With both of us managing to rack up 3800 miles at the same time, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on what the 09 Base and Sport are like a few months into ownership.

They're both reading the same MPG on the meter. My wife and I rarely remember to reset the trip meter to reset the MPG meter, so we let it ride a couple of tanks in a row. We're both seeing 27.4 with a whole lot of stop and go driving. Seems that's all we get to do lately. Even on "parkways" it seems we're, well, parked.

My Sport does a little less stop and go, as when given the chance I'll jump on a parkway and try to avoid lights. Sometimes I get lucky and get to play traffic ninja, slicing and dicing my way through the clusters of SUVs, beaten up Camrys, and the odd ricer wannabe. I have been driving this car far more immaturely than I ought to. My wife was having a discussion with a friend of ours about the Fits, and the friend mentioned the competition... Yaris, Versa, and the like, and my bride of 21 years said in all seriousness: "When I see someone in one of those cars, I challenge them". I got a kick out of that. It was the cutest thing to hear.

So I guess we're both driving like maniacs. (DISCLAIMER: not really. We just wanna get where we're going people!) She's got the majority of suburb to city stop and go, and at the same mileage she's showing 50% oil life left. I'm wringing my Sport out, using the paddle shifters, and I've got 60% at the same mileage of 3800. Must be her stop and go.

My car is getting quicker. I've been using the paddles a lot more, and I find myself merging into traffic a lot easier when I wind 'er out. My wife's saying her car feels peppier too, but driving it yesterday I was really missing the paddles. I'm going to put some rubber behind my paddles to make them feel better to the touch.

Ride-wise, I'm jealous of my wife's base. It's a whole lot more civilized than the Sport. She says it's because she broke it in better. Hey, you should see the awful condition of the some of the roads she has to take into the city. Yikes. Maybe she beat the suspension into compliance. It's smoother, quieter, and less like a paint shaker than my sport. It does however allow a bit more body roll than my Sport does, so there's a tradeoff. Rather have a ginsu knife than a butter knife, but sometimes I just can't stand the ride in the sport. It's shaking things to the point where I hear plastic creaking against plastic. Annoying.

Feature-wise, I'm glad the base has steel wheels and caps, so it's not a target in urban areas. That and pot holes won't wreck them. But it would look less like an econobox if it had rims. I saw some on a Prius believe it or not that I liked, they'd probably look good on the base too. She does not seem to miss the map lights or cruise control. My wife's enjoying the armrest I put in, and the usb port. As well as factory security and keyless entry, bringing that facet of the car up to par with my Sport.

If I think anything more, I'll add it.
They're both getting lots of use. Taking ~$20 a week in gas. No regrets at all. It's nice to have one of each, so I'm glad when I went in to buy, that these were the only two they had, so my choice was made by fate, and it was a good one. I'm not sure I'd want to take the Sport on a three hour drive, I'd probably enjoy the ride of the base better. Except I'd miss my sunroof.

Eric

 

awesome post.

i dont know, but does the sport have different suspension components from the base?

 

I wasn't aware that sunroof was an option...

 

It's not. My sport has an aftermarket panoramic roof I had installed.

My YouTube video of my 09 Fit Sport with Webasto Panoramic Sunroof

Eric

 

He's probably got an aftermarket one installed.

Looks like the OP beat me to the punch.

 

wow! that sunroof is pretty damn cool

 

x 2! Real cool!

 

nice post thanx the info....

 

Same suspension but I think the Sport has an extra bar in the rear. I think the biggest difference in the ride comes from the different size wheel/tire assemblies.

 

good post, looking forward to future updates! I'm surprised the mileages are similar, EPA estimates give the base about a 2 mpg edge due to its less sporty gearing.

 

Are you serious? Do you really find the ride to your displeasure?

 

Maybe the sunroof mod has affected the structural integrity and his Fit is shaking apart... heh heh....

 

You know what? We laugh, but that may very well be an accurate assessment as to the exact cause of this gentleman's disdain for his Fit Sport afterall.

 

I can empathize with the ride comments. The firm suspension and short tires combined with the short wheelbase makes for a busy ride sometimes. Usually I don't mind, but other times, especially with passengers aboard going to a nice dinner or something, I wish I could dial in 10-20% more softness. The ride is not unlike my Miata, which is a 2-door sports car with sportiness as its only goal, not a 5-door hatch/wagon subcompact, practical passenger vehicle. So I don't begrudge anyone for wishing for a softer ride. In fact, when it comes time to replace tires, I may go up in aspect ratio for a tiny bit of extra compliance. I don't want a Corrola, but if I could custom-spec the suspension tuning, it would a fraction softer than the Sport.

 

I too thought that the ride was fairly firm in the new Sport. I'm used to Koni Yellows (adjustable)/H&R Race springs in my Civic and I don't think the ride on full soft with the Koni's is as harsh as the Fit's.

But my Civic has many problems that a brand-new car such as the Fit won't have, so I can deal with the ride.

 

Perhaps I was a little harsh. Maybe it's not disdain for the car, but for the roads around here. This is New York we're talking about. And it seems the richer the town, the better the road. I'm not living where the roads are smooth, and it's irking me.

As for the big giant gaping glass filled hole in the roof, I find no deterioration in integrity, no additional flex (that I can feel) that I didn't have before I put the roof in. The braces put in during installation were thicker than what was taken out. The glass is thicker than the steel it replaced.

I think the ride is firm. And suited to sporty driving - which I do enjoy - and smooth roads - which are fewer and father between. Can anyone tell me that they'd thoroughly enjoy a three hour ride on an interstate that varies between concrete slab and patched blacktop? I'd rather drive Skyline drive or the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Sport is what it is. And I love the car. But like another poster said, with passengers heading out for a nice dinner, I wish I could dial it back a few notches to something closer to my wife's base. But I cant, and don't have to if we just take the base for the night.

But...One of these days maybe I'll get together with FitStir and we'll trade Fits and drive back to back to really see if the roof did anything other than give me a whole lot of daylight.

Eric

 

All along I've had my heart set on buying the Sport, but now after repeatadly hearing all about the overly harsh ride from many different sources, I'm wondering if I should just save money and get the Base. Well I guess there's one sure-fire way to decide, by getting my arse to the dealership and thoroughly test driving the both of them and see for myself which one will better suit me. But Man, do I really want the cheap one with those chintzy wheels, no rear stabilizer, no steering wheel paddles, no iPod USB, no cruise control, less desireable external appearance, and the less-desirable grey colored fabric, and not to mention less dynamic handling and manuverability? Well...it's off to the dealership I go to see and feel for myself.

 

^ get sport! you won't regret it! The suspension is not that hard. My old 240sx had some hard suspensions!

 

As stated, the Fit, let alone the Sport, is not designed for a smooth ride and not even close to a cross country class highway cruiser. It was always meant for city driving. That said, I think the ride is quite smooth with the Sport considering what it is supposed to be. Yes, you feel the road and every little nuance, but that is what the car is all about... as a sub-compact city performer.

However, I do think many of us will see the car smooth out a little as it ages and the suspension gets settled in. As well, you can always address some of the feel with the tire choice if you choose.

 

I got a Sport, and don't think it's that bad. In terms of ride, it reminds me of the 94 Del Sol VTEC I got rid of about a year ago, but it feels better-constructed. The sales guy had me take the various Fits I test drove over railroad tracks at speed (approx 45 mph) and it felt nice and tight, not jarring. FWIW, the ride doesn't come close to the 335i BMW I had, but that's equivalent to an additional $38K option

I'll add that I went into the dealership specifically expecting to buy an automatic, based on reviews here and my general inclinations to not row a gearbox at this point in my life. I drove the manual first, then the automatic. The auto felt like it hunted for gears a bit too much for my taste. The manual shifter is frankly excellent, very precise and crisp, although the clutch has a rather vague take-up point.

I bought the manual and don't regret it.