THE new The new Honda Jazz may be cute and cuddly on the outside but it is as big as competitors from the next size class up within.

By adopting the short nose “one box” styling of larger people carriers and placing the fuel tank amidships below the front seats, Honda has liberated an unprecedented amount of interior space in a car so small. The Jazz combines all of the best features of small cars - it is affordable, nippy and easy to park - with an ability to carry five adults in comfort.

The Jazz is as clever as it is compact. Its rear seats not only fold completely flat in a one handed action (without even the need to remove their headrests), but their bases can also fold up - cinema seat style. This creates an additional very tall luggage compartment in the middle of the car that can even take a full-size mountain bike.

The rear seat backrests and cushions are split 60:40 to maximise this flexibility, and there is even space underneath the cushions, an idea borrowed from the original Mini.

The Jazz would not be a Honda if it did not incorporate some mechanical innovation too. It features the company’s next-generation i-DSI petrol engine whose twin-spark plugs per cylinder provide the sort of efficient petrol burning that delivers a shade under 50 miles-per-gallon on the combined cycle fuel test.

Drivers can check the car’s actual fuel consumption via a digital readout which displays miles per gallon.

In Japan the Jazz is already a 100,000 seller, even though it has only been sold since June 2001. Already it has won the two Japanese Car of the Year titles.

And now this small perfectly formed little number is about to charm its way into the British car sales charts. Three versions are available as follows (all prices on the road): 1.4i DSI S £8,995; 1.4i DSI SE £10,295; 1.4i DSI SE Sport £11,295.

may be cute and cuddly on the outside but it is as big as competitors from the next size class up within.

By adopting the short nose “one box” styling of larger people carriers and placing the fuel tank amidships below the front seats, Honda has liberated an unprecedented amount of interior space in a car so small. The Jazz combines all of the best features of small cars - it is affordable, nippy and easy to park - with an ability to carry five adults in comfort.

The Jazz is as clever as it is compact. Its rear seats not only fold completely flat in a one handed action (without even the need to remove their headrests), but their bases can also fold up - cinema seat style. This creates an additional very tall luggage compartment in the middle of the car that can even take a full-size mountain bike.

The rear seat backrests and cushions are split 60:40 to maximise this flexibility, and there is even space underneath the cushions, an idea borrowed from the original Mini.

The Jazz would not be a Honda if it did not incorporate some mechanical innovation too. It features the company’s next-generation i-DSI petrol engine whose twin-spark plugs per cylinder provide the sort of efficient petrol burning that delivers a shade under 50 miles-per-gallon on the combined cycle fuel test.

Drivers can check the car’s actual fuel consumption via a digital readout which displays miles per gallon.

In Japan the Jazz is already a 100,000 seller, even though it has only been sold since June 2001. Already it has won the two Japanese Car of the Year titles.

And now this small perfectly formed little number is about to charm its way into the British car sales charts. Three versions are available as follows (all prices on the road): 1.4i DSI S £8,995; 1.4i DSI SE £10,295; 1.4i DSI SE Sport £11,295.