2007 Honda Fit Review

Specifications

Can the Fit be Jazzed Up? Of course!

Apologies for the above pun: the Fit is sold as the Jazz in Europe and other markets. Awful humour aside, in the previous entry for our Honda Fit long term tester, we posed a question about what could be done to make the tiny Fit popular with the street scene. Well, weve done our research, completed the homework assignments, and have come up with the following:

Honda Fit Sport
This is cheating a little bit because the Sport is a production model thats currently sold in dealerships. It does, however, look very smart, riding on larger, 15-inch alloy wheels instead of the starfish 14-inch wheel covers. Add that to a subtle bodykit that consists of front and rear air dams and a side skirt plus fog lamps, and what you have is a tasteful economy car thats been infused with a touch of sporting personality. And of course, we cant forget about that rear spoiler. Unfortunately, the Fit Sport lacks any physical changes, aside from the stickier, wider tires that might otherwise make it sportier. The engine, gearbox and brakes are direct carry-overs from our less glitzy model.

Mugen Fit Spec-D
Now this is a little bit more along the lines of what were talking about. The Fit Spec-D was released at the 2006 Tokyo International Motor Show and comes fitted with a supercharger that takes the place of the current cars plastic valve cover. The addition of the supercharger in combination with a different air intake and exhaust system enables the 1.5-liter engine to produce close to 150 hp. The sole gearbox on this demonstrator vehicle is a five-speed manual, accented with a red-stitched leather boot and alloy shift knob.

Outside things get pretty wild; almost every single body panel has been modified, except the roof. The tail lights are carbon-fiber-look LEDs, the hood features a bigger center bulge, while the fenders, doors, and bumpers have been widened with a widebody kit to accommodate meatier tires. Special touches on this particular Fit include a new set of gauges that feature a digital speedometer, dash-top gauge pod, leather and suede trimmed seats, plus a TFT navigation, digital climate control  system (the latter two are available on the Fit in Japan). Honda should really consider putting together something special like this for demonstration purposes, to show the masses that yes, the Fit is cool, and yes, the Fit is capable of producing some pretty jaw-dropping performance results.

Spoon Sports Fit
It might not be road legal, but the Spoon Sports Fit is no less a tuned Fit. Honda tuning experts Spoon have given a stock Fit some rather unusual treatments, as theyve prepared it to be an endurance racing car. Out goes all the standard road-going gear like the seats, door panels and air conditioning unit in order to better the cars power to weight ratio. Meanwhile, the 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine has been breathed upon to produce 125 horsepower, up from the stock 109 ponies. Add special dampers and Spoons own super lightweight 15-inch alloy wheels, and what you get is a blue and yellow Fit thats capable of reaching serious speed; around the Motegi race circuit in Japan, this Fit can pull lap times as quick as a stock NSX!

Mugen Fit Dynamite
Although the Fit Dynamite preceded both the Spec-D and the Spoon Sports models (2004 vs. 2006), its probably the pinnacle in terms of Fit performance. Instead of the standard 1.5-liter economy-biased engine, Mugen swapped it out in favour of something with a bit more punch, namely the K20A-series VTEC inline-four out of an Acura RSX Type-S. Tuned with a special exhaust system and manifold, this engine makes 260 horsepower at 8,800 rpm, ensuring that when pedal is put to the floor, itll go off like, well, a stick of dynamite.

Completing the engine swap is the six-speed manual gearbox out of the RSX Type-S, an upgraded brake system that consists of 11.1 inch disc brakes that are clamped on by Brembo calipers. To ensure clearance of the larger brakes, Mugen also upgraded the wheels to 225-width, 17-inch diameter, while a roof-mounted spoiler, diffuser, and smooth underbody ensure that the Fit stays glued to the ground at extra-high speeds. The body kit that was featured on this car is also featured on the Fit Spec-D; its also available as a stand alone option for those wishing to add a bit of extra flair to their city car. Wow!

Weve only gone over a couple of the dozen different performance-modified Fits on the market today; theres plenty more where they came from! With that, its time to move over to the logbook:

Odometer: 4,973 miles

Jonathan: I dont know how he did it, but Justin tricked me into the Fit again. Nothing against the cleverness, but as an advocate of back health, make sure you take a legitimate test drive in any car youre considering, whether its a Fit or an Escalade. Even if its just me in the car and I pat myself on the back for using 4¢ less fuel per mile, I dont think any amount of savings are worth the misery. Even though Ive made previous trips and not been entirely affected, I am unable to find a comfortable seating position on a regular basis. Its a personal thing, so definitely dont dismiss this vehicle or any other based on my reaction to its seats, but do not overlook the long-term commitment you are making to the seats when you purchase a new vehicle.

As I mentioned I only made one long commute from out in the suburbs to my midtown office, and while I was on my own in this car, I had the opportunity to contemplate its performance: it is stellar, more than I would ever hope for from a subcompact car with an automatic transmission, but it never failed to provide a smooth ride and good jump, even when already up at highway speeds and looking to get around some big concrete mixers. At ordinary highway speeds its always surprising how solid it feels, and the crisp steering is also reassuring when cruising along, imagining disastrous scenarios–just a fun game I like to play.

Odometer: 5,175 miles

Justin: Oh please; the Fits seats arent that bad considering two very vital facts: price and purpose. I agree with you; they arent the best seats in the world - no, that honour goes to Volvo, or, maybe that 5-Series BMW you transferred out of with its comfort 2,700-way adjustable seat. But then again, those seats cost what would make an excellent down-payment on the Fit.

On that note, there are a couple of things that would really help improve the Fits seating from my point of view. The foam used to pad the seats is a bit on the soft side; it works well on the seatbacks and squabs, but not so well on the shallow bolsters. To better accommodate drivers of different body shapes and sizes, an adjustable lumbar support would definitely be welcome, as would a height adjustment. While the lumbar support bit is questionable, Hyundai, Kia and Chevrolet all offer a height adjustment lever (or knob) on their cars. And on that note of driving position, it would be nice to have a telescoping steering wheel, because, I often times find my knees rubbing up against the lower dashboards fascia. How much will all those goodies add to the bottom line? Theres the problem.

Odometer: 5,306 miles

Kogodos: Now that Im well-acquainted with the fit, driving it feels like
second nature. Im able to do things like shuffle around the gears on the automatic in city limits to extract that little bit more out of the engine without really looking at the gearbox. Its things like this that give the car a familiar feel.

In this weeks stint in the Fit, I was destined for a magazine casting and therefore I had just a little equipment in tow. Just my briefcase, a small hat, a set of halogen lights as well as a portable light fixture. Now, surprisingly most of these fit into what may be considered one passenger leg room. Parking was a real breeze on a street where kind motorists had parked and left enough room for a small frog to fit in. I used to be quite good at parallel parking, but sadly my proficiency is no longer with me and in times like these the Honda comes through like a real friend. Now, if only this little car could pay for parking…

Odometer: 5,384 miles

Justin: Ive finally gotten around to cleaning the interior of the Fit, which, come to think of it took longer than expected. The call for the automotive spring cleaning has more to do with the fact that it got very dirty all of a sudden for no apparent reason. One afternoon, while looking for a press packet through my collected mass of papers, magazines and other media-related goods, I so happened to notice that there was a fairly large pile of soil mounded up on hte floor, so much so that I couldve planted a small tree in it. Not knowing how it got there, and having given up on the search for the book, I decided a clean-up was necessary. It started with a thorough vacuuming job, which got rid of the earth, which was then followed by a good deodorizing (Febreeze, no less). A once-over with a Swiffer static cloth, and a bit of Simple Green cleaner spray got rid of the dust and any marks that had made themselves present in the plastic. Even after being worked hard for the past couple of months, the Fit really does look brand new again.

Odometer: 5,468 miles

Justin: Its just struck me now: I cant believe it, but not a single thing has gone wrong with our Honda Fit. Honda might not be pushing the same level of advertising about its reliability and quality, but the Suzuka, Japan-built Fit has proven to be a true gem. Generally at this point in time, cars begin to loosen up. Things such as the motor and gearbox start to unwind, and its usually at this point when a car gets its first squeaks or rattles. Not so in the Fit; everythings bolted perfectly together, and on the road, its only tires, engine and the mild rush of wind. On that note, I think the car may have picked up a slow leak, gradually deflating the left rear tire causing the steering to wobble about and vibrate. But a quick fill-up cured the problem. Meanwhile, the Maintenance Minder (standard on all Fits) is telling us that weve got about 30-percent oil life remaining, which means that were behind schedule for an oil change…