Category Archives: Vehicle type

Crossover, Honda

All Jazzed up with Crosstar

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2020 Honda Jazz Crosstar

Honda Jazz Crosstar EX e:HEV

By Bill McCarthy

With crossovers all the rage, it seems even established models are getting the treatment Such is the case with the new Jazz, a supermini which has been around since 2001, and is now offering smart styling in two forms, the traditional best-selling hatch and the more SUV-like Crosstar driven here.

The result remains affordability and practicality, with this latest hybrid version, carrying Honda’s new e:HEV badge, delivering amazing fuel economy. 

Driving many cars over the years, despite what official mpg figures may say, experience gives an indication of what kind of economy is being delivered, not to mention the clear evidence of the fuel level indicator on the dash. While official figures are around the 60mpg mark, I was getting nearer 70mph with really trying too hard. This included town, country and motorway driving.

The new Crosstar variant is designed, says Honda, to target those with active lifestyles with a more rugged appearance which includes, increased ride height, new grille, black cladding to wheel arches, roof bars and silver and black alloys. It also has its own blue colour scheme with the option contrasting black roof.

‘On the road, the car feels nippy enough and is a very comfortable place to be’

|nside it features a very less-is-more set up. The firm says its ‘Yoo no bi’ philosophy offers a clean, minimalist interior, wrapping utility, practicality and functionality in a simple, uncluttered ergonomic cabin.

In other words it’s a fairly minimalist setup, with no-nonsense, durable plastics, offset by the occasional soft-touch areas and features wipe-clean seats. It has a central touchscreen, seven or nine-inch, depending on model, which controls navigation, smartphone connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and an uprated, eight-speaker sound system. Also included are WiFi hotspot capability, while ‘Honda Personal Assistant’ delivers voice-enabled features and My Honda+ app keeps owners connected when they are away from the car

Other rotary controls are simple to use and supplemented by a seven-inch full TFT instrument cluster and multi-function steering wheel.

It feels roomy for a smallish car with the upright driving position, loads of head and legroom both in the front, and, importantly for a family vehicle, class leading legroom to the rear. In addition a large glass windscreen, flanked by narrower A pillars, allows plenty of light into the cabin.

Stowage space is impressive with central bin and side pockets while the boot offers 298 litres, increasing to a maximum 1,199 litres to the roof with the rear seats down. Honda’s uprated ‘Magic Seat’ configuration offers both fold-flat or flip-up seat flexibility to accommodate cargo of various shapes and sizes and a wider tailgate opening and new flat floor eases loading and unloading. A rubber protective mat is also included in the boot space.

The power setup includes two electric motors connected to a 1.5-litre petrol engine and lithium-ion battery. The combination propels the car to 62mph in not-too-pedestrian 9.9 seconds and on to a maximum speed of 109mph. 

Drivers are offered three drive modes: EV Drive where the battery drives the electric motor directly, ideal for congestion charge zones and fuel saving; hybrid drive where the engine supplies power to the electric generator motor, which in turn supplies it to the electric  motor and full combustion engine drive.

In most cases it is a combination of EV  and Hybrid. Engine drive also kicks in where extra power is needed for greater acceleration.The power units are mated to a new e-CVT setup, not my favourite type transmission. There is no doubt it is fuel efficient, but the accelerating hard has your teeth on edge, until it settles down at the required speed.

On the road, the car feels nippy enough and is a comfortable place to be. The higher stance means there is some body roll, but occupants are well insulated from road and engine noise, apart from under heavy acceleration.

It is packed with safety kit, with a full complement of 10 airbags, including a new front centre airbag. Also new is  Honda SENSING technology, which includes new wider angle high-definition camera, collision mitigation braking, adaptive cruise control, lane assist system, road departure adjustment, blind spot and traffic sign system and speed limiter.

FAST FACTS

Honda Jazz Crosstar EX e:HEV

Price: £23,585

Mechanical: 107bhp, 1,498cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving and electric motors, driving front wheels via CVT transmission

Max speed: 109mph

0-60mph: 9.9 seconds

Combined mpg: 58.9

Insurance group: 26

CO2 emissions: 110g/km

Warranty: 3yrs/90,000 miles

Estate/Sport Tourer, Skoda

Skoda packs Really Special punch

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Skoda Octavia vRS Estate

By Bill McCarthy

It could be argued that the Octavia became the breakthrough model for Skoda when it made its debut back in 1996. That was just a few years after the Czech firm was bought out by Volkswagen, with the new model standing out from the Czech manufacturer’s dated-looking range.

But it really came to prominence with its first upgrade in 2004, when the car buying public started to sit up and take notice, particularly when the sporty vRS models were then introduced.

It got better and better, challenging even its own stablemate VW models in terms of quality and sporty performance. No longer cheap, this model is a cool £32,695, but packed with creature comforts, hi-tech aids and a raft of safety kit, it is certainly competitive. You could sit inside and without the badges not know if you were in a Skoda or a VW or even an Audi.

On this vRS, the 245bhp two litre petrol engine, mated to the slick-shifting eight speed DSG box delivers rapid pace, with the smooth revving two-litre engine propelling the car to 60mph in 6.7 seconds.

All that pace demands the safety technology to complement it and the vRS has an electronic limited-slip differential as standard, while the sports chassis, which comes as standard, lowers the car by 15 mm for better grip and stability. And it does grip brilliantly. Switch to sport mode and everything sharpens up as the car takes sharp bends with ease, with excellent feedback from the responsive steering.

It is a testament to gradual evolution and sometimes incremental change is a winner. It is also true that estate cars have now shed their workhorse image and challenge anything in the design stakes. There is perhaps no better example that this model. It offers  practicality with a massive boot, excellent fuel economy through the VW sourced engine and a solid build quality.

The exterior design is the best yet, all angles and creases, with a swooping silhouette which disguises the fact that at heart it is an estate.

But the sporting clues are there in a much understated way with the vRS badging, 19-inch alloys, radiator grille and wing mirrors in gloss black, full LED Matrix headlights, full LED tail lights, black 18-inch alloys and red brake callipers as standard. The vRS logo, inspired by the firm’s motorsport tradition, is prominent on the radiator grille and tailgate, is inspired by the firm’s motorsport tradition.

The wing mirror housings, the window frames, roof bars and diffuser on the rear apron all come with a black finish, while the chrome exhaust pipes finish off the sporty look.

 The interior continues with the sporty but subtle theme and features a sporty black carbon finish and sports seats trimmed with red stitching and the vRS logo. Also included are  carbon-effect decorative strips on the dashboard, pedals in an aluminium design and a frameless rear-view mirror and smart puddle lights.

The centrepiece is the 10-inch digital screen which controls navigation connectivity and infotainment systems. It offers a permanent internet connection provided by a built-in eSIM which enables the use of numerous mobile online services. The infotainment systems can also be operated using voice command at any time.

  Bluetooth, USB and aux-in connection sockets are also available, while the 10.25-inch Virtual Cockpit is standard and features an additional Sport layout and a vRS-specific welcome logo.

The sporty theme continues with the three-spoke, multifunction leather sports steering wheel with shift paddles for manual operation of the eight-speed electronic DSG auto gearbox. Here the traditional gear shifter has been replaced with a small, rocker-style switch for gear changes, including parking mode, freeing up extra space on the console. 

 Crucial for an estate, of course, is the boot space, with 640 litres available with the rear seats in place, 1,740 litres with the rear seat folded. A shopping net and cargo hooks will keep things stable in the cavernous boot space.

For safety there are seven airbags, front, front side, curtain, driver’s knee, plus, driver fatigue sensor, hill hold control, plus traction and stability control programmes.

Factfile

Skoda Octavia vRS Estate

Price: £ 32,695

Mechanical: 1984cc, 245PS, four-cylinder petrol engine driving front wheels via seven-speed DSG auto transmission

Maximum speed: 155mph

Acceleration: 0-60mph in 6.7 seconds

Economy: 35-40 mpg

Insurance group: 14E

CO2 emissions: 159-181g/km

Warranty: three years, 60,000 miles