Honda Jazz: City runner with oodles of room

The restyled Honda has a sculpted look. Photo / Jacqui Madelin

What is it?
Honda's updated Jazz, with restyled front and rear bumpers, grille and taillights to impart a sharper look - further enhanced in this Sport variant with the sports front, rear and side skirts plus a more sculpted grille. Other changes are minor - the instrument lights are brighter, there are seatbelt reminders, and a multi-function trip. The seats add a centre rear headrest and new materials but lose ISOFIX child restraint attachments, a backwards safety step for those who've invested in the foolproof seats. On the bright side, stability control is now fitted as standard, while this Sport also gets cruise control and retails for $27,690.

It's powered by the 73kW/127Nm 1.3-litre engine using variable valve timing for frugal cruising or brisker high-revs performance, matched to a five-speed manual or auto. Our test car was the manual, and more than capable of punting the car's 1067kg along.
Open-road handling has never been a Jazz strength, but today's car with its larger wheels is reasonably competent at highways speeds though happier round town.

We like
Jazz gets a smart, modern cabin with plentiful storage spaces including a cornucopia of cubbies and a pair of lidded gloveboxes. And it keeps that very clever split-fold rear seat which liberates a massive 1321 litres of space with a flat load floor from the already generous 380-litre boot - startling in such a compact car. This Honda's swoopy lines drew admiring looks too.

We loathe
Jazz is still outclassed in handling terms by plenty of alternatives, most notably Suzuki's Swift. That won't bother you if you rarely leave town or truly need a versatile boot, but will if you're a keen driver.