Currently the local dealerships are running a giveaway - come in and test drive the latest generation Honda Jazz/Fit, and be entered to win one given away in the country. I've been curious about these for a while and decided pop in to the dealership and borrow one for an hour.
Unfortunately, the US isn't going to get this generation.
My understanding of the powertrain is that, it's powered by a high compression 14:1 CR 1.5L, which is attached to a motor generator. The wheels are driven directly by a 107hp electric motor, and the gasoline engine spins up and down depending on the electricity needs. It isn't like a Prius or Volt, where engine torque can be sent to the wheels through a planetary gearbox - there's no physical connection. The engine is only attached to a generator, though with a caveat. There's a clutch that connects the engine with a single speed reduction gear once the car is going fast enough - around 100kph or 60mph, I believe. There's a small lithium battery hidden where the spare tire would go.
When I sat in the car, the fuel economy meter for the last 2000km was showing 4.6L/100km, or 51mpg. I reset it, and from a cold start, drove around Wellington city. Traffic was light, but it was a cold start with hills, stop and go, and speeds mostly in the 0-60kph (~40mph) range. I mashed it a few times to see what it had, but mostly just drove around the city and along the coastline. When I dropped it off at the dealer, the fuel economy meter was reading
3.3L/100km, or 71mpg.
While driving in flat-ish areas, the engine would come on for ~15-20 seconds, adding maybe 25% to the battery. then shut off for 1-2 minutes. It was barely audible, and seemed to run at a fixed RPM. When mashing the throttle, the engine would scream to redline and hold, and the acceleration felt a bit "slingshot-y". It would accelerate moderately instantly, presumably at the limit of what the battery alone could deliver (25hp?), then ramp up following the engine's climbing RPM. I'd estimate around 1.5-2 seconds to peak power, from a standstill. 0-60 is supposed to be in the high 8 seconds.
As far as the rest of the car, materials were slightly upmarket from the previous generation. Great seats, great stereo, handsome interior. A fair bit of cheap looking hard plastic on the door cards and in front of the flat of the dash. While driving, the suspension was decidedly stiff and "sport-ish". It didn't lean much in fast cornering. The car was very quiet inside, with medium-low road noise and no sqeaks or rattles. Visibility was remarkably good compared with anything else I've driven recently - better than the previous gen Fit/Jazz, even. The cabin feel, in terms of the amount of glass and openness, is more like the cars from the 80's and early 90's, than most on the road since.
My subjective take: At the right price, I'm sold. Issue is, I can get a 15 year old Fit for 10% the price of a new one, which will deliver maybe 66% of the fuel economy, with some squeaks and rattles. However, if Honda were to make one of these with a larger battery (say, 5-10kwh) and a plug, I'd get in line for it.
New, off-the-ship Jazz were around $35,000nzd, or around $21,200USD. Lightly used 4th gen models on the lot were around $28,000nzd, or $17,000usd. Cheapest private party in the country is currently a 2020 MY for $21,000nzd or $12,700USD, with ~9k miles. I can get a used 1st gen 5 speed for around $3000nzd (1800usd) +/-, with ~100-130k miles.
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