2007 Honda Fit Review

Specifications

A Safe Choice

Youve probably heard the saying “small is beautiful,” in the context of a number of different things, ranging from automobiles to flowers to portraits. Likewise, the chances of hearing the saying, “small is clever” is also pretty high, because, lets face it, weve managed to cram all sorts of useful devices into some pretty small packages. A RIM Blackberry or an iPod Nano are just two examples of small and clever devices - items most people find increasingly difficult to live without once the addictive process sets in. But what about when a “small is…” phrase includes contradiction? Well, Honda has already proven that “small is spacious”, or, more irreverently “small is big” when we moved some furniture and people, but how about “small is safe”?

Traditionally speaking, when it comes to safety, bigger has normally been better, hence the increase in popularity of large vehicles and SUVs. While the physics that dictate how a larger vehicle with greater mass will fare better in a collision than one that is lighter and smaller havent changed over the last decade or two, modern automobiles have. Theyve become better engineered and designed to resist the forces of impact of much larger vehicles. In fact, at the launch of the Fit, Honda brought along the final product of a crash test between a Fit Sport and a Ridgeline. Of course, the Ridgelines sum total of damage was far less than what was inflicted on the Fit, but this isnt the point. Against a fairly large object (a Ridgeline, for example) the Fit should have been flattened, but its safety cell held up well, with little in the way of structural deformation. The Verdict? The pair of crash test dummies wouldve lived to see another day.

Of course, getting into the Fit, theres a certain peace of mind that isnt exactly present in all subcompact cars. The doors, for example, dont have a tinny rattle when you shut them, as might be experienced in other cars in this class. Something like this may seem small, but in the grand scheme of things its quite important. A major part of the peace of mind equation, however, comes from its long list of standard safety features; so long, in fact, that weve got to break it up into its own paragraph. Though the Fit may be the smallest Honda, it gets the same safety considerations as does a Civic or an Accord. This comes as part of Hondas “Safety for Everyone Campaign”, which is a good thing.

All Fit models, from Base to Sport get dual-stage front airbags with occupant classification system, front seat-mounted side-impact airbags to protect torsos (and the soft, squishy organs within them), three-point seatbelts for all occupants including the middle rider in the bench, and side curtain airbags. Also standard on each and every Fit are ABS brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution to prevent lock-ups of the front disc and rear drum brakes.  Two LATCH child seat anchors located on the rear bench are also standard, helping to keep kiddies safe too. Hondas decision to feature all of these safety items as standard equipment is impressive: cutting costs is one thing; potentially saving lives by avoiding accidents and going the extra mile to cushion the blow is something altogether better. Rival automakers should take this into consideration.

Theres a reason why safety is such a big part of this latest update of our long term car, and thats because of a bit of news thats just come in. Recently, the Fit was crash tested by the NHTSA against a non-deformable barrier in front, and it received the full five-star rating. Thats pretty impressive stuff. By comparison, the 2006 Kia Rio received just four stars for the driver (five for the passenger); the 2007 Toyota Yaris has yet to be rated. In terms of other relevant crash tests, the Fit scored fairly well in the EuroNCAP offset and side-impact collision tests too, obtaining a four-star crash rating, as well as four stars in the JNCAP (Japanese New Car Assessment Program) test. Keeping in mind that, while the Fit is new to us its basic design dates back to 2001, its crash test performance is made all that more impressive.

Odometer: 4,472 miles

Justin: By the way the introduction reads, its probably safe to assume that Im a big safety guru, which is a true, verifiable fact. Having never been in the predicament of being in a serious accident and hoping to never be put in harms way, its nice to know that Hondas given the car some serious thought. On that note, the topic of standard (and available) safety was brought up at a presentation for Hyundais new three-door Accent that I attended. Its better than most other subcompacts on the market as it comes with side-thorax and side-curtain airbags, as does Toyotas new Yaris. Not to be bashing on Chevrolet, but why cant Aveo customers upgrade to side-curtain airbags? Being small poses a disadvantage in a world of heavyweight sport utility vehicles and full-size half-ton pickup trucks, both of which have become 21st century replacements for the minivan.

All you really need to do is look at the crash compatibility between something like a Ford F-150 and the Fit to see the advantages of having full side-impact protection. Yes, the Fit, or any other car in the subcompact class would probably have cracked bumpers or even more substantial damage as a result of 4,700 pounds of American (and now Japanese) metal colliding into the side at an intersection, but survivability is a more pressing issue. With bumper levels that are on level with window-frame height, the importance of side-curtain bags becomes all too clear.

Odometer: 4,524 miles

Justin: Anyone that knows me well will know that I spend a lot of time in cars; driving in them, riding in them, looking at them, photographing them, writing about them, and talking about them. If the car contains some kind of unique feature or innovation, Ill spend time praising it (reconfigured fuel tank, Magic Seats, etc.), and on the very rare occasion something infuriating comes along (eg. Volkswagens navigation system in the Passat), Ill even spend time cursing it. Having given it some serious thought, if I were to go out and spend my own money today, the Fit would be close to the top of the heap as my pick of the litter - not just out of subcompact cars, but out of all cars period. In honesty and truth, it does everything I need it to, without excessive consumption and waste. Its light, its easy to handle and its great to drive. Also, its perfect for my budget and my growing intolerance for finicky reliability, something that would rule out a turbodiesel Jetta or MINIs Cooper.

Odometer: 4,550 miles

Justin: This weekend happens to be a weekend thats got the our office staffers puttering around in some deeply fashionable vehicles - Mitsubishis new Eclipse Spyder in full-luxo trim, the intriguing RX-8 with its head-banging rotary engine, and MINIs chipper and cheerful Cooper S Convertible. But with Kogodos, our photographer out, my Sunday was spent filling his shoes, and therefore the Fit has become the photography car. While the Fit has seen service several times since it entered our fleet as the official photography car, this is the first time Ive been put in Kogodos position.

This said its a practical machine for photography, with a trunk thats large enough to carry my (small) collection of gear. In fact, the space is so large that my camera bag, tripod and remote ended up rolling about in the bay, which resulted in me just hanging it around the rear headrests. A small set of grocery hooks attached to the back of the rear seats would be useful for keeping things better organized.

But transporting the gear in the Fit is only half of this cars strengths as a photography vehicle; the other half is that its incredibly easy to shoot out of. With the rear windows rolled down, Magic Seats in Tall mode, and a very flat floor, its easy to dash from one side of the interior to the other to nab the perfect shot. The driving dynamics of the car also help in shooting photos too; with a ride that isnt particularly sharp or bouncy its easy to keep the camera stable. All in all, the shoot ended up being a success; the photos came out well, and the Fit shone in yet another area.