Honda Jazz vs Ford Fiesta

What's the difference?

Honda's Jazz is like the little engine that could.

It occupies a shrinking part of the market but has seen off a bevy of once-were competitors (most notably the Hyundai i20) and continues to battle gamely with the Mazda2.

Honda gave the range a little tweak in late 2017 to hand us the MY18 Honda Jazz. Some features were lost, and a few gained in an effort to keep up with Mazda's finest.

The original Ford Fiesta ST from 2013 was a modern classic. The combination of appealing pricing, point-and-shoot driving dynamics and a sweet turbocharged engine ensured it won a legion of fans. 

Its follow-up from 2020 continued that formula and brought with it a refinement missing from the original. But it was just as fun to drive.

Ford has launched a mid-life update for the sprightly hot hatch, which despite arriving in Australia halfway through 2022, is still officially an MY22 model. This latest version introduces upgrades to interior tech and exterior styling, as well as a 30Nm bump in torque.

But given it’s facing a ballsy competitor from Hyundai, has Ford done enough to keep its B-segment hot hatch crown?