I’ve been idly researching some cars recently, and visited a few showrooms on Monday. I came home and looked up some owners’ reviews, and there are more negative experiences than I would have expected for some brands/models.

Anyway, I’d heard about the Honda Jazz with it’s ‘Magic Seats’ and although the car might have limitations, it seems to be highly regarded by many owners, and scores well on reliability etc. I’ll need to go and have a look at one, but I’d be interested to hear some experiences of them.

What length and height is the load bay with seats folded down? Also, does the front passenger seat fold flat? I did see a picture of a racing bike (front wheel off?) being carried across the car behind the front seats with the magic seats folded up. I wonder if something like a Moulton would fit across the car with both wheels on…

I’d be carrying a recumbent, which would require a fair bit of length – probably standing upright with the back wheel on (assuming sufficient height), front wheel off, and the boom extending into the passenger area.

I nearly bought one as I decided it would be a good bike car. From memory the front seat can slide forwards or you can recline it fully but its only the rear which goes totally flat / into the floor. I have owned Hondas, Toyotas and Mitsubishi in the past and they are all super reliable.

I think you’d have to have the front wheel off to get a bike in sideways, probably could get a bike in lengthways with front wheel on if passenger seat was pushed forward.

I was looking at large engine models as I wanted motorway / long distance performance and many are bought as autos which brings us to the issue of image. In the UK they are old people’s cars and the reason the now ex-wife declined the purchase, you have to decide on how much that matters. In Singapore you see them with custom seats, alloys and spoilers and they cost about £50-60k !

Other STWers have been owners and there are various threads/comments on the cars

I hired one once – great little car, IIRR, though I was expecting a tedious grannycar as jambalaya suggests

I spent a few days recently with friends who had one, and I thought it was a cracking wee car.

I thought they where great little cars too, excellent visibility. More reliable than Merc A class too which was other candidate at the time.

In Asia they are know as a Honda Fit, dedicated website fitfreak.net

A typical mildly customised one link

I think they are awesome. Some men will tell you its not a mans car/not turbo-charged or have ‘S-line’ written on it.

If I had a recumbent though I’m not sure it’d work?

Good car. Can get the bike in upright with the front wheel off and by putting one side of the rear seats down. However be aware of a couple of faults on older models. Gearbox judder on the CVT models, usually appears about 30 – 40k miles. Some may have been repaired under warranty ours sadly wasn’t, there are stop gap cures however without replacing the gearbox. It becomes noticeable once the engine and gearbox have been warmed up a bit. Cracked seals running into the boot from the roof, as I discovered yesterday, have caused the spare wheel well to fill with water. Although this must have been recent as it wasn’t as bad as it could have been with the recent rain.

Thanks for the info.

I’ve never looked at them before, but it’s starting to grow on me…

A dealer has one on the forecourt – it’s an Si (sporty look and beefed-up anti-roll bar but with standard engine 1.4l petrol engine). It’s in pearl white and I’m beginning to think it looks great! However, the info on the window said it’s only done 20 miles, so it’s almost new, but probably without the original owner’s warranty etc. I think the OTR price for a new one is £15k + £500 for white paint, and this one is just under £14k.

I’ve never been much of a fan of Japanese cars, but this one seems well thought out, and even the dash design looks simple.

Amazing cars. Had ours from new 2007 model until last year when the gearbox bearings and clutch were about to go. 120,000 miles with only tires and brake pads etc replaced.

Be aware of noisy bearings when clutch is pressed. There was a 7 year, 100,000 mile warranty issued which is not very well known about and also a similar one for the wheel bearings if I remember correctly.

Boot space is ridiculous for such a small car.

I had one and loved it. Loads of space inside but was otherwise a small car. It just used up it’s space well. There were a few compromises, it wasn’t massively powerful but that didn’t bother me, the fuel tank is small, it could have done with some parking sensors on the front and servicing could be expensive.

They are coming out with a new model this year using turbo engines so you might well find some deals about.

Great cars. My sister has one my dad has one. Big inside for the size

But I wouldn’t buy one with the word sport any where in the description. I think the ride is firm any way and that firmer would not be great

I drove the old model for the day. It was a sporty version. I though the ride was crazy harsh

Your mileage may vary….

I had one for 2 1/2 years, great wee car. Reliable and tardis like. Get the 1.4 or wait for the new model in a few months.

Everyone who drives them around our way seems to be over 65 and has a speed limiter of 20mph

56 plate 1.4 manual ‘sport’ here, and it’s awesome. Up to 75k with no issues, bar one brake that got stuck on a couple of years ago – fixed under warranty in the end. The one complaint is that it’s not particularly powerful but the newer engines are better. Amazing load space, we generally have it in ‘van mode’ all the time unless we’ve got passengers. Two bikes with front wheels off easily fit in upright or lying down. I don’t think the sport version (at least the era we have) has anything different technically but it has nicer seats and a better finish inside, obviously depending on personal taste.
The other great thing is that they’re one of the slowest-depreciating cars in the UK.

Mrs Natrix has one, you can get loads of stuff in it, BUT it is slow and noisy………..

Will admit when I changed my car in jan the Jazz was top of the list SWMBO decided that it was an OAP car and I must be mad, even the sportier version she thought I had lost the plot.

But they are a great alternative to the Civic and reliable, I ended up with a 12 month year old DS3 with a towbar fitted. While the DS3 is a great drive I get the impression the Jazz would last longer.

Good cars. Don’t overpay for a barely-used one though, there’s an all-new model on the way very soon (been out in Japan for 2 years, USA and elsewhere for a year).

If you don’t mind the old one, drivethedeal price for a 1.4 Si is £12266. Worth using for negotiation if nothing else.

58 plate here, owned from new. Not a bad word to say about it.

When we moved I think I got six bikes in the back including wheels!

Now used for a 60 mile commute each day which is hurting it a tad as its only a 1.2

Only thing is it seemed to attract dings in car parks from inconsiderate ****’s car doors.

Thanks.

Just had a quick look at used ones – something 2 years old with 13,000 miles is around 9k.

It’s impressive that bikes can fit in standing up.

I did read some comments about a harsh ride, but thought it was improved on the Mk2. The roads seem to be getting worse all the time, but I’m driving Defender, so perhaps a Jazz might be an improvement…

Presumably the Mk3 will better again – are reviews from Japan/USA saying as much? However, it might make sense to buy a decent Mk2 and then think about a Mk3 2 or 3 years down the line.

Are they able to do high mileage without too many problems (say 200,000 miles over 10 years or so), or do they start to fall apart and require costly repairs?

Anyway, I still need to look at and test drive one, along with some other cars.

Nissan Note is similar and the old one comes in 1.6.
It ticks all our boxes but even at 50 we feel too young for one.

Nissan Note is similar and the old one comes in 1.6.

And is basically a Grand Renault Modus in disguise, which is not a bad thing as I love my Modus.
I’m past the stage where what I drive has to be seen as cool, I’m happy as long its cheap to run, practical enough for my needs and has the got the toys i want.

There’s a brand new model, as opposed to a mid-life refresh, due out in the next couple of months or so. If I were you I’d hang on and either get the new one, or wait for the dealers to shift their ‘old’ demonstrators en-masse.

In 2012 I looked at the Kia Venga, Jazz and the Note

I bought a Kia because of reported Jazz gearbox problems ^^, and some Nissan Note models used a tyre size that’s only made by Continental (I don’t know if that’s now changed). I would recommend the Kia

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/honda/jazz/90555/wraps-off-classier-curvier-new-honda-jazz-in-geneva

I prefer the current. In black or grey.

Be aware of noisy bearings when clutch is pressed.

Sound like a similar clutch release issue as the Mk7 Civic suffered (and Honda denied). Fixable from a specialist for about £400. The older Jazz models suffered from similar electric steering rack problems (torque sensors went and you needed a whole new rack) but the Civic now has individual parts available so shouldn’t be too much of a worry.

As for engines, as my Honda specialist mechanic said, the engine will always outlast the rest of the car. Even 20+ year old B & D series blocks are still running fine despite the hard lives they can live.