2009 Honda Fit Sport: Wrapping Up

Arguably the most Honda-like Honda sold in this country—and that's a compliment. :)

Honda had better step up its game.....the Fiesta is coming.....Ford is on the rise and Honda.....well not so much lately.

As far as I can tell, bodyblue, Honda has had good success with it's 2006 Civic, 2008 Accord, new CR-V, Fit, Odyssey, and Pilot.

I don't know about the element and I don't think the Insight or Ridgeline are sterling examples.

Acura is just abominable right now and has no focus.

I agree Ford is on the rise (man I wish I had bought it's stock a year ago). I look forward to seeing a strong, dominating privately owned American car company take back market share.

Joe

Ford will do what the American domestic car companies have always done - it will come on strong in the short term and leave product to become old and irrelevant. Think, Taurus, Escort, Ranger, Focus.

In the long run, you'll be glad you never bought their stock. Toyota, when it hits bottom, will be a better bet.

I actually sat in one of these today. It may be fun to drive and good on gas, but it has to have the most godawful, uncomfortable, cheaply made seats of any new car on sale today. Bring on the Fiesta!

I have an o9 myself in the awesome Tidewater Blue Pearl color. I love the way it looks. Like a micro mini van. It would have been even better if the powers that be had not added the 8" in length to the front of the car. The Japanese version with the short nose is more striking. The car is fun to drive and, although not a sports car, it will go when I need it too. The paddle shifters for the AT are a nice touch. Then theirs the interior. I have some issues here. First, unlike what your writer said above, there is NO height adjustment for the drivers seat. It needs one. Also needs a lumbar adjuster. The seat has way too much designed in for my back. Now the design of the dash, the 2 glove boxes, the Ipod hook up and the stereo are nice. The instruments, although nice to look at and easy ot read, get completely blocked out when the steering wheel is at it's lowest height setting. Needs the high mounted speedo and gauges from the civic. The room and the ability to adjust the rear seat for all kinds of different cargo is terrific. Finally, with the new competition on it's way from Ford and Mazda, the quality of the materials needs to be brought up to a new level. Frankly, it looks CHEAP inside. Cloth and carpet feel that way. All the plastic surfaces are cold and hard. It has been durable so far, but come on, Honda can do better. Finally, the ride is, well, harsh. Probably if I was to change out the urethane rubber tires for a softer set might make a huge difference. I'm sure that they specified this type of tire to keep the mileage high. But spend some time in this car on LA streets and your eyes start watering from being beaten up so much. A little more rear suspension travel would be nice. Although this could lead a loss of luggage space. I would be willing to do that. Well, now it is in the body shop because the car got rear ended the other day while my daughter was driving it. She is OK, the car; not so much. The rear hatch was caved in and the bumper destroyed. However, the darn hatch still opens, closes and latches, albeit with a little effort to accomplish the task. Even the lock still works.

Tough to say which will be better, the Fit or the Fiesta? The Fit is a ball to drive. I've haven't driven a Fiesta yet but if it's better I will be thrilled, the more fun cars the better.

On the practical side it looks like an easy win for the Fit. Price and mileage will be wait and see.

10 years ago it would have been an easy win in reliablity for the Honda, now it's a tougher call. All the fit's I know have been flawless, hopefully the Fiesta is the same.

Well, the looks have grown on me. Especially in black. I still hate those extra little side windows, but I don't know how else they could have done it. Given the overwhelmingly positive comments by the editors, it seems like a car anyone shopping in that class should consider. The headlights are nice, but, why so humongous?

Drove the Fiesta before. Planted like a German car. But it isn't as tossable as the last gen Fit. I need a better car now that my commute is 60 miles each way. I need to check out the Fit.

Fun to drive, fuel efficient, fun to drive, practical, fun to drive, spacious for a small car, fun to drive, great visibility, fun to drive, responsive, tossable, feels-quicker-than-it-is and ..... fun to drive. This car is a winner, period. All the carping by a handful of vocal and obsessive haters can't change that obvious fact. It is also one of the very few (only?) distinctly "Honda" Hondas.

I traded in my 90 Cherokee last sumer for a $4500 clunkers deal off my 09 Fit Sport. Pros: Cost to own. Gas mileage rocks. Amazing interior space. It takes 10 seconds to pop up the magic seats one handed & slide my XL Gary Fisher MTB in there upright with the front wheel off no prob. If you carry 2 passengers and want rear space to transport stuff nothing comes close to the Fit. Paddles make it fun to drive. The navi/usb/memory card stuff is simple/intuitive. Stereo is decent. Service intervals far apart so you're saving cash. Steering wheel is nice considering price of car. Dash cupholders rule. Easy to see out of. Cons: tight fit (I'm 6'3") but it's a compact. Harsh ride but it's fun to drive, not much pick up but it's a compact, Low nose easy to scrape when parking, fabric is like superglue for pet hair.
Final thoughts: Best bang for the buck. It won't cure cancer, stop poverty, and prepare PopTarts in the glovebox like so many posters indicate the new as yet untried Fiesta will. Then again it hopefully won't need 3 trannies, 4 alternators, a new a/c, a new blue paint job to replace the one that flaked off at the 3 year mark like my 90 F150 did. Then again it hopefully won't need a full brake job at 10k miles like the 00 Focus my creampuff driving elderly inlaws gifted us recently. I still gotta get that Focus in to fix the door open bell/overhead light that go off every time you take a left turn. If you let history be your guide statistically Honda's going to keep you on the road and out of the shop than any Ford I've had the misfortune of owning will. I'm 365 USA all the way and hope it's true Ford is getting it's act together but I've been burned on 2 of their vehicles (both with low, easy running mileage) and it will take a lot more than the "you need to drive them more to keep them running" advice the Ford dealer gave the last time I dropped cash for tranny #3 on the F150 that just cleared 100k miles last month.