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Hatchbacks Honda Fit Honda Fit
4728 messages, Last post on Nov 06, 2009 at 4:57 AM
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Next week will be closing my first year of Fit ownership. I posted before, but for reminder, I bought a light grey FIT in Shenzhen, near HK (China). The Fit I bought is therefore close to the European and Japanese specs. 1.5 liter, CVT auto trans, 14X175 Bridgestone on alloy rims, factory power sunroof, aircon (of course), 4 power windows and remote control lock, power mirrors, dealer installed leather and rear park radar. CD Car radio installed. No MP3 jack connector. Seat height adjustment, fuel mileage consumption computer (in L/100 km). I added side protection bars and fender extenders. 11000 miles done in one year. This is my first car bought as new and this is the main family car. I bought it for a bit more than 15500 USD including dealer installed options. For reference, purchasing a 2.0L Honda Accord will cost 30K USD (yes, the 2.0L, not the 2.4L) Same price for a 2.4 Sonata. Pros : Excellent passenger and storage volume. Easy to combine, very flexible. Good and secure road handling. Nimble car with tight turning radius. Quiet Engine at low and midrange RPM. Good inside presentation and quality. Reliable. Cheap to maintain. Looks nice good fit and finish. Reasonable purchasing price. Average : Adequate performance and Fuel consumption (8L/100 or 29 mpg) Cons : rather high road roar noise. Engine note strained and a bit noisy when pushed hard. Disappointing FE in traffic jams (down to 22 MPG). unaccurate board computer can display Fuel consumption of more than one liter/100 off reality. Lack of body/paint protection. Boot trim could be improved. Spare wheel cover too flimsy. In sum-up, this car gave me invaluable service during this first year of ownership. The inside presentation is good and allows me not to feel ashamed when picking up some customers. We can easily fit 5 people inside even with a baby seat. Luggage space was always impressive and cruising at 80+ on the highway, when conditions allow, is very straightforward. Imho, the Engine poser is just adequate. As it is well paired with the CVT, it allows me to out accelerate most others at the green light. I wish I had a turbo like for the Mitsubishi colt CZT. Road manners are good. Suspension is very firm but I got used to it and it makes long road trips more comfortable. Seats offer the good balance between firmness and softness. Very few rattles and squeaks, except from the luggage compartment, where the spare wheel cover is very flimsy. The road noise is the main issue that could be improved with better sound proofing especially around the wheel arches and spare wheel well. One other gripe is when blowing air A/C and heater off, there are a few degrees C° added as if the heating was always slightly on. When temperature is just OK outside, this make the use of A/C almost compulsory. or leave windows open. Moreover, the car get hot inside very quickly when it gets sunny. And it is sunny here indeed. One issue that is seldomly underlined in road tests is how easy it is to get the body scratched by everyday city use. It is astonishing that no plastic protectors are added around the bumpers and doors and that I had to purchase some extra which are still not fully satisfactory. I think Honda want to provide their dealers with extra income as paint jobs will be numerous. Suggested improvements : 1) add a turbo in engine choice for 150 HP. 2) improve board computer and allow display of trip mileage, overall mileage and fuel consumption at the same time 3) add MP3 connectivity and integrate antenna in windshield 4) add automatic climate control and improve air vent insulation 5) Add athermic windshield. 6) improve road noise insulation 7) allow windows to operate even if key not turned in 8) Even more rear leg room (already good for the size) 9) a higher end looking dash like for the sedan fit (formerly Fit saloon, now City) with fake wood trim and brown / buff color schemes. Would I do the same choice if facing the opportunity to choose a car ? Yes, definitely. Even now if I were in position to purchase a second new car, I would give the Fit serious consideration. No wonder this car is so popular around here.
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Replying to: vchiu (Jan 01, 2007 2:26 am) 
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Replying to: vchiu (Jan 01, 2007 2:26 am) Where would one buy the side protection bars? Thanks. Bubba
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Replying to: ramo (Jan 01, 2007 7:46 am) i don't know what tires come with the vehicle, but one would think there are quieter alternatives come time to replace them.
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Replying to: bprenderson (Jan 01, 2007 7:51 am) I even saw grey plastic Front/Back bumper protections on European Fits in France. They are sold by Honda dealers at outrageous prices (200 USD for a full set) there but can't be found in China. I did not want to put Generic ones as they are more than ugly, so my bumpers are naked so far and Front bumper need paint job already. If you can't find any protection of any kind sold by Honda in the US, then it means the price Honda meant the customer to pay was much higher than the sticker. |
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my Fit that I bought in April 2005. Wow. Never expected that to happen. Seems the demand is REALLY high. Has this happened to anyone else? |
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Replying to: user777 (Jan 01, 2007 8:04 am) too. I don't know that I could go back to a Toyota after my Honda experience. For someone like me, a hesitant driver, the Fit is wonderfully cooperative. To the person who got a dealer call to sell his Fit, I have had no such call, and would perhaps swap for an Element if the deal was very, very sweet.
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Replying to: ramo (Jan 05, 2007 8:24 pm) right, void of the extraneous or gratuitous... |
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| well, I broke my fibula this past weekend. I just wanted to share that having the passenger side in relax mode has been great. Although you shouldn't really drive around in that mode, it's perfect for keeping my legs elevated while my wife drives me around. | |
A reporter aims to talk with a Honda devotee who currently owns a Honda and previously owned a Honda. Please respond to ctalati edmunds.com no later than February 28, 2007 with your daytime contact information.
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