This clever car gives Honda a chance to get back at the forefront of hybrid technology.

Price: $35,000.

Engine: 1.5 litre petrol and two motor battery electric hybrid, maximum power engine 72kW, maximum torque 131Nm, electric motor 80kW/253Nm, constantly variable transmission, combined economy 2.8 litres per 100km, CO2 64.1g.

Vital statistics: 4045mm long, 1695mm wide, 1537mm high, 2530mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 304 litres, 16-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Impressive hybrid system, versatile interior, great seats.

We don't like: Weird frontal look, hybrid not in Crosstar, brand’s optimal economy claim.

THOUGH main impetus of Government’s Clean Car scheme is to rightly spark more consumer interest in new electric cars, it’s also set to further enhance the status of hybrids, as they’ll also be incentivised from next year.

Sure, the feebates for these will be far more modest, which is only fair. Electrified isn’t the same as electric; hybrids obviously remain reliant on fossil fuels.

Hard-out EV fans have no love for hybrids – they see them as a toe-dabble in the shallows - but it’s easy to understand why they have become increasingly popular as a stepping stone from cars with conventional internal combustion engines (ICE). Jumping straight from these into a totally electric experience is very much a deep end dive.

 Hybrids, on the other hand, maintain a high sense of familiarity. Some now only cost a touch more than donor ICE models and all cost a lot less than full-out EVs. The tech is easy to understand and with the internal combustion engine to keep the battery topped up, drivers avoid range anxiety and don’t need to worry about where their next charge is coming from. They also represent across more body styles. Well, with exception of utes, as well all know.

Lower emissions and better economy are a hybrid feel-good; combustion engines are notoriously inefficient but adding electric impetus helps. Hybrids consume less fuel since the electric motor drives the wheels for part of the time, especially from standstill or at lower speeds, and helps for the rest of the journey. When the engine fires up, it doesn’t have to work as hard either, as the car is already in motion, further improving fuel economy.

Those benefits certainly shone through with today’s test car. Honda’s Jazz has very much cemented itself as one of those go-to, see-it-everywhere small hatchbacks; its strengths are huge practicality and decent parsimony. Nothing changes with the latest fourth generation line.

 Yet now there’s the e:HEV Luxe, a flagship whose boot badge is a cumbersome codex to explain it having a new, lean-tinged-Green attitude. In addition to a 1.5 litre petrol engine like the others, it runs two electric motors, hooked to a surprisingly powerful battery. All here to deliver stronger economy and lower emissions than any previous Jazz.

No, really. The preceding Jazz also had a hybrid drivetrain, but it was less advanced than this one – for one, the battery was old-school nickel hydride - and only availed here in ex-Japan market Fits. Honda Japan never allowed it into the export car that went to the New Zealand distributor.

Now it’s officially here, the hybrid is set to make a powerful statement. Quite literally. In addition to being a leaner drinker, it’s also more muscled than the pure 1.5-litre that goes into the cheaper Life and Crosstar models.  

Admittedly, that might not seem immediately obvious. The engine alone makes 72kW and 131Nm, which is less power and torque than the unit in the other cars. But here the engine never works in isolation; the motors are always enacting in some capacity. Add in the electric oomph and the combined total is 80kW/253Nm. Some physically larger cars have less.

 Conceivably, then, the e:HEV Luxe is a small car poised to do big things. But there are potentially two constraining factors. First, and most obviously, though not outright expensive, it does carry a $5000 premium over the next dearest Jazz variant, that Crosstar.  If you’re spending less than this on fuel annually, that’s a big consideration.

Secondly? Though hybrids are becoming more common, the small car category is far from being awash with competitors. Indeed, there is just one other brand-new choice. Unfortunately for Honda, it’s a car from the only other Japanese brand that has become a world leader in this technology.

Notwithstanding that Honda’s history with hybrid is also longstanding, its commitment is far less obvious at showroom level; not only does Toyota offer a hybrid version of almost all its passenger models, but some lines have multiple options. That’s the case with the Yaris Hybrid. It’s in two hatches, two crossovers.

Four against one hardly sounds fair, but fortunately in strict type-to-type analysis, it’s the Yaris ZR hatch variant that surely stands as the e:HEV Luxe’s most relevant foe.

They’re in the same five-door format, are of similar size and spec, the Yaris is only slightly less powerful and there’s just $700 between them.

Though both run latest-gen lithium ion batteries (tucked under the back seat), Honda’s is more powerful, and they’re not totally identical at technical level, with Honda’s approach being even higher-brow in respect to the operation of its fixed-gear e-CVT and the action of the motors, one being a driver and the other a generator.

How Honda’s packages this without robbing the car of any of its famed interior space and flexibility cannot have been easy. All sorts of clever ideas show. For instance, the engine’s air intake system being mounted on top of the block frees up room for the electric drive motor and the integrated starter-generator that comprise the hybrid system. Plus it also means the car’s 12V auxiliary battery can fit in under the bonnet, too, which frees up boot space.

A week of driving showed the e:HEV Luxe to be comprehensively a more parsimonious performer than any petrol-pure Jazz. Not least in short stint urban driving, where it would eke out remarkably. It will also more readily run in pure electric mode (when, of course, it uses no petrol at all) than the Toyota. It does this without direct driver input; there is no specific mode to effect battery-only driving 

In respect to overall efficiency, perhaps Toyota can still stand easy. Honda NZ claiming its car being good for 2.8 litres per 100km is clearly a gauntlet throw to the Yaris, which has sold as the country’s most efficient car, with a claimed overall economy of 3.3 litres/100km. But on this occasion the Jazz had to settle for silver rather than gold.

In its test (https://www.motoringnz.com/tested/2020/9/8/toyota-yaris-zr-hybrid-meet-the-car-that-kills-the-prius) the ZR Hybrid hatch achieved 3.9 litres/100km as a whole-of-week average and also notched 3.4L/100km from a 180km open road drive. In a replication of that same open run, the Jazz certainly showed signs of brilliance – just 2.8 L/100km at a steady clip on smooth tarmac at one point – but, as the trip wore on, the numbers went up, with 4.3 litres per 100km showing as a result for that effort, 0.2L/100km shy of the eventual average for the whole week. That’s still a hugely decent thrift, bearing in mind that the standard Jazz has a factory-rated economy of 5.8L/100km.

Long distance driving at open road speed is unsurprisingly often a big ask for small, obviously city-centric cars, yet as much as the Jazz would struggle to be a logical choice for that regime were it a daily chore, like the Toyota it proved more than capable on the day. If anything, the Honda performed more admirably, given the conditions it faced were worse, with it battling heavy rain and head and cross winds. For all that it was pushed around, the car performed doggedly and never felt overwhelmed.

It’s not an ‘engaging’ car, but it is predictable and the combined influence of numerous small factors made the outing easier. It has, for instance, a very effective air conditioning system, with good temperature span and rapid demisting. An important factor because that’s one big windscreen. In respect to the glasshouse, you’ll also be impressed by the feeling of spaciousness in the Jazz. The redesigned A-pillars really do help improve your field of vision. Also making prolonged time at the wheel easier is the seat comfort. Your back and bum don’t have any cause for complaint after a couple of hours on the road. It has a decent audio system, too; more than powerful enough to quell the surface and wind-generated roar.

The way the Jazz rides is interesting; I’d expected a jaunty experience as it can be quite crashy at low speeds, yet at open road pace it settled down and exhibited pretty decent body control. Given it is tailored for around-town pottering foremost, that’s a plus point.

Unusually for a car of its size and type, the Jazz adopts variable-ratio steering, and its weighting and feel are pleasing. The aspect that required wariness on wet surfaces was the braking performance. The e:HEV has low-resistance tyres in order to drive up fuel economy and while the manner in which the car’s brake pedal blends regenerative and friction braking is well-sorted, outright stopping power is limited. 

The e:HEV powertrain is working at its hardest on the open road and, yes, if you push it becomes rather noisy rather quickly, though that soundtrack is backed up by it being brisk car, both off the line and for ‘in-gear’ acceleration, where the torque of the motors combines with the engine for decent pace.  

Running within the urban zone wholly different characteristics; as well it should. This is where it is intended to thrive. When you’re not pushing it to the limit, this becomes an impressively refined package; calmer and all the more confident.

It’s still vivacious, yes, but now you get to relax and enjoy the amicability; everything settles down, not least the CVT box; though smooth enough on the run, it’s really schmoozy around town.  

Understandably, this is where the drivetrain really starts to busy itself on the task of making the world a better place, by prioritising the electric drive.

You’ll need to watch the displays to see how creative it becomes. Sometimes the engine might only be bypassed for a few seconds, but if you’re light-footed at simply cruising quietly it’ll wholly prioritise the electric motor for minutes at a time. Though there’s no way a driver can wholly over-ride the manner in which it juggles its various petrol and electric drive modes, nor is there any need for that to happen. The whole operation is very smartly calibrated. It seems entirely reasonable to expect to complete plenty of short-distance runs powered mostly by electricity. 

Beyond that side of things, it appeals as a small, nippy and high practical car. Honda’s new ‘Yoo no bi’ design philosophy, which supposedly focuses on the beauty of everyday usability, is an intriguing prospect.

You’ll debate about the exterior design; Jazz fans will be pleased that, as much as pretty much everything is new, there’s no mistaking it for anything other than what it has always has been. On the other hand, would you call it a truly handsome car? Those huge headlights look as though they were diverted from a small truck project.

The ‘Luxe’ tag evidences reasonably lightly; it’s basically a Life with premium touches – the only one with leather, rather than cloth seats, as a factory fitment  - and also delivering with additional driver assists. The additional plush is not a huge element in a cabin design that delivers a different look for Jazz owners. Basically, the inspiration here has been the dashboard adopted on the Honda E electric city, but not quite to the same level of sophistication. It’s a little pedestrian, but achieves as an uncluttered design that’s clearly laid out, with the major controls all nicely to hand. The focus on ease of use is readily apparent. All primary points of contact are within close reach and nothing’s at all challenging to fathom.

The front seating area is almost more van than car and while it’s a cosy cabin for shoulder space, rear seat passengers will find they’re treated to generous leg room and head room for the class.

As before, where Jazz stands out is in championing function. There are plenty of useful storage areas in the car, including under the boot floor and not one but two gloveboxes. The fuel tank being housed beneath the front seats maximises second-row load space and enables space for those versatile ‘Magic’ rear seat cushions that fold and flip in various configurations to allow carriage of surprisingly large items. That pure boot space comes in at a respectable if not quite class-leading 304 litres hardly matters because, as far as storage goes, the back seats can be collapsed completely flat to open up a lot more room. You can also fold the rear seat cushions upwards independently from one another, thus turning the second row into a secondary boot of sorts.

It’s a shame this practicality and efficiency doesn’t package in the alternate Crosstar derivative, as occurs in some overseas’ markets.

While a Jazz with a raised ride height and some additional body cladding is only an exercise in establishing a off-road friendly look, healthy sales of SUV-styled vehicles of all sizes - and the fact that the Yaris Cross hybrid has become Toyota’s lead performer - suggests Honda could make a good thing just that little bit better still.

From early next year, the model will be eligible for a modest Government rebate, but don’t expect it to be much. Even then, the price could well be a bit of a teeth-sucker for the car’s traditional buyer set. They’ll surely have to be completely sold on the efficiency gains that the car provides in order to justify the $5000-$7000 premium it holds over the conventionally-powered models, and that might require careful consideration. That margin, after all, being conceivably the equivalent of at least 18 months’ fuel spend.