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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  love my Fit - 2015 Honda Fit
  By kevin K - August 29 - 5:56 pm

  i purchased my fit in October 2014, no problems fantastic mileage. If the front seat bottoms tilted I would have given it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟. I travel a lot and get 49-50 mpg on highway for a combined mpg as of 8/29/15 of 38.9 mpg.

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  Overall, I love it - 2015 Honda Fit
  By John Signorino - August 15 - 10:15 pm

  Im basing this review for what I paid for the car. For that, after having the car for over a year, Im still thrilled driving it. It handles very nicely and Im amazed how fast I can take some turns and the car just sticks and feels so in control. Great road feedback. The manual is so smooth and easy to shift. Acceleration is good enough for me not crazy fast at all but certainly easy enough to "gun it". What I love is the fun factor of driving it, the fantastic gas mileage, the room for things, the ease of parking and handling, the looks, the feel, the back up camera, the side camera, no bad blind spots, easy shifting, sun roof, pretty good sound system, keyless entry, low maintenance, rear wiper, hatch, lot of cup holders, and its a Honda. The front seats are too hard for long rides. I learned to put sit on a car cushion for that. But for average driving, the seats feel fine for me.

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  75.9 mpg?? - 2015 Honda Fit
  By Vicky McQuarrie - August 6 - 9:24 am

  OK, that was my hook but we really did get that result one Sunday going down hill. However, our overall gas mileage on this car in my opinion is amazing at 37.5 mpg average city highway driving. My Husband and I commute to work everyday about 50 miles one way, so we needed something that was going to give us good gas mileage and at a good price. We purchased this car in May and it has been a love affair from day one! On our way into work in the mornings our average mpg is about 45, in the afternoon not quite as good, more traffic and the air is blasting with temperatures here soaring at 110, our mpg on our afternoon trips has been around 36. I have heard that the numbers that they display on the car when your at the dealership are obtained by driving 55 mph in the controlled test environment, ours however, are from driving 75mph, maybe a little more on our way in, but these are real numbers by real people driving. May I say we couldnt be happier with our decision to purchase this car!

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  Best car in its class! - 2015 Honda Fit
  By Don Christiansen - July 27 - 12:08 pm

  This is a great car and I love it! The room in the back with the seats folded down is amazing, and with the seats up, the rear seat passenger room is great. The gas mileage is also terrific. I always get 41 to 45. Have never got below 41! My only complaints are the floor covering is very cheap crap and 6th gear should be higher. The engine is doing too many RPMs at highway speed. Highly recommend it!

• 

  6k Miles In... - 2015 Honda Fit
  By chase smith - July 26 - 8:42 pm

  My wife and I purchased the new Fit in February, 2015. Living in the northeast, the winter was harsh, but the Fit did great. It makes for a great commuting car, its comfortable (for a reasonable amount of time, see below) and gets great fuel economy. On the highway, its easy to get in excess of 41 mpg. Driving carefully, Ive been able to get upwards of 45+mpg. I dont think Ive ever paid more than $33.00 to fill it up, averaging well over 300 miles to a tank of fuel. Another plus that I really enjoy about this car is the way it handles. I also own a BMW 3 Series, which is one of the best handling cars available, (for under 60k) and this little Fit attacks the curves pretty good in comparison. I was quite surprised at first, I expected a lot of body roll, seeing the car is so tall, one would think it rode top heavy...not so the case. The ride is smooth and I have no complaints with road or wind noise. Theres only a few gripes I have with the car. One seems to be a common trend in the reviews Ive read, and that is the comfort of the seats. They are okay for the commute to work, (35/40 min) but anything over two hours or so, and I start to get rather uncomfortable. Also, the touch screen radio very cool, but not good if you have OCD about fingerprints on your electronics. Its also a little fussy to use and get used to but thats why there are buttons on the steering wheel. All in all, I love this car. I didnt think I did, and we only got it because my wife wanted it and we needed s second car. Now Im the only one that drives it, and we are extremely pleased with it thus far.

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  It really is the best car in the world. - 2013 Honda Fit
  By projectm96 - May 13 - 8:46 am

  This car can do it all and last forever. My Sport model comes with the rear spoiler, fog lights, sporty front slip, exhaust tip, and side skirts, cruise control, paddle shifters, and 16" alloy wheels. It is a great package for a great price. The car really does "Fit" everything. I have used it for plenty of long road trips. It is made for road trips with its magic seats, several storage compartments, built in USB cable, two AC power outlets, and NINE cup holders.

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  It goes and goes and goes - 2012 Honda Fit
  By gleggley - April 5 - 5:24 pm

  I bought this car new in August of 2012. I am a courier and drive over 1000 miles a week. As of today, 4/5/15, I have about 139,000 miles on my Fit. I have always done the recommended service and have only had one issue since purchasing this car. A front wheel bearing needed replacing a few months ago. I average 30-35 miles a gallon in mixed driving. Power is adequate for what I do. This is the first Honda Ive ever owned. The Fit has an amazing capacity to haul things. I am consistently amazed at how much "stuff" fits in the car.

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  Ours has had flawless reliability - 2015 Honda Fit
  By nau - March 12 - 12:19 pm

  The Fit has been what we expected. We have had absolutely no reliability issues so far. Our blue EX-L was built in July, 2014 and we purchased it in August, 2014. It now has over 13,000 miles on it, and all weve done is change the oil.

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  Rickys 2015 Honda Fit =) - 2015 Honda Fit
  By sparkndutch - January 27 - 1:08 am

  I just traded in my 2013 Honda Fit Sport, IM SO GLAD I DID!!! Anyone with an older Fit thats been thinking about trading it in for the new one... DO SO! I went ahead and bought the fully loaded trim level to which Im very happy about. It certainly does not feel like a cheap subcompact car at all, I own several Lexus and a 2013 Accord Sport and this Fit is my favorite car to drive now. I would suggest everyone whos negotiationing for a price to use the "Edmunds Price Promise" I was able to use this at the dealership and in fact got way below invoice price since I used College and Military discount. So before taxes I bought it for $19.4k at Galpin Honda in Los Angeles, CA.

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  Replacement for 2008 Fit Sport Automatic - 2015 Honda Fit
  By alcara729 - October 2 - 5:42 pm

  The 2015 Fit EX with CVT simply outdoes our previous fit in every category. Performance, ride, handling, interior appointments, the latest technology and more.