Japan’s getting a Honda Jazz RS*

This is the Honda Fit RS. And yes, get those jokes in as you see... well, fit.

But unlike Mitsubishi having to rename a Pajero before selling it in Spain, Honda’s made no indication that it’s going to send its Fit RS over here, even with an export-spec jazzy rebadge. So what are we missing out on?

Well, details are a little scarce and a lot ‘in Japanese’, but we’ll do our best with a bit of translating. And from what we can tell, it looks like the RS gets a “sporty grill” (like a George Foreman?), some badging and nice wheels.

And, according to Google Translate, the RS gets a special ‘deceleration selector’. In the real world, this actually translates into a paddle to dial in how much regenerative braking you’re after, because the tiny little Fit RS – and all new Fits/Jazzes – are proper hybrids. The selectable regen is unique to the RS, so nans and P-platers will have to muddle through with a regular hybrid Jazz.

Of course, this being 2022, Brits can do the tiny sporty city-car hybrid thing with the Suzuki Swift Sport. Which is a crazily specific niche to nest yourself in.

But if we don’t push out into new directions like this, all we’re going to be left doing is re-treading the same old boring ground. So who knows? Maybe a little sporty Honda hybrid on the streets and roads of Britain could be the perfect... oh, what’s the word?