clearly selling well because I see loads of new ones about (I'm in London). You can get it in interesting colours; for example there is a bronze colour that looks really nice. The Jazz is only black, white, red or blue. The Yaris definitely drives better than the Jazz; you can throw it about it a bit and have some fun on twisty roads. However, the boot is smaller, it's less practical and the rear seats are really too small for my needs. My mum is small and yet she would have difficulty getting in and out. It's a lot easier with the Jazz.
The interior of the Jazz is way nicer than the Yaris.
Both cars use lithium ion batteries in the hybrid system, along with a 1.5 litre NA engine. The Yaris uses a 3-cylinder engine which makes a nice sound under heavy load. The Jazz uses a 4-cylinder engine which sounds OK but not as nice.
The infotainment on the Yaris is not as nice as the Jazz IMHO. The Yaris screen is 8 inch and feels really old fashioned. Plus the Yaris doesn't come with navigation, on any model. You are meant to use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, which I don't really want to do. The top-end Jazz comes with Garmin navigation and the menus etc. are way nicer. Plus the screen is bigger (9 inch).
The Yaris is really nice but from an engineer point of view there is nothing really interesting about it, other than the miniaturisation of the hybrid system. (Bear in mind that the GR Yaris is a very, very different car.) The Jazz feels clever in a way that the Yaris doesn't. It reminds me of the time when Honda was run by engineers and they did things differently.
Looking online, the owners of the Mk4 Jazz (this one) seem to be pretty happy in a way that they weren't with the Mk3. I think that the complaints about climate control buttons must relate to the Mk3, when the physical buttons were replaced by a touch-sensitive unit. For the Mk4 the physical controls are back.
The dealer has been lovely so far and I feel that they will look after me, but I have a backup in place
The dealer needs to come back to me on a couple of things and we need to get to the right spec and price, if we can do that then I'm in.
I think a bigger worry is that Honda UK cut all the dealers and move to online sales only. They aren't selling much in the UK these days. Then again, I think that the whole industry may move in that direction.
I used to own a Gen2 Insight hybrid but moved to Toyota when Honda cut all the interesting cars from their range, including all the hybrids - ironic, since they were once world leaders in hybrid. I was looking for something new but Honda had nothing left that I wanted to buy. I've always been a fan of Honda but they really lost their way in Europe.
I think that 4 out of my last 5 cars have been Toyota or Lexus, so I did try out the Yaris. The Yaris looks really cool and has a sportier feel. It's lower than the Jazz. They are clearly selling well because I see loads of new ones about (I'm in London). You can get it in interesting colours; for example there is a bronze colour that looks really nice. The Jazz is only black, white, red or blue. The Yaris definitely drives better than the Jazz; you can throw it about it a bit and have some fun on twisty roads. However, the boot is smaller, it's less practical and the rear seats are really too small for my needs. My mum is small and yet she would have difficulty getting in and out. It's a lot easier with the Jazz.
The interior of the Jazz is way nicer than the Yaris.
Both cars use lithium ion batteries in the hybrid system, along with a 1.5 litre NA engine. The Yaris uses a 3-cylinder engine which makes a nice sound under heavy load. The Jazz uses a 4-cylinder engine which sounds OK but not as nice.
The infotainment on the Yaris is not as nice as the Jazz IMHO. The Yaris screen is 8 inch and feels really old fashioned. Plus the Yaris doesn't come with navigation, on any model. You are meant to use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, which I don't really want to do. The top-end Jazz comes with Garmin navigation and the menus etc. are way nicer. Plus the screen is bigger (9 inch).
The Yaris is really nice but from an engineer point of view there is nothing really interesting about it, other than the miniaturisation of the hybrid system. (Bear in mind that the GR Yaris is a very, very different car.) The Jazz feels clever in a way that the Yaris doesn't. It reminds me of the time when Honda was run by engineers and they did things differently.
Looking online, the owners of the Mk4 Jazz (this one) seem to be pretty happy in a way that they weren't with the Mk3. I think that the complaints about climate control buttons must relate to the Mk3, when the physical buttons were replaced by a touch-sensitive unit. For the Mk4 the physical controls are back.
The dealer has been lovely so far and I feel that they will look after me, but I have a backup in place
The dealer needs to come back to me on a couple of things and we need to get to the right spec and price, if we can do that then I'm in.I think a bigger worry is that Honda UK cut all the dealers and move to online sales only. They aren't selling much in the UK these days. Then again, I think that the whole industry may move in that direction.
Certainly the interior is amazing - we used the mk1 sometimes for uni runs with the kids as it seemed to hold more than my C Class estate.
Both the ones we have are mk2 EX's with the standard fixed glass roof which really lifts the interior. I don't think they do that at all now.
It seems they have moved back to physical controls on the mk4 - a quick look showed they said they'd listened to customers. Although if they'd properly listened they'd have put spare wheels back - the old folks hate not having a spare! Likely the hybrid gear makes it impossible now.
I think Honda pulling out is a possibility especially since they closed Swindon. It's an even more marginal brand in Europe than in the UK although maybe us being RHD like Japan helps. Hopefully servicing won't be an issue - I noticed the regional dealer group that owns the dealer near us has a couple of other locations that have dropped new sales but retained used & service.
Both the ones we have are mk2 EX's with the standard fixed glass roof which really lifts the interior. I don't think they do that at all now.
It seems they have moved back to physical controls on the mk4 - a quick look showed they said they'd listened to customers. Although if they'd properly listened they'd have put spare wheels back - the old folks hate not having a spare! Likely the hybrid gear makes it impossible now.
I think Honda pulling out is a possibility especially since they closed Swindon. It's an even more marginal brand in Europe than in the UK although maybe us being RHD like Japan helps. Hopefully servicing won't be an issue - I noticed the regional dealer group that owns the dealer near us has a couple of other locations that have dropped new sales but retained used & service.
Sheepshanks said:
...if they'd properly listened they'd have put spare wheels back - the old folks hate not having a spare! Likely the hybrid gear makes it impossible now.
Actually this is a good point for anyone trying to decide between the Yaris and the Jazz. The Yaris comes with the option of a space saver spare wheel, the Jazz does not.I suspect that this is due to the location of the hybrid battery. The Yaris puts it under the rear bench along with the fuel tank, which is standard for modern Toyota hybrids. The Jazz can't do that because the magic seats require the space under the rear bench to be free. So the fuel tank goes under the front floorpan and the hybrid battery goes under the boot in the space where there would normally be a spare wheel. This leaves the space under the rear bench free.
You do get a tyre repair kit with the Jazz, but it's obviously not quite the same.
I've had a Yaris Design since March and absolutely love it. It's actually quite fun to drive down a winding road but with the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist it will take the slog of a long motorway run in its stride. In nearly 4k miles I'm averaging over 74mpg, it cost less than £40 to fill up and will do over 500 miles to a tank. The compact dimensions are handy for town driving and parking, but I managed to get an exercise bike in the back of it yesterday fully assembled so theres plenty of room when you told the back seats down.
I put it into WBAC on Friday after seeing that used car values were on the up and their figure was only £300 less than I bought it for, which would normally have me looking to change but I genuinely don't know what I would get to replace it.
I put it into WBAC on Friday after seeing that used car values were on the up and their figure was only £300 less than I bought it for, which would normally have me looking to change but I genuinely don't know what I would get to replace it.
Both my Honda's a Honda E and My NSX are both being serviced as I type away, one in Newcastle and the other down in Hendon.
No courtesy car with the NSX but with the Honda E I was lent a Honda Jazz hybrid - black with white roof and I thought it was thoroughly nice car to drive. With the switches being so similar to the Honda E it was easy to get used to.
No courtesy car with the NSX but with the Honda E I was lent a Honda Jazz hybrid - black with white roof and I thought it was thoroughly nice car to drive. With the switches being so similar to the Honda E it was easy to get used to.
Hugo Stiglitz said:
What's the warranty length Yaris v Jazz?
And servicing cost package?
I think those two would swing it for me if I was buying either new.
Jazz warranty is 3 years. Yaris warranty is 3 years but I believe it gets extended by a year every time you get it serviced at a Toyota dealer up to 10 years.And servicing cost package?
I think those two would swing it for me if I was buying either new.
(This is general warranty - things like paintwork, corrosion, hybrid battery etc. may be different, and are in general longer in both cases)
I normally change before 3 years so it made no difference for me.
AmitG said:
I've ordered one, and look forward to trolling the Readers Cars section in due course.
FWIW I went for an EX in Sunlight White. Should arrive in 2 weeks or so.
Would love if you could share your impressions in here when it arrives. Lord knows it will take more than 2 weeks for my mum to make up her mind about a car :lol:FWIW I went for an EX in Sunlight White. Should arrive in 2 weeks or so.
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