Honda Jazz Crosstar Car Review

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…the Honda Jazz Crosstar, a crossover based very closely on the regular Jazz supermini. The Crosstar uses the same 1.5-litre petrol hybrid engine which is only available with an automatic gearbox and the same overall shape, but with an added unpainted plastic body kit to give it a more rugged look.

While some manufactures do little more than attach a bodykit to their small hatchback, Honda has raised the car’s ride height to give it nearly 20mm more ground clearance and, thanks to roof rails, an overall height increase of 30mm.

That added height and bodykit means the weight is up fractionally and this, combined with the less aerodynamic shape, means a drop in efficiency and performance over the regular Jazz hatchback.

For the Jazz Crosstar, Honda only offers a single trim level:

As a single specification, that means all Honda Jazz Crosstars come with a host of safety kit including collision mitigation braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation, traffic sign recognition, 10 airbags and a speed limiter, adaptive cruise control, auto wipers, powered and heated door mirrors, heated front seats, Bluetooth, USB socket, LED auto headlights and a five-inch infotainment screen, 16-inch alloys, connected services, nine-inch touchscreen, front and rear parking sensors, wireless Apple Carplay, water-resistant fabric seats, privacy glass, smart keyless entry and start, rear view camera and satnav.

Is The Honda Jazz Crosstar Suitable For My Fleet

The full hybrid system in the Honda Jazz Crosstar does a good job of reducing emissions and improving fuel efficiency.

At 88g/km for CO2 output the Crosstar sits in the 22% benefit-in-kind tax band, which is competitive in the sector. However, it’s not quite as good as the regular Jazz which sits one band lower. The fuel consumption official figure is also off by a couple of mpg at 58.9mpg.

With a P11D value for the Jazz EX Style of £24,815 the tax take per month for a 20% PAYE employee is just £91.

Leasing A Honda Jazz Crosstar

Gensen Report provides an expected monthly rental of £299 for a three-year lease based on 10,000 miles a year on a 3+33 payment profile, while the true monthly cost is £489.

This marries well with the £298 a month offered by Intelligent Car Leasing on a similar profile.

Driving A Honda Jazz Crosstar

Much of what can be said about the Honda Jazz applies the Crosstar. That means the small crossover hatchback is incredibly practical with plenty of room for five adults, a boot that’s well above the sector average, great visibility and a high quality interior with lots of standard equipment. Fold the rear seats and you have a boot that’s on a par with an estate car.

What the Crosstar gains over the regular Jazz is a more rugged look, and while they Crosstar isn’t designed to go off-road in any meaningful way, it does have raised ground clearance which for some is a useful trait.

The interior seat fabric is also made from a water resistant cloth, so if you are doing outdoorsy activities this can be a valuable option.

Unfortunately, with the extra weight and poorer aerodynamics comes a hit to the car’s performance and efficiency. Not only is the car less efficient, but its 0-62mph time gains half a second, over the Jazz, to reach 9.9 seconds.

The Crosstar also suffers from the same issues the regular Jazz has when it comes to the 1.5-litre hybrid engine and CVT automatic gearbox. It’s slow to respond to accelerator inputs, which means you end up driving exceedingly gently. Anything beyond gentle and the harsh noise that results is deeply unpleasant. That said, it’s still hugely efficient in the real world, even if it’s not quite as good as the standard Jazz. We achieved a figure above 60mpg which is also above the official efficiency stat.

FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Honda Jazz Crosstar

Better looking than the regular Jazz, but not quite as efficient. Still impressively practical. The hybrid engine is exceedingly efficient but doesn’t offer the best driving experience.