• Pre-VAT rise prices have been held on selected models for January
• Three years’ complimentary servicing and flexible finance options available until the end of March 2011 on selected models including the sporty CR-Z hybrid

Honda (UK) is continuing to make new car ownership more affordable by adding three years’ complimentary servicing and a range of flexible finance options to selected new cars until the end of March 2011. Honda is also easing the pain of the New Year VAT rise by absorbing the price increase for customers throughout January.

Three years’ free servicingCustomers visiting a Honda dealership in the new year will also be eligible for three years’ complimentary servicing on all new CR-V models and Insight and CR-Z hybrids.

This offer, combined with Honda’s standard one year’s road side assistance, three year new car warranty and Honda’s reputation for bulletproof reliability, means affordable and hassle-free Honda new car ownership for the first three years.

Pre-VAT rise price freeze
Honda is also holding 2010 prices on all CR-V, CR-Z, Insight and Accord models and selected Civic variants until the end of January 2011. For example, by not passing on the VAT rise, customers can benefit from a £443 saving on a new Accord 2.0 ES GT. 

Flexible financing
A range of flexible finance options are available across the Honda range to break the new car cost into manageable monthly payments. With a 25 per cent deposit, customers can secure a 5.9 per cent PCP over three years, while those with a smaller deposit of 10 per cent can secure a 7.9 per cent PCP over the same duration. A two year 0 per cent HP is available with a 35 per cent down payment.

Customers opting for the 5.9 per cent PCP with 25 per cent deposit could walk away with a brand new CR-V 4x4 for as little as £299 per month*. 

“Our New Year’s resolution was to keep helping our customers drive down the cost of new car ownership and three years free servicing combined with a selection of finance options is a great start. Plus, we wanted to take the sting off the VAT price rise – two and a half per cent is a significant amount on large purchases such as cars and it all adds up,” concluded Martin Moll, Head of Marketing for Honda (UK).

- New, fresh face
- CVT gearbox is back
- Suspension improvements refine ride and improve handling
- Addition of leather upholstery 
- Improvement in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption
- Prices start from £11,295 OTR for the Jazz 1.2 S model
- Prices for the Jazz Hybrid start from £15,995 OTR for the HE trim level

The popular Honda Jazz has been given a refresh, with a range of enhancements to both looks and driving dynamics. 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.

The challenge for Honda’s engineers was to freshen and improve the car without compromising on the characteristics that make the Jazz so popular. But by enhancing the car’s strongest qualities, Honda has taken the Jazz on to the next stage, producing a car with greater flexibility, better looks, increased ride comfort and improved eco credentials.

While the revised car is just as cleverly packaged, fresh styling gives the Jazz a new appearance. New front and rear bumpers are the main parts to have influenced the look of the car. These have also been designed to reduce drag as the airflow passes over the Jazz’s body and to avoid turbulence when the airflow detaches from the rear. These styling improvements aid aerodynamic efficiency on all Jazz models helping the Cd figure to fall from 0.336 to 0.330.

Welcome back CVT
Constantly variable transmission, more commonly known as ‘CVT’, first appeared in the previous Jazz range and due to overwhelming customer demand Honda has brought it back along with a few clever improvements.

The CVT is an automatic transmission that keeps the engine in a rev range where the car is most efficient. As well as ensuring the whole power train of the Jazz is more efficient, it also offers the driver a smooth and effortless journey.

The CVT transmission is a standard feature on the Hybrid while it is available as an option on 1.4 litre petrol models, where, thanks to the improvements, it now matches the economy and emissions of the outgoing Jazz i-SHIFT, with a CO2 value starting at just 125g/km.

High specification and flexible cabin
Leather upholstery makes a very welcome appearance for the first time in the Jazz range. Along with the addition of chrome rings defining the air vents, instruments and climate controls across the dashboard, the leather trim gives a whole new premium feeling to the interior of the car and is an important option for customers downsizing from larger vehicles from other sectors. 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.  

The Magic Seats, famed for their flexibility and multiple seating and cargo-carrying configurations – are now even better with the addition of a reclining rear seat. The rear seats can now recline 73mms to increase rear passenger comfort.

Engine range expands with the introduction of hybrid technology
The established 1.2-litre and best-selling 1.4-litre i-VTEC petrol engines remain in the Jazz range and to compliment the launch of the Hybrid variant, these two petrol engines have benefited from some small reductions in CO2 values and improved fuel economy. 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.

Improved ride comfort and handling
The suspension on the 2011 Jazz features revised settings to increase ride comfort and improve handling. Already well respected for its lightness and manoeuvrability around town, the Jazz benefits from improvements to steering feel at higher speeds. Thanks to this continuous improvement the revised model has a much firmer, positive steering feel as speeds increase to inspire a confident driving experience.

All Jazz models, including the Hybrid version, share 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 version also benefits from Azure Blue plus two new colours – a vibrant Lime Green Metallic and Taffeta White. 

Honda beat off rivals to the top spot in the annual survey which is published by industry leading publication Fleet News. The report covers 1.5 million vehicles owned or managed by the country's 50 largest contract hire companies. Honda also featured highly in the top ten most reliable cars with the Accord and British-built Civic in second and ninth place respectively.

Graham Avent, Manager - Corporate Operations at Honda (UK), commented:"Winning the FN50 most reliable manufacturer accolade is a huge boost for Honda in the Corporate market. What makes it so important is the survey size - it's great to know that out of over one million drivers, the Honda brand comes out on top. We always score well in consumer surveys thanks to the phenomenal reliability and quality of our product range - but to get this recognition from the company car drivers themselves means the world to our Corporate team and our Corporate dealer network.

"The Civic's top ten placing is also a great endorsement for our plant in Swindon that makes 85 per cent of the cars we sell in the UK. Honda has proven that British manufacturing continues to produce class-leading product for the fleet market."

Over the years, Honda has continually been ranked highly in customer reliability surveys such as the JD Power Survey and Which? Car.

Fleet News editor Stephen Briers concluded: “Businesses that depend on vehicles take reliability very seriously, and can’t afford downtime through breakdowns that incurs extra costs.

“This is the largest reliability survey of its kind, so any vehicle with a top 10 placing will represent a safe bet for any organisation or private motorist.”