I posted this over in the "General Fit Talk" forum, but wanted to post it here for those who don't visit there. Curious about feedback on some of my "extended drive" impressions.

The thread:

Ok, so I finally took that extensive Fit [Sport] drive. My friend -- the Honda dealer -- let me drive around in town, winding country roads and the interstate so I would have no more unanswered questions/doubts.

It was a Blue Sensation Pearl AT Sport w/navigation.

I'll cover the points I was either concerned about, or read/heard were supposed "major" issues.

Power- Ok, really, I don't get it! Sure, it's no Ferrari (then again, what is? ) It's not even in the same league (speed, torque) with my '08 Avalanche V8 LTZ. Then again, I don't plan on drag racing every Friday and Saturday night... not even with the local "Rice-Burner Kiddies" who want to drag at almost every stop light and straight stretch in the county. "Yo! Wind those rubberbands tight, dudes!"

Listen, I'm glad I read all of the negative commentary on the Fit's speed, or it's [supposed] lack thereof... because I was more than pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a slow crawl uphill, and even on some downhill grades shy of 45 degrees -- according to some of the commentary I heard/read. Even some here said the Fit is a resounding "SLOW"!

I must say I was delightfully surprised at it's power for a 4 cyl. It may not achieve 60 in 4 secs, but, well, let me put it this way... If the Fit were any faster, because of it's feel, I know I'd be getting some serious tickets every day.

Seriously... I went on the Interstate. The particular stretch I entered first was only 60 mph for the first mile or so then changed to 70. I was allowed to give it some fairly serious gas to check it's power, and my friend had to tell me twice, "Man, you're doing 80," and further telling me, "The state police love giving tickets on this particular stretch of interstate." I seriously didn't realize I had climbed to 80 mph either time. Had to fight to slow myself down. It felt really good to me.

I don't know what some of you are used to, speed wise. But I can tell you, for what it is I think it's anything except "slow." The one I drove is at least as fast as my wife's PT, probably faster... and that's one zippy little 4 cylinder with it's 2.4L engine.

Bottom line? The Fit's speed is more than I need for what I want the Fit for. With my lead foot, I'll have serious legal issues otherwise. Maybe it takes some time to get used to after initial ownership... but as of now, actually calling this car "slow"? Sorry, I don't see it! Maybe some of you bums are used to Ferraris and Lamborghinis?

Driving pleasure- Oh my God! Now I definitely GET the "fun to drive" thing. For me, "fun to drive" has to be understatement of the decade. This little car kicks some serious fun butt! Oh my God... I can see putting miles on this puppy in no time... I'll actually find reasons to go out and drive it!

The Fit Sport is one of the most "fun" cars I've ever driven. The only cars I can say may have been as much fun to drive were the 1st and 2nd gen VW Rabbits from the 80s. I drove a couple of used ones somewhere around the late eighties/early nineties. Someone had really taken care of those two cars, considering how old they were at that time. Anyway, they were a blast to drive and the Fit is absolutely no exception.

Don't ask me why the Fit is so fun... it just is!

Rough ride- Here again... I don't get the "rough ride" accusal(s). I went over bumps and some rough roads [just shy of actual potholes] and, while it's not as smooth as the "living room-like" interior and ride of my LTZ, it's not even "in the ballpark" close to being as bumpy/rough a ride as what I was led to believe by some. It's actually a lot smoother than my wife's PT. And I've been on a lot rougher, more rigid rides than my wife's PT... by a long shot! It just feels "sports car rigid" to me... and not even close to bad at that.

You want a fun car, or you want a boring luxury sedan?

Features- I purposely tried to fishtail (one small wet stretch of curvy pavement (my dealer friend loved that! ) at a slow and controllable speed and felt the VSA kick in. Wow, strange feeling... at least for me. It's like I wasn't in complete control there for a split second. I suppose I wasn't, come to think of it. I could see where this would be nice in more severe situations. Although, I still wonder if it's worth the price of VSA and the navigation system together. I also wonder just how much better it and traction control would make a snowy driving experience, if any at all. I get the impression it is more suited to potential accident recovery, rather than for bad weather. Anyone, please, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about that.

That brings me to the navigation system. I like the functionality of the navi. Yet, for my tastes, I think the display and it's options, or rather it's lack of display options and versatility is on the low end of the modern audio/navigation unit scale.

Don't get me wrong... it's directional functionality, accuracy and voice control seems very good... as little as I got to use it. I just think Honda may have used a less-than-ideal display for the unit. The display options (what you actually see on the screen) when playing various forms of audio leaves a whole lot to be desired. Even the backgrounds are washed-out, boring and lackluster.

You can change background colors only as it pertains to navigation function... or at least that's what one of the salesmen told me. In other words, no customization to one's personal tastes and preferences. In my opinion, the "visual experience" of the unit stinks! Far too "plain-Jane" and "yesterday" for what Honda charges for this option. I mean come on... any Pioneer, JVC, Kenwood, etc, aftermarket unit -- even without navigation -- blows the doors off of this system when it comes to user-controlled options/preferences and actual display quality and versatility.

Maybe I didn't get to play with it long enough... and maybe the salesperson didn't know what he was talking about (nor my friend... the owner). Let's just say other than the actual navigation functionality, I think this unit is WAY overpriced, a little boring too! And why would they leave XM radio out of this unit? That's about as irritating as it gets for me.

Compared to other units, for much cheaper, the actual display itself is low in quality, I think.

Again... anyone please feel free to disagree or tell me where I'm wrong. I messed with the nav unit for only about 15+ minutes... without using the manual at that. I want to know if I'm missing something.

The instrumentation cluster is absolutely cool, I think. I love the color and layout of the gauges... it's definite "eye-candy" at night, for me. Nothing more to be said here... I just love it! From a strictly stock perspective? Honda hit a major home run with the gauges. I refer to this aesthetically, of course. Not familiar enough to comment on instrumentation functionality, yet. Compared to my so-called "luxury SUV" I'm sure functionality could be lacking... but that's seriously not an issue for me. I didn't buy the SUV for those reasons either... it was just an added bonus.

Interior space- This thing is almost 5th dimensional. You see the car from outside, then you check out the entire inside and it's almost as if the interior is larger than the exterior. Hence, my "5th dimensional" characterization.

Again, Honda did a great job with the interior of this little gem. I'm not so thrilled with the "carpet." Although I'll bet it wears well... similar to how [even cheap] indoor/outdoor carpet would wear.

I'm also not thrilled with the pathetic excuse for a cover of the tire compartment... although I can beef that up in a heartbeat. Yet I shouldn't have to. Honda could have easily made that a bit more solid and sturdy. I mean, are they using flippin' cardboard for that cover? Come on Honda! I know you're trying to contain costs... but you're better than this! I can live with it however, no huge problem. I can "fix" it if need be.

Exterior design- Nothing much to say here... personally, I love it! There are a few things I would have designed differently. I would have given it an even wider wheel base and given [at least] the rear fender a bit more flair (as with the new Scion IQ... love the looks of that thing). Yet, as it stands I have absolutely no complaints. I know some of you '07/'08 enthusiasts didn't like the new design. Like I said, I really like it... it's slick-lookin' as far as I'm concerned.

I also would have given it [at least] a size or two wider tires. That's strictly personal preference... I think wider tires look better. Not "muscle car" or "dragster" wide... just wider.

I think they could have offered a sunroof/moonroof option. Thankfully there are aftermarket options possibly cheaper than what Honda would have charged. I've had moonroofs in every vehicle I've owned for quite awhile now... it will be strange without one until I can arrange it. Then again, given the Fit's huge windshield maybe I won't miss it.

Finally, I could go on about the Fit, but I think I've covered most everything I was concerned about.

All in all, I'm extremely impressed with the Fit Sport... and more than a "for what it is" impression. The Honda Fit is a great car, especially given it's price. I suppose long-term ownership could prove me wrong, but I don't think so. I certainly hope not.

My extensive test left me loving this little car. So much so, I hope people don't start buying them in droves... I want it to remain the "special club" it seems to be. Popular enough for Honda to continue making them. Yet, not so popular you start seeing them everywhere!

I've composed this over a period of a few days thought... please excuse the length. Any disagreement is greatly welcomed. I changed my mind on what I wanted so my friend has to import me another one. So I'm waiting again. Hey, my fault... I make my bed, now I have to lay in it!!!

Gimme' that Fit!!!

 

Ditto. The only reason I can see for going down from 195 to 185 tires from first to second generation Fit is to nudge gas mileage figures. Fortunately, tires wear out, and you can replace them with something wider.

 

Cool write up. I agree on all your points. After 4 months and 7500 miles, I still look for excuses to drive mine somewhere, anywhere. It's just that much fun. To me, the car is the closest thing to a motorcycle on four wheels (I've been an avid motorcyclist for over 30 years).

I don't get the "slow" comments, either. True, it's only 1.5 liters (smallest engine I've ever driven), and you have to be willing to stir the gearbox (mine's a manual), but it climbs the hills around here in fine style and goes as fast as I want. At least, I can USE all the power this car has (fun, fun, fun).

I'm also a guitar player, and I needed a car that could carry all my gigging gear. I don't carry a 4x12 speaker cabinet around any more, but I bet one would fit right behind the front seats with the back seats in "tall" mode. I still can't figure out how Honda made the car bigger on the inside than it is on the outside-maybe some sort of "time lord technology" at work here (gratuitous Dr. Who reference).

Sounds like you may be getting a Fit.

 

I agree with the article. I came from a 2009 Toyota Matrix S,to an 09 Fit Sport. Other then a quicker get away the Matrix was terrible. Had no ride quality at all,Fit on bad roads is better the Matrix on good roads. Road noise/engine noise in the Matrix was twice what the Fit has. I had to turn up the radio in the Matrix to drown out the noise. Haven't touched the volume knob since day one in the Fit even with the windows down. Shifter in the Matrix was total crap. Shifter in Fit is a joy to use. Matrix even babying it on the highway would barely get 30mpg,22 in town. The Fit gets a constant 40mpg+ highway,and 35 in town. Matrix had to remove all the rear head rests to fold seat down,and even then not quite flat. Fit's interior versatility far exceeds the Matrix. The Fit's fit & finish is light years ahead of the Matrix,as it had rattles everywhere. I really can't see what all the complaining is about. I find the Fit a far better car then one that costs $3000 more. Fun to drive,you bet.

PaFitter

 

Cool review! Totally agree!

Bought mine last weekend and haven't stopped smiling since

myke

 

are we back in Fall 2008 test driving 09's again? whats with these reviews? we already know Fit's are cool, now go out and get one.

 

guitar trance,
I have no idea where you compiled the blown out of proportion x 20 type comments in your other thread

But thanks for driving one and now you know for yourself.

slow, well not all that slow........
tests range from 16.6 seconds for a manual in the quarter mile to 17.9 for an auto tranny. So actually a number of cars vans and trucks are slower than the Fit.

check this link out for yourself ( I think your Avalanch and PT may be on there)
look at the second posthttp://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...d.php?t=231495

 

Lots of parallels between us Uncle Gary, I'm also in upstate NY, been a motorcyclist since 1971, been playing guitar since long before that, but I'm not currently gigging. I keep telling myself if I could find a bunch of Olde Phartes like me that wanted to start a geezer band around here, I'd jump in with both feet!

I LOOOOOOVE my Fit, took it out to Glacier Nat'l Park last month with nary a hiccup. Owned the Fit since 4/15 and have over 15,000 miles so far. Haven't run out of excuses to drive it yet, wondering if I ever will!!!

FIT FTW!!!

 

After putting about 60 miles on the car today, mostly in light rain, about the only surprises are that the intermittent wiper setting doesn't have a speed control, and that the car is quieter than expected -- quieter than our 2003 Subaru Forester. The seats are more comfortable, too, and although the driver's seat isn't height-adjustable, it's pretty close to "just right" for me and my wife. Decent sound system for OEM. I think I'm going to enjoy owning this car.

 

Dag, yo! I've had my Fit for a month longer than you have, but only have 7500 miles on mine.

I've been lucky that I hooked up with a great bunch of guys my own age about seven years ago, and we've been playing music together ever since.

 

I'm definitely becoming smitten. Love Sport mode with the paddle shifters, and I can't wait to take this thing into the mountains. I stopped at Harbor Freight this morning, and picked up an enormous amount of stuff, all of which fitted in the back, without folding the passenger seats. My first mod was to fit a piece of black plastic mesh gutter guard behind the lower grill, secured with about 20 small black zip ties, which are invisible unless you have your eyes are below bumper level. From a normal viewing distance, the gutter guard looks OEM. I picked up a dual tone compact air horn, which will probably have to wait for a while, but maybe Saturday, if I'm feeling ambitious.

I find the iPod controls less than intuitive, but my mind will eventually grasp the concepts, and it will become second nature.

 

Okay, so I didn't read all of that, a little too long for me. But I find it hard to believe that you didn't know you were driving 80 MPH. The car is not exactly quiet at that speed. In addition to the wind and road noise, there is bunch of engine racket that is pretty hard to ignore, but maybe you were able to do it. I keep the car at 70 mph unless I'm absolutely running real late and then it will go to 80 mph, but it's not particularly fun at that speed. I start to get a headache with the engine racket. I don't know who at Honda thought it was a good idea to have the engine spinning at 4K rpm going 80 mph, but it's not a good idea.