Honda Jazz 2014 News

Honda Australia has issued a recall notice to replace faulty Takata airbag inflators in a batch of 25,282 of its vehicles, which had already been recalled to rectify the same issue.

Honda Australia is working around the clock to replace 600,000 potentially faulty airbags.

Researching hot deals on the cars in this week's light hatch comparison we were gobsmacked to discover two reputable brands having a lend of us on the prices of automatic hatchbacks.This month on the respective websites, Honda has a $16,990 drive-away deal for the Jazz and Toyota promotes $15,990 drive-away for its Yaris.But tick the box for one with an automatic - as more than 75 per cent of us do in this category - and the price jumps by more than the usual premium. The self-shifting Jazz normally adds $2000, the Yaris $1600, according to the manufacturer price lists.There is nothing illegal about this but that it doesn't make it rightBut during this month's 'special', automatic transmission adds $2650 and $2800 respectively. Ouch. There is nothing illegal about this but that it doesn't make it right. In coming weeks we will canvass the response of consumer groups and the corporate watchdog to this new practice.Is it fair to lure consumers to showrooms with a bargain manual when in fact the most popular choice is one with automatic?Is it reasonable for consumers to expect the price premium for an automatic not to increase when it is on special?On the flip side, other brands are doing mega deals and not charging a dollar more for automatic.Suzuki and Hyundai both have 'free auto' deals, with savings of between $2500 and $5000. At least those deals are more transparent than others.

Ten contenders, two exhaustive days of testing by six judges...

Mercedes-Benz C-Class wins CarsGuide 2014 Car Of The Year award as sales figures show it outsold the Ford Falcon by almost two-to-one last month.

As the exhaustive COTY drive program starts, CarsGuide covers the market segments — the focus as ever is on testing real cars for real people on real roads.The field for the 2014 Carsguide Car of the Year contest is in the starting blocks.The 10 contenders cover every corner of Australia’s new-car showroom, from baby cars to SUVs and luxury cars to people-movers. There is even a performance car.The COTY favourite is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class but there are dark horses including the updated VW Polo and Toyota Corolla sedan, as well as the classy little Mazda2 that’s a late inclusion for the contest.And then there is the Ford Falcon XR8, an Aussie hero that’s the poster car for the final FG X Falcon.The two-day COTY contest puts them head-to-head with a simple mantra: real cars for real people on real roads.So we’re looking first at value, then everything from safety to comfort, quality and efficiency. It’s the same approach that most people take to their new-car purchase but with a much sharper focus.VW has dominated the COTY results in recent years with the excellent Golf and Polo, which work so well despite unanswered questions about ownership beyond the warranty.But no one knows what will happen when we get down to voting for the biggest prize in Australia motoring.  The contenders are:Ford Falcon XR8From $52,490This is as good as the Falcon gets, as Ford Australia does all it can to make the FG X special for the time it has left as a car maker at Broadmeadows. Ford fans have been calling for the return of the XR8 for years and the best news is the car picks up the 335kW supercharged V8 engine lifted directly from the discontinued FPV GT.Honda Jazz VTiFrom $14,990Honda retreated in the global financial crisis, and has also just axed the Accord Euro that’s been so popular in Australia. Honda played smart by adding a standard rear-view camera to the new Jazz but that’s just the start for a car that’s a genuine step forward.Honda Odyssey VTiFrom $38,990Few Australians buy people-movers but the new Odyssey provides a good reason to look past an SUV. A genuine family van, it is also well equipped and well built. It’s been a long-term success in Australia, despite rivals including the Toyota Tarago and the latest classy Citroen Picasso.Mazda3 NeoFrom $20,490Australia’s favourite car for 2013 got a total makeover for 2014 that includes everything from the SkyActiv powertrain to a new body and chassis. It’s a looker that backs the style with impressive quality and driving dynamics. The Mazda3 take the fight to the Toyota Corolla for sales and the VW Golf for everything else.Mazda2 NeoFrom $15,790More like a condensed Mazda3 than any previous Mazda2, the Japanese company’s new starter car is mini but definitely not tinny. The cabin quality is impressive, it goes well with SkyActiv technology, and the value is up with a price that’s down.Mercedes-Benz C200From $60,900The world’s oldest car maker performed a magic trick with the new C-Class, creating a condensed S-Class limousine that still comes in below the LCT threshold. It’s packed with technology, takes a new approach to luxury cabin design and drives incredibly well in C200 starter form.Nissan Pathfinder hybridFrom $42,990Earlier Pathfinders were a bit rough-and-ready despite their heavyweight credentials but the new model is much more car-like and a serious alternative to a Toyota Kluger or Ford Territory for Australian families. The hybrid package is the icing on the cake.Subaru WRXFrom $38,990The long-term Subaru hero is still a performance bargain. Its user-friendly constantly variable transmission is one of the biggest changes and challenges to the turbocharged pocket rocket. This time around the emphasis has switched from the engine to the chassis in the WRX, a major departure that changes the game.Toyota Corolla sedanFrom $20,740Four-door compacts are not generally as popular as hatches but that has not stopped Toyota from creating a sedan that trumps its five-door variant. It’s a little more expensive but the pay-off comes in greater refinement in a body that works for many downsizers.VW Polo 66TSI$16,290The starter car for VW in Australia following the axing of the Up is a long way better than basic motoring. It goes surprisingly well, has a solid Golf-style feel and meets most of the needs of baby-car buyers. As always, though, we wonder about life beyond the warranty.We’re looking first at value, then everything from safety to comfort, quality and efficiency. It’s the same approach most people take to their new-car purchase but with a much sharper focus.

The small-car segment has plenty of options - the players are frugal yet safe and well-appointed. Here are the best buys under $16K.

Third-generation Honda Jazz arrives with more room, fresh tech and improved efficiency.

New Honda Jazz starts at $14,990 as Honda aims to reclaim lost ground -- again.

The third-generation of Honda’s Jazz light hatch will arrive in local showrooms from July, as confirmed by the Japanese brand’s local Director, Stephen Collins this week.Revealed in Japan last July as the Japanese-market Fit, the new model continues to be produced in both petrol and hybrid versions, and Australian models are set to continue to offer both drivetrain options.“It will come, it’s just a matter of timing and where we can source it from,” Mr Collins says.Like the existing Jazz Hybrid, the new petrol-electric version is currently only produced in Japan, unlike Australian petrol-only models which will continue to be sourced from Thailand.In Japan, the hybrid model currently makes up approximately 80 per cent of Fit sales, which contrasts with the Australian Jazz Hybrid’s small proportion of total Jazz volume since the petrol-electric version’s late arrival in February 2013.In April, the Hybrid constituted fewer than 70 of the Jazzes’ 1534 total sales, which Mr Collins  admits is a greater proportion than usual due to all existing Jazz variants being in runout mode.The plan to continue with a Jazz Hybrid contrasts with Honda's local plans for the new Jazz-based HR-V SUV due early next year, which is set to launch with petrol and turbodiesel drivetrains but not the hybrid available in other markets. The Jazz is currently Honda Australia’s third-best selling model - behind the Civic and CR-V – and the new third-generation model is set to offer similar packaging and efficiency gains to the new City sedan it shares much of its design with, and Honda’s Design Audio smartphone interface is also likely to make an appearance.This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn