Honda refreshed its little Jazz for the new year with improvements in terms of design, chassis and suspension, drivetrain, CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency. The new model also brings back the constantly variable transmission (CVT) gearbox, which is standard feature on the Hybrid while it is available as an option on 1.4 litre petrol models.

The new Jazz gets new sleek, projector style headlights adding to the sportier look. There are four new colours available across the petrol range – Azure Blue, Polished Metal, Urban Titanium and Ionized Bronze. The Hybrid can also be had in Azure Blue plus two new colours – a vibrant Lime Green Metallic and Taffeta White.

The upgrades also affect the interior. For the first time it’s available with leather upholstery, as well as chrome rings defining the air vents, instruments and climate controls across the dashboard. These changes give a whole new premium feeling. Leather seats are standard on the Jazz Hybrid in HX trim and available as a £1,250 option on the 1.4-litre petrol EX model.

Another change across the range is a new darker dashboard material which contrasts strongly with the orange and blue back lighting of the dials, gauges and displays across the dashboard. The orange backlighting colour is unique to the petrol powered variants, while the Hybrid version uses the blue lighting to differentiate the model from the rest of the range.

For 2011 both 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre i-VTEC petrol engines are tweaked for lower CO2 emission The 1.4-litre manual variant with manual transmission has emissions starting at 126 g/km down from 128 g/km and uses 51.4mpg on the combined cycle. The fuel sipping 1.2 litre engine uses 53.3mpg and also drops two grams of CO₂ to 123g/km.

The Jazz Hybrid is an ultra-efficient car with a combined fuel consumption figure of 62.8 mpg – and with the same super-smooth electric system as the Insight, even more fuel is saved around town. While a CO₂ output of just 104g/km makes the Jazz Hybrid the lowest of any automatic car in the B-segment.

The revised Jazz range, which will include a hybrid model, goes on sale in the UK on 1 February 2011, with prices starting from £11,295 for the 1.2 S model and £15,995 for the Hybrid variant in HE trim.

Prices