2009 Honda Fit Sport Review
By: Nathan D. Adlen
A Sequel better than the original!
It’s not often that I get psyched-up over getting my hands on a new economy car, but when I found out that I was getting a 2009 Honda Fit Sport (with a 5 speed manual!) I was rather eager. The original Fit was a masterstroke by Honda and from what I knew, the new one was even better.
Prices are about the same, from about $15,000 and change for the base to $18,000-ish for a fully loaded Honda Fit Sport automatic with navigation. Hold on, I know that’s a little pricy, but with the base model Honda Fit you get air conditioning, power windows/doors and a nice stereo with a MP3 jack – standard. If you look at the competition, some require extra dough for those amenities. After equipping these competitors, the price is in the Honda Fit’s ballpark.
Here’s why I liked the original Fit: great mileage, fun driving experience, gobs of useable space and it had a playful personality. It’s no secret that I dislike most hybrids, for they take away from the driving experience and many pollute in ways that are not so obvious. The original Honda Fit got close to hybrid numbers while being cheaper to own and much more fun.
Guess what? The 2009 Honda Fit is better in every way!
Yup, this is a sweet little car. The new styling is much more aggressive and handsome; still, you won’t confuse it with any other car. The interior is a tad larger in most dimensions and most of the controls are new. Despite the new components, the 2009 Honda Fit is familiar in design and few will have qualms with the new design language. As a matter of fact, I find the Honda Fit’s new external design one of the most handsome in Honda’s fleet (next to the S2000 and the Civic Si).
One of the most noticeable new internal touches is the thoughtful addition of more cup holders. Two of them are on the dashboard right in front of the far right and left vents. This can be a bit irritating for some as you lose some of the functionality of the vent; however, you gain a heating or cooling element for your cup of Jo or soda! It works too. If you don’t want to loose a vent, there are 6 more (yes, six) cup holders within the driver’s reach to choose from - if you include the door mounted bottle holders. There are 10 cup holders in the car total, dude that’s as many as many minivans!
The Honda Fit’s controls are very easy to access and each button and knob is oversized for ease of use. I wish more cars were built like this. There are 2 glove compartments to choose from. The top one has a nifty USB port that can hook directly to your Ipod. When I used mine, the stereo controls switched to MP3 controls rather intuitively. It took me about 7 minuets to figure out the entire audio system (about 1/5 of the time it took me to figure out other Honda/Acura audio packages).
Seating is what the Honda Fit is all about. The seats themselves are very comfortable and can hold most people. One of my few complaints about the Honda Fit was the lack of driver’s leg room. I needed another inch or two to pull my legs off the door’s arm rest and the cup holders just ahead of the shifter. You can’t lower the seat cushion as the fuel tank is underneath the driver’s seat. This is how Honda magically opened up the rear seating and cargo area for tons of storage space.
The rear seat can fold up in an easy motion and lock in place, opening up a low, flat floor. I was able to place a 40 lbs bag of dog-food on the flat floor on one side and had room for at least two more bags. This was on the larger side of the seat cushion, but it illustrates how much room there is. If you fold all of the seats flat, there is enough room for cargo to compete with midsized SUVs. Both “magic” seats folded up will give you enough room to place a bicycle inside. It really is impressive and the perfect car for pet lovers who need open, flat storage to place kennels. Plus, you can fold down the passenger’s seat completely – thus accepting items up to 7 ½ feet long.
All of the door openings are commendably large which makes loading children, pets and cargo a snap. My 4-year-old was easily able to hop into her seat after opening the door by herself. This is a big help for those of us who have their hands full. My other complaint is about the actual shape of the front doors. They are very square on the bottoms and I managed to scrape my shin more than once (granted, I’m a bit of a klutz).
To be honest, the interior is built at a price. Compared with the Honda Civic or the Honda Accord, the Honda Fit’s insides are a bit flimsy and plastics are hard. You can clearly see where some corners were cut; regardless, this is logical given the discount price of the Honda Fit. Whatever discounts were taken on materials, they are easily forgotten when you drive.
Once you fill up the wee little Honda Fit you will toddle off with no problem. The 5 speed manual provided nice grunt once I hit over 5000 rpm. If you keep the engine on boil, zipping around traffic is a breeze. Unfortunately, if you shift low, you will be somewhat sluggish. Just remember that the power plant is Honda. Shifting at higher rpm is the best way to drive a Honda; follow this guideline and you’ll be fine. Surprisingly, the 5 speed automatic (or optional paddle shifting auto on the Honda Fit Sport) are just about as efficient as the manual. I still think manuals are more exciting (even if the stick rubs against my leg in 1st and 3rd).
The new Honda Fit’s beefed up 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine produces 117 horsepower and 109 lbs of torque which is a bit of an increase over the old Honda Fit (up about 6%). With either set up (manual or automatic) you will average about 28 – 31 mpg combined (I averaged 26 driving like an idiot). On the center of the speedometer display, there is a digital mile per gallon readout giving you real time mpg. With the manual, if you pay attention and keep your revs low, it’s possible to get much better mileage, but that’s at the expense of performance.
The power to weight ratio on the manual Honda Fit Sport is about one horsepower per every 21 lbs. That’s not too shabby, especially given a vehicle that is supposed to be an economy car. You see, with such a flyweight (about 2,500 lbs) and Honda’s legendary balance, you have a rather sporting little machine. I genuinely had a good time tossing the Honda Fit Sport around corners. It’s not as sporty as a Mini Cooper, but few other cars in this bracket can run with it on canyon roads. Although the brakes are a tad spongy for my taste, they work quite well in a panic. The Honda Fit Sport’s larger tire and wheel combo work beautifully with the car (16 inch alloys rather than 15 inch steel used in the base model).
Having the larger front port widows ahead of the side mirrors is a big help when maneuvering. They, along with the higher side beams and larger windows, give the impression that you are sitting in a much larger vehicle. It is also an excellent altitude for looking out at traffic.
Freeway driving is fairly uneventful, but there is a bit of wiggle on uneven stretches and expansion joints. Also, expect a good measure of shake going over pot holes and speed bumps. It’s not horrible; as long as you make sure that your coffee is sufficiently sipped to avoid a hot mess. Remember: this is a tiny car that feels big. Road irregularities are going to be felt. Still, this little car dances in the corners… it’s lots of fun!
The 2009 Honda Fit is one of the best cars in its class – period. I cannot recommend it highly enough, for it is such a sweet package for the price. Yes, you can get cheaper cars for a couple thousand less, but they cannot touch the quality and workmanship of the Honda Fit. Look at it like this: do you want an economy car or a fun/functional machine that happens to be an economy car?
Thought so!