We all understand the importance of conserving what we have. Wildlife conservation is becoming increasingly important around the globe, and it’s because not many animals are able to develop quickly enough to bear up to human-induced habitat and environmental change. The motoring industry has been put under the pump, particularly in the last decade, to curb CO2 emissions and rampant fossil fuel consumption. The team at Honda know all about the heavy environmental restrictions put in place on the motoring industry, but they have not felt the heat as much as many other motorcar manufacturers. And that’s because Honda have been building economical cars, like the new Honda Jazz Vibe, for decades. Think low fuel consumption: think Honda!

There are two engines available for the new Honda Jazz Vibe, the difference being in the cc rating. The Honda Jazz Vibe houses a snappy little 1.3-litre petrol engine under the bonnet and is linked to a five speed automatic or five speed manual transmission – your choice. Average fuel consumption for the manual gearbox is a frugal 5.8 litres/100 km. Opt for the auto box, and average fuel consumption is up a little to 6.6 litres/100 km.

The bigger 1.5-litre petrol engine is placed under the bonnet of the Honda Jazz Vibe-S. There is a marked sensation of more power with the extra engine capacity, but fuel consumption only suffers ever-so slightly, and the 0-100 km/h times are still around the 12 second mark. You’ve only got the option of the five-speed automatic transmission, and average fuel consumption figures of 6.7 litres/100 km are, certainly, thrifty.

Many motoring journalists, me included, believe the new Honda Jazz is best in its class. One of the biggest winning margins for the Honda Jazz is in the area of space. When you are looking at climbing aboard a new small car, you won’t find anywhere near as much space as what you’ll find in the new Honda Jazz Vibe. There is a heap of space inside the Jazz Vibe and Jazz Vibe-S. Even those in the rear seats will enjoy plenty of leg, head and shoulder room. Honda’s magic rear seats are able to fold forward and flat for a cavernous luggage capacity (well over 750 litres). But if you didn’t read the car manual, you might not find out that the magic rear seats can also fold backwards. The seat bench, where we all plant our backsides, can flip up and backward to rest against the back padding. What happens is that the floor is revealed and a copious amount of extra luggage space becomes available, and luggage is accessible via both rear doors. Another plus for this luggage space design is that you can keep heavier loads forward of the rear wheels, keeping the load-weight more central so as not to drag the backside of the car around. This is much better for keeping handling performance of the car at its best.

When driving one of the new Honda Jazz models, the hybrid included (see Jazz Hybrid review for more detail on this model), road holding is very composed, and you only notice some body roll when you’re really pushing hard. Refinement is class leading, and for a car well under $30k, you are spoilt. Comfort levels are good, and the Honda Jazz Vibe includes things like Bluetooth connectivity, great audio packaging, sound system auxiliary points, cruise control, six airbags, alloy wheels, automatic air-conditioning and a great number of electronic driver aids.

You can really snazz up your new Jazz Vibe and Jazz Vibe-S with sport packaging. Illuminated door trimmings, sport pedals and a fog light set are some of the nice additions you can add on, though there are a number of other cool features you can get to add a lot of individuality to your new Honda Jazz Vibe.

Top marks for the very able new Honda Jazz Vibe models. Don’t forget to check out the Hybrid Jazz. I reckon that if I were on the lookout for a hybrid machine, the Honda Jazz Hybrid would be top of the list. Any of the new Honda Jazz models can be purchased for between $20k and $27k. Now that’s a steal. The Honda Jazz Vibe has refinement, ease of use, top features, fuel efficiency, build quality and value for money. What else could you want in a big small car? You can help save the planet by driving a thrifty car like the Honda Jazz Vibe.

The current Honda Jazz models include the:

• Jazz Hybrid
• Jazz Vibe
• Jazz Vibe-S

For any more information on the new Honda Jazz Vibe or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Honda dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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