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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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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#548 of 556 Re: 0-60 stopping distance [toronado455] by dgs4 Jan 22, 2009 (9:00 pm)
Replying to: toronado455 (Oct 29, 2008 6:47 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 9:19 pm) toronado455 (Jan 24, 2009 2:00 pm) rlctnt (Jan 25, 2009 7:08 am) backy (Jan 25, 2009 8:59 am) and 2 more...
#549 of 556 Re: 0-60 stopping distance [dgs4] by thegraduate Jan 22, 2009 (9:19 pm)
Replying to: dgs4 (Jan 22, 2009 9:00 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 (2:00 pm)
Replying to: dgs4 (Jan 22, 2009 9:00 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 7:08 am) backy (Jan 25, 2009 8:59 am) rlctnt (Jan 25, 2009 9:48 am) and 1 more...
#551 of 556 Re: 0-60 stopping distance [toronado455] by rlctnt Jan 25, 2009 (7:08 am)
Replying to: toronado455 (Jan 24, 2009 2:00 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 8:59 am) rlctnt (Jan 25, 2009 9:48 am) sinsd (Jan 27, 2009 8:21 am)
#552 of 556 Re: 0-60 stopping distance [rlctnt] by backy Jan 25, 2009 (8:59 am)
Replying to: rlctnt (Jan 25, 2009 7:08 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 9:48 am) sinsd (Jan 27, 2009 8:21 am)
#553 of 556 Re: 0-60 stopping distance [backy] by rlctnt Jan 25, 2009 (9:48 am)
Replying to: backy (Jan 25, 2009 8:59 am) backy, Thank you for the awesome ideas...think velcro or something would be the best way to go as opposed to drilling holes in hatchback. I was very surprised to hear about the double sided tape...probably the cheapest aspect heard of in this car. The only downside now is that I don't want to try to take the panel off myself and risk breaking the holding clips. I'll make an apointment with Honda and go in with my velcro straps or whatever I can find. Travis Towne Peoria, Illinois Replies to this message: sinsd (Jan 27, 2009 8:21 am)
#554 of 556 Re: 0-60 stopping distance [rlctnt] by sinsd Jan 27, 2009 (8:21 am)
Replying to: rlctnt (Jan 25, 2009 9:48 am) how about foam? wrap it in foam then adhere to the lid? My 09 Civi' has some wires running along the trunk lid; foam protects them from rubbing.
#555 of 556 Re: OIL CHANGE [shneor] by rlh2 Feb 01, 2009 (9:31 am)
Replying to: shneor (Oct 15, 2008 2:46 pm) Have 2009 Fit Sport with AT and 17000 miles. First oil change was at 11,000 miles based on indicator. Currently showing 60% oil life left on indicator.
#556 of 556 Re: 2007 vs 2009 FIT [mustangxr] by gatortom1 Feb 05, 2009 (1:45 pm)
Replying to: mustangxr (Nov 03, 2008 2:08 am) My 2009 Fit mileage-minder computer also appears to register high as I have seen in other posts. I'm keeping careful records to determine the difference--that is, calulated from gas added versus what the computer suggests as my average for each episode. I only have data for about six fill-ups so it is incomplete but it appears to be about 10% to 12% high. That is, the system says 39, the actual is likely to be 35.5 to about 35.8. If the system says 35.5, the actual is likely to be just under 32. The computer is still a fun addition. (-: