Ever really thought about the term "user friendly"? It's the difference between a good product and a great one. It's what's made Apple's iPod a worldwide phenomenon. It's a microwave oven that'll cook your food to perfection after pushing only two buttons. It's what the South African Home Affairs offices are not.
The Honda Jazz is user friendly. Not only this new one, but the model before it too. It's helped make the Jazz a household name in 115 countries, even though it's called a Fit in the US.
It's like the Japanese telepathically tapped in to what the common motorist wants and applied it perfectly to all the Jazz's operating systems, including climate control, radio, folding rear seats and everything else that functions in and around the car. There are 10 cupholders, for crying out loud, but only five seats!
EASY ON THE EYE
From the driver's seat all the fascia controls fall easy to the eye and hand. There's a big and round control knob in the centre of the fascia that works the stereo's volume and other functions such as changing station, or between CD and radio, are marked clearly and are intuitive to use. There's a word for this... ergonomic.
The user friendliness of all controls was especially noticeable in our test model because it was fitted with an auto gearbox, leaving your left hand free to play with all the buttons and switches. It's an old Plain Jane-type auto box with no fancy manual shift features or paddles on the wheel, and I commend it for that.
Again, it's a very simple approach to motoring and I wish that some other "fancier" cars on the market would stop wasting time - and money - with useless transmission extras.
One complaint though: that the detents between gear selections are a little too slack and I accidentally engaged "D3" instead of "D" every time I shifted out of "Park". It's an annoyance that would probably be overcome if I owned the car and drove it for longer but for the week I had it I must have wasted a few litres of petrol over-revving on the highway in third gear.
For the first few days I actually thought the Jazz was fitted with a three-speed box. Don't laugh until you try it.
STEERING TOO LIGHT
Because of the simplistic genes in the new Jazz, it's no driving marvel. You're not going to get the steering feel of, say, a BMW, or the slickness of an Audi. The Jazz is more of a tool than a mechanical art form and if you consider yourself an enthusiast you'll notice right away. There's quite a lot of buzz from beneath the bonnet and the fact that our unit was an auto amplified the noise.
The electric power steering is too light and airy to reflect all the supposed effort Honda put into it since the first Jazz but I suspect the "common motorist" I mentioned earlier will approve anyway. I must say I could get used to it, too, and flicking in and out of parking spots with just the tips of my fingers touching the wheel is a relaxing concept.
The new Jazz is 55mm longer and 20mm wider than its predecessor, putting it into the Mercedes A-Class size category if you haven't seen one in person yet. In fact, its jellybean-like shape is very reminiscent of the old A-Class, proving that Honda has intentionally tapped a niche-ish microvan size category. Please excuse the repetition, but it's actually perfect for the common motorist.
As a five-seater, there's ample leg room all round, but I'd gladly sacrifice some of the "10-gallon hat" headroom for a sleeker, chopped body line. Seven-footers will be right at home in here.
SOME SMALL NIGGLES
The rear seats' folding mechanism deserves an award. They sort of "dive" down when folded flat, creating a monster cavern in the back for a load bay with a perfectly level floor. Very user friendly. My mountain bike and gear fitted nicely back there, almost without having to remove the front wheel - but not quite.
Some small niggles I'd like to send telepathically back to Japan: Why are the fascia lights a classy blueish-grey, and the rev counter and speedometer bright orange? They clash like stripes and polka dots on a Milan catwalk.
Why is there a handy USB input but iPods are not compatible? I thought the whole reason for USB ports in cars was for iPod compatibility. No automatic headlight-off either ... that's all. Other than that, I'm happy.
VERDICT
The perfect car for the common motorist. User friendly and easy to use. Wait... those mean the same thing. You catch my drift, right?
The new Jazz had a lot to live up to after winning awards the world over in its first incarnation but the Japanese have accepted the challenge and pulled off No.2 nicely.
However, the segment where the Jazz competes is getting crowded with great cars and this is one of the pricier options in the room.
Where Jazz 1 was a standout best in a mediocre bunch, the new one isn't quite as distinguished.
I'd still recommend it to anybody, though.
SPECIFICATIONS
Test vehicle from: Honda SA.
ENGINE
Cylinders:
Four, inline.
Capacity:
1497cc
Valvegear
: Quad-valve
Fuel system
: Petrol, fuel-injected
Max power
: 88kW/6600rpm
Max torque
: 145Nm/4800rpm
TRANSMISSION
Type
: Five-speed auto, front-wheel drive
SUSPENSION
Front
: Macpherson struts
Rear
: Torsion beam
STEERING
Type
: Rack-and-pinion
Power Assistance
: Yes, electric
Steering column adjustment
: Height and reach
BRAKES
Front
: Ventilated discs
Rear
: Drums
ABS
: Yes
WHEELS/TYRES
Wheels
: 15"
Tyres
: 175/65 radials
DIMENSIONS
Length
: 3900mm
Width
: 1695mm
Height
: 1525mm
Mass
: 1080kg
Fuel Tank
: 42 litres
Payload/boot
: 337-883 litres
PERFORMANCE
(claimed at sea level)
Top speed
: 189km/h
Acceleration
: 0-100km/h: 11.6sec
Fuel Consumption
: 6.7 litres/100km
STANDARD EQUIPMENT
Trip data computer; power windows and mirrors; aircon; remote-controlled central locking; 10 cupholders; chilled glove compartment; auxillary input; USB port
Safety
: Four crash bags; BAS; EBD
STANDARD WARRANTY
Three-year or 100 000km warranty
Four-year or 60 000km service plan
Service intervals
: 15 000km
STANDARD PRICE
R184 400
STANDARD RIVALS
Chevrolet Aveo 1.6 LS 5-door a/t (77kW and 145Nm) R142 700
Citroën C3 1.6 a/t (81kW/144Nm) - R165 000
Daihatsu Materia 1.5 a/t(76kW/138Nm) - R162 995
Hyundai Accent 1.6 a/t(82kW/145Nm) - R166 900
Kia Rio 1.6 5-door a/t (82kW/146Nm) - R174 995
Opel Corsa 1.4 a/t(66kW/125Nm) - R175 280
Renault Clio 1.6 a/t(83kW/151Nm) - R170 000