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Outrageous oil prices caused cost of ownership/driving to climb. This fact has been largely ignored by the Detroit people - they keep building gas-hungry monster trucks and muscle replicas of the 60's and 70's. After all, they are almighty corporations that think they can afford making what they want rather than what the consumers buy. Dinosaurs became extinct because of a. small brains and b. slow feedback between the brain and the body. Evolution made more efficient, smaller, and more flexible creatures that had a better chance of survival. Unfortunately, among certain groups of the population Evolution is not the most popular theory, and no matter how hard they - and their shareholders - suffer, they insist on maintaining status quo, regardless of how unsuccessful and irrational it may be as long as the "brain" a.k.a. CEO gets fed.
Forget about them, and let's concentrate on those who take their responsibilities towards their employees, shareholders, and the society in general seriously.
Last week, I had a chance of an extended test drive of a new Honda product - a 5-door
Fit Sport,
a top-of-the-line model. I drove it in Chicago, and then from Chicago to Denver. Well over 1000 miles later, I think I can summarize my experience. I will not talk much about styling because it's largely a matter of taste, and according to mine, it looks nice, maybe a bit too tall compared to it's width...
Interior
Front seats
There is plenty of head/shoulder room, and a reasonably-sized basketball player will not hit the roof but leg space is limited - a proportionately-built 6'6" or taller person will have to trim his legs.
Back seats
Unlike Subaru Tribecca's third row of seats suitable only for a small bag of groceries (or a couple of dwarfs) - Fit's rear seats are fully functional, not necessarily such that Terminator would feel comfortable in but a normal human being should be OK.
Trunk
space is reasonable but unless the rear seats are folded, don't expect to take the entire family camping - either kids or gear will have to stay behind. I suggest kids.
Controls are conveniently and ergonomically designed. They are intuitive, and located where - at least - I would expect them to be but for some reason, a
CD player
comes in an MP3 version for the top-of-the-line Sport model only. An upgrade from a standard modification will cost you a hefty $450. The player is not of a standard format, and any repairs will drag you to a dealership with all the associated hassles and bills of astronomical proportions. Unfortunately, this is a general trend most manufacturers have adopted. Also, some MP3 discs that will play on an aftermarket player, are not compatible with the OEM Honda version.
Among other noteworthy features, Honda has implemented its new maintenance reminder system first introduced on an extremely successful Pilot model. (I intend to write an article about that vehicle in the nearest future.) First, there is an "oil life" counter that displays percentage left before the next change is due. Our test vehicle had 3,000 miles on the odometer that represented 30% wear (70% left). It should not be too complicated to calculate that oil should be changed somewhere around 9,000 miles. In my opinion, it's not enough. Now, I assume that this system takes into consideration a variety of factors, not just plain mileage such as idle time (or number of revolutions), average engine temperature, etc. which means that for a constants city driving remaining oil life would be less. Another odd thing: in the manual, few maintenance items are tied to specific mileage or time. Instead, there are "A", "B", "1", etc. designations that apparently will be displayed on the dashboard when needed. I called Customer Service for clarification, and was told that certain components such as valve adjustment require attention "when needed". That means that the owner is at mercy of a dealer, and this usually is not a very productive proposition.
Engine
For a 1.5L, it's sufficiently powerful but this level of performance comes at a price - it routinely revs up to 4,000 RPM, or more. This adds some noise but does not hurt anything. After all, it's a Honda, and high RPM will not bring it to its knees. Gas mileage in real-life highway driving @ around 80-85 mph turned out to be 35.75 mpg which is lower than promised 37 but still is very respectable. It's safe to assume that at 60-70 mph, the car will deliver expected 37 mpg, and likely significantly more @ around 50 mph - gas consumption increases exponencially with speed.
The engine's valve train is a timing chain driven according to modern trend which eliminates long-term maintenance cost associated with belt replacement, and it employs Honda's proprietary VTEC (Variable Timing) system that changes valve timing according to RPM for better performance and fuel economy in different conditions. Don't be surprised when @ about 5,500 RPM, it gets a "second breath".
Transmission
The test vehicle was equipped with a 5 speed automatic transaxle that shifts very well - firm well-defined points with no Buick's slippage or early Honda's jerking. Manual shift button option on the steering wheel (Sport version only) is convenient, and makes driving of an automatic transmission as close to that of a manual as possible. The manual shift option also allows driving with virtually no brake applications - the car slows down in a lower gear very effectively.
Suspension
Fit holds the road much better than one would expect from a vehicle of this size and weight. In Nebraska, we ran into a tropical rain that followed us for over hundred miles. First, I slowed down to about 60 mph out of fear that on a slippery surface the car would wander and might "lose the road". In a little while, I realized that it rode through the puddles just as well as on a dry pavement, and went back to the normal 80-85 cruising speed. This point needs to be emphasized - even though I did not have a chance to drive in snow but it's safe to make an assumption that Fit will handle perfectly well in the winter. Large 15" rims contribute towards good handling and add some to fuel economy.
Out of weight, space, and/or cost consideration, Honda equipped Fit with a
"doughnut" spare
which may not be the most convenient option but is consistent with what most manufacturers have been doing for decades - live with it.
Now, a couple of negative comments:
1. On a smooth surface, the suspension is a limo-like quiet but every pavement irregularity causes a loud "popping" noise, and gets transferred directly to the occupants' rear ends. This is a tradeoff, a direct result of the vehicle's low curb weight - a reasonable price to pay for responsive steering, firm ride, excellent handling, and good gas mileage.
2. The top-of-the-line Fit Sport I tested has a hefty price tag of $16,520 including $550 destination fee. This is about $1,500 less than that of a comparably equipped 4 door Civic LX. This is the closest comparison because the Civic line does not have a 5 door wagon version. With similar gas mileage (30/40 mpg City/Hwy Civic vs. 31/37 mpg Fit), with a much more powerful (1.8L/140 HP Civic vs. 1.5L/109 HP Fit) engine, better ride quality, and finally simply size, comfort (minus Fit's tall trunk), and more fun to drive, as far as I am concerned, Civic would definitely be my choice.
CONCLUSION
Without a doubt, Fit is a nice addition to Honda lineup. It's a valid competitor to the latest Toyota/Scion (Yaris/XA) offerings. It's perfectly suitable for long trips but - let's face it - is more a city car. In fact, I see the strongest competition from Honda's own product than from anybody else's. As it normally happens, new products are designed for European market where they are introduced long before we see them here. This happens to be true even with some Ford models like, for example, Focus. I saw quite a few Fits (in Europe they are called Jazz) during my trip to Holland and France long before they appeared in the US, and in Europe size is not less important than fuel consumption. The reason I am saying all that is this: it's unlikely that Honda would've developed Fit for the US market exclusively precisely because it may have hard time competing with Civic, and in the end, choosing between the two is a matter of taste.
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