Test-drive: 2009 Honda Fit

2009 Honda Fit/courtesy of edmunds.com

It is quite unnecessary to remind anyone about how high fuel prices are. Everybody knows. No matter your walk of life or driving regimen, your wallet is affected by the increase in fuel prices. There's only one way to save on fuel, and that is to use less of it. So buying a car that uses less fuel is a very popular idea right now, and the car that Americans are thinking of when that idea comes to mind is the Honda Fit.

The Fit nearly doubled Honda's sales figures for 2008. It seems as though they had found the winning combination: economical to buy and to operate, yet still feeling like a quality car that was also fun to drive. Yet they redesigned it after only 2 years on the American market. The reason for this is because the Fit has been available in other markets such as Europe and Japan since 2001, and since the model was due for a global redesign, America is getting the same redesigned 2009 Fit as the rest of the world in showrooms now.

At first glance, it's pretty easy to tell that the 2009 Fit is a larger car than the previous model. The wheelbase has grown almost 2 inches, the width has grown an extra half-inch, and the overall length has grown over 4 inches. Although this translates into more room for rear passengers, the front passengers are actually slightly more cramped. The angle between the hood and the windshield is now less distinct and the dropoff from the roof down to the hatch is sharper; the car's shape now more resembles that of a small minivan, á la Mercedes A-Class.

The engine is essentially the same 1.5-liter 4cyl engine as in the old Fit, but the new Fit utilizes i-VTEC, which is a more continuous and seamless version of older VTEC setups, which are more abrupt, "on-or-off" systems. This allows the new engine to operate more smoothly and gives it another 6hp. Owners of first-gen Fits will hardly notice the difference, however.

Where they might notice a difference is in the gas mileage. There's a slight penalty to be paid for the extra horsepower. The 2009 Fit loses one mpg compared to its predecessor. A 2008 Fit manual is rated at 28 mpg in town and 34 mpg on the road, while the 2009 Fit gets 27 mpg and 33 mpg, respectively.

The 5spd automatic transmission in the Sport model has sequential shift paddles on the steering wheel and an indicator underneath the fuel gauge telling the driver what gear is engaged. When the gearshift is in D, the driver can still select gears, upshifting or downshifting if necessary, but the transmission will still shift normally if the driver allows it to. If the gearshift is in S mode, then the transmission becomes fully manual, only shifting when the driver pulls on the paddles. Even though the 5-speed manual is a fantastic transmission, following suit with Honda's reputation for making smooth-as-butter manual gearboxes, the versatility of the automatic makes this car a rare instance where it really is worth considering as an alternative to the stickshift, even for manual-only purists.

A noticeable difference can be felt in the suspension, where softer springs give a ride that is more supple than the somewhat-harsh old model. The power steering, which, like most new Hondas, is fully electric, has a very quick ratio, making handling just as go-kart-like as the old version, although still somewhat lacking in feel.

A first-gen Fit owner who is considering trading up to a new 2009 Fit will notice more changes in the dashboard than anywhere else in the car, and frankly, they will likely be very disoriented. The old Fit had a very simple, if somewhat Spartan, dashboard layout. The stereo was located in the center of the dashboard, and the three HVAC controls were placed below in a straight line. The gauges were a very attractive blue hue that seemed more in place in an Acura than a Honda. The dashboard of the 2009 Fit, however, has followed in the footsteps of the current-generation Civic, which has a very futuristic and bewildering dashboard. The HVAC controls are now arranged in a semi-circle near the driver, and the stereo is now to the right and further away from the driver. The soothing blue gauges have been replaced with silver gauges that are poorly illuminated and easily washed out in bright sunlight. The 2009 Fit does have both an instant and average MPG gauge that the previous Fit lacked, and the extra compartment on the passenger side of the dash holds a USB connection which plugs into an iPod and allows selection of songs through the stereo rather than on the iPod itself. The old Aux connection in the stereo still remains as well, where an iPod could be plugged into the stereo using a standard headphone wire. Despite the convenient additions however, the new Fit's dash is rather overdesigned and not near as user-friendly as the outgoing Fit.

2009 Honda Fit Dash/courtesy of greencar.com

The pricing of the Fit has increased slightly. The Sport increased price by almost $800, to $16,060 which includes the aero body kit and 16" alloy wheels. However, the base model has increased by only $600, to $14,550, and this represents the best value in the new Fit. The old base model Fit had no power windows or door locks, and no Aux stereo input, while all new Fits have these features. Plus, the base model Fit gains the same one-inch wheel size increase as the Sport, from 14" to 15".

The 2009 Fit is without a doubt an overall improvement over the previous Fit, and now represents a truly attractive way for owners of SUVs and gas guzzlers to downsize and reduce their fuel bills.

However, owners of previous-generation Fits will find little incentive to trade up to the new model.