Used Honda Logo Hatchback 2000 - 2001 review

The Honda Logo was released in this country purely so that British buyers could get used to the idea of a Honda supermini in advance of the Jazz's arrival in 2002.

As such, the car was only on sale in the UK for a little over a year, and Honda was lucky that it didn't scare off buyers for good. Designed and built for the Japanese market, it is woeful compared with European rivals. Honda only sold a few thousand, so these days, Logos are extremely rare.

On the plus side, it's well equipped, but that's about it for good news. The build quality is nowhere near Honda's usual standard, the cabin is dated, uncomfortable and cramped, and it feels cheap. Doors shut with a nasty clang.

It's awful to drive, too. The handling is terrible, the ride abysmal and it's noisy in almost any situation. It was just as well for Honda that its next bash at a supermini was much better.

Residual values are horrific, so used examples have lost much of their value. However, the car was so expensive to start with, that it can still be no cheaper to pick up used than the average mainstream supermini of the same age.

You'll get reasonable fuel economy, though. The Logo's figure of 44.1mpg is about average for the class, and even the CVT version returns near enough the same decent figure.

Whichever version of the Logo you buy, be it a Standard or an SE, a manual or a CVT, you'll pay a lowly group 3 premium to insure it.

Servicing can be expensive, though. As a premium brand, Honda dealers aren't amazingly cheap when it comes to hourly labour rates, and the rarity of some parts will make them expensive.

If you really want a Logo, your biggest problem will be finding one, as very few were sold in the short time it was on sale.

Keeping the choice even more limited, there's only one engine, a 64bhp 1.3-litre petrol. Performance is far from electrifying, and cars fitted with the optional CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) gearbox are slower still.

There's just about enough power to plod around town, but on the motorway, the hard-working engine will do its best to deafen you. It does offer reasonable fuel economy, however.

The base car was extremely well equipped for a supermini, but then again, with a price of almost £9000 when it was new, it needed to be. Buyers get creature comforts including power steering, air-con, remote central locking, electric windows, a CD player and seat height adjustment.

There was an SE version, too, but this provided only pointless extra equipment such as a rev counter, white-faced dials, an LCD odometer and a three-spoke steering wheel. So, in the unlikley event you're faced with a choice, just go for the basic car.