2009-14 Honda Fit Review

The "Fit" truly is a fitting name for this little car.

This car has so much going for it, except one thing...

The Honda Fit was one of the first modern cars to truly give you a small package with a huge interior feel when it first came to North America. Redesigned in 2009 the second generation Fit looks a little sportier than before with more curved edges and an overall better look on the outside. However, the inside seemed to not fare so well. While it still retained it's legendary passenger and cargo space, the quality and look of the materials stayed essentially the same, cheap feeling and cheap looking. A new 2015 model has revised everything, hopefully it will help. But lets take a look at the 09-14 for now:

Different Styles:

The Honda Fit only comes in one body style, 5 door hatchback. To be more specific, the Fit really should be called a "tall hatchback / wagon" due to its tall and skinny looks. It comes with a 1.5L 117 hp engine with either a 5 speed manual or 5 speed auto transmission. In 2013 an all electric version called the Fit EV was made available in very limited quantities in the USA. It comes in 3 different trims that just add different features to the inside and out.

Styling and Comfort Impressions:

The first generation Fit wasn't the best looking car, very boxy with wheels that looked too small. It almost looked like it could easily be flipped over. This second generation Fit looks quite a bit better from the outside. It has curved edges and a more sloping and flowing shape front to back. This change in design apparently made the overall cargo space drop about 1 square foot. It has very large windows that , from the outside make it seem relatively small ( which it is) but from the inside these large windows provide essentially the best visibility in the subcompact class. In any seat, it feels as though you can see all around you. I will hand it to Honda, they did a very good job making this car extremely practical and functional. Due to its high roof line no matter where you sit you will have plenty of headroom. It also allows for upright sitting meaning legroom is great as well. However, the seat bottoms in the front and rear are a little short, not too much of an issue unless you have super long legs, then you might feel a lack of support. 

Now, for a bit of bad news, the front dash, console area, and overall features. I know this is supposed to be an inexpensive car, but this is just pathetic. The materials are hard, everything is grey and it all just looks so cheap together. 

Take a look:

The radio is not the best either, just not enough speakers and not loud enough.

But now for the best part of the inside, the cargo capacity. To put it simply, whatever needs to be put in there will fit. The back seat can fold and flip in such a variety of ways its crazy. Honda calls it their "magic seat" and that name definitely "Fits". It has 4 main 'modes', all seats in place, back seats folded down for 'utility mode', back seats folded up for 'tall mode', and finally the back seats and front passenger seat folded down to make 'long mode'. Its hard to describe so its best to show it in pictures:

Another great thing about the Fit that I don't understand why other cars don't all do is have rear seat head restraints that can lay almost completely flat with the rest of the seat, allowing for great rear visibility.

Driving Impressions:

The Honda Fit is decently comfortable to drive or ride along in. It has a good mix of sporty handling and comfort. The engine does feel a little under powered and it is relatively loud under hard acceleration. While all the controls look and feel cheap, they are set out in a logical way and are an easy to reach location. With those large windows visibility while driving is fantastic in every direction. It handles well and due to its small dimensions and it is extremely easy to park. There is not much else to say about how the Fit drives. Besides the engine, its quiet in the city and with minor wind and road noise on the highway. The auto trans is smooth and with optional paddle shifters it can be fun. 

Overall:

This is another car I like when there doesn't seem to be many reasons why I should (compared to other cars in the class). It doesn't have a lot of power, the engine is loud and rough under hard acceleration, it has a cheap looking interior, and besides there being plenty of head and leg room, the seats are not that supportive. But I can see the appeal that this car would have to many people, as it currently does. It has great visibility, is extremely practical, its fuel efficient, and easy/ fun to drive. Also, I think I like it because I can push this car to where I can find its limits. So, if you want a very practical car that can do and move just about anything, while being at a reasonable price, the Honda Fit is for you. But if you are looking for a car that has at least a bit of styling inside or nice options, this is not the car for you as it is just cheap looking , plain and simple. Apparently the new 2015 Fit will look much better on the inside, but it will be much easier to find a used one up to 2014 for a more reasonable price.

Facts/ Figures:

Price ( for this trim level): $21,000+

FWD

MPG (approx*): 27 city, 35 highway

Cargo room (approx*): 21/57 CuFt

Length: 162''

Width: 67''

Tank Size (gal): 10.6

Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 328

Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $14,000+ 

* when I say "approx" I usually am using the numbers given by the actual manufacturer or Consumer Reports, minus 1 to be a bit more realistic. 

Links:
Honda Canada

Honda USA

Enjoy!

J.K.