Honda Fit

All that I could possibly want from a car...

By Young Fit-ty (NJ) on Saturday, September 15, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 20,850

Pros: "Best-in-class driving dynamics; built like a Honda"

Cons: "Some interior fixtures are cheap and dowdy"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I researched the purchase of a car to replace my wonderful but maddeningly temperamental and appallingly unreliable 2004 Mini Cooper. After dithering for weeks, I narrowed it down to the Fit, Hyundai's new Elantra GT and Accent 5-door, the Subaru Impreza, the Nissan Versa, Ford's Fiesta, and Toyota's Prius C. Each had their benefits and drawbacks (some with more of the latter). Then I took stock of my needs: I live 1 mi from NYC and commute to work by bike or public mass transit; I drive approx 4k-5k/annum; when I do drive, I need to carry a lot of stuff for myself and my two kids (surfboards, bicycles, vacation things, etc). After this epiphany, I started to trim back on price; this eliminated the Prius, Elantra GT, and Impreza, all of which would top $21k, equipped as I wanted. From this point, after careful analysis, I was kinda looking for a reason NOT to go with the Fit--and honestly found none. So I bought the Fit. Simply put, it's a stylish, well-built, thoughtfully designed car that, while somewhat wanting on interior fixtures and finish, is a delight to own. I don't love the weird upholstery (though it does grip the driver), nor am I a fan of the glossy hard plastic that's used in some interior panels and the center console. But if one can overlook this concession to manufacturing economics, the Fit has awesome seats--supportive and comfortable, if not lacking in height adjustment for the driver; a killer stereo that, unlike Ford's SYNC system, *actually* works with my iPod (I have the Fit Sport edition [sans navi], which comes with integral USB support); and the seats and cargo area can be configured to carry an amazing amount and variety of stuff. Driving the Fit is a blast--and I say this, again, as the former owner of a Mini. The Fit's 5-sp m/t is the smoothest shifting gearbox I've ever encountered (and the driving pedals are nicely positioned for heel-toe downshifts, if you're into that sort of thing...). It handles predictably, tracks very well at highway speed, and has a good, upright posture that enhances visibility. The ride is a bit harsh, but I'm used to this (again: Mini), and the knobs/buttons/switches are thoughtfully laid-out--it took me all of 15 minutes to get used the placement of signal, climate control, and audio controls. So far, fuel economy seems significantly better than the EPA numbers, but I haven't put enough mileage on the car to comment on this with any certainty. And, yeah, it's a 2,500-pound econobox being driven by an engine with less displacement than two big cans of Foster's Lager--so it's a bit noisy compared to, say, the Honda Civic... or the deck of an aircraft carrier. Some notes on purchasing: I had difficulty finding a new Fit Sport w/manual, so I scoured the listings for a CPO (Certified Preowned) Fit. Because the Fit is in such high demand (think about it: When was the last time you saw an ad for the Fit, or reduced factory financing offers?), pre-owned Fits weren't THAT much less costly than new ones. Nevertheless, I found a 2010 Fit with 20k miles for approx $5k less than a comparably equipped 2013, so basically, someone else paid >25% for the right to break-in my car and eat the front-end depreciation. (Thanks, stranger.) And Honda helped me hedge my bets: Certified preowned tacks on an additional 12 mos/12k mi to the bumper-to-bumper warranty, meaning that I have 5 mos left on the original warranty, PLUS the CPO extended (the balance of the drivetrain warranty--7 yrs/100k mi--transfers from the previous owner). Not a bad deal, all things considered. But new or used, the Fit is a car one could love. I would recommend it to all my friends who have half a brain and can get past the idea that they don't need to impress strangers with their rides... At present, the over/under on that cohort is: zero. Summary: Stylish; great for families with small children; fun and sporty enough to please driving enthusiasts; built with legendary Honda quality and thoughtfulness. Hold out for the manual transmission--this is the key to obviating any concerns about straight-line performance and situational acceleration--and you'll never look back. Someone I know referred to the Fit as "the most Honda-like of all Hondas made today." She meant this to be the highest of praise."

19 people out of 19 found this review helpful

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awesome, reliable little car

By MK (DE) on Wednesday, May 23, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 2,000

Pros: "fun to drive, worth the money, usb port is awesome"

Cons: "highway noise, wish the car had a 6th gear"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I started out with a 2011 Honda Fit Sport and was in an accident (t-boned on the passenger side); I was hit pretty hard and didn't feel a thing; the curtain airbags deployed immediately. The car was totaled, but I immediately went back to my local dealer and bought a 2012 Fit because I liked the car so much. I drive the manual and it has good pickup and shifts smoothly. As the review says, the car is not too eager on hills but being able to downshift helps this problem. The car handles really well; I used to drive an '82 Volvo so I was worried about driving a much lighter car, but the Fit feels very stable even on the highway. As of now I get about 34 mpg, but several people I know who have been driving the car for awhile say that mpg increases after about 10,000 miles. I like the design of the car a lot; I am fairly tall and the car is very roomy (even my 6'4" father said so!), and the dashboard/large windshield make the front feel very spacious. It's also so easy to fold down the back seats for extra cargo room. Finally, I like the new color (raspberry blue) that I was able to get on 2012 - it's nice having a unique car (and very easy to pick out in a parking lot)."

15 people out of 15 found this review helpful

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Good but not perfect car

By Pathman (VT) on Monday, December 26, 2011

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 40,000

Pros: "Good on gas, handles well, hauls tons of stuff"

Cons: "bad OEM tires, small mirrors, low rent plastics"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"Good on gas, anywhere from 31 to 46 mpg for me depending on what type of gas I run (reg, hi test or my preference unethanol hi test) Plain ol ethanolized regular nets 31 to 34 mpg for my normal driving. Ethanolized hi test nets 34 to 38 mpg normal driving. Nonethanol hi test nets 38 to 41 for my normal driving. Trip mileage on nonethanol hi test has been as hi as 46.1 mpg tho normally is 42 to 44 mpg. Comfort in my Fit Sport is surprisingly good on paved surfaces. However the car does not like dirt roads that are washboarded, gets squirrely real fast. Short wheelbase and low profile tires probably account for this. Cargo space is monsterous with back seats down. With them up it is substantially less but still good for shopping run. Also back seats fold up or down seperately so you can carry 3 people and a lot of stuff. The bottom of back seats fold UP and lock allowing for taller items to be hauled, a useful feature. Drivers side rear seat has storage compartment inside bottom of seat. Great for smuggling drugs! (Just kidding) I keep all my service records in it. Strange that passenger side does not have same feature tho. Back seat has good legroom, better than any other vehicle in its class. But dont kid yourself this car will carry only 4 people, not 5 unless the middle back seat person has a thing for pain. Interior fabric is, well....not the highest quality ever to be put in a car lets say. And as Henry Ford said about the Model T "You can have any color you want so long as it is black." Same with the Fit interior color pallete, Your color choice is Black, Black, or Black. My car came with no floor mats. I have heard that Honda has corrected that shortcoming, but in 2009 you had to spring extra $ for floor mats! Interior plastics are just that, plastic. no attempt to camoflauge it or give it an appealing texture. Just black plastic, and lots of it! As an aside a particular pet peeve of mine is that I do my own interior detailing and the dash is a detailers nightmare. It has more area than the state of Rhode Island and is deeper than the Laurentian Abyss with more peaks and valleys than Colorado. Good luck reaching everything! View from the drivers seat is panoramic, sooo much glass to see out of! All except the back hatch. For some reason the designers dropped the ball here. The wiper on the bottom of the window and the 3rd taillight on the top impinge on your vision rearwards and leave you a view slit about the size of the one on a Bradley APC. Very annoying when on the road. Now a word about tires. Car companies put the cheapest tires they can get away with on new cars. Honda is no exception. On top of that the Fit Sport has an oddball size tire (185/55R16) to begin with and there are only 2 companies that make that size tire. And none of the tires are very good. My car came with Bridgestone Turanza EL 470 tires. These are a "standard touring all season tire." They come with a 300 UTQG and sure enough at 30,000 miles they were shot. They were never any good in snow from day 1. 3 snowflakes in the road would have them skittering like someone had put marbles under them. When I replaced them I upsized the tires to a 205/50R16 size tire. This opened up a lot of possibilities as there are plenty of tire choices available in this size. I did a lot of research at Tire Rack and went with a General Altimax HP in the 205/50R16 size. My advice is to tell your Honda dealer to stuff his OEM tires and replace them with something else, but do your homework to see what tire will work best for you. Now on to the controls. Here Honda has a prince of a car. In fact every other car maker (including the Honda people who designed the nightmare controls in the Accord) should be required to study the buttons and layout of the Fit controls. Simple, intuitive and truly made to be touched by human hands! Kudos to the engineers involved with that aspect of the car. Sadly the ones that designed the rearview mirror, the side mirrors and the drop down visors were not Hondas best and brightest. The Mirrors are too short and small, and leave gaps that you could ....well drive a truck through. You CANNOT cover your side view with those clown car side mirrors. And the visors are too short to be of any use for anything. I have a 2002 Honda Odyssey and the visors have a built in extender you can pull out when you flip them to the side. Why didnt they do this with the Fit? OK one last gripe. The A/C. On a 750 mile trip from PEI in Canada to my home in Vermont in June 2011 the A/C was totally overwhelmed. I thought I had lost the freon it was so hot. I have not had the problem since, but 1 time was too many! Inspite of my gripes I actully do like the car. It is fun to drive, gets good gas mileage and can haul as much stuff as a Freightliner!"

15 people out of 15 found this review helpful

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