Honda Jazz Crosstar – practical magic

FOR much of the 21^st Century the Honda Jazz has been seen as a sensible small car favoured by the more mature members of the motoring fraternity.

But in recent years there has been a sea change in attitudes and thinking, sparked in no small part by the arrival of the Jazz Crosstar model and an altogether more adventurous persona courtesy of chunky styling, protective body cladding and roof rails.

But beneath the cosmetics the little Honda remains every inch a Jazz, concentrating on practicality while so many rivals have focused on making their cars look more dramatic.

The Crosstar is fractionally longer, wider and taller than the standard Jazz and when it comes to practicality there’s nothing out there to match it with exceptional passenger space, both front and back, for a car of this size.

Its cabin is sensibly designed with plenty of useful storage like five cup or bottle holders up front plus two more in rear, a deep central container, a traditional glovebox with a second flip-up lidded box above it and a tray ahead of the auto gearshift.

Two adults can really stretch out in rear, with head and shoulder room to spare, and while it’s a bit tight for a centre rear passenger, there is a flat floor so there’s somewhere open to put your feet.

Best of all though are Honda’s acclaimed Magic Seats. The rear seat cushions can be flipped up, allowing surprisingly tall objects to be carried behind the front seats. Fold everything down and the Jazz becomes an extraordinarily versatile little load-lugger.

It’s understandably hard to believe until, as in our case, we shifted many of the contents of a student flat on a 250-mile journey home. Visibility unaffected.

As for kit, the Crosstar Advance – the only trim grade available in the Jazz hybrid line-up – comes generously equipped to include heated front seats, a heated leather steering wheel, wireless Apple CarPlay, Honda’s nine-inch CONNECT touchscreen with sat nav, adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, reversing camera and Honda SENSING safety technology.

As all Jazz models are hybrids the e-HEV system in the Crosstar consists of two lightweight electric motors connected to a 1.5-litre petrol engine.

You can pick between the three drive modes of EV Drive, Hybrid Drive and Engine Drive, the system switching between EV and Hybrid in most urban areas and Engine Drive for quicker roads and motorways.

There is no plugging in, no faffing around with charging cables and no need to change your driving habits. Just fill up with petrol and drive.

In and around the suburbs the Jazz is impressive, slipping along quietly under electric power much of the time. The steering is light, visibility excellent and the elevated driving position makes it easy to place the car on narrow streets while the compact dimensions and sensors make parking painless.

It may not be the swiftest small car out there, as its pick-up time of 0-62mph in 9.7 seconds underlines, but the Jazz is engaging and smooth to drive though the engine can feel excessively revvy under strong acceleration.

That said, its fuel economy is terrific, to the point that we exceeded the official consumption figure by returning an average 59.7mpg over 450 miles of mixed suburban, rural and motorway driving.

Overall, the Jazz Crosstar is a pretty compelling package. It’s accomplished, comfortable, easy to get in and out, economical and remarkably practical.

The only problem comes with the price tag of £30,795, which is an awful lot to pay for a small SUV, though a fixed £2,500 Honda Deposit Contribution is available to both cash buyers and those choosing finance, up until October 31.