Honda’s New (in America at least) Fit
By Kate McLeod
There’s plenty of incentives these days to buy a small car–high gas prices, the push for lower emissions, the backlash against those big sport utilities. Small is becoming cool as in i-Pods, cell phones and laptops. We drove the Honda Fit Sport model, Honda’s new subcompact entry in the U.S., about 800 miles with only two stops for gas, averaging 35 mpg driving mostly on secondary roads. (Our monroney gives mileage as 31/37 city/highway.) But listen to this: you can buy an automatic Honda Civic DX model that gives you 30/40 city highway for almost the same price and get more car.
Only around 150,000 of these really small cars were sold last year–not many considering 17 million new vehicle deliveries. Subcompacts, like the Mini Cooper, Suzuki Aero, Chevy Aveo, Scion xB and xA and the New Beetle, are usually defined as 166 inches or smaller. By comparison the Cadillac Escalade is 201.6”.

Little tooters have never been that popular in America: The really popular models like the VW Beetle, the Renault Dauphine, the Fiat, the English Ford and the French Simca––to dig into ancient history––were imports. Detroit has made subcompacts but mostly they lacked pizzazz. (By comparison Honda sold 125,000 Fits–– aka Jazz in Japan––in 2005 in Japan where roads are narrow and gas was $4.50 a gallon.)
In our past, a small car needed personality, the cute factor; otherwise it’s sold on price and you’re driving around with a billboard on your forehead saying, “Poor me, it’s all I can afford.” We don’t want to look poor even if we don’t have two sticks to rub together. We want that car to work for us on many levels. I suspect our attitudes are changing even as we speak.

OK, confession time: I had the opportunity to test response to the Fit in Provincetown this month and I chose instead to ride in a convertible. I’m sorry. The weather was brilliant and I needed to be in a convertible. Carnival bustle had just begun and drag queens were pouring in with suitcases full of costumes so no one was looking at cars anyway––even ones painted blaze orange metallic––but I will say the Fit subcompact would have been a perfect choice for navigating the chaos of Commercial Street.
The Fit, one of several entries into the subcompact competition, is a 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback. It is powered by a 1.5-liter VTEC 4-cylinder engine combined with a standard 5-speed manual transmission. A first-in-segment 5-speed automatic transmission is available and, in the Sport model, it comes with paddle shifters, which are small buttons under the steering wheel that allow you to shift gears with your fingers.

Paddle shifters you should know are the new black. Like everybody has paddle shifters. Here they allow optimization of engine power–109 horses at 5800 rpm and 105 pound-feet of torque at 4800 rpm and combined with sport mode they give you something of a sporty feel when you drive. I suspect those who choose an automatic over a manual will just put it in drive most of the time but the options are there for those Sunday drives when you want to d-r-i-v-e. This automatic setup costs $800 as an option on the Fit Sport model. I enjoyed driving the Fit even though I felt it pushing hard on this relatively flat drive from New York to the Cape. I found myself wishing for more horsepower though low-end torque was plentiful.
Space can be been configured like origami to accommodate needs. The 60:40 rear seats can flip forward or the seat cushions will flip up so you can arrange the cargo space to carry tall objects or bulk cargo.

There’s also a mode where the rear passenger side seat flips forward and the front passenger seat flips back to you can carry an object 7’10” long. Rear seats recline for passenger comfort. Honda lowered the floor by putting the fuel tank toward the middle of the vehicle increasing cargo space. The interior room is pretty amazing and versatile.
With plenty of seat time in both the front and back I can say that I was completely comfortable in both the driver and passenger seats––never feeling cramped.
Honda’s use of inexpensive materials in the interior makes the best case I’ve ever seen for how to achieve a great looking, nice-to-the-touch interior without killing 50 cows. It’s simply great. The controls are intuitive and easy to use.

Standard features include air-conditioning, AM/FM/CD audio system with four speakers, power windows, mirrors and door locks and a two-tone interior. Honda is gearing this vehicle for customizing-they’ve partnered with 30 accessories’ dealers. The Fit Sport model includes an underbody kit, rear roofline spoiler, fog lights, a security system with keyless remote entry, cruise control and 15-inch wheels and a 200-watt audio system with six speakers.
Safety features include as standard dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags, dual front side airbags and side curtain airbags, an enhanced knee bolster and three pointed seat belts with pretensioners in the front. Active safety equipment includes ABS and electronic brake distribution. The Fit is the only car in its class to include six airbags, anti-lock brakes and three point belts for all seating positions as standard equipment.
The base Honda Fit automatic MSRP is $14,650 and the manual is $13,850. The manual Sport model runs $15,170; the automatic is $15,970. Add a destination charge of $550. Competition from the Nissan Versa, which is a bigger car with more horsepower in the same price range will be stiff competition. Honda emphasizes their fun-to-drive focus and I did think this was fun. But I had a better time in the Civic.
Honda is not a gay-friendly company. Gay-friendly alternatives to the Fit are the Toyota Yaris, Chevy Aveo, and Ford Focus

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