Making a car for the masses is not as straight forward as it might seem. You have to ensure that the car is reliable in a whole range of conditions, because daily usage can be rather brutal on all components. Not only that but the car must have a decent amount of space for luggage and passengers, which can be a challenge when the footprint is soo small. However, the Japanese have very much mastered this art with the Kei car, so when Honda decided to make a small car for the international market, they knew exactly how to package the essentials. Whether you call it a Fit or a Jazz, this little nugget has given rise to a global community that Patrick is thrilled to now be a part of.
Despite being associated with grandmothers, the Honda Jazz has been able to capture the attention of hardcore enthusiasts of all ages. Why is it so? How can an economy car with barely 100HP in it’s most powerful guise attract such an audience? Well, Honda has a strong name in the auto industry, known for producing small yet fun cars that are dead reliable. The Jazz is famous for it’s ingenious packaging and surprisingly rigid chassis, offering more driver involvement than you’d expect from a car in this class. So good was the chassis that many grass roots championships just for the Jazz popped up as a cheap way to hit the track.
The motorsport pedigree was exactly the sort of thing that helped attract enthusiasts to the model. This then lead to them experiencing the clever packaging and wonderful practicality that Honda is known for. Folding the rear seats is ridiculously easy, expanding the storage capacity for bigger items. These “magic” seats can fold completely flat, so loading up the big items was far less of a chore than it otherwise would be. When you weren’t ferrying oversized items, the leg room and high roof line ensured that your passengers had plenty of space to play with. My dad almost bought one to replace his ageing Mazda 626. Unfortunately, he chose the Nissan Tiida and the rest is history.
Patrick initially reviewed a similar car to this for his “10K Heroes” video series – a manual VTI-S. He was soo impressed by the experience that he went out and bought one before finishing the series – which is still in progress by the way. Naturally, it wasn’t long before he upgraded the car with a Shockworks suspension kit and equipped new Gram Lights wheels from Rays which I think work well. He’s also done a bit of work inside, swapping out the normal centre console with one especially bought from Japan and retrofitting a more modern head unit with phone connectivity. Playing your tunes becomes much easier if you don’t have CDs.
The Honda Jazz shows that economy cars can be fun. You don’t need to spemd a fortune on this car, which automatically makes it an appealing option for anyone really. Whilst it was not specifically created for high-performance driving, Honda still decided to go the extra mile and offer up a cracking chassis ideal for grass roots motorsport. The compact dimensions make it great around town, and the fuel economy makes it great out in the country when servos are more sparse. However the best thing is that your grandmother can enjoy it too. Who knows, it might make her feel young again.
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