Bucket Seat: Honda Ballade

When it comes to mid-sized sedans on the market, there is only one car that comes to mind and that is the Toyota Corolla. While there have been some competition coming in from the likes of the Koreans, there hasn't been something worthy to steer peoples heads away from the Japanese manufacturers most successful car, well maybe it needed competition from a brand from its on country? Step in Honda with their all new Ballade, a car which was quite popular in SA in the 80's and early 90's. Unfortunately for the brand, it seemed to fizzle out in the late 90's and with the introduction of the Civic the famed Ballade was all but forgotten. Honda did re-introduce the name a few years back but the model didn't do as well as they hoped it would do but now with an all-new design and offering they hoping to sway the heads of some. I got to spend a week with the new Ballade Elegance CVT, and I have to say it was more than what I expected. 

Starting off with the design, I think Honda did a great job, while the car isn't the biggest around, the low and long approach gives the car a bigger look that it actually is. With wide headlamps adding that extra width look to the car and that solid bar grille really makes the car stand out. Even with the rims, the multi-spoke look give the impression that the wheels are bigger than what they really are. The design is very clean and elegant, not like its larger brother the Civic, it looks a bit American if you ask me, not that it is a bad thing but just looks more professional in its stance. Stepping inside, its much of the same, very business like cabin with all your buttons and controls neatly laid out, no funky lighting and an large 7" infotainment screen. The seats are comfortable, the interior spacious and what surprised me was all the tech you get with the car as standard. I mean the key has a button to start the cars ignition while you standing outside! What the purpose of that you might ask? Well its more for countries with colder climates so you can get the engine warmed up before your journey as well as get the cabin acclimatized before you get in. 

Performance on the new Ballade, all variants come fitted with a 1.5L DOHC i-Vetc 4 cylinder petrol engine. Power output on it is 89kW and 145Nm, the car is fitted with a CVT automatic gearbox but overall I think this combination proves to do well with the car. As it is aimed at smaller families, the car has enough power for urban trips as well as long highway travels. I hardly found myself straining the engine on commutes and unlike other CVT gearboxes there was no searching for gears or high revving for no reason. Honda claim a 5.5L per 100km but with my time with the car, I only managed to get around 6.8L which still isn't too bad for a car of this size and nature. 

As mentioned the car is pretty comfortable, the top of the range model comes with keyless entry, the infotainment screen has built-in applications as well as a USB input and Bluetooth connectivity. The car has single-zone climate control as well push button start. I love the interior finishes, while the seats are material, the use of different materials on the dash and steering wheel really gives the cabin a luxurious feel. The car comes with PDC's and a reverse camera, full multi-function steering wheel and VSC. The rear passengers have a decent amount of space and the seats are pretty comfy as well. The luggage capacity is generous with you being able to load quite a bit in the trunk. 

Overall, the new Ballade is a decent offering, for its price point it won't be here to steal Toyota's crown from the Corolla but it is offering a niche car in a segment between the Corolla and Corolla Quest. You're getting a solid car with a great reputation at a decent price which has most of the bells and whistles. Honda needs no introduction in terms of its re-sale value and reliability, it really is a great offering from them and doing that Ballade badge justice. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.5L DOHC i-Vtec
Gear Box	5-Speed Automatic CVT
Torque	145Nm
Power	89kW
Economy	5.5L per 100km
Price	R375,400

 

Bucket Seat: Honda Jazz

When car manufacturers take a current model that they have on the market and slap the word "Sport" to the end of it, it more often than not means that they put some bigger rims, added some sporty cosmetic changes to the body, maybe some racing stripes, brushed aluminium and fake carbon fiber bits but the engine remained the same, so what is the point then? Instead of "Sport" they should say "looks sporty". Now with disappointments like this on the market, you can only understand the excitement when I learned that the Honda Jazz Sport I was getting on test actually had it's engine tweaked and to top it off, it also had bigger rims and sporty looks, with fake carbon fiber bits! I know it sounds like I'm being sarcastic but I'm genuinely not, you see while I like driving big cars, these small hatchbacks with tight turning circles and punchy engines are quite fun to drive, hence my tie with the Jazz Sport was very much cherished.

DESIGN

The Honda Jazz Sport was launched concurrently with its bigger brother, the Civic Type-R, while the difference between the two performance hatchbacks is vast, the Jazz Sport does have its own array of talents that still make it a charm. The car itself is still a basically a Honda Jazz, while it is considered a hatch, the shape makes it look like a mini MPV, but credit to the Honda design team who really did a great job on taking a car that looks like a typical soccer moms car and making it look aggressive. From the blacked  out 16" multi-spoke rims, the lowered front end splitter with fogs, LED front head lamps, to the sporty rear diffuser and wing, this car seriously looks the business and with the read I had it in, gave it that devilish appeal. Even on the inside it looked great! It came with aluminium racing pedals, racing style seats, carbon fiber themed dash with red outlines and paddle shifts for the CVT automatic gearbox. Overall the car certainly looks the part, befitting of the sport badge and name.

PERFORMANCE

The Jazz Sport effectively is replacing the "Dynamic" derivative from the line up, with it using the same 1.5L engine from the Elegance, but while that model's engine only produces 88kW and 145Nm of torque, the Sport's engine has been tuned up to spit out 97kW and 155Nm of torque. Trust me, while these numbers may seem small, it certainly adds a lot of punch to a car of this size. Honda really have something special with this i-VTEC DOHC, 16V engine which they dub "Earth Dreams Technology", since the power it delivers, is also very light on fuel and great for the environment with the g/km CO2 emissions being 133. The only downside to the car is the gearbox, the 7 speed CVT automatic gearbox may help in achieving that low fuel economy but it holds back so much potential. One can't help feel how much better this car would have been in a 6 speed stick shift, in fact when driving this car, one itches for it. I tried the paddle shifts out in sport gear but still, it just suppresses that engine. 

COMFORT

Don't be fooled by its size, the Jazz Sport is super comfortable, for both the drive and his occupants. It all comes down to the compact size of the engine which increases cabin space, as well as the efficient rear suspension layout which doesn't require large wheel wells which normally compromises space for the rear seats. The Magic seats as Honda called them is an innovative seat mechanism which can be configured in a number of ways to accommodate a variety of tall and long objects. Rear seats split in 60/40 offering both seating and extended cargo space. The boot size is 359 litres with the rear seats up and a whopping 889 litres with the seats down. The car comes with climate control air-conditioning with a dedicated control panel for ease of use. The cars interior styling takes a lot of its design from the Type R and it's evident in its sporty look.

TECHNOLOGY

The large 7" touch screen infotainment screen is easy to use and controls the radio, bluetooth phone controls, and auxiliary inputs which range from iPod/USB to HDMI. The car sound system comes with 6 speakers and is not that shabby. The multifunction steering wheel is also well equipped and gives most of the controls at the drivers finger tips so he isn't easily distracted while driving. The car also comes with PDC's and rear reverse camera which displays on the 7" touch screen display. All windows are electronically controlled and the car has folding side mirrors. The car also benefits from Honda's smart keyless system with a push start button that glows red.

VERDICT

I really liked this car, and my time spent with it was heaps of fun. The price is a bit to stomach though, granted car prices are high all round, one has to look at the pedigree from the brand to justify the price. And Honda is a name that has not only been around for so long but one that has proven to be reliable, safe and holds a good resale value. This Sport version is a charmer of note though, while the gearbox may disappoint the purist, for many the auto gearbox would be  perfect option for their use. It really is an energy pack small hatch, I won't go as far as calling it a hot hatch because that may upset a few folk but it certainly delivers both on styling, comfort and excitement. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.5 liter, i-VTEC 16V
Gear Box	7 Speed CVT gearbox with paddle shift
Power	97kW
Torque	155Nm
Top Speed	180km/h
Economy	5.6 L/100km
Price	R310,000