Hybrid Car Review

Honda Jazz Hybrid

The 2011 Honda Jazz Hybrid is set to debut at the Paris Auto Show in in September and should arrive in dealers lots early 2011.  The Jazz Hybrid (known as the Honda Fit in Japan and the US) is undergoing a 2011 update and is set to receive the hybrid engine just as the Fit did in Japan.

It's expected to get similar gas mileage as the Insight, since it has the same underpinning as the Insight.  The IMA Hybrid system is the same as the Honda Civic Hybrid and Insight, which means the micro-car can travel for short distances on all electric power, while the electric motor assists the gas engine in other situations.  A start-stop system will turn the gas engine off when you are coming to a stop.

The 1.3 liter four-cylinder gas engine is mated to a CVT gearbox with the electric motor matched on.  The 2011 Hybrid Jazz will have a few distinctive features, including a new grill, blue tinted headlights, a 'tweaked' bumper and clear taillight lenses.  The Honda Fit is the cheapest hybrid available, and the Jazz is expected to follow suit when it goes on sale in Europe.