Overview & Reviews

Introduced in the mid 2000s just as gas prices were beginning to race skyward, the Honda Fit immediately became a hit with frugal car shoppers. A subcompact four-door hatchback, the Honda Fit has earned praise for its world-class engineering and design, and it has definitely found its niche with consumers, particularly with the second-generation model. With either generation, you'll find crisp handling, an adaptable interior, high-quality fit and finish and a relatively low price. An all-new third-generation Fit is also on its way. For small-car shoppers, the Honda Fit represents an almost ideal package.

Current Honda Fit
The Honda Fit is available in two main trim levels: base and Sport. Both come with a fuel-efficient 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 117 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, with a five-speed automatic transmission being optional. Paddle shifters are included with the automatic for the Sport version. Fuel economy is respectably good with either transmission.

On the base Fit, air-conditioning, cruise control, keyless entry a tilt-and-telescoping steering column and a four-speaker audio system with a CD player, auxiliary audio jack and iPod/USB audio interface are standard. The Honda Fit Sport gains bigger wheels, sportier exterior trim details and a six-speaker audio system. Fit Sports can also be optioned with a touchscreen navigation system that includes Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity and voice controls.

The Fit is Honda's smallest automotive product, but it nearly matches the total passenger space of the larger Civic sedan. To help achieve this, Honda has installed a compact rear suspension design and placed the fuel tank underneath the passenger seat. Another key advantage for the Fit is its innovative, highly versatile rear seating arrangement. The "Magic Seat" has seatbacks that fold flat and seat cushions that can be flipped upward, creating a tall load area right behind the front seats -- sort of like a crew cab pickup's rear seats. Maximum cargo capacity is an impressive 57 cubic feet.

In reviews, we've found the Honda Fit to be a pleasure to drive for a frugal subcompact. The car has a solid feel to it, countering the perception of vehicles in this class as tinny econoboxes. Generally speaking, the Honda Fit continues the model's tradition of providing serious bang for the buck, and its combination of driving dynamics, polish and big-time practicality distinguish it from the competition.

Used Honda Fit Models
The current second-generation Honda Fit debuted for the 2009 model year. No notable changes occurred until 2012, when it received minor styling updates, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, added sound insulation and an upgraded Bluetooth system with streaming audio capabilities.

The first-generation Honda Fit was available for just two years: 2007 and 2008. It came in two trim levels with no factory options available. The base version adhered to a minimalist philosophy, though it still came standard with air-conditioning and a CD player. The uplevel Sport trim was snazzier and, predictably, we favored it. It featured larger, 15-inch alloy wheels, stickier tires, exterior styling pieces, keyless entry, cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a premium MP3-compatible audio system with an auxiliary audio jack.

The Fit stuck to the Honda playbook when it came to interior controls, which were intelligently designed and utilized high-quality materials. For a subcompact, the first-generation Honda Fit was surprisingly roomy and versatile. Chalk much of that up to the car's specialized second-row, 60/40-split seat design. The rear seats could be placed into four different configurations, depending on passenger or cargo needs. Folding the rear seat flat provided a surprising 41.9 cubic feet of cargo capacity.

Both trim levels were front-wheel drive and were equipped with a 1.5-liter, 109-hp four-cylinder engine. A five-speed manual transmission was standard, and a five-speed automatic was optional. Fit Sports with the automatic also had steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles.

We found the first-generation Honda Fit to possess an enviable driving-fun-to-thrift ratio. Cornering and acceleration were crisp. The subcompact could achieve 0-60-mph sprints in fewer than 10 seconds with either transmission. Fuel economy was commendable, and safety was good. The whole thing was almost perfect. Almost. The main downside was that although the car seemed less tinny than other cars in its class, at highway speeds the engine made its presence known. The lack of a telescoping steering wheel could also be an annoyance for taller drivers. But on balance the first-generation Honda Fit provided about as much fun, satisfaction and value as you could find in a small economy car.

User Reviews:

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  Great Car - 2009 Honda Fit
  By befit - November 22 - 9:36 am

  Have driven 500 miles in my 09 FIT (5A). Love the sport mode and shift paddles, but am settling into the Auto mode for higher MPG. Get 42 MPG on pure highway. 26-3 2MPG in mixed rather hilly driving. Seats and ride are nice & firm. Reasonably quiet on highway. Stereo and the Ipod connection are great. Luggage space and the magic folding rear seats are truly amazing for this size car. Overall, I love the car - cant wait to start it up in the morning.

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  Love my Fit - 2007 Honda Fit
  By fiddlefit - November 15 - 2:00 pm

  The Fit really meets my needs and has been more fun to drive than I expected. It handles like a sports car, has unexpected power high in the rev range (for its weight), and gets good enough gas mileage (avg 36mpg overall) to make the 10gal tank livable. The configurable interior space is amazing and has meant I can carry all kinds of gear I didnt necessarily expect to be able to travel with.

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  Awesome Downgrade - 2009 Honda Fit
  By MOATES - November 13 - 3:03 pm

  I have been in an Acura TL-Type S for 3 years and debated downsizing to something less expensive and fuel efficient. I saw the 08 Fit and was waiting for honda to make improvements like VSA and Nav. I decided to order the 09 Fit Sport and have NEVER regretted this decision! I have researched hybrids & know that the environmental impact of the battery system is massive--so will wait for some new tech. BUT I was shocked when taking a road trip in the Fit and saw that I was getting 46 mpg going 65 mph on hilly, curvy highways!

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  Should have bought a golf - 2007 Honda Fit
  By jimmy - October 30 - 12:30 am

  Total let down, everyone told me how great Honda is and I bought it. My friend picked up a golf and it is wayyy better. This cars just feels cheap. It looked kinda cool at first but after taking it all in I see that there cars are not as good as the rest of the honda line up

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  Honda Fit Review - 2007 Honda Fit
  By Diane - October 22 - 2:30 pm

  Very cheap carpeting! Freeway road noise more than I would like. Gas mileage in town is poor- 27-29. Hwy 36 with Sport A/T. (I drive very carefully!) Wish seat was a couple inches higher off floor and I really miss passenger armrest. Seems to be great variance in mpg among Fit owners from online chat rooms. Mine idles at 9-10 mph consistently. Was told thats correct. Very short on small storage spaces.

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  The Fit is perfect - 2007 Honda Fit
  By Ultimat451 - October 13 - 10:40 pm

  I went on the waiting list for the Fit before it came out. Finally received it a week ago in Storm Silver metallic and absolutely love it. I think this is one of the better colors for the Fit Sport as it shows off the body work and looks like liquid mercury in direct sunlight. I have never been a big fan of large cars, mainly because of manueverablity and less then ideal use of interior space. This car, although small on the outside, seems as big as a 97-01 CR-V on the inside.

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  Great Car - 2008 Honda Fit
  By adkmehrman - October 10 - 6:06 am

  I have had the car for about a month and simply love it. I test drove every other car in the class and the fit was by far the best car. I live in the mountains and commute over 100 miles a day to and from work on winding roads, and this is by far the most fun I have had driving to work. This cars handling rivals many sports cars. I was initially a little worried about the small engine but it seems to be fairly pepppy. The cars interior especially the magic seats are truely first rate. I put the back seats in tall mode and put a blancket down on the floor and it is a perfect place for my dog to ride. I have been averaging about 34 miles to the gallon with fairly aggresive driving. Love it.

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  Amazing ! Fit is for sure - 2008 Honda Fit
  By svofan1 - October 9 - 12:23 pm

  This is one very Nice car!. For the price nothing was left out. Fun to drive. Tight on turns and rapid acceleration. All in all everything honors ots name. It is a tight fit. Interior volume is hard to judge from the outside, only appreciated once seating in..

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  Excellent small car - 2007 Honda Fit
  By bjb1960 - September 26 - 11:33 am

  Ive been very pleased with my Honda Fit. It handles well and is quite peppy for a small car with an automatic. They truly did squeeze the maximum interior space with into the car. It has a good stereo/CD player as well. People are definitely interested in it. Folks ask if its a hybrid I say "not quite but it does get 30-36 MPG". Six airbags and ABS as standard features is pretty decent in the safety category.

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  Honda Fit Is it really Fit? - 2016 Honda Fit
  By tom - September 25 - 5:53 am

  I read all the reviews and thought I would get one. The reviews on them seemed so good, but when I took it for a test drive the erratic noise level drove me nuts. the Fit has way too little noise padding in it . I have had an older Honda Civic that I cut and placed heavy rubber back carpeting over everything I could. I would think that would be a consideration if you buy this.