Honda Fit Commentary and Buyer's Guide
Tom Martin
Now that the Fit is on the streets, let's hear from some owners or people who've tried the car at a dealer. What were your expectations? How well does the Fit fulfill them? What gas mileage are you getting? How is the performance? The seats are said to be comfortable, are they? What other cars did you shop?
The NextAutos Buyer's Guide is here, for those of you interested in our initial thoughts:
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Lear
Three experiences, shopping this car:
First, my "friendly" Colorado Honda dealer won't allow test drives. "The cars are all sold".
Second, the front seats are pretty comfortable, with decent shape (soft bolsters) but I didn't think they were very special. They mostly weren't bad.
Third, I liked the "magic" seat or whatever they call the rear seat in the last Fit and I like this one too. I have a flip-up or fold-down seat in my truck, and it is really handy.
Ducati Minor
I looked into the '09 Fit three weeks ago and was pleased with what I saw.
The Fit's growth may turn off some folks (like the Scion xB). I think the '09 keeps enough of the small charm it had when it came here.
I'm not all thrilled with some of the numbers I read. There is the inevitable weight gain and price hike, but I was disappointed with combined average. I watched an Aveo review, and the narrator mentioned the Aveo's EPA average was on par with the Fit's. I recalled the '07 averaging 33 or 34 mpg in real-world testing. The combined average I've heard has been 31. That's a Civ number.
But the illuminescent blue-lit cabin offers a great atmosphere. Overall, I think it's the best sub-compact package on the market. For $17K off-the-lot, there's isn't any better I can think of...new that is.
Mena
Fueleconomy.gov EPA combined:
09 Fit - auto 30(Sport)/31, man 29
08 Aveo - auto 26/man 27
Fueleconomy.gov Real World combined:
09 Fit - auto 36(Sport)/34, man 35
08 Aveo auto 29, man 34
Ducati Minor
2009 Chevrolet Aveo EPA rating (as reported by Consumer Guide)
Manual EPA: 27/34
Auto EPA: 25/34
The combined '09 Fit Sport combined average of 31 came from MotorWeek, a generally lenient source for fuel economy testing.
Mena
Thanks for the 09 Aveo numbers DM.
Tom Martin
Just for reference, the Fit has EPA mileage of 27/33.
dieselhead
I just drove the Fit. Local dealer had about 20 on the lot. My thoughts:
Packaging is superb, rear seat usable for adults (over 6' tall), and Magic Seat concept is still brilliant for flat load floor and flip-up operation.
Front seats pleasantly firm.
Steering quickness and general feel seemed pretty good
Body roll was limited
Shifter is decent but not great (but this is a $17k car!)
Engine revs willingly, but torque as you'd expect, is minimal. About 20 or 30% more torque would be good (if only Honda had a diesel for this!)
Quiet level was impressive for a light car