Putting the 'ute' in 'cute'

MANILA, Philippines - First introduced in the middle of 2001, the Honda Fit sub-compact hatch is known locally and in other parts of the world (such as Australia, Middle East, Australia, and Africa) as Jazz – related neither to the Autobot or the NBA franchise. With its peppy engine, engaging looks, and thoughtful features, the Fit/Jazz has kept dealerships happy and the cash registers ringing: Honda reported recently that worldwide sales have breached 3.5 million units.

Not bad at all.

We took the Jazz out for a few days of urban rigors, plus an out-of-towner to Holiday Inn Clark to see if it’s a specialist or a generalist, and – perhaps most importantly – how nicely it gets you from points A to B.

After all, subcompacts have a reputation – deservedly or otherwise – for being nothing more than people carriers for city destinations. Hop in, turn on the A/C and the radio, drive, then get off at the office parking. Doing the groceries? Well maybe, but just a little, okay? How about picking up the kids? Hmmm… maybe, but don’t forget it’s not a soccer-mom ride.

Honda seeks to distinguish its Jazz from the competition by calling it an FUV (fun utility vehicle) hinged upon its “versatile seat configurations to accommodate sizeable amount of utility, thanks to its ULTRA seats.” In layman’s terms, the Jazz seats can collapse in a various setting so you could take most anything with you. “Utility” folds the two rear seats, “Long” additionally folds forward the passenger seat, and “Tall” which brings up the cushion of the second row-seat to take in, well, tall items. All told, Honda puts “compact” and “utility” in one surprising package.

So, yes, you can do the groceries AND pick up your kid from school. You’d be surprised how the roomy Jazz can swallow most everything you want it to – even without using the ULTRA seats. I certainly was when I popped the hatch, chucked in my four-ball bowling bag, and found there was plenty of space left.

The Jazz 1.5-liter variant I drove around delivers 120 hp – not much at first glance but very ample considering the small frame it is mated to. Colored a loud Helios Yellow, it looked like an oversized piece of candy, and people did occasionally give it a once over. It looked positively tasty.

The Jazz is sprightly, too – not like some of its less illustrious classmates that give new meaning to “tepid.”

Its big windshield and “out-there” dashboard makes it look extra roomy, particularly the small A-pillar glass just before the door. Leg and headroom are also ample, considering.

Parking is, well, McDreamy. A small turning radius of 5.2 meters, coupled with the wee frame make the Jazz at home in tight-squeeze parking lots and heart-attack backstreets or eskinitas.

When on the open road, the Jazz feels surprisingly stable and sure, but labored when pressed (with two people plus a couple of overnight bags on board) to reach 140 on the expressway. This is the part when you remember that you can’t have everything at this price level.

Though personally not a fan of the paddle shifter, it is a thoughtful addition if you want more control over your revs – particularly when overtaking.

The dual SRS airbags are certainly most welcome, along with EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution) with brake assist feature. The ABS comes standard, thank you very much. This complement of safety measures alone should cue you in on the fact that the Jazz is in no way an entry-level player.

Indeed, the top variant of the Jazz is tagged at P842,000 – no chump change, for sure. It being temptingly close to the entry-level Civic’s P873,000 price might give you pause, but I’d choose the high-end Jazz over a bare-bones Civic anytime.

Honda folks are practically bonkers over going green – good news to Earth-conscious motorists. The entire Honda lineup is Euro 4 compliant, the “second-strictest emission requirement of the European Emission Standards,” says Honda. The Philippine requirement is only Euro 2, so that means the Honda people are doing the minimum a lot better. The i-VTEC engine strapped onto the Jazz is particularly known for high fuel efficiency and low C02 emissions, and its five-speed auto tranny with drive-by-wire acceleration control dishes out more bang for the fuel buck. In a local fuel economy run, the Jazz dished out an impressive 27.58 kilometers to the liter. You’ll do significantly less than that, of course, but you get the picture.

This Jazz rocks.