Article Comments - 2009 Honda Fit First Drive / Full Test

556 messages, Last post on Feb 05, 2009 at 2:45 PM

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What is this discussion about? Honda Fit, Hatchback

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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#543 of 556 Re: Old Prius Driver Loves New Fit [toronado455] by thegraduate Nov 28, 2008 (10:36 am)
Replying to: toronado455 (Nov 28, 2008 1:40 am) 1988 Honda Civic Wagon, 5MT 1.5L 16v 92hp 27/33 (under new EPA regs) ~2,200 lbs 2009 Honda Fit Base, 5MT 1.5L 16v iVtec 118hp 27/33 (under same EPA regs as above) ~2,500 lbs Replies to this message: toronado455 (Nov 28, 2008 4:40 pm)
#544 of 556 Re: Old Prius Driver Loves New Fit [thegraduate] by toronado455 Nov 28, 2008 (4:40 pm)
Replying to: thegraduate (Nov 28, 2008 10:36 am) graduate, Nice stats. Fascinating isn't it? Here's a few others: 1988-91 Honda Civic Wagon Length:162 Wheelbase:98 Width:66 Height:56 2009 Honda Fit Length:162 Wheelbase:98 Width:67 Height:60 (inches rounded to nearest whole inch) Though, what I'd really like to compare would be the ride/handling.
#545 of 556 RE: SEAT COVERS [widetrack2000] by daze Jan 18, 2009 (5:34 pm)
Replying to: widetrack2000 (Oct 17, 2008 11:20 am) i wanted to buy seat covers also but i heard that the colored seat covers will stain your clothes. i heard this from my sister's bf who previously owned seat covers. Has anyone bought any from ebay? If yes does the color of the seat covers stain your clothes? Thanks Replies to this message: widetrack2000 (Jan 18, 2009 11:48 pm)
#546 of 556 Re: OIL CHANGE [bobw3] by daze Jan 18, 2009 (5:54 pm)
Replying to: bobw3 (Oct 13, 2008 3:15 pm) I read the manual for my 09 Fit Sports Automatic and it says to change the oil when it's close to 15% on the %oil indicator so I've driven almost 6000miles and it's only 50%. I know the oil will last a long time, but what about the oil filter? I've heard that the filters don't usually last as long as the oil, unless you have Mobil-one filter (which I heard lasts about 10K miles!) So when should I change my oil filter?
#547 of 556 RE: SEAT COVERS [daze] by widetrack2000 Jan 18, 2009 (11:48 pm)
Replying to: daze (Jan 18, 2009 5:34 pm) When I originally made this posting, there weren't hardly any accessories of any kind for the '09 Fit and someone asked me at the time if anyone had seen seat covers in any variation for sale and the ones on Ebay were the only ones availible back in October. They weren't for me and I didn't hear back from that member again so I can't vouch for the quality but a good rule of thumb with products like these is to wait until a company like College Hills Honda for example starts stocking them if they haven't already; that way at least you'll know the quality's there, otherwise make sure the guys on Ebay have a return policy just in case. Take care!
#548 of 556 Re: 0-60 stopping distance [toronado455] by dgs4 Jan 22, 2009 (10:00 pm)
Replying to: toronado455 (Oct 29, 2008 7:47 pm) "You gotta wonder about a website that publishes a 0-60 stopping distance. What universe are they in exactly? Maybe they tested the Fit inside a wormhole? " lol! Honda's have always been bad in three areas. The first is their long braking distances. Look at any comparison test that a Honda is in and you can bet the Honda will be last in braking. Honda's also have terrible wind and road noise compared to other cars in the same class. Lots of people have been complaining about this issue for years and years, and it's apparent for whatever reason Honda doesn't care to address this issue. Sound proofing a car is not magic, any manufacture can create a quiet riding car but some choose to make an effort to do so (Hyundai comes to mind, my 09 Sonata is quieter than any Accord could dream to be on the highway) and some don't like Honda. The third area Honda typically gets wrong is their suspension tuning. Their suspension set up is generally very harsh and stiff. While Honda's typically have good handling compared to their competition the suspension is usually too harsh to warrant the small handling advantage. Lots of car manufactures have learned how to create sporty handling cars that don't beat the crap out of you over every pebble in the road; BMW comes to mind as does Mazda. I guess the Honda engineers just equate stiff with sporty unfortunately. Other than that, Honda's excel in other known areas, such as ergonomics, safety, fuel efficiency, reliability, build quality, and resale value. It is because of those things so many overlook the three negatives I previously mentioned, and it's the same reason I'm picking up my brand new, 09 Fit Sport tomorrow! Replies to this message: thegraduate (Jan 22, 2009 10:19 pm) toronado455 (Jan 24, 2009 3:00 pm) rlctnt (Jan 25, 2009 8:08 am) backy (Jan 25, 2009 9:59 am) and 2 more...
#549 of 556 Re: 0-60 stopping distance [dgs4] by thegraduate Jan 22, 2009 (10:19 pm)
Replying to: dgs4 (Jan 22, 2009 10:00 pm) Honda's have always been bad in three areas. The first is their long braking distances. Often due to the low-rolling resistance tires Honda uses. My Accord supposedly has poor brakes, but it'll activate the ABS on the dryest/grippiest of surfaces, which tells me its the Michelin Energy tires on my car that hamper the stopping, not the brakes themselves. I'll be putting different tires on when these wear out; Bridgestone Potenza G019s. I'll get slightly lower fuel mileage, but better grip.
#550 of 556 Re: 0-60 stopping distance [dgs4] by toronado455 Jan 24, 2009 (3:00 pm)
Replying to: dgs4 (Jan 22, 2009 10:00 pm) "The third area Honda typically gets wrong is their suspension tuning" In general, I would agree with this. But supposedly the new Civic rides nice, though I haven't driven one personally. The 1st gen Accord rode differently from the typical Honda nowadays. I'm not sure precisely which generation that they started making them super stiff. Replies to this message: rlctnt (Jan 25, 2009 8:08 am) backy (Jan 25, 2009 9:59 am) rlctnt (Jan 25, 2009 10:48 am) and 1 more...
#551 of 556 Re: 0-60 stopping distance [toronado455] by rlctnt Jan 25, 2009 (8:08 am)
Replying to: toronado455 (Jan 24, 2009 3:00 pm) Hello I have had my 09 FIT AT Sport since October. I have close to 7k on her...mostly in town and some highway driving. I can tell you that the ride remains stiff and I wish there were some nice smooth roads in the state of Illinois...smooth roads in Illinois is an oxymoron for sure. I have adjusted my driving style to the increased braking distance and stiff ride...I continue to get between 31 and 34 MPG respectivley out of every tank of gas. I have changed the oil once at 5500 miles. I only have one complaint with the car right now and I wonder if anyone else has had this happen. There are cables running through the hatchback (windshield washer fluid and rear defrost) that were adhered to the inside of the hatchback metal with double sided tape...the tape gave out after 3000 miles and the cables started rattling like a son of a gun. I took the car in to have the hatchback looked at...the tech put some sound dampening tape on the cables but they continue to rattle on really cold days and/or when the right reverberation comes through the chasis of the car...the car is a dang tuning fork sometimes because it is so stiff in the supension! I doubt anyone in warmer climates will have the same problem, but if anyone else has found a better solution than more tape could you please let me know. I didn't get to see the tech place the tape last time and I think next time I will be there to watch him fix it. I love the car...wouldn't trade it for anything at the moment. Travis Towne Peoria, IL Replies to this message: backy (Jan 25, 2009 9:59 am) rlctnt (Jan 25, 2009 10:48 am) sinsd (Jan 27, 2009 9:21 am)
#552 of 556 Re: 0-60 stopping distance [rlctnt] by backy Jan 25, 2009 (9:59 am)
Replying to: rlctnt (Jan 25, 2009 8:08 am) Double sided tape?!? Boy, this cost-cutting on cars is beginning to get ridiculous. Anyway, one thing you might look into as a relatively easy fix is those little plastic tie-downs that are typically used to secure audio/video cables in the home. They have a loop to secure the cable and a little screw to fasten to a wall or wood trim or... maybe the inside of the hatch of your car? The downside of course is it would require drilling into the metal of the hatch, unless there's some plastic trim in the hatch cover that you could drill into. But it would lock the cables down better than double-sided tape. Another thought, less invasive and easier than the above, is if you can find some Velcro patches (stores/shops that sell fabric and sewing stuff would have it) with a really sticky adhesive backing, and the other half of the Velcro fastener w/o adhesive, you could apply little patches of one side of the Velcro inside the hatch, place the cables on top of them, then press the other half of the Velcro on top of the cables. That might hold them better than the double sided tape. Replies to this message: rlctnt (Jan 25, 2009 10:48 am) sinsd (Jan 27, 2009 9:21 am)