The process of buying a used car can be very stressful. Suppose, you’re planning to buy a used supermini, most often we are engulfed with suspicious thoughts, wondering if you’ll be able to make a good choice. In trying to assist in this area we are going to compare the Honda Jazz vs the Nissan Note to enlighten you on their interior and exterior features, practicality, and engines. We hope after reading this you will be able to make that decision and find a good one.
Honda Jazz vs Nissan Note Series Side-By-Side Comparison
(*Prices are reflective of average BE FORWARD pricing as of March 2021)
Honda Jazz Nissan Note
Generations 4 (GD, GE, GK, GR) 2 (E11, E12, E13)
Production Year 2002 - Present 2004 - Present
Performance 100 HP - 120 HP 80 HP - 110 HP
Fuel Consumption 15 KM/L - 18.18 KM/L 14 KM/L - 26.44 KM/L
Drivetrain 2WD & 4WD 2WD and 4WD
Key Features Radio, CD Player, Airbag, Power Steering, Power Window,
A/C, ABS, Keyless Entry, Back Camera, Sun Roof,Keyless entry, ABS, DVD, Airbag, Back Camera, Power
Steering, Power Window, A/C, ABS
Seating Capacity 5 Passengers 5 Passengers
BE FORWARD price US$ 1400 - US$ 2200 US$ 930 - US$ 27,800
Exterior/Interior Comparison
Honda Jazz
BROWSE LOW COST HONDA JAZZ MODELS
Interior
The Jazz’s finishing is great and the general fit is good. Kudos to the designers.
As standard, the Jazz comes with cloth upholstery covering its comfortable seats that also offer good upper body support. Despite the Jazz’s meager size, its upright rear seating position gives rise to ample legroom, while the high roof creates great headroom. The Jazz is equipped with a trip computer, air conditioning, a stereo CD player with MP3 compatibility, USB input, and Bluetooth connectivity.
Regardless of its size, the Jazz stands out with its cargo room. The versatile Magic rear seats can be adjusted in different ways, such as folding down creating a low and flat cargo area that can accommodate various forms of cargo such as surfboards and small washing machines. The boot is 337 liters with seats up and expands to 848 liters with seats folded. There are also plenty of other small storage facilities included.
BROWSE LOW COST HONDA JAZZ MODELS
Exterior
The Jazz has a fresh and contemporary style with bulgy character lines on the side. It features a v-shaped front-end merging the grille and LED projector headlights. At the rear, the three-quarter looks with ultra-modern tail-light design enhance the car’s appeal.
Safety
The Jazz has loads of safety features such as ABS with brake assist, dual front and front side airbags, curtain airbags, traction control, stability control and. three-point seatbelts, and two sets of ISOFIX child-seat mounts in the back.
Nissan Note
BROWSE LOW COST NISSAN NOTE MODELS
Interior
The Nissan Note is a car that offers a little of a small hatchback and a little of an MPV. Its boxy shape and raised seating, makes the Note spacious and easy to board and alight but compact, too. The slightly raised driving position of the Note is very good. The circular-designed dashboard is well arranged, clear, and offers great ease of access. The Note’s raised driving position, deep windows, and large door mirrors offer great all-round visibility.
The Note comes with NissanConnect which incorporates a 5.8-inch color touchscreen with sat-nav, USB, aux input, Bluetooth, digital/internet radio, and phone app syncing compatibility.
The Note is so practical, with a 280-liter boot that can expand up to 1300-liters of cargo at its maximum. It also features a false floor with two easily reversible and removable sections covered with a carpet atop and a wipe-clean plastic at the bottom. The build quality is great, it can easily handle a heavy load. Underneath the boot, there is extra storage space as well, and the rear seat splits 60/40 and easily folds at the touch of a lever creating a flat floor. The rear seats can be adjusted back and forth enabling the rear passengers to adjust legroom. The front passenger seat can also fold allowing loading goods up to 2.4 meters long to be loaded.
There are also other useful cubbies, such as door pockets, glovebox, map pocket in the dash, front cup holders, trays, and front-seat jacket pockets.
BROWSE LOW COST NISSAN NOTE MODELS
Exterior
The Note designers have done a decent and inspiring job. The car’s exterior features rising shoulder lines, a curved roof, and stretched body surfaces that give it an appealing appearance compared to its competition, while the detailing gives the eye some highlights to alight on. The comes with elongated headlights that make the front catchy, while at the rear the taillights wraparound extending forward along the roofline and downwards along its backside giving the car some striking looks.
Safety
The Note’s 2013 test results from the Euro NCAP were 4 out of 5 stars overall, and an 86% by 82% safety rating for adult and child occupants. Some of the Note’s safety features include six airbags, stability control, Nissan’s Safety Shield which uses cameras to get a 360-degree view of the car’s surroundings, assisting parking and low-speed maneuvers making them easy and safe. This system also includes lane-departure warning and blind-spot monitoring.
Engine and Fuel Efficiency Comparison
Honda Jazz
Under the hood, the Jazz is fitted with one of the below-listed engines.
- The 100 HP 1.3-liter (L13A) i-VTEC 4-cylinder petrol engine with a fuel economy of 18.18 KM/L.
- The 128 HP 1.5-liter (L15A) i-VTEC 4-cylinder petrol engine with a fuel economy of 15 KM/L.
These engines transfer power to the wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission or 5-speed automatic CVT.
BROWSE LOW COST HONDA JAZZ MODELS
Nissan Note
The Nissan Note has been around for quite a while, it’s now on its 3rd generation. Below are some of the engines that are fitted on the Note.
- The 78 HP 1.2-liter (HR12DE) 3-cylinder petrol engine with average fuel consumption of 21 KM/L.
- The 98 HP 1.5-liter (HR15DE) 4-cylinder petrol engine with average fuel consumption of 15 KM/L
- The 118 HP 1.6-liter (HR16DE) 4-cylinder petrol engine with average fuel consumption of 11 KM/L.
- The 107 HP 1.2-liter (HR12DE) 3-cylinder e-Power combined with electric motor (series hybrid) with average fuel consumption of 31 KM/L.
- The 97 HP 1.2-liter (HR12DDR) 3-cylinder petrol engine with average fuel consumption of 25.2 KM/L
- The 114 HP 1.2-liter (HR12DE-EM47) 3-cylinder e-Power with average fuel consumption of 38.2 KM/L
These engines transfer power to the wheels via a 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic, 5-speed manual single-speed constant ratio (e-Power), and Xtronic CVT transmission.
BROWSE LOW COST NISSAN NOTE MODELS
The Verdict
The Honda Jazz and the Nissan Note deserve more respect than they get as they are very practical and nice. Mocked as a bit of some old people’s car that does not appeal for the younger generation, the truth is that these are actually two really smart superminis engineered like no other.
Yes, there might be many exciting cars to drive out there, but we can guarantee you that only a few can match the reliability of the Jazz and the Note.
These two cars sip fuel like they hate it, and with their versatile and capacious load space, they are really handy for those trips to the hardware store.
For the used buyer who wants the peace of mind of a new car, the Jazz and the Note will be a great choice.

I am a Telecom & ICT specialist with a career spanning over 15 years in the demanding Tanzanian telecom industry.
I am also an avid DIYer with a good knack for everything technical and a wealth of vocational skills, with automotive being the top, and here I am writing about cars.
In 2017 a guy created a WhatsApp group called MyCar for the sole purpose of members helping each other with all matters regarding cars. I joined this group in 2018, and with my enormous wealth of knowledge regarding cars, and my readiness to share the knowledge with others, I became a top contributor, and that didn’t go unnoticed, as one member thought I was a potential writer and had contacts with Be Forward Japan who were looking for writers then. Fast forward to January 2020, I began writing for the Be Forward blog with 2024 being my fourth year.
As far as I can remember, I love cars, and growing up in the farming and tourist city of Arusha Tanzania in the ’80s and ’90s, I ended up being drawn to the Ranger Rover Classic for leisure and Land Cruiser 70 pickup as a workhorse. These were tough cars then, cars that could take you anywhere any time no matter the weather.