Honda Jazz 1.4 i-DSI

I love this little car. It has a smooth gear box and is easy to drive. Most of my driving is around town and the feul consumption is excellent. It is comfortable and all round visibility is good. It has all the extras I need such as electric windows, electric mirrors, massive display for the radio. The nicest thing is the steering wheel, it is so tactile. I know the Honda is a little more expensive that most cars in this range but I think it is worth it.

We purchased our new Honda Jazz 1.4 SE CVT in May 2008 current mileage, 9000. The 1.4 engines and CVT gearbox combines extremely well and as a city car it is an easy drive returning 45mpg. The suspension is however firm and the ride choppy. Therefore, unless you are driving on a very good road surface, the ride can be very tiresome for both driver and passengers to such an extent that we all experienced car sickness on the longer journeys -unknown in any previously owned car. The interior design is legendary, lots of space and materials used are not up to German standards although better than most, notwithstanding the fact that the Jazz is expensive for this class of car. Heating and ventilation work well except when driving in prolonged heavy rain whereby window condensation builds such that use of the air conditioning is required for it to clear and remain clear something I have noticed this before in Asian built cars- strange. In strong sunlight, windscreen reflections from the dashboard are apparent in the very centre of the drivers view. No intermittent on the rear wiper or rain sensor on the front wipers. Driver seat adjustment is poor with the seatback adjusted by means of a ratchet lever i.e. not by the usual fine adjustment of a control wheel plus the steering does not have fore/aft telescopic adjustment. Nonetheless, in many ways this is a well put together car, the biggest problem is however the electric steering. Below 40mph it is just acceptable, above that and particularly around 60mph, the steering becomes very 'notchy' and suffers from stiction (resistance to the start of movement) and such that attempted controlled fine steering adjustment requires the use of both hands that can sometimes result in over or under correction. Not so much a problem driving on wide roads but on country 'B' roads and in heavy motorway traffic t requires full concentration. Honda Customer Care have been involved and the car has had Honda Dealer road tests on two occasions carried out by two different technicians who both considered the steering "normal" which as an ex dealer service engineer for another major Japanese manufacturer (some 20 years ago) I found disappointing in realisation that this is a component issue and not a 'one off' fault with this car. As this is widely reported problem it requires, in my opinion, manufacturer action as the steering is far from acceptable. Because of the steering and the choppy ride we make little use the car preferring to use our 10 year old VW and now wish to dispose of the Jazz - but to whom in all conscience? The car will probably need to be sold back to a Honda dealer at a significant financial loss. Trading in for another Honda Jazz is unlikely. I would just add two final comments - in my experience, far eastern manufacturers make very good reliable vehicles (which the European manufacturers must despair at) but their design engineers never seem to get the suspension and steering exactly right for European drivers and European driving conditions. On a recent trip to Jersey recently I hired a Ford Fiesta for three days. The electric steering on that car was no problem at all, it's a shame the Ford did not have a Honda engine! If you are planning to any further than the shops or local station this car may suit. If however you enjoy the finer points of driving this is not the car for you. Reliability and resale values sell this car and just maybe the latest Honda Jazz (UK Built) maybe a more worthy vehicle.