[mexellent]

First, a little background on me. My name is Alejandro and I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas in Arlington. I joined a club at UTA called Formula SAE. Its a club that builds a racecar completely out of scratch every year, and then we take it to Detroit and compete against schools from all over the world. Anyway, the way the drivers are usually chosen is we put them in a very old car, and see how they perform. The year I finally was able to drive, we had a tight schedule so instead of training us they just threw us in one of the newer cars to see who was the fastest. I happened to be one of the few who made the cut. That year, we blew the engine we had at competition so I was unable to drive. This year, I got invited to go to the SCCA Nationals, and I was able to get 4th overall in my class. Before I drove UTA's cars I used to autocross my Jetta quite a bit. It had basic suspension and performance bolt-ons, and I think that car handled quite well. Anyway, that is the reason why I call myself a racecar driver. If you disagree, thats cool, I dont care. On to the review:

Ergonomics:
The seating position is one of an economy car. You sit very upright. This allows for easy ingress and egress. Its not exactly sporty but it works pretty well in the Fit. Especially if you consider that the Fit is just a commuter car, and not a racecar.

One of the downsides to this seating position is that your butt and your feet are on a completely different level. Its almost like youre sitting at a dinner table. It feels awkward, but I cant say that it is bad for the driver. I was surprised by the seats though. I was expecting them to have little bolsters that are spaced far apart to accomodate larger drivers (like my jetta). However, I was pleasently surprised to find that the bolsters are spaced perfectly for me so that when you move from side to side, you dont travel very far before the other bolster catches you. Only real downside I see is that the weight of the driver is pretty high, so your CG goes up, but by how much, I cant say. The shifter is a good distance from the steering wheel. A good benchmark for me is if you can touch the shifter with the pinky of your right hand, and the steering wheel with your thumb from the same hand, then the shifter is not too far. Also, the light/wiper stalks are a perfect distance from the steering wheel. Even if you put the high beams on, you can still turn on your blinkers without really taking your hand off the wheel. I think one could really benefit from putting an aftermarket seat in there.

Overall, the ergo in the Fit is excellent. It is a very good compromise in my opinion.

Handling:
The Fit is quite competent stock. I feel that the stiffness of the springs and the damping is almost perfect. It never floats, but it soaks up bumps perfectly. During hard turns, it leans, but not excessively. I also imagine that the effect is amplified since the driver is up so high. I imagine that with the sport wheels the car feels much better. During steady state turns, the Fit doesnt feel as planted as my modified Jetta. I think it is partly because the layout of the car. The mass is all very close together (engine, driver, gas tank are all relatively close to each other) and when you throw in that quick ratio steering rack, it gives the Fit a very agile (somewhat jittery) feel. While the Jetta performs quite well, even if it doesnt feel like it. At the limit, the Fit understeers predictably. I tried to make it oversteer by "flicking it" but the car just understeered slightly while tightening its line. Very good.

I also attempted the emergency lane change maneuver on a secluded road. I was going about 45 miles per hour and I flicked the wheel to the left. The Fit quickly reacts and gets into the next lane incredibly fast. Although the stock tires made it feel somewhat reluctant, it still performed quite admirably.

The most amazing thing is how accurately you can drive the Fit. You can put the front wheels EXACTLY where you want them. That to me is just amazing.

My only real gripe is that there is considerable dive when you hit the brakes hard.

I think that putting sport wheels (or similar) on would be a VERY good place to start if youre the owner of a base Fit. That is my first planned modification as soon as these tires are gone.

Engine:
Again, when you get down to it, the Fit is just an economy car. And when you take that into consideration, I think that the Fit has an excellent engine. Its not exactly a performance engine, but I find that its a good balance between comfort, performance, and economy. The engine gets very peppy after around 4000 RPMS and it seems very willing. Passing on the highway is good. I found no need to downshift. Also, I managed to squeeze 40 mpg just by going the speed limit on the highway. Sometimes I noticed a slight delay if I were to floor it while in a higher gear. Like fourth gear going 45mph, for example.

However, some things bother me quite a bit if Im pushing the Fit hard. The main thing is the DTW. The way the computer opens the throttle feels really unlinear. For example, I give the car 1/4 throttle input, but the computer opens the throttle 3/4 of the way. This is great when youre just putt-ing around, because it makes the car feel powerful. However, when I ease on to the throttle, i get most of the response in the beginning, and the rest feels like unecessecary travel. Similarly, when letting go of the pedal when its full throttle, the car continues to pull quite hard if you dont let go of the throttle fast enough. If youre not used to it, it can be annoying. You almost have to let go of the throttle all the way really quick if you want the car to stop accelerating.

Thats the main complaint. The good thing about the car is if you start driving hard, and continue to drive hard, the car is very responsive. Its just temporarily unhappy if you go from normal driving to aggressive driving. You kinda gotta get it in the mood.

Braking:
Well, not much to say here. The brakes are good and the car stops pretty quick. ABS is good too. Only complaints are the brake pedal is WAY too sensitive. It makes it very hard for me to heel toe. And also there is too much dive for me.

OVERALL:
The Fit is not a sports car. So you cant really compare it to a sports car. However, the Fit does have EXCELLENT handling and braking for an economy car. The engine is a little anemic but more than adequate for street use. Overall, I think this car is extremely fun for what it is.