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Hatchbacks Honda Fit Article Comments - 2009 Honda Fit First Drive / Full Test
556 messages, Last post on Feb 05, 2009 at 1:45 PM
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First Drive: 2009 Honda Fit - Inside the Fit's cabin, it's apparent that quality levels are up, with improved plastics, more supportive seats and a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel. Meanwhile, a new dashboard layout looks softer, reflecting a special effort by stylists to appeal to women. (more)
2009 Honda Fit Sport Full Test - Bottom Line: If only every sequel were so good. It's as if Honda used our long-term test blog about the 2007 Fit as a road map for the 2009 model's improvements. (more)
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Replying to: carfanatic007 (Sep 25, 2007 5:30 am)
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Replying to: bobw3 (Sep 25, 2007 7:09 am) 
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Replying to: KarenS (Sep 21, 2007 6:06 am) Center Armrest ? Please tell me its getting a factory one..... |
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Replying to: carfanatic007 (Sep 25, 2007 7:55 am) Although I should have qualified my post to say that no car in this size/price category beats the fit in ALL three categories...and the MPG and price are pretty good too. |
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Replying to: bobw3 (Sep 22, 2007 4:35 am) but sure its very eye-catch 2nd generation Fit... 
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The xD looks to be a very compelling vehicle, but, when it comes to handling, the editors here seem to think it's safe, not fun. No one will ever confuse the 2008 Scion xD for a hot hatch (in looks or performance), but its comfortable ride, solid feel and reassuring stability control make it a good choice for those who don't put a premium on driving fun. |
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Replying to: varmint (Sep 25, 2007 9:43 am)
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Replying to: carfanatic007 (Sep 25, 2007 1:46 pm) me 
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Great looking practical car. I will buy one if they offer a diesel version.
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I think a lot of the confusion comes from the fact that this was written about the JDM model, by a Japanese person, comparing the car to the old JDM model. Apparently nobody at Edmunds reviewed the article to make sure all of the information was accurate for the US market. The North American version of the Fit is already about 6 inches longer than the Japanese version. This length is all in the bumpers, and will probably be the case with the 2009 as well (our Fit will be about 6 inches longer than this new Fit). About the spare tire, many cars in Japan already do away with the spare tire, and do not use run-flats. The article doesn't actually mention the use of run-flats, just that the spare was removed. I believe the JDM version will be getting a tire repair kit instead of the spare (like the S2000) and will stick with conventional tires. Honda may however deem a spare necessary for the US market where we have longer distances, higher speeds and less road upkeep (so more flat tires) to deal with. About the handling, I think it just comes down to comparison. In Japan and Europe, the Fit's primary markets, the Fit has generally not been praised for it's handling like is has here. There are TONS of great handling small car offerings in those markets, which we just don't have here in the states. When a just average handling small car comes over here it is a big deal, and the automotive media acts like it's the second coming. In fact, Honda had to do major suspension work in the Fits mid-cycle update because the car had gotten a reputation as a sub-par handler. The writer of the article is a contributor from Japan, and was addressing the bad-handling reputation the Fit had gotten there. The cargo space thing I just don't get. The current Fit is rated at 21 cu ft with the seats up, so going to 14 cu ft would be quite a hit. My only guess is that things must be measured different in Japan, or maybe they got the metric/SAE conversion wrong? If removing the spare tire really does add 1.5 cubic feet the Fit would now have almost 23 cubic feet of cargo volume with the rear seats up. Just for comparison the Scion xD has 10.5 cu ft of space with the rear seats up! Although the article doesn't mention it the magic seats remain intact. There are other photos available online (I found them at www.vtec.net) that show the magic seats in action. The +21 ft lbs of torque thing was also a mistake. I think that must me in relation to the old JDM Fit's 1.3 or 1.5 iDSI engines, not the 1.5 VTEC we get in the states. The specs they gave would actually give the Fit a gain of 2 ft lbs over the current model. The current JDM Fit already has a sunroof, which we do not get in the states. This makes me wonder if we will get the sky roof shown in the article. It's possible but somehow I doubt it will ever show up here. The JDM Fit also already has an armrest, so don't assume that will arrive here just because it's in the photos. Overall I think there was a very crummy editing job done by the Edmunds staff. I don't know if the original article was written in Japanese and translated, or if it was written in English by a Japanese writer, but something must have been lost in translation. The errors in the article should be corrected, rather than just letting them sit like this.
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