First things first. We should take the Sport part of this particular Honda Jazz's moniker with a fistful of salt. After all, it's mechanically similar to the rest of the Jazz range with just a few bits of additional trim. Right? Well, yes and no. Honda reserve their Type-R sub-brand for their hotted up creations but don't discount the Jazz Sport as a pedestrian pedal. This is Honda remember.

There's an unmistakeable buzz you get behind the wheel of the Jazz Sport. It's that feel you get when you drive well-sorted BMWs, Porsches and Subarus, namely that this car has been built by enthusiasts, car nuts who can't resist engineering a big shovelful of fun into even the most sensible transport. Of course, the Jazz can play the sensible card with aplomb, but get it on a twisty road and it'll plaster a big grin across your face in a way that few of its rivals could ever countenance.

There are a couple of small changes that help the Jazz Sport in this regard. The first is the steering. Whereas the 'cooking' Jazz models have a steering rack that takes 3.71 turns to move from full right to full left lock, the Jazz Sport takes only 3.54 turns. The result is a more direct feel to the steering that gives the Sport a noticeably pointier feel than you'd at first expect in such an innocuous little hatch. The other factors that help the Sport wear its badge without feeling a fraud are the specially designed wheels and lower profile tyres. Although they don't exactly make the Jazz look like an escapee from a pit lane, they do firm up the ride a little, and give more feedback through the chassis and to the seat of the driver's pants. All good stuff.

"It's not hot, or warm, heck it's barely tepid, but you won't care."

At £12,620, the Jazz Sport is a hefty £1,000 step up from the Jazz SE, but for some the fancy wheels, rubberwear, sports grille, bodykit, front fog lamps and a meaty CD based stereo system will convince them to stretch to the Sport. Other items of equipment unique to this model include locking wheel nuts, an intermittent rear windscreen wiper, outside temperature gague, black interior trim and a driver's seatback pocket. Whilst it's doubtful that total road atlas stowage space will figure in too many people's buying decisions, the Jazz's styling will attract a good few people through the doors of their local Honda dealership.

The first thing that's apparent is that the Jazz looks like a previous generation Civic five-door that's been in a hot wash a tad too long. Yes, there are individual touches such as the flared wheel arches and the light clusters which were revised for the latest version, but it's not going to be mistaken for anything other than a Honda. Its makers claim the styling is based on a design concept called 'zenshin', meaning new, progressive and integrated. Given that the nose is especially derivative of Stream and Civic models in adhering to the Honda family 'face', we'd question quite how new and progressive the overall philosophy is. Still, the styling certainly works for its intended market.

Although the external dimensions only read 3,830mm long by 1,675mm wide, the Jazz Sport is a good 1,525 mm tall, making it loftier than a Toyota Yaris and even its senior sibling the Civic. The driving position is fairly upright as a result and even those well over six feet tall should be able to find a comfortable position behind the wheel. Once there, they'll spot a bold curve to the centre console and a quality feel to the construction.

A metallic instrument panel and an aluminium-covered cluster of three main dials make the Jazz appear somewhat sporty. As would be expected from a car that will have to play the family role at times, the cupholder count is well up to the class standard with a pair positioned aft of the floor-mounted gearlever and a couple more in front. Arrive home with a soggy KFC Variety Meal in a Honda Jazz and you've only yourself to blame. The floor mounted centre console is usefully sized and there's also a storage tray that runs beneath the instrument panel big enough to fit an atlas.

This being Honda, we can almost take ridiculously good engines for granted, but in this instance the Japanese company seems to have searched long and hard for a couple of extra stops to pull out. Engine-wise, there's only a 82bhp 1.4-litre powerplant available in the Sport but it is a clever one, utilising i-DSI (intelligent Dual Sequential Ignition), a system that uses two spark plugs per cylinder and compact combustion chambers to ensure good performance, economy and compactness. The economy figure of 48.7mpg is not to be sneezed at and neither are CO2 emissions of 137g/km. You can get a five speed manual transmission as well as an amazing seven-speed semi-automatic CVT gearbox.

Although the Honda Jazz Sport is more an exercise in badge engineering, the inherent excellence of the Jazz's underpinnings mean that it never feels like it's trying to hoodwink us with its competition credentials. This is a car that has motorsport in its blood. However distant the family link, it's there. You can feel it the moment you turn a wheel, whenever you feel the suspension load up, every time you lean on the low profile tyres. It's not hot, or warm, heck it's barely tepid, but you won't care. The Jazz Sport has been tickled by the fun stick. Have you?