Honda has treated its Honda Jazz e:HEV hybrid to a boost in power - and has also added a swanky new ‘Advance Sport’ trim level.
The Jazz is a nifty, versatile lease car that’s now exclusively available with a hybrid powertrain. It’s a clever ‘full hybrid’ system that doesn’t need to be plugged in, which is a bonus.
A 1.5 litre petrol engine is connected to two electric motors. The first electric motor acts as a generator, harnessing power from the petrol engine, before feeding energy to a second more powerful and high revving motor, which drives the front wheels.
For the vast majority of time, the petrol engine doesn’t drive the wheels at all - the electric motors take the strain instead - which means you can expect very decent fuel economy of up to 62.8 mpg.
Now there’s even better news - because Honda has found an extra 14 PS of power in the set-up, taking the overall drivetrain oomph from 108 PS to 122 PS. Torque remains the same at 131 Nm.
And the extra power is all part of Honda’s plans to make the Jazz quicker off the line and more rewarding to drive in general.
A spokesperson says:
“Honda’s automatic transmission in the Jazz e:HEV has also been revised to improve smoothness and driveability to deliver a more engaging driving experience.
“Crosstar, Elegance and Advance grades feature a new acceleration response concept to increase the sensory feeling of acceleration.”
Speaking of ‘Crosstar’ (pictured below), that’s a unique version of the Jazz which features a raised ride height and a more SUV-like stance.
And it’s important to note here that all versions of the Jazz come loaded with the ‘Honda Sensing’ suite of driver safety and assistance tech, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and emergency braking as standard.
Before this new update, the range-topping Honda Jazz was the ‘EX Style’ model, which comes with parking sensors all round and a rearview camera.
But now a new trim has joined the fray - Advance Sport (below) - which gets a sharper throttle response and a performance suspension set up.
It also boasts a unique front bumper finish and front grille, gloss black wing mirrors, and 16 inch alloys. The interior has been uprated, too, with the addition of goodies like a sporty three-spoke steering wheel.
Our Honda spokesperson adds:
“To further differentiate the Advance Sport from the rest of the range, the throttle pedal map has been revised to deliver increased driving power and improve response characteristics. In addition, the linear shift control has been revised to give the petrol engine a new, higher shift point of 6,300rpm.
“To capitalise on the powertrain revisions, the Advance Sport benefits from several changes to its suspension set-up. The front spring rate has been decreased by 8% - with the rear increased by 20%.
“This revised front to rear stiffness balance has reduced longitudinal forces for a more focused, dynamic drive. New stiffer dampers have also been added for increased traction and cornering speed.”
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