The Honda Jazz has been given a refresh, with a range of enhancements to both looks and driving dynamics. The revised Jazz range, which will include a hybrid model, goes on sale in the UK on 1 February 2011, with prices starting from £11,295 for the 1.2 S model and £15,995 for the Hybrid variant in HE trim.

The challenge for Honda’s engineers was to freshen and improve the car without compromising on the characteristics that make the Jazz so popular.

New front and rear bumpers are the main parts to have influenced the look of the car. These have also been designed to reduce drag as the airflow passes over the Jazz’s body and to avoid turbulence when the airflow detaches from the rear. These styling improvements aid aerodynamic efficiency on all Jazz models helping the Cd figure to fall from 0.336 to 0.330.

Honda has brought back the Constantly variable transmission, more commonly known as ‘CVT’, that first appeared in the previous Jazz range. As well as ensuring the whole power train of the Jazz is more efficient, it also offers the driver a smoother journey.

The CVT transmission is a standard feature on the Hybrid while it is available as an option on 1.4 litre petrol models and now matches the economy and emissions of the outgoing Jazz i-SHIFT, with a CO2 value starting at 125g/km.

The 1.4-litre manual variant with manual transmission has emissions starting at 126 g/km down from 128 g/km and uses 51.4mpg on the combined cycle. The fuel sipping 1.2 litre engine uses 53.3mpg and also drops two grams of CO2 to 123g/km.

The Jazz Hybrid has a combined fuel consumption figure of 62.8 mpg – and with the same electric system as the Insight, even more fuel is saved around town. While a CO2 output of just 104g/km makes the Jazz Hybrid the lowest of any automatic car in the B-segment.

To check out the latest Honda car reviews, come to the Fleet News car reviews section.

More articles on: