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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  Economy and utility - 2008 Honda Fit
  By Bryncrrd - November 18 - 1:23 pm

  The Honda Fit was purchased for economic utility, and it serves those ends admirably. It is very well designed and, as far as I can tell at this point, very well manufactured. The interior space, when all the rear seats are folded flat, is amazing. The front seats are fr more comfortable than they look, although the upholstery seems to attract every bit of fluff in the area. Its not a vehicle that flourishes at high speeds; the engine becomes very busy and high-speed stability is not a strong point. But for the purposes cited above, I know of nothing to equal it currently available on the market.

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  Its a little buzz box - 2008 Honda Fit
  By Bob Howland - October 10 - 9:06 am

  Pro: Great space utilization. Quick and direct handling. Incredibly good gear shift linkage. Good interior controls. Fairly economical (33MPH in northern winter). Adequate horsepower for my purposes. Con: Very short wheelbase yields a somewhat choppy ride. VERY firm suspension doesnt help. Lots of wind and tire noise at 75 MPH, so high that I wont use the radio above 65MPH. Geared short - 20MPH/1kRPM, which makes noise worse. Wanted to buy a set of snow tires the the tire pressure sensors double the per wheel cost. My 1997 Honda Civic got better gas mileage. I just wish I hadnt totaled it.

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  On a smaller side of things - 2009 Honda Fit
  By Igor - September 30 - 2:00 pm

  I ordered this car in light blue color as my wife wanted and in about 2 months we got call to get it. As we looked for her new car and decided to go with subcompact for her relatively long daily commute our options were Nissan Versa or Sentra, Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit. We test drove all of them and overall impression was that Fit was better. It came with the higher price but we went for it anyway, never were sorry. Plenty of space (drove a really tall friend with his bike inside), baby in car seat has all the view, nice touch and feel. We did go to dealership recently to fix loose panel under dashboard to stop the rattle. Seems fuel gauge is not accurate.

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  Handy Runabout - 2016 Honda Fit
  By M Woods - September 29 - 4:06 am

  Some positives: It has a right side blind spot camera! It has excellent visibility. This particular trim level has keyless entry and push button start which we find quite desirable. It has a rear view camera. Negatives: Although the braking is very good, the rear brakes are not disk type. (It does have some sort of ABS.) It has small car ride and typical Honda road noise, but they are not bad, better than some earlier versions of various Honda models.

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  I would buy it again - 2007 Honda Fit
  By kellogs - September 23 - 1:39 pm

  First of all, I think the fit is an excellent car. After living with it for a year here are the lacking features: no locking gas cap, no dead pedal, no centre arm rest, thin carpet, the front of car is too low (may hit curb), hard to see front of car, blown easily in crosswinds, slightly noisy, seats get slightly uncomfortable after 1-2 hours. When I bought the Fit, I had a budget in which I could have purchased any car. I bought the Fit because: excellent reliability, great versatility WRT interior space, looks nice, fun to drive, good value, good fuel economy, has ABS and 6 airbags. I can easily live with all the minor deficiencies of this car because of the cars good points.

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  Poor mileage, but good handling - 2007 Honda Fit
  By David - September 19 - 10:01 pm

  Cute car, good throttle response. Very weak engine on just rolling hills - always downshifting. Car would be hell to drive in mountainous terrain. Have no idea why Honda did not and does not swap this 1.5L for the Civic 1.8L. Increase HP from 109 to 140 with better gas mileage, engine would still fit. No brainer from my perspective. Have 3000 miles over the first month, and have been getting 28- 30 in 50/50 city/highway driving. Terrible, should be getting at least 34 and on straight highway at least 37 MPG. Message boards do seem to vary a lot on the mileage reports. Honda, why cant a 2600 pound car get 35+ for mileage when my 2003 Civic averages 33mpg city and 36mpg highway.

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  Surprisingly great car! - 2008 Honda Fit
  By CaptainZeep - May 24 - 9:00 pm

  A job with a 30 mile commute, A big dog and and a baby on the way all conspired against my Acura RSX. My wife and I looked at a Subaru wagon but were not impressed with the fuel economy. The Fit caught our eye so we took a look. It had all the room and features we needed. After a quick test drive, we were sold. It is very fun to drive and overall very appealing. The space and flexibility of the interior is truly amazing. After waxing the Fit this weekend, my opinion continues to improve. The blackberry pearl paint is flawless. The materials quality, and finish is impressive, regardless of price.

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  My fifth Honda - 2007 Honda Fit
  By Honda Person - May 9 - 12:33 pm

  The most fun car I have ever driven....however, the fuel mileage is extremely bad. It should be 33 and 38. I am getting 18 and 23. Ive owned 2 Civics and 2 Accords, my driving habits are the same. My MPG was within range on the previous four vehicles. Im being told my mileage will improve after about 5,000 miles....I sure hope so!

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  A Perfect "FIT" - 2007 Honda Fit
  By nate77 - April 14 - 7:30 pm

  This car is great around town or on the highway. Very fun to drive, especially in manual mode with the paddle shifters. Good audio system. Great hybrid or small SUV alternative!Seats are attractive and comfortable. All controls are easy to find and have a certain panache to them-especially the gauge cluster with looks like it belongs in a much more expensive car. Love the leather wrapped steering wheel too! Great car for the money. Interior layout with the "magic seats" are just that-magic! The exterior looks, although a little funky, grows on you with time and the car is much better looking in person than in photographs. A very fun car! I look forward to many years of economical driving.

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  Good Value - 2007 Honda Fit
  By kinjitas - April 14 - 12:46 pm

  Read about how great the handling, space utilization and build quality in this car before I bought it. Was concerned about acceleration and design/features being dated. Car has met or exceeded my expectations in everything, is fun to drive, and I would recommend it to others looking for a good car in this price range. Also own a 2006 Civic which is a more recent design and wish some of the features (steering wheel radio controls, better road vibration isolation, sunroof, ULEV engine, better dash layout, and better soundproofing) were incorporated into the FIT. Overall, the Fit is a fine car and I have no regrets on my purchase.