Honda Jazz VTi-S 2019 review

It's hard to complain when you're in a small car because you zip over town so easily, whizzing into parks you can never fit into when you're in a larger SUV. It's a really fun car to drive. There's a 1.5-litre engine which is a good size for this car, and it'll get you up hills quickly enough.

I drove it over a week of constant rain and at first felt a bit vulnerable on the road because of the size, and I questioned its safety with children in the back. I couldn't wait to get them safely to our destination. But as the week wore on, the size became quite normal and even me, the big chicken, was fine with it. I'm not sure how I'd feel on the open road travelling interstate but everything is doable in this car.

The school run became extra easy as I was able to do as many u-turns as I needed to score that coveted outside-school park, so the size was a real bonus in day-to-day living. There's a reverse parking camera but it's not very high definition. Still, you can see well enough not to hit the car behind you.

Dean McCartney There's a 1.5-litre engine which is a good size for this car, and it'll get you up hills quickly enough.

The Jazz doesn't have very much automation, in fact none in the VTI-S at all. You get two cupholders in the centre armrest and also an extra one on the driver's side dash - a genius addition, I wish more cars would do this. The back doesn't have any cupholders however there is a storage area in each door that will fit a regular sized bottle.

Dean McCartney There's not much in the way of active safety - no new technology like Auto Emergency Braking.

There's a really decent sized centre storage bin and a spot to throw keys and a phone in the front, too. The USB point is up on the multimedia screen which makes it easy to use but it looks messy and is not ideal.

There aren't any air con vents in the back but it's a small car and the air flows through the interior easily.

It's such a modern looking car, the narrow shape really works design-wise and it certainly looks like it belongs in 2019 with the tapered nose and crafted back. The exterior is punchy and hard to beat in this category.

Dean McCartney It's hard to complain when you're in a small car because you zip over town so easily.

Inside is quite basic and looks a bit dated. The centre console is ordinary, there are no high-shine features to lift the design and it all feels like it could do with improvement.

There are fabric seats in this VTi-S model which are actually fine - not scratchy or cheap looking - they work well and are comfortable to sit on. But if you're comparing it to a VW Polo or even a Mazda 2, the Jazz has some catching up to do design-wise.

Dean McCartney It certainly looks like it belongs in 2019 with the tapered nose and crafted back.

There are airbags for driver and front passenger and side curtain airbags that extend to the back row, which is important and I was reassured when I found out they were there. However there's not much in the way of active safety - no new technology like Auto Emergency Braking, lane departure warnings or blind spot monitoring.

There are three top tether points to secure children's car seats but no ISOFIX points which are the new way to install a car seat and are more secure than top tether only. The Honda Jazz scored five stars when it was ANCAP tested in 2015. But for 2019, more competitors like the Mazda 2 are introducing AEB as standard across their ranges with higher models scoring the latest safety technology.

Dean McCartney The exterior is punchy and hard to beat in this category.

The Honda Jazz VTi-S comes in at $19,990 with a claimed fuel consumption of 5.4L/100km on the combined cycle.

There is a five year/unlimited km warranty which is pretty good compared to Mazda's three years, and it's also transferable if you want to sell within that time at no extra cost.

Service is recommended every 12 months/10,000km, whichever comes forst.