VERSATILE, safe and hugely practical are all terms which aptly sum up the Honda Jazz.

In fact the word sporty seldom enters the equation when people talk about a popular supermini that has dominated driver satisfaction and reliability polls since time immemorial.

But if you're going to name a car the Jazz then it also makes sense to make it feel, well, jazzy.

At least give some of the models a more fashionable suit of clothes, some perceived extra kick and sharper dynamics.

That's precisely what Honda did when the Si variant joined the Jazz scene, built like the rest of the line-up in the UK at Swindon but boasting a raft of sports-inspired features.

That means stuff like front and rear sport bumpers and side skirts, as well as 16-inch Diamond cut alloys, privacy glass, front fog lights and Si branding on the boot.

And to ensure the Jazz Si has substance as well as style, revised suspension settings have been adopted with new dampers and a larger front anti-roll bar to improve straight-line stability and body control.

The car's electric power steering system has also been modified for improved feel and response.

It all makes for a much more lively driving experience, though the downside is a firm ride that on uneven roads can really rattle your bones.

Otherwise you're looking at a very tidy offering indeed, complete with a sporty steering wheel with alloy inserts, comfortable two-tone fabric seats and five-speed manual transmission.

Like its stablemates in the rest of the Jazz line-up the Si has been designed to be compact on the outside while spacious on the inside.

To that end it can comfortably seat five adults with ample room in the boot, while the Japanese brand's Magic Seats allow the driver to create extra load space just by folding them down or flipping them up in a single movement.

The short nose and rear end give the Jazz an tight turning circle for low speed manoeuvrability and a low centre of gravity ensures positive handling and stability on corners.

And just to underline the Honda's overall appeal it has just been given a huge thumbs-up by female drivers to triumph at the Women's World Car of the Year awards.

Judged by a panel of female journalists from 15 countries, the awards considered ten different criteria including design and function, style and appeal, comfort, storage and drive quality.

Other elements considered by the judging panel included the ‘wow' factor, sex appeal and value for money - criteria which all the judges felt to be important to female car buyers.

Currently available with a choice of two 1.2 and 1.4 i-VTEC petrol engines or Honda's hybrid IMA technology, an all-new Jazz is due to go on sale next summer offering improved fuel economy and higher performance thanks to its next-generation Earth Dreams Technology engine.