Not just Honda, and not just Fit. There seems to be a trend the past decade, where some of the neater options or automotive products don't come to the USA or North America.

You can site economic reasons, or cultural reasons...but I don't understand why at least some of these options aren't carried globally.

Americans...like color choice. They also like higher end options on any vehicle. I personally would of bought a Fit with a factory sunroof...if it had been available.

Why does Europe get all the good stuff? Maybe they are watching Jerry Springer re-runs and figure standards for Americans are low...

But it's a disappointing trend across the automotive landscape.

 

I guess that's why they make vanilla and chocolate. If a Fit became available with a moon roof and leather my wife's '09 would be traded in for one tomorrow. No, it's still morning. I'd trade it in today.

 

Dude I live here in Belgium in Europe, I will have my 2012 Comfort Jazz Edition, costly around 16,000 euros this coming October. Why wait till 2 months? It is because they have a schedule date where they will make the a certain color of the Jazz and I dont like the color that is instock, Well its a PMM anyways . You are true about what you said about the roff, climate control, leather seats, and all the add ons. But remember in our country you cannot just tuned your car, lower the springs, put turbos on engines, nitros, custom pait it, meaning pimp it to what drag-racers do. Why? First it wont cover by the insurance, what it is stock is in stock, second is after 5 years you need to go to a certain car control for your car (for safety reasons, government said that) and you need to remove all your tuned parts making it all base stock on what you have just purchased and stated on your papers... Sucks isnt it? Each thing had its pro's and con's.... Anyways I will post some pics inside and out of my New 2012 Honda JAZZ this coming october...

 

Forget all those gimmicky sakes options!
They won't make your life any better for longer than about 15 minutes or so! (Until the first scratch?)

A funky colored car gets boring and tiring after a (very short) while as it usually generates more heat inside, and most folks look at it and go "yuck, who would wanna buy something like THAT?"
And a huge sunroof almost always stays closed after a while because it allows in too damn much sun, and it'll also buffet you all over the inside of the car! -You think for one minute your girl or lady is gonna ride with you for long with the wind generated by that thing blowing in on her hair??

Want your car to look different? Buy some chap doodads that you can have a laugh about! I put those small paste-on portholes on the fender sides of my cool gray 2010, and my friends rib me about the wild looking Japanese Buick!

You think this expensive toy shit is gonna make you happy? Make you forget about how miserable your under-employed and under-paid little life really is? -Ha! -I got news for you; go get a life! -All we're really doing with our media generated consumer-lust is making our wage-slave masters wealthier and more arrogant!

And I got too many damn toys myself! -Starting to sell them off now one by one... And the less I have around that owns me, stuff that I have to insure, maintain and take friggin care of, the freer I feel...

UP WITH GUY FAWKES! SCREW CONSUMERISM!

 

I smile every single time I'm in a parking lot and my car is the only one with a fun color. If other people don't want to buy it, well then that's ok by me as well. Rejecting variety isn't the same as rejecting consumerism. I'd argue that buying a car with more doodads that keeps me happy is less consumerism centric as it means it'll be longer before I'm back buying another car.

 

Because compact cars are more relevant there vs. in the US. When I'm in Europe, 75% of cars were compact size. In the States, 75% are SUVs.

 

I agree that the "compact" segment of automobiles get's more "respect" in Europe. And in the US..there is a propensity to believe in the open road and owning larger automobiles..

But IMO that isn't enough to warrant or justify automakers seeming bull headish reluctance to offer the best of a product on either or both sides of the pond.

The bar has been raised recently, partly due to the success of vehicles such as the Fit. But I think there is a desire for compacts, with higher end ammenities at least offered and available.

The idea that if it is a compact, in the US it must be a degree of spartan, must embrace a "econo-box" heritage..is not valid. Should not be valid.

 

I totally agree. At least there are some after-market goodies to spice things up a bit....want leather seats? Buy some Clazio seat covers.....want better navigation? Install a new head unit.....want automatic climate control? ummmm...well, you may be stuck on that one....lol.....want a sunroof? have one put in....actually, I saw a thread on this site where someone actually did that....can't remember which thread though.....I'm sure if one does a search, you will find it....

 

damn we never get the cool shit in the us

 

anyone know a european honda parts dealer? I would be down for that climate control unit. I'm sure a little rewire would have to be done but it shouldn't be to difficult. It would be nice to find a European salvage yard that would cut the harness for me so I have the plugs... hmmmmmm

 

I have a 1.4 jazz EX with panoramic sunroof.

especially sitting in the back, the view and sunlight is really awesome. Like being in a glass-roofed train

But in hot weather, it's totally unusable. heats the car like a sauna.

 

I'm hoping people are not equating the panoramic roof as a sunroof, it doesn't open in any way.

And Uncle Gary called it as it is, how many of you would of bought a Fit if it cost you $22700, that is what I paid for mine here and if I were to buy it today, about $25600. With the $hit the way it is, Honda would make no money if they included these upgrades in the US market, because of how it would need to be priced.

 

That's true 555.... There is a retractable sunshade, but the panoramic roof doesn't open like a sun/moonroof.

And it's also true that most in the US market wouldn't buy an expensive "luxury" upgraded "econobox". ("luxury" = leather,sunroof, climate controls, etc, etc.)

It's too bad also, almost makes me want to import one from Japan or Europe, because I would have paid for an upgraded Fit, instead of doing the mods myself.

I wanted the moonroof, as well as heated/cooled leather seats, auto-fold side mirrors with the blinkers, the Honda JDM small rear spoiler, projector headlights, variable speed intermittent wipers, Navi with bluetooth/DVD/rear camera, rear discs, and a few other things. I would have gladly paid $25k for that package. (Not really dying for the climate, but cool feature)

But I'm definitely one of the very few.

I bought the car b/c it's small yet has good carrying capacity, and it's economical. And since I'm planning on keeping it for a long time I would have paid the extra to get some amenities. So since I got the 09 Sport w/Navi I've been doing the mods myself.

 

I hear ya...however, a couple of months ago I bought a 2011 Honda Fit Sport Automatic for $18K {including taxes, fees, etc} without the navi. They wanted an additional $1,500 for the model with navi....so, would have cost me $19,500, which is creeping a little closer to the $22,700...I didn't think the navi was worth the extra $1,500 as I already have a Tom Tom for $150, which does a great job...but if that $1,500 bought me a moonroof, bluetooth, etc instead of the navi, i probably would have spent the money....LOL

 

Frell, can I just get the variable speed intermittent wipers? That's probably the only thing I miss from my craptastic Kia I had before my Fit.

 

Search the forum. IIRC you can swap the variable wiper stalk from a civic into the fit.

 

I shouldn't be surprised that someone on this forum has done that. Maybe I'll look up where a local pick and pull is, or just order the part new, and make that into my first mod. *grin*

 

I believe the part came from a current Gen Insight. It's a whole module that gets swapped out that includes the stalk. Everything is built into the steering column. The lack of variable wipers bugs me on the fit. Never thought it would... but it does.

~SB

 

When did Honda start putting in the variable wipers? I have them on the 2011 Fit Sport.....weird how previous models didn't have that.

 

Fizban - curious if your sport has heated side mirrors?

EDIT: And are you confusing variable speed w/ two speed intermittent wipers. I think Fit's are not variable speed intermittent.