Those of you who have been around a while might remember when the Honda Fit was first rumoured to be coming to Canada. That was back in 2005 - 3.5 years ago. Way back then, this was the attitude I had:
If the price is right, maybe I'll be looking at the Fit next summer.
Well, I never did buy a Fit that summer. Nor the next summer. Nor last summer. But, three and a half years and a complete redesign later, I finally made due on those words. Somehow I always knew that the Fit would be my next car, even before it was launched, and after looking at everything else out there, my initial thoughts were validated. I'm convinced the Fit is the best vehicle in its class available today (although I wish the Fiesta and Mazda2 had been available to compare!).
So, without further adieu:
(Sorry about the quality of the pics - I only had my camera phone available!)
It's a 2009 Honda Fit Sport in "Storm Silver Metallic" (or as I call it, gray), manual transmission.
The DealThe buying process was painless, but not exceptional. The deal was done over the phone, since I bought the car out of town - local dealer didn't have the colour I wanted. I found this tidbit a little bit interesting, though:
That's also assuming you pay MSRP on the Fit, paul... which will happen, but I don't think chopping $500 off that figure would be out of the question.
It certainly wasn't. I got $500 off the MSRP, and the rear privacy cover (retails around $250) thrown in for free, which I think was a reasonable deal. With the $1000 from the BC government and $1000 because we have a Honda in the house for a total savings of $2500, I'm very happy.
The salesman was all right, very straightforward and he was very willing to deal. I told him what price I was willing to pay, he promised to take it to his boss, and came back the next morning and said it was good. Almost makes me wish I'd asked for more off, but I think the deal was fair.
ImpressionsAs far as the car goes: I'm amazed. This car is as close as Honda comes to building a replacement for my 1999 Civic hatch, and I'm completely blown away by how far they've come. My Civic was an excellent car and I had no real complaints, but the Fit is just leaps and bounds ahead. I'm very, very impressed with the interior. I don't think it shows in the pictures, but the gauges and very cool. Backlit in a very nice blue light, and very easy to read and modern-looking, I think they're really classy. I'm overall very impressed with the interior quality in this class. The plastics are hard, but that's expected in this class, and most of the easily-reachable bits are vinyl anyway.
The rear is a letdown compared to the front, especially since the seats are a little on the hard side to accomodate the magic folding system, but there's lots of space. The cabin is very airy with the high roof, and the car seems very large inside. The rear cargo area is also a good size - substantially bigger than I remember the Yaris' cargo area being, and of course the seats fold perfectly flat for extra space. There is a handle inside the trunk lid, which is a nice touch.
There's lots of storage in the cab, including six drink holders (!!!), and two glove boxes. The Sport puts an iPod input in one of them, which is great as it charges your iPod and puts the controls right on the head unit. The only thing missing is steering-wheel audio controls - a bit of an oversight imo, since the cruise controls are on the steering wheel. I'm sure adding audio controls would be a minuscule cost. Bluetooth is also missing, but that's not a big deal for me, since I'm rarely on the phone in the car.
The stereo and fan/AC controls are fantastic. Nice big knobs make them easy to use, and they're very intuitive. The stereo display is also nice and easy to read, with the same blue as the gauges. At night all of the buttons light up, making the cabin a very nice place to be.
Driving dynamics are quite good. The car is, as others have reported, not quite as eager as the previous generation, but it also feels more grown up. I often compare the last Fit to a puppy terrier: young and growly and ready to go! The new one, then, is a more mature terrier. It's still quick and loads of fun, but it feels more refined, more poised, and more "grown up". It's a good evolution, and for most buyers, probably the right direction.
The engine is still peppy, and the car moves with authority for a 4-cyl. It's very easy to look down and find yourself exceeding the posted limit.
Brakes aren't as powerful as I remember them being in the '08, but I think that has to do with them not being broken in yet. In any event, they certainly have no trouble stopping the car. ABS is standard on all trims, which is nice (so are six airbags). Steering feel is good, with reasonable feel and zero play in the wheel. The car is tossable and lots of fun, although better tires and firmer suspension would not go amiss for the true enthusiast.
Something I really enjoy is the real-time fuel consumption graph. It shows your fuel consumption in graphical form as you drive, so when you press the throttle you can see it jump. A fun game is to try and keep it as low as possible while driving. The computer also calculates your average fuel consumption: right now I'm reading 6.8L/100km, which is not bad at all.
I'm leaving Tuesday to drive the Fit across the country, so I'll keep everyone posted on the Fit as a long-distance tourer. From what I've seen so far, I think it should do a pretty good job of it.
