Unlike the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, which can be something of an ego stroker to celebrities and certain tree-huggers thanks to their unique and semi-futuristic designs, the Honda Jazz Hybrid is not going to raise any eyebrows at the next earthworm preservation conference.
Besides its clear tail lamps, a strange front grille coloured to blend with the headlights and a chrome blue surround on all lights and the grille, there's little to tell it apart from the everyday Jazz hatchback that was recently launched in facelifted form.
The Jazz Hybrid's claim to fame, however, is that it's the cheapest hybrid on our market and also the first compact hatchback to sport such a drivetrain. To date, hybrid cars have been about as popular as a non-striking worker in South Africa, and it's almost certain that exorbitant pricing is to blame for this.
That said, this little Honda is hardly cheap at R239 900 but it is a good R20 000 less expensive than the Honda Insight hybrid that it shares a platform with.
In fact, the Jazz even uses the same powertrain as the aforementioned Insight, the 'Integrated Motor Assist' in Honda speak which, in English, means that they've mated a small petrol engine to an electric motor with both feeding power through a continuously variable transmission.
The 65kW 1.3-litre i-VTEC petrol engine is still the predominant power source, with the 10kW electric motor giving an added boost when needed and even powering the car on its own on odd occasion.
What's in it for the fuel-miser that's keen on buying one then? According to Honda, a carefully-driven Jazz Hybrid will sip just 4.6 litres per 100km in town and 4.3 litres per 100km on the open road for overall consumption of 4.4 l/100km. Another big trump card, for green hearts, is its CO2 emissions figure of 105g/km.
But hold on a minute, VW's Polo BlueMotion claims to sniff just 4.1 l/100km in town, 3.0 l/100km on the highway and 3.4 l/100km overall for a CO2 figure of just 89g/km.
Of course, real-world driving is a different kettle of fish and while driving the Jazz Hybrid, without particular focus on economy, I averaged 7.0 l/100km in urban confines - about the same as I did in the Polo BlueMotion a few months earlier.
So given the claimed and tested evidence at hand here, it's safe to assume that the two cars are more or less in the same league when it comes to economy. Trouble for the Honda is that the VW costs just R178 100, more than R60 000 less, which brings us to what's likely the biggest hybrid flaw - those batteries are just so expensive.
Granted, the Honda does bring a few perks to the party. Not only is it jam-packed with features - with items like cruise control, automatic climate control, automatic headlights and six airbags standard - but it also offers a more comfortable drive and a more spacious interior complements of its cab-forward design and versatile seating system.
I've never driven a compact car that's as painless to pilot as this Honda Jazz. The CVT gearbox is super-smooth and the drivetrain eerily quiet while the steering is truly precise and the seating and driving position comfortable. This is a car that you'll never really have to think about, compared to the flawed Polo with its turbo lag that makes you work the gearbox like a slave and the uncomfortably cramped footwell and so on.
I'd still choose the Polo in the end because I actually enjoy driving a car rather than letting an automotive appliance do all the work but even if I was in the latter camp - populated by those that view a car purchase in the same light as buying a washing machine - I'd still find it hard to justify the huge price premium.
The Honda Jazz Hybrid is an impressively refined fuel sipper that brings hybrid motoring a step closer to the masses, but it's still to expensive for what it is.