I have driven the Honda Fit Sport many times and I have nothing but praise for it. It's a fantastic city car, carries everything I need to haul due to its fold-flat seats, is quick, parks easily, has great sight lines and incredibly easy-to-use and intuitive controls. And it's cheap.
But to be honest, I also REALLY like the way it looks...
I had a Fiat Brava when I was in high school. Unmistakably European. Probably the most European-looking car I've ever seen. Audi A4. Same deal. No question where that's from. Ford Crown Vic, Chrysler 300C? No question those big boys are American. But the Fit Sport, with its tiny little wheels and squeezed body and high roof line? Fantastically Japanese. Versa? Snoozemobile. (Sorry, just had to include that). Considering it's a low-priced subcompact, the Fit could be a boring, cheap-looking econobox. But the Fit has such a great little style, great lines, and character. And it even has a rear spoiler. How cool is THAT?
Doug Lloyd, Senior Copy Editor, at 7,907 miles
stingray454 says:
10:57 AM, 04/ 4/07
I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I fail to see anything even remotely cool or good looking about the Fit, or any of the other sub-compacts out there, save for the Mini Cooper, which, if it wasn't for it's cute ancestor, would look bad too.
I guess if you grew up with Japanese cars, you would find a car like the Fit attractive. But I don't see the Fit ever winning any styling awards. Actually, I could count on one or two hands the number of Japanese cars that truly look good from a styling standpoint. Infiniti G35 Coupe, and the Acura NSX are two of my favorites, for example.
duh_rel says:
12:29 PM, 04/ 4/07
I think the Fit Sport doesn't look all that great, despite taking a big styling leap for the better when compare to a standard Fit. Perhaps the image still hasn't grown on me; like that of the Prius and xB which I had a hard time becoming accustomed to at first. During my adventurous search for a new car, I had a hard time looking at the subcompact market due to the lack of admirable designs. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, and a regular Fit Sport is one that hasn't achieved beauty in my eyes just yet.
kevlang says:
12:34 PM, 04/ 4/07
The Fit will never be a "beautiful" car. But every time I look at mine, I like the way it looks more and more. It looks absolutely tiny from certain angles, but never feels small inside. There is nothing "wrong" with the styling - every line makes sense, and I can honestly say that I don't think there is a single styling element that detracts from the car. It's proportioned perfectly for what it is.
funkymunky says:
01:31 PM, 04/ 4/07
Y'all are SERIOUSLY off message. I never called it beautiful. I called it characteristically Japanese, and I said I liked the lines, including the roof spoiler. And yes, in previous blogs I also mentioned that it's got fantastic interior room considering its size. My point was that Honda spent a lot of time on style for a subcompact econobox and they should be commended for it.
desmolicious says:
02:09 PM, 04/ 4/07
if only they spent as much time on style as those cool Alfas, Renaults Clios, Lancias, Fiats etc etc that we can't get over here.
duh_rel says:
02:28 PM, 04/ 4/07
funkymunky: I don't think any of us were saying you called it beautiful, we're just saying that it doesn't look beautiful to us. Haha. But yeah, Honda did spend quite a bit of time to design the Fit Sport the way it is. I'll admit that the lines flow and everything seems to fit (no pun intended). It terms of it being "characteristically Japanese", I suppose there's no domestic, German, or French vehicle that comes close to matching it's stylying...aside from possibly the Chevy Aveo 5-door in my opinion.
funkymunky says:
03:15 PM, 04/ 4/07
Desmo, I never thought I'd ever agree with you. But from your lips to God's ears, let's get some Lancias and Alfas here. Actually the GORGEOUS Alfa 8C Competizione from last year's Paris show http://66.160.188.111/Straightline/1550 is coming here soon. Don't like too many Fiats but I'm all for variety.
hondacura4 says:
06:05 PM, 04/ 4/07
If I was single and childless Id probably have one of these for my daily commute and an S2000 (currently own) for the weekend!
kpschoedel says:
09:15 AM, 04/ 5/07
There are some unfortunate 'Japanese' touches, like the vanity mirror on the left and the rear wiper than cleans the passenger side of the window. But at least there's nothing as bad as the ex-CRV rear door that opens the wrong way.
lrobb says:
04:23 PM, 04/ 5/07
I must admit that the Fit, to me, is just hard to like. It's not so much the fascia, but when viewed as a whole package. I just cannot appreciate where Honda was going with the exterior proportions. Puzzling, when compared to the Civic Coupe which is extraordinary in my view.
desmolicious says:
11:12 AM, 04/ 6/07
funkymunky, don't worry, I'm sure I can restore the status quo...
How about this, I like the new Fiat 500!
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/21/fiat-500-images-and-video/
greenpony says:
10:55 AM, 04/10/07
While the picture at the top of this post makes it look like a minivan, in general I like the way the Fit looks. I've always been a little partial to hatchbacks, and I think Honda did a great job with the exterior styling.
Somebody brought up the Civic's styling too... I think Honda went the wrong way with that car, making it look too... aerodynamic. As great as it might be mechanically, it's not pleasing to my eyes, so I'd never buy one.
But what is attractive depends on the individual. *shrugs*
eldaino says:
09:06 AM, 05/ 1/07
i've always thought the fit looked great, if a little tall.
The civic is probably the most dramaticaly styled car for the masses of all time and i love it.