Buying a used Honda Jazz: The emergence of the Honda Jazz as the car with the best ownership satisfaction rating in Britain may come as a surprise to some, simply because of the car's relatively low profile in this country.
But Honda aficionados will know straight away how the car could scoop such a prestigious placing in the WhatCar? survey. And with the Japanese car of the year award to its credit, hundreds of thousands of Japanese motorists can't be wrong, as they say.
The Jazz is as cute and clever as small cars come. Honda's remarkable interior design has given the car a class-beating edge on space and comfort for driver and passengers. The rear seats fold down simply and quickly to effectively transform the car into a small van that can carry lots. With the seats back up it reverts back to the ideal city car. Add to the clever design a wonderfully smooth, if sometimes slightly noisy, 1.4 petrol engine mated to a slick and easy to operate gearbox, and you have a small car that leaves the others in the shade.
The uncommon presence of the Jazz on Irish roads may have to do with price - Honda cars carry a premium here compared to Britain - more than anything else. It has long been my favourite small car, and were I in the market I would probably pay the premium price for its unquestionably clever design, roominess and reliability. Honda cars are rarely to be seen in repair shops.
The car drives competently without being exciting. Its ride is slightly harsh and handling is perfectly adequate for most situations but, it has to be said, the Jazz is a rather staid car for rather staid driving and that's about it. What I like most about driving it is the large and airy environment created inside the car. When I found I was being critical in any way about the drive, I simply kept reminding myself of how every little detail had been worked out, and how such a small car could show up cars that were even a class above it.
The Jazz scored quite well in one crash test, with the passenger compartment holding together well in an offset crash. There was, however, marginal protection from chest and leg injuries for the driver. Side impact results showed a very high protection factor. ABS and twin airbags are standard on the car and these are two very strong safety features.
The Jazz tends to have good second-hand values. A 2002 model with the standard 1.4 engine and 12,000 miles on the clock has an asking price at one garage of 12,500, while a 2003 model with 9,500 miles on the clock has an asking price of 15,255.
The Jazz is a small car capable of big things and of dealing with big people. As a tall driver, I have had my share of sore backs and tired legs after driving small cars but the Jazz confounds the competition. A lot of the extra space was acquired by moving the petrol tank from the rear area to the front area, thus opening up a significantly bigger passenger or storage area.
The car ranks at the very top of a list of cars suitable for city driving (longer journeys are not really the Jazz's forte) and if you are a regular user of multi-storey car parks you will love its manoeuvrability. - DONAL BYRNE