Hello,

I searched with no results for this: How does the Fit do with mountain driving? Up steeper hills does it have enough power to not get passed? I am very interested in the Fit, but we drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah daily in the winter. Similarly, in the summer we often drive up I-80 which is not only steep, but cars regularly do 70+ going up past us in our little Escort Wagon. Any Mountain Fit drivers out there care to chime in?

Thanks for a great, informative forum.

 

No problems here getting over the Tennessee plateau on I-24 or I-40, can come up out of Rockwood at 80+.

Fine on steep backroads too. Snow, I would get a set of Nokian or other snow tires however, the Dunlops are "OK" in the little bit of snow here in TN, but I would not want them where there is more snow.

I am surprised you are saying this about the Escort, a friend that had one regularly drove over Mounteagle (I-24, truck restrictions, break away lanes, etc.) without problems at 65+ (posted is 55 due to restrictions).

Cannot say the same for these two hills and my non turbo Merc 300D

 

Thanks for the input. My '93 escort wagon with close to 200k gets worked over pretty hard to go up anything steep, especially with a couple people + gear like bikes/skis. Sound like the Fit can do well up hill. In the winter, I'd definitely throw some snow tires on it, but really it's the power that had me concerned. Thanks.

 

If you are driving solo no problem.......with passengers and/or cargo, it will bog down but will make it. Plan your overtaking accordingly...

 

Manually transmission- 4th gear at 60 = no problems up hills, even steepish highways. 5th, better than my old Civic because it's geared lower, but it still suffers.

 

Y'all must be driving different cars?

I have had none of these problems in 29K of Fit driving. Yesterday, I had four people and all our junk in the car and climbed the hill from the Caney Fork up to Baxter on I-40 at 70-80, and never had to go into 4th. (AC on)

 

Would elevation play a part in this? Going to Alta from SLC, UT means going from 4500 feet to 8000+ feet above sea level. If the ski bus passes ME, then we have problems.

 

Elevation plays a huge part. Air density (and therefore horsepower) drops by ~3% per thousand feet of elevation. Baxter, TN, while maybe being in a hilly region, at 1031 feet elevation is a far cry from the mountain West where elevations of 7000-8000 mean a normally aspirated engine is down on power by 20-25%.

 

I live in Denver and routinely get up higher to Eisenhower tunnel 11k+, Vail Pass 11k+ etc. The altitude does play a role. Loaded up the fit does suffer going up those 10 mile long 6%+ grade hills but does get up them. I just downshift and it gets up fine maybe not at 80 and you may not have much if any reserve power. The rpms can get screaming but I am used to a much lower revving engine in my truck which redlines at 3200.

 

Yes, I guess I should qualify. Here there are 10-12% grades, that even if I hit the bottom with a head of steam (55mph zone, 65 gets you noticed way too much), no way 5th gear is gonna do it, with the AC off. Speed definitely helps though to a point- more rpms for better power range.

 

I've climbed mountains for fun. The fit climbs mountains well. my bro's EK, on 5th gear even on highway the slight hills, it needs to downshift or else it'll slow down. Fit, 5th gear can climb steep mountains, but only accelerate slightly more than cruising.

 

Unless you are in the thick range of the power band?

I guess my years of driving diesel cars over hills and mountains has its benefits......