Tyrone Constitution - Features - Jazz Your Way to Greener Motoring with a Honda Hybrid

Features

Jazz Your Way to Greener Motoring with a Honda Hybrid

Monday, 28 March 2011

February 2011 marked the arrival of the new Jazz Hybrid from Honda, which delivered into the motoring world a compact vehicle that is as practical as it is fun to drive. Based on the popular Honda Jazz, which is renowned for its innovative use of space, the new car is one of the cleanest vehicles in its class thanks to its use of Honda's hybrid technology.

The hybrid car is designed for green motoring and comes from a rich pedigree of environmentally-friendly vehicles, with the renowned Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system featured in the CR-Z and Insight incorporated to help it deliver its eco usefulness. Those choosing to invest in the Jazz Hybrid can look forward to not only enjoying the financial benefits that come with its excellent fuel economy, but also feel less concerned about their carbon footprint.

Honda's hybrid vehicles are renowned for being environmentally-friendly because they use two sources of power to drive the vehicles. A small, efficient petrol engine and an electric motor are combined to ensure fuel usage and carbon emissions are kept at a minimum. Motorists with a hybrid car can have guilt-free driving knowing the electric motor in their vehicle is supporting the petrol engine, ensuring it doesn't need to work as hard. This is not only good for the environment, but for the pocket as the enhanced fuel economy will reduce the number of trips to the filling station.

The Jazz Hybrid features this system as well, with the same 1.3 litre i-VTEC engine found in the Insight Hybrid, helping it have similar CO2 emissions of 104 g/km despite it having a taller body shape. This emission level is 21g/km less than the current lowest-emitting 1.2-litre petrol Jazz and because of this, owners will be exempt from paying road tax for the first year and, after the expiry of the initial period, they will be required to pay just £10 a year.

Just like its siblings, the Insight and Civic Hybrid models, the new Jazz Hybrid is capable of running on the electric motor alone, although this is under some medium and low speed conditions. This means that the vehicle has a combined fuel consumption figure of 62.8 mpg, which is a 23 per cent improvement compared to the best-selling 1.4 ES model.

Speaking ahead of the unveiling of the stylish car at Paris Motor Show last year, Honda UK's government affairs and environment manager John Kingston reassured motorists that the new technology does not complicate the car but makes it easier to drive. He explained: "The IMA hybrid technology is incredibly easy to use, owners don't need to worry about plugging anything in to charge. It's simply a case of filling up with petrol and driving on as normal."

A shift towards greener motoring does not mean Honda compromised on design and looks as the new vehicle features a few tweaks. These include a distinctive new headlight and front grille design, which is aimed at giving it a more "impactful look", according to its manufacturer. The new hybrid car is also available in all existing colours, with lime green metallic and a leather trim option added to the range to give motorists more choice.

Innovation and practicality are the buzzwords as far as the interior of the Jazz is concerned and motorists choosing one will be rewarded with a new stylish single-colour dashboard design, which incorporates Honda's innovative Eco Assist function to help people drive even more efficiently. There is also 300 litres of boot space inside the compact hybrid, but this can be easily increased to 831 litres when the vehicle's ultra-flexible Magic Seats are folded down.

Leading motoring publications have poured praise on the new hybrid car, with Auto Trader saying it now "handles and corners tidily" because Honda has made changes to the suspension and electric power steering. Praising the car's firm but comfortable ride, it concluded: "The Jazz's winning combination of space, accessibility, brilliant reliability and high resale values remain as before, and the hybrid set up brings a useful dollop of efficiency to the mix."

What Car? also weighed in with a review of the car, saying that "the Jazz has always been one of the most practical superminis, and the good news is the hybrid system doesn't really compromise that". Which? Car on the other hand was impressed with the choices available, stating that "there are several new colours to further separate the new version from the old, but for those concerned about going too far from a proven formula, this car still looks every inch a Jazz".