Jazz Crosstar 1.5 e:HEV Review: A Jazz With Hiking Gear

When we reviewed the Jazz, it impressed with its refinement, fuel economy and interior quality - and all of these good qualities carried over to the Jazz Crosstar.

With some plastic body cladding, roof rails and a slightly higher ride height (+11 mm), the Crosstar is the answer for those who wanted a tougher looking Jazz. Its chic Fjord Mist Pearl paint helps and you can opt for dual tone paint as well.

Mechanically, everything is similar to the Jazz, which is a fantastic base. The 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine is smooth and refined for its class, while the e:HEV hybrid system gives the car genuine peppy pace (there’s a negligible 4 kg difference to the Jazz). The CVT gearbox is no hindrance to proceedings too, operating in perfect tandem with the rest of the drivetrain.

Nothing much has changed on the inside. There’s an excellent in-house infotainment system which includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. In fact, it’s probably the best system I’ve seen in any Japanese car.

Front seats have been designed to be ‘body stabilising’, while rear seats feature thicker and softer pads for better support. Those rear seats can also fold in Tall, Long or Utility mode, which is both clever and dead easy to operate. If there’s one thing I would change, it’s the urethane steering wheel which is there whichever trim you choose. But I guess that’s an easy fix.

The front pillars have been designed specifically to allow super wide front visibility and so in the Crosstar, it always feels bright and airy.

On the move, the car feels refined and cleverly damped, certainly a testament to the decades of experience Honda has in building vehicles of all sorts and sizes. It’s an enjoyable drive that’s efficient and fun loving.

The Crosstar is priced similarly to the Jazz. Whichever you choose will be down to which one you think looks better, but you definitely wouldn’t go wrong with either.

Photos by Darren Leong

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