Hello all. I am new to this forum, as I am looking to get a 2009 Fit soon. I am currently driving a 2007 Accord EX-V6 w/ Navi, but I was involved in an accident about four months ago that did approximately $10,000 worth of damage to the front end (Yes, bent the frame, was bent back).

My wife and I just had our first baby three weeks ago (bouncing baby boy!) and I am worried that my Honda will just die on a whim without any sudden notice (My father sells Hondas, and I dabbled in it for a while, so I trust Honda dependability 100%, but it had extensive repairs done). So, I am looking at the 2009 Fit Sport w/ Navi (mainly for VSA, can't be too safe).

I would like to hear from anyone that has put an infant child base or child seat in their GE8 Fit. I have been in and out of the Fit (I have found suitable LATCH points in the seat and on the roof) but I would like to hear from people who have actually used it. Thanks!

 

when we test drove the fit, first thing i did was install my son's carseat.
I was sold on the safety features such as a side curtain airbags and it was still roomy for him. The latches seems to be standard on all vehicles 2003 and up. I know my mom's 2002 avalon does not have it but my 2003 tacoma and 03 corolla had latches.
We carry a small stroller which fits fine in the hatch but might have difficulty fitting a full size stroller.

The only concern i really have are the big suv's here in socal that love to tailgate smaller cars.
I made sure i had a baby in car sticker but most of them still do not keep a safe distance.

 

Congratulations on your new baby boy!

About your older Honda dieing all of a sudden without notice... I find it unlikely. My 21 year old Civic still starts and runs fine even when it's -30C for weeks on end up here in Canada. But mine was never in a crash either.

I haven't used a child seat in my Fit but it does look like a simple task to put one in. There are easy to reach anchors on the back of the rear seats. Installation is very well shown on the owners manual.

 

Kazs, did you install the seat in the middle of the back seat, or on one side? The only reason I can think of to install on one side is so you can use one half of the magic seat to fold down.

 

both our 08 and 09's have Recaro YoungSport and booster seats installed.
fitment is perfect and still ample room in the trunk for stroller, etc.

congrats on the baby boy! we have 2 little guys ourselves. boys are fun.

 

Well, I'm glad a few Freaks have some very youngins.

Kenchan, it looks like you have a 2009 Fit Sport AT without Navi. Is this correct? How do you feel without VSA?

My 2007 Accord has VSA, and I have felt it kick on whenever I had to make evasive maneuvers on a long stretch of highway (damn Armadillo herd!).

If you don't have it, do you regret not getting it?

 

just behind the passenger seat at the moment

 

Congrats on your new son! I have 2 Britax marathons in the back of my 09 Fit. I can confirm that the Latch anchors are very easy to access. I was considering getting the Fit with Nav for the VSA but as I have a Garmin and the additional cost felt it was a little steep. I have high hopes that Honda unbundles VSA from the Navigation option in 2010.

 

Had a 07 2 door Yaris hatchback and purchased an 09 Sport fit because my wife and just recently had our first daughter and it was a hell of a hassle getting the car seat in and out of the 2 door.

I currently use a Maxi Cosi base with infant car seat and it works great. We have the base strapped in via the 2 metal mounting points located within the seats. Also, my wife has had our 2 month old daughter and our friends 5 month old in the back a couple of times. Each car seat strapped in via the belts on either side in the back seats. The car is great. There is also plenty of room in the back to store our large stroller and diaper bag.

I would highly recommend the fit. It's my first honda, I've always been a toyota guy, but I love this car.

 

I have 2 Britax seats in my '09 Fit AT. Being that the Fit is a subcompact, there's not a TON of room, but they do fit just fine. My 2 yr old and very tall 4 1/2 yr old have never complained. NOTE: They are close enough to reach each other - this can be good or bad, you decide
The LATCH points on the Fit is by far the easiest I have EVER used! However, my older girl is too heavy for LATCH so I have to use the seat belt which is not quite as easy.
The rear doors open very wide so it's easy for them to climb in and out (or to put the younger ones in).
As for NAV/VSA, I wish I had opted for it. You get NAV, VSA and steering wheel mounted radio controls. I was in a hurry to get my Fit so I didn't want to wait for NAV/VSA. Now that winter is here, I wish I had waited! (although my Fit has actually done very well in the snow so far...) And since I am planning on keeping this car until my girls can drive it I think VSA would have been a good choice.
Here is what my back seat looks like:
--oops, sorry - I can't figure out how to attach a photo!!! Can someone help me out?

 

Hi I use a child seat for my 2 year old son... It works fine. I mount it in the center so that in the event there is a side impact there is more room for invation on impact. It is more work to mount it in the center because you can not use the latches. I was an EMT for four years at a fire department that got 5,000 calls a year back then. Tbone collisions are a big deal. I had an officer give me a bad time for buying such a small car but keep the speed down and drive safer routes and I think the fit is fine. look at my post I have wrecked on fit already. Oncoming car did not yeild my right of way and I did not have time to react... good luck.

 

i chose the at sport navi vsa for it's vsa. i have a nephew that came to visit at 6 months old and we put a car seat behind the passenger seat. we had enough room for two adults in the back even with a car seat. we fit a stroller in the back along with their weekend gear. 1 22" suitcase and duffle bags.

just some of my first hand experience with a car seat. my in law put in the car seat so i don't know how that works. i'm sure it was easy.

 

It is very convenient to install the child seat to my Fit. Much easier than my CRV. Plus, my 2 year old likes it better than my other vehicles. As far as safety is concerned, I have full confidence my child will be well protected.

 

I have a 2009 Honda Fit in Orange Revolution, with Manual Transmission and Navigation. I have a 2 year old kid who frequently rides with me. He loves it. The car seat is easy to install: less than 2 minutes. The LATCH system is very accessible. They placed large slits in the upholstery - a big difference from my Civic where you had to put your finger in between the cushions. The rear latch is easily accessible from the cargo compartment. All this will allow you to really tighten the straps, and secure the seat.

Removing the car seat is also easy, just loosen the straps, and those slits in the upholstery makes you release the hooks just as easily.

BTW, the I also took the Navi because of the VSA. It works - kicks in when you need it. I was driving in snow once, in unplowed highway, and even with streets going in upward incline: the Navi turns on when it detects the wheel is not stable. I was driving slowly though. I was passing SUVs and Minivans who could not go anywhere because their wheels were just spinning.

Here are some pictures: with the magic seats raised you can also have room for a stroller; or you could put it in the cargo compartment.

I hope that this helps.

 

right, no VSA, but it's running W60 snow tires. my wife was driving
my 06 LegacyWgn (AWD) until recently when i decided to get rid of it
and get the 09FitSport. she has not complained one bit about loosing
traction in the snow we've had in IL.

VSA + A/S tires is < vs non-VSA + Snow tires.

think about it. if you get snow tires with the VSA, that would
be more of a complete setup.


i have other cars that have similar technologies to VSA. but they
sometimes work AGAINST you in deep snow unless you have snow tires.

 

Congratulations on the baby! My wife and I are expecting in July. I'd like to hijack this thread just a little bit: how about rearward facing infant seats in particular? Has anyone tried any particular brands that fit well? Any that don't fit? We'd like to get something that still allows the passenger seat to be set pretty far back if the child seat is behind it; we'd also something easy to install and, of course, safe! Thanks for the help as we're brand new to this. . .

 

I have a 1 yr old son. Our car seat fits in fine. The only problem I see is, you'll definitely need to get the windows tinted. I find more sunlight in the cabin and it's in my son's face, possibly due to the larger front windshield?

 

I'm bumping this thread to ask about infant seats again. . . has anyone had any experience with the Graco SnugRide, Chicco KeyFit 30, or Baby Trend Flex Loc?

< 5 months to go!

 

I'm sure you've done research and are asking for personal opinions (can't help ya there, sorry) but I do enjoy reading reviews and comparing products so I thought I would share a couple of links.

In summary, it looks like you have listed the top three car seats, so you should be more than happy with any of these. I hope others can chime in on more personal experience, but if not here are the links to the "expert" reviews:

Best Infant Car Seats - Infant Car Seats Reviews

Infant Car Seats: Consumer Guide Infant Car Seat Reviews

Good luck, and congrats!

 

I've been using the Recaro Young Sport seat for my son and it works great. I do recommend getting the windows tinted as my son is always squirming to get the sun out of his eyes.