2007 Honda Fit

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This week, Dave Jordan checks out the 2007 Honda Fit:

Most compact cars available today have gradually moved upmarket in size, price and creature comforts over the past several years. Fine cars such as the Toyota Corolla, VW Golf (Rabbit) and Honda Civic, to name a few, have expanded to the point where they are nudging up against their big brothers' automotive category. What to do, what to do. Well, auto manufacturers, never missing an opportunity to benefit from a burgeoning market segment, took the obvious approach to this dilemma by introducing smaller, less expensive models. Although not all companies have filled this subcompact segment yet, Toyota (Echo/Yaris), Chevrolet (Aveo), Hyundai/Kia (Accent/Rio) and several others have taken advantage of higher oil prices and the desire by consumers to have available low-cost, quality transportation. Other manufacturers such as Ford and VW are expected to field their own super-minis, as they are known in other parts of the world, in the very near future.

Honda first introduced its Civic back in the early '70s offering a small, well-built, fuel-efficient machine to the masses. Until now the Civic had been Honda's entry-level, least-expensive offering. But mainly because of the Civic's ever-increasing dimensions and the opportunity to fill a void in North America left by that car's advancement upmarket, Honda saw an opportunity to introduce a new subcompact of its own. Introduced this year as a 2007 model, but in fact available in other markets since 2002, the Honda Fit neatly occupies the space where the Civic resided for so many years. Thanks to Bridgewater Honda for the opportunity to test drive a nicely equipped Fit LX.

The Honda Fit comes in four-door hatchback guise and offers several trim and option levels to accommodate the varying needs of its buyers. You can have a Fit in DX, LX or Sport trim levels with either a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic, making this little Honda the only car in its class to offer five automatically shifted forward gears. And you can even add the steering wheel-mounted paddle-shift option on the Sport model if you prefer to keep both hands on the wheel and still be able to select gears yourself — another first for a vehicle in this segment. ABS and six airbags come standard on all trim levels with a variety of creature comforts and accessories available depending on which Fit model you purchase. My LX came with A/C, PM, PW, PDL and a pretty decent-sounding four-speaker sound system.

Motivation comes in one flavour via a 1.5-litre, 16-valve VTEC engine providing 109 HP and 105 lb-ft of torque with maximum propulsion at the higher end of the rev limit, which is not unusual for engines of this type.

Chassis components are conventional with MacPherson-strut front dampers and a semi-independent torsion-beam rear suspension. The steering is of the variable effort electrically assisted type that changes its firmness and feel depending on speed. This type of steering assist works well and is becoming common with most of today's auto manufacturers.

I normally don't prefer automatic transmissions in smaller four-cylinder cars, but I was pleasantly surprised with how effortlessly this car moved along and how well the auto box adapted to different driving conditions. Overall driving dynamics were very good with a stable and controlled ride; a quiet, smooth engine; and pretty decent handling from the aforementioned suspension set-up and smallish 14-inch tires. Though not a barnstormer, the Fit handles itself admirably on the highway as well with good directional stability, a relaxed ride and easy passing manoeuvres when the five-speed auto kicks down. Economy ratings are a frugal 5.6L/100KM (50 MPG) highway and 7.8 L/100KM (36MPG) in the city. Manual transmission-equipped cars achieve slightly better city mileage but almost identical highway ratings.

This new Honda looks cool on the outside with its sleek wedge-shaped front profile, teardrop headlights and large expanses of glass. In Sport trim with the added body mouldings and larger 15-inch aluminum wheels, the Fit looks especially sharp.

The interior is what you would expect from a modern-day Honda. Excellent ergonomics, good quality materials and wonderful fit and finish combined with that oh-so-cool gauge lighting, first seen in the Civic, create an enjoyable atmosphere in which to drive away the miles. What's astounding about this diminutive people hauler, however, is the amount of interior space available for both passengers and their swag. From a cargo-carrying point of view, the Fit is really in a league of its own. With the trunk area holding some 21.3 cubic feet in normal seating configuration and an exceptional 42 cubic feet when the innovative rear 60/40 split Magic Seat is folded flat, this little Honda out-hauls every competitor in this segment and bests some in the larger compact category. If you fold the Fit's back-seat bottoms up against the fronts, you can stand objects up to 50 inches tall here, and items as long as 7'8" can be carried inside with the hatch closed thanks to the fully reclining front passenger-seat back-rest. You can certainly carry lots of stuff in this deceiving little package.

Fit prices start at just under $15,000 for the base DX with manual transmission, $17,200 will get you into an LX and slightly less than $19,500 will be required from your pocketbook if you want the Sport model with the nifty aero kit and additional options.

With its deceivingly generous cargo-carrying abilities, cool styling and frugal fuel-sipping drive-train, this newest super-mini is a Fit-ing addition to Honda's current model lineup.

Dave's Auto Archive – Honda's first product was the A-type bicycle engine and was introduced in 1947. Honda continues to develop motorcycle products to this day.