I've never believed that clothes maketh the man. Some of the smartest people I've known have been the scruffiest dressers. Jacob Zuma's lawyer Kemp J Kemp is a wonderful example of a razor-sharp mind in shambolical clothes.
So, I have reservations about Honda's new Jazz 1.5 V-TEC.
Honda, to spice up the Jazz and make it more appealing to younger buyers, has tacked on a jazzy (sorry) front bumper and spoiler, side skirts and a dinky little wing over the rear window. Somehow it doesn't look right - a bit like seeing your granny in a miniskirt.
It's still too early in the car's life to know whether the ploy works but frankly I doubt you're going to see a massive swing away from the Fiesta ST or VW GTi to the 1.5 V-TEC.
The irony is that Honda didn't need to rev up the looks with all the extra bling - this is a terrific little car with a terrific engine.
However, the basic Jazz is a fairly bland little thing - a box with a wheel at each corner designed as a cross between a hatchback and a mini-SUV. It's always going to appeal to the more sensible buyer.
Ironic also that the new 1.5 V-TEC is even better suited to the sensible set despite the hot-rod adornments, because the new engine gives it extra zip that makes driving it - especially in traffic - a real pleasure.
Instead of being trapped in the middle lane while a convoy of bigger, faster cars swoops past your puny little econobox the Jazz's racy V-TEC engine allows you to drop a cog and join the Freeway Grand Prix.
The new 1.5-litre V-TEC is a gem of an engine, a transverse, in-line, four-cylinder mill developing a claimed 81kW at 5800rpm and 143Nm at 4800rpm. Unusually, it has but one overhead camshaft in a narrow vee in the cylinder head.
Only one of each cylinder's two inlet valves opens at low revs; the second chimes in when you give it the boot. Both exhaust valves operate all the time, however, to give a good spread of power across the rev range.
The test car had a five-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels; Honda also offers a CVT (continuously variable transmission) gearbox on the 1.5 V-TEC model. The manual transmission is a pleasure to use, always precise and smooth; it combines with a light clutch action for a smooth driving experience.
User-friendly
The Jazz is incredibly user-friendly because it was always intended as a small family car; the rear seats fold in a 60:40 split with the squab conveniently moving forward and down as the backrest is tipped on to it, increasing boot capacity from 288 to 1200 litres.
There's quite a lot of space inside the Jazz, even with the rear seats in place, because its engine is mounted under the floor; an average-sized person could sit behind me. You wouldn't want to do it all day but it does show what a cleverly packaged little car this is.
The Jazz also has a two-level, non-locking fascia glove box, an almost full-length under-fascia shelf, front-door bins and two cupholders on the floor console.
Standard trim includes air-conditioning, power windows and mirrors and a front-loading CD/radio with extra controls on the steering wheel.
It has two front crash bags and disc brakes all round - ventilated in front - controlled by ABS with electronic brake pressure distribution and emergency brake assist, while the rear seats have IsoFix child seat mounting points.
Stiff suspension
The Jazz is a pleasure to drive; engine noise never bothers the occupants despite its high rev limits and there's little tyre or wind roar. The suspension is a bit stiffer than I expected but this is, after all, supposed to be a performance vehicle - and it's certainly not uncomfortable.
Top speed is about 175km/h and 0-100km/h takes a shade over 11sec; fuel consumption during the test was about 8.5 litres/100km.
OK, it's no hot hatch, and you're unlikely to see many of them lining up for the street drags at Tarlton or WesBank, but it's not hard to see why the Jazz has picked up a shelfload of awards around the world.
It's a beautifully engineered little car that uses every cubic centimetre of interior space, it's easy to drive, easy to park and reasonably light on fuel, while the increased power (up from 61kW on the original 1.4 model) has made it real fun to drive.
Ignore the add-ons
So if you're in the market for a sensible, practical city car, ignore the boy-racer add-ons and concentrate on the one thing that makes this such a fine car - the 1.5-litre V-TEC engine.
For R142 500 you're getting a well-built, ultra-safe, fun-to-drive and versatile family vehicle.