The Honda Jazz has been around for some time now, in one guise or another. One version that nearly got under the radar on me was the Crosstar hybrid edition.
The last three words neatly summarise what it is about: several wiggles of the designer’s magic wand, 30mm more ground clearance, new roof rails that support 15kg more than the conventional model, plastic wheel-arch cladding – they all tick the boxes required to make this a small SUV pack. And anything with the look of a ‘crosser’ is a hot buy these days.
But that wasn’t why I took such a liking to it when I got the chance of driving it for a few days.
As far as I could see, it didn’t do an awful more than your average small crossover hybrid does.
And it probably trails the likes of the Toyota Yaris Cross or the newly-freshened-up Volkswagen T-Cross.
But for me, the Crosstar provides the most comfortably controlled damping of a little car I have come across for a long, long time. It would be its unique buying point for me. Because you travel so comfortably with it.
Sitting on a high-strength chassis, it’s got MacPherson struts out front and a rear H-type torsion beam – part of the 4th-gen ACE platform. I better use its technical name: Advance Compatibility, Engineering body structure, because it has a bearing on how well the Jazz travels.
The 16ins tyres/wheels play a big part too. They most definitely convey a ‘softness’ without bouncing you, and a resistance, without your spine being jarred. I got minimal intrusion from smaller bumps and less thudding over potholes.
However, a good suspension doesn’t write the full story, though it’s a good start.
Along with the adornments already mentioned, there are more disparate attempts to modernise with strong colours, special grille-design, black mirror covers and silver finishes. And a fine driving position in a comfortable cabin that isn’t as modern as some rivals but it gets by.
It is powered by a petrol-hybrid system – a 1.5-litre powertrain with intelligent multi-mode drive. The 1,498cc engine puts out 107PS, while the electric motor manages 122PS.
It’s not fast by any means – just under 10 seconds and there is a max speed of 175kmh (as if you’d even think about it) and C02 emissions of 109g/km.
That will get you a good distance as you can carry 40 litres in the tank, plus the battery electric mileage.
It’s a tidy length (4,105mm), 1,725mm wide, 1,556mm tall and has a 2,520mm wheelbase. There is good space and comfortable ‘Magic’ seating (60:40-split rear seats that fold flat or flip up like cinema seats to take awkward, or tall, cargo.
Boot capacity is 304 litres – below the T-Roc (445 litres) and above the standard Yaris (286litres + depending on model).
I never drive a Jazz, any version of it, without thinking of what people in the trade used to say to me about the Honda: that you could ‘weld’ the bonnet so infrequently would you need to check it out. Of course, it’s over the top by a mile but it serves its purpose in emphasising how well these cars are put together.
One member of our family had a Jazz for years and there was never a minute’s concern.
And I test drove a good few Jazz models down the years. But I don’t remember the suspension being as good as it is in this Crosstar.
Prices start at €33,995.
