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:
Showing 11 through 20 of 1,073.00-
Piece of JUNK - 2009 Honda Fit
By Kibbles00 - April 2 - 7:27 amThought Id try this car since Toyota was having all their issues. Big mistake. Everything in the car is plastic, it hydroplanes, and you can blow on the carpet and it shimmers. Went back to a solid car, Toyota. Also this dealership is awful.
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Highly overrated - 2009 Honda Fit
By steve - January 13 - 2:20 pmDo not believe the hype. The engine is buzzy and the transmission hunts for the right gear. The ride is extremely bumpy, you feel everything. The seats are uncomfortable, and cant be height adjusted. You would never take this on a trip longer than 25 miles. It has beautiful styling, but thats all. A huge disappointment that I bought into because of all of the raves from the so-called car experts. Im trading this in on a larger and more comfortable car.
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Disappointingly Lame. - 2008 Honda Fit
By MFHalb - October 19 - 4:46 pmWeve had it four, long months. We dont drive for fun, merely to get there. The lame mileage of 27 in town and MAYBE 36 on the highway (minimum of 1,000 miles needed) make this a lousy deal. Unless you drive with an egg under your foot, the car jack-rabbits to 35 miles-per-hour and then slogs along. If you floor it, it does the same thing, only more loudly. Power to pass on the freeway (where else do you need it?) is meager, and non-existent with the air-conditioning on. The electric window switches arent lighted and are hard to locate in the dark. All doors can only be locked and unlocked from the drivers door. Otherwise you have to key them individually.
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Not as good as a 95 Tercel. - 2007 Honda Fit
By Court Owen - June 14 - 12:34 amIve had four new Hondas over the years plus one Prelude I bought used. I thought I could trust Honda to build a good car. Wrong. My wifes car is a (shorter) 95 Tercel 2-DR automatic. The mileage is low on the Fit because the Tercel is more fun to drive for all small-load trips, both grocery- store and X-country. Heres why: Seats too low no lumbar support paddled steering wheel uncomfortable body too wide (turn radius, parking, traffic) ride jittery and steering too quick (needs constant attention on frwy) instruments poor, and disappear in sunlight fast cornering not fun windshield posts too thick (pedestrians) transmission gasps mileage mediocre. The brakes are good.
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not the gas saver we need. - 2007 Honda Fit
By trsheel - December 20 - 10:05 pmWe like the Honda for its loading room. We are not getting the mpg that the dealer said it would 30+! real world mpg is 25 city & 28 hwy when we got it new the mpg was better, We fill the honda is a city car only!! the ride is too rough for a long road trip- over 100 miles, cheep sets, and 63- 250lbs not much set under you, I had an maz 323 1987 that road better!!
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REGRET BUYING THIS CAR! - 2007 Honda Fit
By HATE THIS CAR! - November 2 - 10:29 amTerrible seats and driving position, no armrest nor left foot rest. Automatic transmission has a 3-4 second hesitation when you step down on it at low speeds, 2-4 mph, before it downshifts to 1st gear. This is very dangerous at intersections, and has almost gotten me t-boned on several occasions. They are all like this, according to Honda, who could care less. I drove 2 others and they have the same hesitation. Honda should be forced to recall the automatic Fits and fix this dangerous defect! This has really soured me on Honda, even though I had no problems with previous Hondas. Not enough power. Gas mileage less than expected. Handling, cargo capacity good. Can hardly wait to get rid of it!
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crappy sound - 2016 Honda Fit
By dan - August 15 - 3:49 pmI leased a honda 2016 fit last month. The storage capability is great. However, my biggest complaint is the manufacturers sound system. Granted, this is the lower-end version, but it just plainly sounds horrible!! From the ancient knob-based search for radio stations to the just plain horrible bad-transistor radio speakers, it makes me want to shove needles in my ears to stop the aural pain! No matter if I play my cds, or use my ipod or cell phone through the aux jack, it makes great-sounding recordings sound awful! I cant take it anymore! Im going to have that crappy sound system (and Im being kind calling it that) removed and go to a Big Box store and get a decent one put in. Ill put the crappy one in a box and have it re-installed when it has to be returned.
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Honda needs to start over with the FIT! - 2007 Honda Fit
By larzstar - July 27 - 10:20 pmHaving owned my Fit for 6+ months I do NOT and will NOT recommend it. IMHO Honda needs to start over. I have lots of issues with it. First is the Windshield wipers. WHY does that passenger wiper have to swing all the way into the drivers view? I feel this is a Safety Issue. However I guess Honda doesnt care. I could go on and on with all my gripes with the car. There are a few more that NEED to be mentioned. The Seats are not comfortable for long rides. The gas tank, making annoying sloshing noises. (For those that dont hear it I have to say HMMM...Are you DEAF?!?) Rear license plate holder allowing the plate to rattle. The paddle shifers on the steering wheel (boggles my mind WHY)
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Should have bought a golf - 2007 Honda Fit
By jimmy - October 30 - 12:30 amTotal 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
