Is the Honda Jazz Good for Long Drives?
If you want to have a good time on a long trip, it’s imperative that you pick the right car.
So, what about the Honda Jazz?
Is it suitable for those long drives, or are you better off with something else?
Overall, the Honda Jazz does pretty well on long drives since it is quiet, gets good gas mileage, and has plenty of trunk space. However, the Jazz’s sound system is mediocre, and the infotainment system is quite lousy compared to other modern cars.
In this article, I will describe whether the Honda Jazz and Fit are the same vehicles, as well as the pros and cons of taking the Jazz on long drives.
Then, I will explain how many people can comfortably fit in the Jazz, the type of transmission it has, and whether it is a safe car.
Honda Jazz vs. Honda Fit
Before I start this article, I want to make one thing clear.
The Honda Jazz and the Honda Fit are the exact same vehicle.
It’s just that in some markets, such as in the US and Canada, the car goes by the name Honda Fit.
Meanwhile, in Europe and parts of Asia, Honda calls the same vehicle the Honda Jazz.
4 Pros of the Honda Jazz on Long Drives
When it comes to taking the Honda Jazz on long drives, it does a pretty good job when compared to similar vehicles.
In the following sections, I will describe how the Honda Jazz stands out from its competition.
Pro One: Good Gas Mileage
The 2020 Honda Jazz gets 33 mpg (53 kpg) in the city and 40 mpg (64 kpg) on the highway, which is a bit better than most of its competitors.
For comparison, here are the gas mileages for some of the Jazz’s main rivals:
- 2020 Toyota Yaris – 30 mpg (48 kpg) city / 39 mpg (63 kpg) highway
- 2019 Fiat 500 – 28 mpg (45 kpg) city / 33 mpg (53 kpg) highway
- 2019 Toyota Prius C – 48 mpg (77 kpg) city / 43 mpg (69 kpg) highway
- 2019 Ford Fiesta – 27 mpg (43 kpg) city / 37 mpg (60 kpg) highway
- 2023 MINI Cooper – 29 mpg (47 kpg) city / 38 mpg (61 kpg) highway
Thus, as you can see, you’ll save quite a bit of money when you take a Honda Jazz on a long drive.
Pro Two: Plenty of Trunk Space
If you’re going on a long drive, there’s a good chance you’ll have some bags with you.
So, how is the trunk space in the Honda Jazz?
The 2020 Honda Jazz offers you 16.6 ft3 (0.47 m3) of trunk space, which is quite a bit more than most of its rivals.
For instance, here are the trunk dimensions offered by some of the Honda Jazz’s competitors:
- 2023 MINI Cooper – 5.7 ft3 to 13.1 ft3 (0.16 m3 to 0.37 m3)
- 2019 Ford Fiesta – 10.1 ft3 to 14.9 ft3 (0.29 m3 to 0.42 m3)
- 2022 Chevrolet Spark – 11.1 ft3 (0.31 m3)
- 2022 Hyundai Accent – 13.7 ft3 (0.39 m3)
- 2020 Chevrolet Sonic – 14.9 ft3 to 19 ft3 (0.42 m3 to 0.54 m3)
The Honda Jazz gives you more trunk space than almost all of its competitors, making it easy to bring everything you need on your trip.
Pro Three: It’s Quiet
Another great plus of the Honda Jazz is that the cabin stays pretty quiet when you’re driving.
Even in windy or noisy conditions, you won’t hear much outside noise.
Pro Four: Lots of Rear Leg Room
Another big plus of the Honda Jazz is that it has much more rear leg room than similar vehicles.
The 2020 Honda Jazz gives back seat passengers an astonishing 39.3 inches (100 cm) of leg room.
This amount of space is much more extensive than cars like the 2022 Kia Rio, which only offers 33.5 inches (85 cm) of rear leg room, and the 2019 Ford Fiesta, which has 31.2 inches (79 cm).
However, to compensate, the front seat has a bit less leg room than comparable cars, with only 41.4 inches (105 cm) of leg room.
Other cars similar to the Jazz usually have 42 to 43 inches (107 to 109 cm) of front leg room.
And although this isn’t a huge difference, tall drivers and front passengers may feel a little cramped in the Jazz.
2 Cons of the Honda Jazz on Long Drives
Although the Honda Jazz is a relatively good road trip car, it does have some downsides.
Con One: The Sound System Is Subpar
Many people like to listen to their favorite music while driving, and singing along to a good song can definitely keep you entertained on long road trips.
However, the Honda Jazz’s sound system is pretty mediocre.
For example, while the audio system gives you good mid-bass tones, it struggles with low frequencies.
Overall, though, the sound system isn’t necessarily bad, and most people probably won’t have any complaints.
Yet, if you are a music connoisseur, the Honda Jazz is definitely not your best option.
Con Two: The Infotainment System Is Lousy
Even though the Honda Jazz beats out its competitors in lots of ways, the infotainment system is surprisingly substandard.
Probably the biggest problem with the system is that it is markedly slow to respond.
And a slow infotainment system is not only irritating, but it can also be dangerous as it can distract the driver.
The graphics are also pretty below average and look similar to those found on a cheap cell phone.
Furthermore, the touchscreen sits at an odd angle, giving it a considerable amount of glare, especially on sunny days.
Plus, most Jazz systems do not have a clock display, which many people find quite frustrating.
And although Honda has updated the infotainment system in the newest models to fix some of these problems, it is still well below the quality you’d expect in a modern car.
How Many People Can Comfortably Fit in the Honda Jazz?
Technically, the Honda Jazz can seat five people, two in the front and three in the back.
However, like in most sedans, you can not comfortably fit three adults in the rear seats.
So, if you are taking a trip with more than four adults, you may want to consider a different vehicle, such as a van.
What Type of Transmission Does the Honda Jazz Have?
For many people, the type of transmission in a vehicle is an essential deciding factor regarding whether they’d like to take it on a road trip.
Well, luckily, you can get the Honda Jazz with either an automatic or manual transmission.
Is the Honda Jazz Safe?
Of course, if you are planning on taking the Honda Jazz on a road trip, you’ll definitely want to know how it fares in terms of safety.
And it ranks surprisingly well.
Both the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) and the US’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2020 Jazz/Fit five stars in safety.
This rating means that the Honda Jazz is one of the safest cars in the world.
Conclusion
Overall, the Honda Jazz is an excellent car to take on long drives because it gets good gas mileage, is quiet, and has lots of leg room.
However, on the flip side, both the speakers and infotainment system are below average.
