Faults:

Noise or "squeaking" in the clutch pedal due to wear of the bakelite (pad) in the spring.

Brake pads that wear out prematurely and problems with handbrake retention on inclines.

Water leaks in the rear wheel wells.

Comfort is limited on long journeys and it may suffer from a lack of power.

General Comments:

This car can handle anything you throw at it. As someone who's owned numerous sedans with large engines and has now switched to a fuel-efficient car, I have no regrets. It's an absolute joy to drive.

The 5-speed manual gear ratios are perfect and make for incredibly quick starts, but acceleration is sluggish above 60 km/h, solely due to the engine size. It's not slow if you floor it, but this car practically begs you to. The engine revs quickly, sounds fantastic, and the clutch is so smooth when fully engaged it almost seems designed that way.

Steering is also excellent; Honda did a perfect job with a full rotation of the steering wheel for a 90-degree turn, meaning your hand always ends up at the top of the steering wheel when turning and shifting gears at the same time.

This is a driver's car through and through, but it has fallen victim to this model's inherited problems, such as faulty ignition coils and rear wheel bearings. But other than that, I love it.

The best brakes of any car I've ever owned. Enormous interior space—it's more spacious inside than most sedans.

No major mechanical problems. Regularly maintained and runs great. I replaced a few minor parts due to its age and mileage. The car has over 200,000 km and I think it will continue running for another 150,000 or 200,000 km.

Faults:

Nothing yet. Only 530Km on the clock.

General Comments:

Exceptionally smooth high torque all the way from near-idle through to the so-far-driven 3000 rpm.

I find this car the most suitable car for me for city driving from all the cars I have test driven (in January 2005), in terms of drive-ability, performance, comfort and spaces.

I traded-in a 1.5 year old Yaris that disappointed me (see review under Toyota Yaris) to acquire the Jazz.

I found the Jazz much better suited to my needs and my driving style and decided that was worth the change.

In addition it is performing very well on the motorway when driving in the legal limits. Engine a bit noisy > 2800 rpm, but not that bad.

It never hesitates (so far.!) and is very "obedient" when pressing the accelerator pedal.

Holds very well on the road, the suspension is as firm as needed to be (for 2005 model).

The interior is very ergonomic and functional with good level of equipment (for 2005 model, for my market).

Very comfortable car, and big enjoyment to drive. In fact it competes favorably with my 1.6SE VTEC Civic 4-door sedan in qualities and comfort.

The Jazz sold in our market are made in Japanese factories and this was a very big decisive factor in my purchase decision.!

Well done Honda. You got a loyal customer. Keep the good work up.