The Jazz S opens at $23,700. We requested the base $25,990 Polo Comfortline from Volkswagen for this test, but the car that fronted was in fact the more luxurious Highline. If only paying customers had the same issue!
No matter: the powertrain is the same and we can take account of the difference in equipment as we go. The most significant difference is the size of the footwear: the Polo Comfortline matches the Jazz's 15-inch alloys, but the Highline wears more substantial 16-inch rims. It all evens out though: our test Polo might have a small advantage in handling, but there's opportunity cost in ride.
Volkswagen Polo
You are certainly getting a lot for your money with the Jazz. It starts out with a $2000 price advantage, but it also has some very appealing features that the Polo lacks: an autonomous braking system to prevent nose-to-tail crashes at low speeds, reversing camera and satellite navigation. You can option sat-nav into the Polo Comfortline, but it costs $1250; so that's a $3540 real-world difference and the Jazz is still ahead on specification.
The Jazz's 1.3-litre engine is a high-tech unit that runs on the Atkinson cycle (more common in petrol-electric hybrid powertrains). It produces healthy power but is typically Honda in being a little short on torque, with just 119Nm at a peaky 5000rpm.
The Polo has a 1.2-litre TSI (turbo) unit that makes less power (66kW) but more torque, with the maximum of 160Nm produced at just 1400rpm. Those are impressive numbers.
In terms of fuel economy there's very little in it: the Polo returns 4.7 litres per 100km, the Jazz 5.1 litres.
Carmakers often talk of the "50-metre test": the importance of a car to impress a potential buyer within the first 50 metres of a test drive. Under those circumstances, the Polo is a winner. The TSI engine is strong low-down and even has a growly engine note that gives it a real sense of purpose. Accelerate away and the Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) - an automated dual-clutch transmission with seven speeds - clicks between cogs in incredibly quick fashion.
The Polo also rides well, even on the larger 16-inch wheels of our Highline test car. Better than the Jazz on its 15-inchers, in fact.
Volkswagen Polo interior
The Jazz requires more familiarity, but it also has talent. The engine lacks punch at low speed and can be intrusive when revved hard, but it's crisp and strong right at the top end: nail the throttle through traffic and you get the sense the tachometer needle is desperate to be close to the red zone.
We have a fractious relationship with Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) technology around here. The Jazz's CVT certainly doesn't help with the lack of low-speed zing, but it's a better transmission for urban driving than the Polo's DSG. You can count on the CVT for consistent throttle response, whereas the DSG's automated clutch system often slips on hills or in tight parking situations. It also struggles against the VW's automated hill-holder at times, causing the car to lurch forward in an inelegant fashion.
On the open road, the Polo has a big-car feel: nicely compliant ride, a steady cornering state and safe understeer. The Jazz is cheeky by comparison: the steering is more precise but the chassis is also much more sensitive to the throttle, which gives it a sporty feel but might not be to the taste of every small-car buyer.
Inside, the Polo is sheer class. The revised cabin has taken its cues from big brother Golf, with an abundance of soft-touch surfaces and high-quality switchgear. The Comfortline has an infotainment system with a five-inch touch screen - a nice unit but quite a lot smaller than the Jazz's seven-inch unit.
Honda Jazz interior
The Jazz S misses out on the padded dashboard of the more powerful RS models, but the styling is avant garde for a mainstream supermini and certainly makes the Polo look a bit conservative. The Honda goes a bit too far with its high-gloss finish and large Android-driven screen, which even has touch controls for audio volume.
It all looks very high-tech but in fact it's a bit fiddly compared with the old-school simplicity of the VW. The sat-nav and camera can be a bit slow to boot up, as well.
These two are very similar in dimensions: both just under 4m long, with the Honda riding on a 50mm-longer wheelbase. The Polo is well-packaged inside for a car of this size, but the Jazz is a marvel.
We've banged on about Magic Seat many times in these pages, but suffice to say the Honda has a cavernous cabin (rear legroom equivalent to a large car) and a deeply impressive range of cargo-carrying abilities, with four seat configurations: utility (flat, like a van), tall (rear squabs folded upwards for floor-to-roof loading in the rear footwell), long (front passenger seat also folded flat) and refresh (left and right sides converted into beds).
The Polo does have a couple of clever touches: there's a false floor in the boot that allows a flat load floor when you fold the seats down, and it does have a parcel shelf - something the Honda strangely lacks.
The bottom line
The Polo is all class, from the way it looks and feels to the way it drives. As a supermini-sized status symbol it succeeds and at $26k it's great value. The Jazz is a little rough around the edges by comparison, but it's also admirably bold in its design and unbelievably clever in its interior packaging. Combine that with a bargain $24k price and superior specification (including important safety features such as city braking and reversing camera) and it's the winner here.
