| First Drive | Berkshire, England | Honda Jazz Hybrid |

The humble Jazz is a big deal for Honda in the UK. It's the Japanese firm's best-selling model and thrives on customer loyalty. With that in mind, the option of a clean hybrid powertrain can't do it any harm at all.

In the Metal

The Jazz has undergone a number of minor styling changes for 2011, including new front and rear bumpers, a restyled grille and minor tweaks to the headlamps. Aside from mildly updating the exterior, the revisions make the Jazz more slippery and reduce the drag coefficient from 0.336 to 0.330. Hardly much, but every little helps.

As for the Hybrid, there are a number of discreet styling features that differentiate it from the standard Jazz. There's a clear grille at the front and a blue chrome finish to the head- and taillights, number plates and grille.

Inside, leather seats are available for the first time. Honda found that a number of existing Jazz owners were having the interior re-trimmed in proper hide themselves, so it's decided to save them the trouble. 'Blink and you'll miss it' changes include darker dash plastics and chrome rings around the air vents.

What you get for your Money

The Jazz Hybrid starts at £15,995, which renders it the most affordable hybrid car on the market and the only one in the B-segment hatchback sector. It still carries a significant premium over the 1.2- and 1.4-litre petrol models, but if you must have a hybrid then this is the cheapest way of doing it.

The level of equipment is not to be sniffed at, either. Things like automatic climate control, a cooled glovebox, mp3 connectivity and cleverly designed reclining rear seats all come as standard on the Hybrid.

Driving it

One of the most significant updates to the Jazz is the addition of a CVT gearbox, which replaces the outgoing i-Shift transmission. It's not one for driving enthusiasts, but for the Honda's target audience of elderly empty nesters, it will no doubt appeal. CVT proved very popular on the previous generation Jazz, so buyers obviously like the idea of the car doing all the work for them, which is exactly what happens. It's not exciting, but it's smooth enough and does the job.

Minor adjustments to the suspension in the form of revised damper and spring settings help to quell previous criticisms of a slightly harsh ride. Again, it's not exciting, but the Jazz is comfortable, reasonably responsive and very easy to drive, which is exactly what its customers want.

The drivetrain isn’t the most potent of hybrid systems around. It is capable of propelling the car on electricity alone, but only at very low speeds and not for long - less so than a Toyota Prius or Auris HSD. The electric motor's main job is to take some of the strain away from the engine as and when, and to drag the economy and emissions levels down.

It's no surprise that the Jazz Hybrid isn't much of an A-road car. It requires a heavy right foot at speeds of 40mph or more and the engine emits a loud growl under acceleration. It makes for very competent transport at low speeds though. The stop-start system and nimble responses suit urban roads well, which is where the Jazz will see most of its action.

Worth Noting

The Jazz Hybrid returns 62.8mpg and emits 104g/km of CO₂, so no-one could call it expensive to run. However, it's currently unusual for a manufacturer to introduce a small car trading on its eco credentials that doesn't fall below the 100g/km mark. If it did, the Jazz would qualify for zero road tax and get away with zero London Congestion Charge payments under the forthcoming regulations.

Honda accepts that this isn't ideal, but argues that free road tax for the first year then £10 a year after that is hardly a lot. The company is also focussing on the fact that it sells hybrids in other places than London (they're very popular in Gloucester and Scotland, apparently). It's trying to get buyers to pick a car that best suits their needs rather than just buying a diesel or a hybrid 'because it's more economical'.

Summary

For the type of buyer that it's aimed at, the Honda Jazz hits the mark perfectly. It's not the most advanced hybrid on the market, nor does it have the lowest emissions, but for a car that is likely to be used for short journeys in urban areas, it's spot on. The Jazz's impressive reliability record so far is only likely to draw existing customers back.