Earlier this year, when Honda New Zealand introduced a hybrid version of its popular little Jazz hatchback, the expectation was that it would achieve some sales with motorists who would appreciate its new-age motoring at a reasonable price.

The company certainly wouldn't have expected the hybrid to become the most popular Jazz after all, its launch price of just under NZ$ 30,000 (US$ 25,000) was higher than standard Jazz models which could be purchased from around NZ$ 22,000.

As it turns out, the hybrid has almost become the most popular Jazz. Latest statistics show that 208 of the hybrids have been delivered since the model entered the market during the first quarter of this year, with Honda holding back-orders for another 36.

These statistics underline the fact that these days hybrid technology is fully accepted as simply another means of getting a vehicle around just like petrol and diesel fuel, manual and automatic transmissions and front, rear and all-wheel drive.

The vehicle retails for NZ$ 31,500 and for the money the owner is rewarded with excellent performance, the ability to get average fuel consumption down into the low 4 litres per 100 kilometre mark and even lower and yet the car retains all the excellent roominess that has been such a feature of the Jazz.

A brand-new Jazz - called Fit in other parts of the world - has been unveiled in Japan, and Honda claims the hybrid version will be more efficient than any other hybrid on sale in Japan, with an average fuel consumption as low as 3.3 litres / 100 km.

The new model is expected to be launched in New Zealand next year.

Meanwhile, we have the first model and what I like about it is that installation of hybrid technology into the vehicle has not impacted at all on the special features that for several years now have made this Honda one of the best small hatchbacks around.

Anyone who has ever owned a Jazz will tell you all about its 'magic' rear seats that tumble and fold to open up an enormous amount of load space. I always enjoyed showing that off to the uninitiated by folding seats out of the way then walking straight through the car from rear door to rear door. That's how much space can be made available.

The fitment of all the hybrid equipment which in every such vehicle comprises an electric motor and a battery pack has not changed that much at all.

Jazz' high-power battery is 19% smaller and 28% lighter than the one in the first-generation Honda Civic of not so long ago and this has allowed it to be stored under the floor in the boot, beneath a space- saver spare tyre.

This means that when the rear seats are folded down the load floor is not entirely flat like it is in a standard Jazz - there is a step of about 8cm right across its middle.

Despite that there remains excellent load room, and thanks to the 'magic' seats design, which offers 18 different seat configurations, this can be increased to 1195 litres, which is enough to fit a 50-inch TV set or a mountain bike.

Where's the electric motor? This time around the Honda engineers have succeeded in making it so light and just 35.7 mm thick, that it is able to snuggle behind the 1.3-litre petrol engine in the Jazz' engine bay.

There has been a weight penalty however. The hybrid equipment has added 70kg to the weight of the hybrid over the standard Jazz, and to accommodate this Honda has stiffened the anti-roll bars and beefed up the suspension damper tuning.

Despite this additional weight, the Jazz hybrid can achieve 30% savings in fuel costs over a standard 1.5-litre petrol model. The company claims an average consumption of 4.5 litres / 100km compared to the petrol Jazz' 6.7 litres / 100 km - and I have been able to achieve 3.9 litres / 100 km.

The Honda Jazz' hybrid system, which the company calls Integrated Motor Assist, is what is known as a parallel hybrid, which uses the petrol engine as the main source of power to drive the car, and when necessary the electric motor puts its shoulder to the wheel to give the car more push.

On its own, the 1.3-litre engine produces 65 kW of power and 121 Nm of torque and the electric motor produces 10 kW and 78 Nm. When the two combine, the maximum power goes to 72 kW at 5,800 rpm and the torque to 167 Nm from just 1,000 rpm.

At times this Jazz can operate on electricity alone, thanks to a cylinder-management system that stops combustion and seals shut each cylinder when the car is running downhill, decelerating and even cruising at the very low speeds.

The Jazz is also easy to operate out on the open road, and it even encourages the person behind the wheel to drive in a fuel-saving way.

For starters you try to keep the needle in the middle of a little Eco-Assist gauge and if you do this your speedometer will glow green - but if your lead foot forces the needle out to the side, the speedo will also tell you off by glowing blue.

The Jazz also has an ECON button that, when pushed, puts the car into a super-economy mode by limiting power output, smoothing accelerator input and doing other things such as control the air-conditioning.