2006 Honda Jazz 1.4i from South Africa

Summary:

This is a great car and value for money!

Faults:

The driver side electric window stuck slightly after about 3 weeks, but was taken to the dealer, but was sorted out with lubricant immediately while I was having a cup of coffee.

General Comments:

I have had my Jazz 1.4 for just over 2 months. It is the best car overall I have owned. It is built with very high quality products. I was pleased to see the boot pistons are even Showa products (used on Honda Motorcycles). I made the choice of purchasing it through this website and other surveys on the web. My fuel consumption averages on 6.6 litres per 100km with City driving, but on the four longer trips I have done it averages on about 5.7 litres per 100km.

The car handles well, but can seem a bit stiff at first. It is a bit low for offroad/ dirt road use, but I have only done about 3km on rocky dirt road and took it very slow. The suspension is great and the tyres are of high quality (Bridgestone Potenzas).

The sound system is great and doesn't skip a beat over bumps. Sounds great too! Pity it does not have an Aux jack, but does have an Aux button on the face. The dealer said it wasn't offered on this model.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd October, 2006

11th Jun 2020, 13:59

I still have this car now in 2020 with over 349000 km on the clock and still going strong with no issues. I have replaced the clutch and shocks.

In reply to 11th Jun 2020, 13:59

25th Aug 2021, 20:05

Wow, that's really nice to hear! I am just about to purchase the same car with 200k on the clock. Thanks for your review.

In reply to 25th Aug 2021, 20:05

26th Aug 2021, 07:28

Just be aware that it all depends on how the car was maintained and used. The mileage of 349K km over around 14 years means it averaged nearly 25,000 km/year, so it does a lot of open road driving, not bumper-to-bumper urban traffic. That has quite an effect not just on the motor, but on the gearbox and chassis/suspension parts. Also, note it is a manual gearbox; for most cars, manuals tend to be quite long-lived; an automatic equivalent will need proper maintenance like servicing periodically, and when wear and tear gets to the internals, the automatics will be much dearer to fix (vs. the overall value of the car by that time and mileage).

2006 Honda Jazz VTI-S 1.5 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Fantastic little package - best in its class that looked at by some margin

Faults:

Nothing - but only had it one day!

General Comments:

Great little car - exactly what I was hoping it would be.

Roomy inside, albeit with a bit of a shortage of storage space for CDs etc - which is fair enough given it is so small!

Great quality finishing throughout.

One of the first things I noticed is how quiet it is in the cabin, even doing 100kph on the freeway - amazing. Don't have to have the stereo cranked up to max to drown out the world outside, unlike my previous car (Toyota Corolla).

Fuel consumption is showing 7.4 L/100kms, but I expect this to improve as it gets driven and worn in over the next few hundred Kms.

The dealer included seat covers which I wasn't expecting - pleased with that - though they are a rather shocking pale blue, which is not a choice I'd have made. Still, with kids it is a useful add-on and free, so can't complain too much.

Seats are little on the firm side, but again it may soften up a bit with time.

Handling is good - tight and responsive with a pleasant "nippiness" about it. I am used to bigger cars so this is a good change.

I also checked out other possible buys, such as the VW Polo (nasty, retro/70's, cheap, plasticy inside - very disappointing!), Toyota Yaris (weird central console for the dials, general cheap feeling about the finishing inside - and absolutely tiny inside, especially in the rear) and am sure that the Jazz was the best of the class by a fair degree.

All in all, I am very pleased with all aspects of it so far.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th August, 2006

5th Feb 2007, 03:54

I have had the same model Jazz for 8 months travelling 15,000km and agree it is a great car. I had a Jazz previously which remained trouble free for 50,000km, this new one (made in Thailand) has had problems with trim and dash rattles from the start. Disappointing in such a well designed and innovative car.

30th Oct 2016, 05:58

Okay, so 10 years have past and I am now on 258 500 km. I have just replaced the clutch with a LUK as it was slipping. I also replaced the shock saddles about a month ago. My shocks are starting to wear. Other than that I have only done services and changed a few bulbs and windscreen wipers. I have gone through two sets of Michelin energy tyres. I still absolutely enjoy this reliable car.