Funny you say that, every time I see an Aveo (which isn't often) I find myself doing a double take, thinking it's a Fit.
I immediately look for a Honda emblem...only to be left disappointed by finding the Chevy bow-tie.

 

So ... if they won't be at the dealerships by the 20th of April, then did they give any indication as to when we might be able to finally get our hands on the cars we have preordered?

 

i lied. it will be there on the 20th

 

You are so BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!

 

so the fit...
i obviously have a patial bias...but i got to compare it to a couple comptetitors. both on paper and in the seat. the cars i drove are the the fit, red/auto, aveo lt, and the scion xa. we also discussed the kia spectra5, and briefed the yaris and versa.
driving the cars was surely the most fun. my group got to do it last. we drove the xa first. it was a good start, utimately used as a stepping stone. the steering was average. i took turns quickly, but not agressively. i got to test the brakes from about 15-0 by slamming on them as hard as i wanted. it stopped.

the next car i drove was the fit. after seeing the course done by a professional and after driving it in the scion pos, i felt comfortable with the course. i accelerated as hard as i could. the acceleration was ok. this was the only place i could test the paddles. there is no clutch, the paddles are all ecu. the shift was quick. i took the turns with confidence and agression, tires squealing through all corners. there were four of us the car. i let off the throttle through some of them, but i stayed within the course MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE STEERING, which was incredible. i especially felt this way after driving the scion...yuck. then came the stop; it has abs which is enough said.
while being a passener i felt more lean than expected. another drawback were the paddles. i'm not good with paddle shifting, but i know a little bit about it. on the right hand side was the up, on the left side was down. my little knowledge tells me that one should have an up and a down on both sides so when you turn the wheel, you can do either one no matter where the wheel is turned. the max tourque is at 4800 rpms. i always wanted to downshift, but i kept hitting the headlights staulk (stock, round thing, whatever) instead of downshifting. this was one of the reasons coming out of the turns was slow. i had to concentrate on shifting using something i could get used to, but for now would have preferred a bloody stick.

i didn't get to drive the aveo, but i rode in it. the lean was immense. no one should ever buy this car if they could afford the fit.
the day was filled with lots of facts, speculations, and prizes. peace i'm out. ask questions

 

i had to ask to find out. i might actually have no clue

 

So much for the April 1st review embargo - hope other's from the sample drive "squeal" in advance too

 

Check out Popular Mechanics. They're doing a comparison between the Fit and all the new Hatches coming out.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/blog...e/2506401.html

 

"The Honda Fit, not the Toyota Yaris, clearly has the best fit and finish, although its chassis dynamics deliver mind-numbing understeer."

 

Now this is more like it PM:

"Unanimously, we all gravitated toward the Honda Fit time and time again because it’s the most fun to drive and has the most inviting ergonomics."

Can't wait to see it off Blog and in print...

 

my honda dealer i work @ in va will get their's on april 20th and i talked with my sales manager and he said it was correct.

 

After reading the PM article it looks like the Fit is It.

 

ugh. i wish i went to the ride and drive today in so cal =( i want it. i want it now.

 

If you don't mind answering hondachixemployee... which dealership do you work for?

 

Has the Fit's suspension been raised to meet US crash standards bumper height? I know the new Volkswagen GTI sits about 3/4" higher in the States than it does in Europe.

 

I still don't understand this quote...
If it's "mind numbing under-steer" why did they say it was the most fun to drive???

 

Probably because the Fit probably has the most predictable handling and is the easiest to drive on windy mountain roads even with the understeer. This is where the Fit's low center of gravity helps.

 

Hey maybe that was my silver Fit on that tractor trailer! I ordered a silver Honda Fit from Carter Honda in downtown Vancouver a few weeks ago, put down a $500 deposit. The salesguy phoned me up last week to tell me that my Honda Fit LX in Silver would be one of the very first cars to arrive before the official April 1st launch. He said they would have it and one orange sport on March 25, 26, or 27th. So i hope that was my car on the way to the dealership for me to buy! yipeee. maybe it'll be there tomorrow!

 

Ya know what stinks? Us east-coasters always get the shaft. I'm not going to a ride & drive until April 13. (Philadelphia). I really enjoyed the Civic R&D, but as mentioned before, I was a bit leery of pushing the demonstrators too hard.

Someone also mentioned pictures. Honda does NOT allow pictures at the R&Ds. Sometimes some leak out, but when the civics came out, we were told that all cameras, digital cams, and photo-cellphones would be taken before the event and if anyone was caught with a photo device, we would be terminated and other nasty things would happen. Not something I would face.
Russ

 

Sounds very promising.

Not worried about the understeer, that's fairly easy to deal with.