Jazz does Melb-Syd for $50

These days you can get a one-way Virgin flight for $49 or ride the Greyhound bus to Sydney for $50. Train travel will set you back $58.30.

But you have to endure cramped spaces, and sharing your life for at least a few hours.

So it didn't take long to decide on a car. And the Honda Jazz made an interesting choice, particularly as Honda Australia was keen to see if its baby could make it on $50.

It's an advanced jigger that gets good economy and still has enough space for people and luggage.

So the challenge was on. The rules were strict: no super-inflated tyres, no coasting on hills, and no snails-pace crawling with the windows up and the airconditioning off. This was going to be a normal, real-world run.

The trip began in Melbourne at 9.30am with a clean and tidy Jazz, a few favourite CDs, some Sydney maps and a service-station stop that filled the tank but drained my wallet of $28.95, leaving only $21.05 for fuel for the Jazz and me.

The drive to Albury was easy, apart from the fear of the revenue cameras, and the run passed at an average speed of 91.2km/h.

Fuel economy on the Jazz's trip computer was 5.01 litres/100km. At that rate, it was looking as if I would beat the Virgin price and have money left for lunch, but a less-than-satisfactory stop at KFC cost $7.95 and the car took another $12.05 in fuel, taking the total to $48.95 and ensuring I had to make Sydney without another top-up.

The actual trip from Albury to the centre of Sydney was uneventful and easy, apart from a stop to help an elderly woman change a tyre. So, six hours and 15 minutes after clearing Albury I was in the heart of Sydney, having averaged 101km/h for the second half of the trip, but with not much showing on the fuel gauge.

It was enough for another 50km before the warning light came on, so the Jazz had done well.

The total travel time was 10 1/4 hours and that included lunch and a couple of comfort stops. The Jazz had given absolutely no trouble -- it was comfortable and quiet, thanks to a roomy cabin and low wind and road noise -- and the overall average speed was 85km/h.

If you look only at the actual driving time the average was 97km/h and fuel economy for the interstate trip was an excellent 4.92 litres/100km. And I drove like everyone does when they hit the Hume.

David McCarthy covers motoring for the gay community through MCV and JOY 94.9FM, writes for Sports Car and Racer magazines and works as executive officer of People Living with HIV/AIDS Victoria.

fast facts

ENGINE:
1.3 litre inline fuel-injected four cylinder
POWER:
61 kW at 5700 rpm
TORQUE:
119Nm at 2800 rpm
TRANSMISSION:
Five-speed manual
BODY:
Five-door hatch
PRICE:
$16,990