Hey, good evening and welcome to Jazz club. Nice.
Stop it. You're not John Thompson and this isn't The Fast Show.
Oh, I don't know, this new Jazz does have 102hp so it must be pretty brisk.
Boom and indeed boom. Well spotted. This is indeed the new Honda Jazz, which arrives this summer with an equally new 1.3-litre 102hp engine. It's riding on the same new Global B segment platform that Honda developed for the upcoming HR-V compact crossover and Honda claims it's bigger and more practical yet lighter than before.
Being bigger and more practical will take some doing - the outgoing Jazz was already one of the most spacious cars in its class, but an overall growth of 95mm, with a 30mm stretch in the wheelbase, means the new Jazz is tipping over into compact MPV territory. As before, the fuel tank sits under the front seats so that the rear seats can both fold totally flat or have their bases flipped up vertically to create a tall loadspace behind the front seats. The boot now measures 334 litres with the seats up, or 884 litres when folded down; both figures are verging on Golf/Focus/308 territory.
While the suspension is entirely conventional - McPherson struts up front and a torsion beam at the rear - Honda claims that the Jazz's chassis has been tweaked for "more stable and composed handling, helping the response of the new Jazz feel more accurate, natural and agile through corners."
Inside, while the overall design and layout is familiar from previous Jazz models, Honda also claims that the quality is hugely improved and there's the matter of the new Honda Connect infotainment system. The seven-inch touchscreen with Honda Connect is an option (standard cars come with a simpler five-inch LCD screen), but it does run an Android operating system, making it quicker and easier to navigate through various functions than Honda's older, rather clunkier setup. It can, of course, sync with Smartphones and other multimedia devices through MirrorLink, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI and USB.
Honda is also packing the new Jazz with standard safety kit. Available as an option on the entry-level model, and standard on all other grades, Honda's suite of safety technologies known as the Advanced Driver Assist System includes Intelligent Speed Assist, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition system and High-beam Support System. Honda's City-Brake Active system will be fitted as standard on all models.
On the outside, the styling is a little rounder and softer than before, but it's still very much recognisably a Jazz - Honda won't want to upset the legions of existing fans of the model. Sales start in the summer.
Mmmmm. Groovy.
Stop it.
Neil Briscoe - 25 Feb 2015