Only four stars for Aussie Jazz, Soul

The new Honda Jazz and Kia Soul have only managed four star ratings from a possible five in the latest round of Australasian New Car Assessment Program crash results.

This is despite the Jazz earning a full five-star rating in the European equivalent, the NCAP testing. But there is good reason for this: the Euro Jazz and Kia Soul models get full electronic stability and traction control (ESP, TC). The safety program is not yet available across the Jazz range here, and cannot be optioned on the base Kia Soul.

Another factor that punished the cars in the Aussie test was the lack of seatbelt reminders for passengers, as the base cars of both models have a driver's belt warning only.

Ironically, the Kia Souls destined for New Zealand get a full five star ANCAP rating, as ESP and passenger seatbelt reminders are standard specification across the range.