One of the things that struck me most about the Fit this weekend was its sense of playfulness. It's not the kind of car that you could drive with a blindfold on and both hands tied behind your back. The frisky Fit forces you to engage -- piloting it requires some focus on the part of the driver. Its reflexes are sharp and road feel is good, but acceleration from the 117-horsepower mill ain't that brisk, so you have to keep your wits about you to finesse maneuvers calling for sudden bursts of speed. It all combines to make time spent behind the wheel an adventure. Wouldn't miss it for the world.
Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor @ 14,710 miles
altimadude00 says:
02:47 PM, 11/ 2/09
Can we get a side-by-side comparison of this and the SX4 in terms of passenger comfort, cargo capacity and ride characteristics?
zoomzoom22 says:
03:43 PM, 11/ 2/09
^Agree.
I love the Fit's engine. It isn't a pin-to-the-seat mill by any means, but it pulls like it has 50 more hp than it does and sounds so willing that you just don't care about beating the crap out of it. The Yaris' engine (and worse yet, the Aveo's) both sound like dying cows and the Aveo especially moves like one, too.
hondacura4 says:
03:58 PM, 11/ 2/09
These are the exact elements that sparked my interest Honda's in the first place, the playfulness of the chassis and drivetrain. Cars like the 1st and 2nd generation CRX Si and Civic Si hatchbacks proved you didn't have to have RWD or Corvette levels of HP/TQ to have an extremely fun car. Even my 89 Accord LXi was entertaining.
Add to that, Honda's great space efficient interior designs, 4 wheel double wishbone suspensions, large windows, low cost of ownership, available 5MTs, low cowls, perfect seating position, ideal pedal placement, no slop suspension tuning, good steering precision and overly eager personality, I was instantly sold.
All Honda/Acura's that I've owned or currently own:
- 1989 Honda Accord LXi 5MT sedan (I loved that car even coming from an 87 305ci V8 Camaro)
- 1991 Honda Civic EX 5MT sedan
- 1993 Honda Civic EX 5MT coupe
- 1995 Honda Civic EX 5MT sedan (currently own although substantially different under the skin)
- 1999 Honda CR-V EX AWD 5MT
- 2000 Honda Civic EX 5MT
- 2002 Honda S2000 (currently own)
- 2003 Acura CL Type-S 6MT (currently own)
- 2005 Honda Odyssey Touring (currently own)
Non Honda/Acura vehicles we've owned:
- 1996 Lexus ES300 (almost 300K 6 years ago sold for CL-S)
- 2000 Lexus GS400 (189K in 2005, sold for Odyssey)
My future vehicles:
- 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring (wife)
- 2006-08 Acura TSX 6MT/Navi (could possibly replace my CL-S)
- 2010 Honda Civic Si/Navi sedan (could possibly replace my CL-S)
- 2010 Mazda3 Grand Touring/Navi sedan 6MT (could possibly replace my CL-S)
- 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon 6MT/Tech (could possibly replace my CL-S)
- 98-00 Acura NSX-T (if my recent stock investment pays off and it should)
bodyblue says:
04:05 PM, 11/ 2/09
An SX-4 and Fit comparo would be cool!
txmatt1 says:
06:57 PM, 11/ 2/09
Here's one Fit/SX4 comparison...
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2009/05/2009-honda-fit-and-suzuki-sx4-which-is-the-better-highway-car.html
crystalfivemt says:
07:21 PM, 11/ 2/09
Hondacura4, my parents had an 87 Accord LX-i sedan AT and I loved driving it. I've driven the MT as well. But I think that was Honda at its best. The design was so breakthrough. I loved the extremely low cowl and dash design. It had great rear seat room as well. Those were the good ol' days.
altimadude00 says:
07:22 PM, 11/ 2/09
Thanks txmatt. However, I'm looking for a more in-depth comparison. A highway sprint isn't very comprehensive. That article's conclusion was: Fit for the twisties, SX4 for the commute. They were mostly testing for handling, steering, and NVH. While this is helpful, it's not a complete analysis.
wrinklebump says:
08:50 PM, 11/ 2/09
I recommend the Fit to everyone I every meet that starts talking about cars and I've never even driven one
cwmoo740 says:
12:03 AM, 11/ 3/09
I didn't know you could drive cars with a blindfold on and both hands behind your back.
jaeger1 says:
01:57 PM, 11/ 7/09
You hit the nail on the head. The eager playful nature of this car is what sets it apart from a field of competent econo appliances. It is flat out fun to drive, and delivers a truckload of practicality as a bonus.
It isn't fast - by any objective measure, but it FEELS quick and responsive - which is what matters most unless you are actually at a drag strip racing for something.