Honda officially showed the second generation Fit to the world today, For a B-segment car, it's something of a looker. Power rises to a useful 118 horsepower from a new 1.5-liter engine, and the optional automatic transmission (befitting a car that will spend time in congested urban areas) gains a cog (for a total of five). Honda's also hoping to convince buyers of its cheapest car to spring for high-profit-margin items like the optional navigation system. Interior plastics are improved, and the flexible seating returns. Honda calls the latter "Magic Seat." While useful, if this is Honda's impression of magic they should probably stop going to prestidigiation performances at the airport motel. Honda forgot to release the Fit's crucial MPG figures. Since these are the most important stats for this car (besides price), you'd have thought Honda would have remembered not to remember to forget.
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Who are they kidding? That’s a Yaris.
The Yaris WISHES it was a Fit.
I like the new fit a lot. They made a whole bunch of improvements and it only gained 20 lbs in the process.
Let me guess. It’s bigger and has a more powerful engine.How many gears do automatics need?
Very 5 door Yaris looking. Why dont we get the 5 door Yaris in the US? Would it steal xD’s (miniscule) sales that much? The Yaris is selling well, no doubt, but clearly the Fit proves that people like small 5 door hatches. Bring a bunch of ’em over, we’re gonna need stylish, practical misers when gas hits $4.
marc :
If anything it would crush sales of the Yaris sedan completely. I’ve seen one Yaris sedan on the road and a whole lot of Yaris 3 doors. The 5 door Yaris would be a really sensible addition to the Toyota lineup.
The xD IS a 5-door yaris, just with a bigger engine and an “angry” body.
I like the interior quality of the Fit – the first gen I test-drove was downright scary at high speeds – it wandered every which way, the steering was completely dull, the body roll was amazing for such a lightweight car (talk about lean), and worst of all, NO FOOT REST!! My left foot was aching 5 minutes into the test drive. Honestly, though, the auto and the engine were very smooth and smart-shifting. If the new engine pumps out any noticeable power difference, I’d be impressed (the Fit seemed to handle its power much better than my xA, which I find plenty fast).
Hopefully the new model fixes these issues, while keeping the shifting as smooth and engine power management as intelligent, because I’m in the market for another economy subcompact, and two Scions at one house is enough…
As for the extra gear, it really is needed on such a small engine. In-city, there’s no real problem, but take my xA on the highway… any throttle variation instantly calls for a harsh downshift and RPMs flying sky-high (as if cruising at 3K was a picnic to begin with..).
Yeah, if you want a 5-door subcompact from Toyota, you have to get a Scion xD. The only problem with this is if you are cheap and want a bare bones car. That is, the Yaris 3 door is twelve grand, the Yaris sedan is thirteen grand, but the Scion xD is pushing sixteen grand (because it has a bigger engine and a whole bunch more standard features), and the Yaris is more likely to be discounted. Now, if you actually add things like a stereo, anti-lock brakes, power windows and door locks, and side airbags to the Yaris, the price difference between it and the xD shrinks to nothing.
The U.S. version Fit has always had a 5-speed auto available. Since its debut in the states as an ’07 model, it has been available with 5-speed manual, 5-speed automatic and a 5-speed automatic with sequential sport-shift in the Fit Sport.
“Honda’s also hoping to convince buyers of its cheapest car to spring for high-profit-margin items like the optional navigation system.”
This past year Honda made the full “EX-L” leather trim line available on the Civic for the first time ever (at least in the US) on the same theory that some customers want all the premium goodies in a smaller and more efficient package. Smart. The only downside might be that some people have figured out that a Civic is now big enough for them and they don’t need to move up to the SuperSized Accord.
Gimmie an SIR (or SI hatch 02-05) similar version and I’d seriously consider it.
Of course they could just make the civic into a hatch again like last time and I’d drink that milkshake.
I was pretty sure the Fit I test-drove had a 5-speed, but that’s why I compared it to the xA. Probably explains why the Fit felt so much smoother than my xA, as far as power delivery goes.
I don’t see a downside to offering nice features on small cars. Some of us prefer small cars, and besides, the less larger cars on the road, the better for everyone ;-)
As far as the xD vs. Yaris, when you add ABS, power locks and windows, the Yaris instantly jumps up to the same price as a base xD, which is insane, IMO. I think Toyota is trying to keep the US Yaris below the xD to try and promote the Scion name better (Why spend 15K on the 2-door Yaris when the same money buys you the fancy new xD with blah blah blah..)
johnboy is correct. All US Fits have 5 speeds, whether automatic or manual.
The new one looks very rounded and a bit too Prius-like, though. Maybe it will grow on me. I used to think the first-gen Fit was ugly as hell but now I love it.
Magic Seats really are amazing. The amount of flexibility they give you in a small package is incredibly useful, I use them regularly to haul 3 people and our stuff back and forth from school on breaks. Did you expect them to walk themselves out of the car and make you breakfast?
I can’t get past the dorky headlights in the current Fit, but the new one definitely fixes that. I’m considering one as a daily driver if I buy a Corvette next year, both to replace my 2004 V6 Accord. The 2009 Fit is one of the few recent Hondas/Acuras that haven’t been screwed up styling-wise IMO.
jthorner:
you are correct sir. I test drove a civic si sedan just five hours ago. Were it a civic si 5-door hatch, I’d be sitting down with the finance guy.
“The only downside might be that some people have figured out that a Civic is now big enough for them and they don’t need to move up to the SuperSized Accord.”
For the domestics this is an issue, but fortunately for Honda, they actually profit on their small cars so I don’t think they’ll be too upset if you opt for a fully optioned Civic over the Accord.
Supposedly this ’09 was to fix a couple of issues, such as the lack of a dead pedal and driver’s seat height adjustment. If they also added the telescope function to the steering wheel, it would really help the ergos.
I test drove an ’07 auto, and it was a peppy, fun car to drive, and it had a quality “aura” about it, but I knew it would be hell for my 77″ frame on longer trips. I would want a manual, though, as the auto struggled a bit in the hills around Pittsburgh (I must admit, it ran better than I thought, as the auto is very well programmed and matched to the 1.5L).
Actually, I hope everybody hates the “new look” Fit, so there will be a few for me to check out when they hit the lots; short supply has been a big issue with these cool cars.
Far more attractive than the Yaris, which in 3-door form has got to be the most hideous vehicle sold today.
The interior looks great. Can anybody beat Honda on interior fit and finish in this price bracket?
Yay! Now it looks…exactly like every other Honda. I bought my Fit (partly, at least) because it looked different. Sigh.