Car salesmen count on it and the Fit doesn't disappoint. I'm talking about the feel of the steering wheel in our Honda. As you can see, it's a pretty nice piece. A bit of an odd design maybe, but it's thicker than most wheels you'll see in cars of this class and there's a nice leather covering on it.
Also note the satellite controls. There are plenty of them, yet they don't get in the way. They're also easy to work with your thumbs, which I like.
More importantly, the actually steering feel of the car on the road is pretty solid. I always disliked the feel of our Civic Si as it always felt like it wanted to spring back to the center. The Fit is no Porsche, but it feels much more natural than that Civic Si ever did.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line
mikeolan says:
05:04 PM, 02/ 4/10
Yeah and the plastic on the dash will keep them from forking over the cash.
bc1960 says:
06:22 PM, 02/ 4/10
I can't say that I find this design at all appealing, but most if not all of the cars in this class currently for sale use the same kinds of materials and textures, so it's not really a matter of plastics, but design. The Fit, ironically, also has upholstery-matched molded fabric inner door panels, unlike the more expensive Civic and Accord which use molded plastic embossed with a fabric-like pattern--unless you get leather upholstery, which includes padded "leather match" inner door panels. I, personally, touch the doors more often than the dash.
mzbamf says:
06:23 PM, 02/ 4/10
For buyers of luxury cars. What did we expect from a car in this price range? As long as it's properly executed I don't think the target market of this will have a problem
majin_ssj_eric says:
06:35 PM, 02/ 4/10
I loved the steering feel of my Civic Si....
firstwagon says:
09:51 PM, 02/ 4/10
No car in this price class is perfect. The Fit is great fun to drive, has a huge interior and gets great mileage. I can live with the so called "cheap" plastic.
A really nice wheel and steering feel is a bonus too.
lowmilelude says:
04:53 AM, 02/ 5/10
I've noticed Honda overhauled the steering systems the Accords too. My wife drives an '05 accord, and compared to my '09 her steering wheel is skinnier and the steering itself is much lighter. I think the '05 generation was the first to have DBW, and Honda probably heard some complaints about the steering so they made it heavier when they did the redesign.
Wouldn't be surprised if they applied that simple fix across several vehicles.
joefrompa says:
10:11 AM, 02/ 5/10
Very similar to the wheel in my 06 Civic SI. Great steering wheel in and of itself.
I'll second the comments on the return-to-center feeling of the Civic SI. It's just not always natural. Electric steering byproduct maybe? I don't know.
Better tires helped. Alot.
chunky_azian says:
12:06 PM, 02/ 5/10
"Car salesmen count on it and the Fit doesn't disappoint. I'm talking about the feel of the steering wheel in our Honda."
Depends on who sells the car. When I was test driving mom's '08 Fit, I tossed that car around a street corner at about 25. The little Fit is all about momentum maintenance. The test drive concluded at the dealer's lot.
Then we were driven back from the lot to the main office. That's when the "product specialist" demonstrated the Fit's prowess by redlining a 10 miles old engine for 400ft then stood on the brakes at a stop sign. I didn't get it. If we are interested in doing that, we'd be looking at a Camaro.
siarizona says:
06:26 PM, 02/ 5/10
I like the steering wheel, too, good design. However, I find the Fit gets twitchy handling at 80+ mph, depending on the road surface. At max braking from that speed, it can really feel top-heavy and tend to lean into one of the front tires pretty hard.
That said, I really like giving it the whip and firing up the vtec when merging on highways or going 60+ in a 40 mph 90 degree curve in our local highway. Good times & good steering feedback under power.
bodyblue says:
06:54 AM, 02/ 6/10
"I like the steering wheel, too, good design. However, I find the Fit gets twitchy handling at 80+ mph, depending on the road surface. At max braking from that speed, it can really feel top-heavy and tend to lean into one of the front tires pretty hard.
That said, I really like giving it the whip and firing up the vtec when merging on highways or going 60+ in a 40 mph 90 degree curve in our local highway. Good times & good steering feedback under power."
Yeah, I remember the first day I got my drivers license.
siarizona says:
08:02 AM, 02/ 6/10
@bodyblue: Attack the idea, not the person, bro. If you don't like that I drive fast, say so. I got my drivers license 27 years ago, BTW. Peace.
wrinklebump says:
10:39 PM, 02/ 7/10
Did someone actually complain about plastics in this car? It's a hamster. Not an Aston. You suck at thinking.
eldaino2 says:
06:32 AM, 03/15/10
/\ perfect.
the steering feel in the fit is great. why are we even DISCUSSING plastics people? because ed said that there is a nice leather covering on the wheel?
seem like the only people who attack the fits rather inoffensive interior are those who could not give two rats asses about driving.