Hot Jazz

Paul Carter blows a horn for Honda’s mini Jazz

If I said that an established small car had buckets of storage room, handy performance under the bonnet and a well-designed interior, you’d probably think I was either a used-car salesman or lying. Or both.

But when it comes to Honda’s supermini, the Jazz, it really is true.

The Jazz will be music to the ears of disabled drivers who don’t need the size of an MPV, or even a mini-MPV.

The exterior doesn’t give the best of first impressions. While it’s far from an ugly vehicle, it can’t be called the smartest looker in its class.

It looks large, though, thanks to the amount of window space and an impressively-sized boot.

But it’s inside the car that it comes into its own, as the renowned ingenuity of Honda’s designers comes into play. The interior design means there’s an almost impossible amount of storage space for a small vehicle.

The rear seats fold and tip in a variety of combinations and create easily enough room for an average manual wheelchair.

In the cabin, things are fairly basic but accessible and, again, well thought out. On all but the cheapest model, electric windows and CD player come as standard.

The amount of glass means visibility is good and the seats aren’t uncomfortable.

One point of caution: the drive position. The Jazz uses both a high seat and a low floor, which may be a plus or a minus, depending on your needs. It offers a good driving position for a small car but it did cause me some problems getting in and out of the vehicle, due to the high step and low sill.

None of this would matter if the car drove with the manoeuvrability and acceleration of a Panzer. While it’s true that it did feel slightly on the hard side in terms of ride quality, the steering appeared sharp and stable around tighter bends.

On straighter stretches, the engine felt responsive without being aggressive, and in times when green issues are becoming more important, the Jazz is relatively good on emissions.

Today’s obsession with compactness means many small cars rule themselves out for disabled people almost by default, so it’s refreshing to find one that attempts to unite smallness and space in a car that doesn’t half drive nice.

• The Honda Jazz is available on the Motability scheme in engine sizes ranging from 1.2 to 1.4. The basic 1.2 manual petrol is available with no advance payment, while the top 1.4 sport automatic is available for an advance of £1,695