A Reflection;


I commute almost 500 miles a week and between trips on weekends and weeknights the miles really piled on this car. Bought my 2009 CBP Sport M/T end of November 2009 and have literally driven this car everywhere. Needless to say I'm impressed with this car, despite some huge shortcommings by Honda.

The Good:
I drive a mix of highway/backroads in about a 50/50 blend. I'm hard on my car due to crappy NE roads, snow, construction, heat and traffic jams. I'm still averaging around 36mpg combined in the middle of the summer, near 40 if I don't run A/C. I'm an A/C hog and will run it 24/7 if its humid or hot. No suspension issues, nothing mechanical, and nothing really gone wrong with the car despite its severe duty. This car sees redline on a daily basis and also gets the tar beat out of it on on-ramps and highway interchanges as well. This car has shrugged them off. I love the Fit because it has personality and because you can have so much fun driving slow.
It stores everything I need, holds 13423523 beverages and did I mention this thing has 2 glove boxes. Never used anything other than the Ipod hook-up and the stereo is better than expected. It's decent in the snow, and being my first vehicle with ABS it has earned its due a few times already.

The Bad:
I'm picky when it comes to cars. I'm a technician for a German luxury brand as a daily grind so I nitpick anything that doesn't seem to "work". Shame on Honda for not offering heated mirrors in this car, when europe and Japan get them as standard. Anyone in a snowbelt state will tell you its a great thing to have.
Gearing - given this is a city car that somehow made it to the US allows me to forgive Honda a bit for this, but is still worth noting. 1st gear is simply too short for any use, especially with 15" wheels. 5th is not tall enough for allow for relaxed highway cruise anywhere near 70mph.
Seats. Anyone will tell you the front seats suck. In every respect. No bolster, not enough lumbar and the seat does not tip back enough to provide any kind of angle to the driver.
A/C output. Given the glass area of the car, the A/C is simply not cut out for this car. Whether its a problem specific to my car or not - any 90+ degree day, the A/c must be keep on recirc and fan speed 3 to keep up with the heat.

The Ugly.
Some flaws are just quirks for a vehicle, but some really leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.
The clutch. Universally known as an issue with the GE's I find the clutch takeup, engagement and speed unacceptable for any car. It almost ruins the driving experience for me as it does not allow for quick upshifts or downshifts and effectively screws up the 2-3 shift if you are not careful. Clutch delay valves should not be this alarmingly noticeable in a car.
A/C condenser issues. While I have dodged this bullet myself - and fitted mesh days after I bought the car, I find it un-Honda-like that a manufacturer would leave such a critical part exposed and then not warranty the part when it experiences failure so soon into its life. It seems stupid to have to modify a stock vehicle right off the showroom floor in order to prevent and expense to yourself.

Overall, I am happy and reasonably impressed with this car. The few mods I have taken on have helped the car stand out and I love driving it. Will i keep it after I pay it off? Not likely.
If my commute becomes smaller, mileage will not be such an issue and I long for something with a few more comforts and a little more power. But for sure this car will not leave my possession without some angst and thought.

 

I'm retired so don't have a commute, but I like to drive and LUV my Fit.

Picked up the car on Mar 15, 2009, and by years end had put on just over 30,000 miles.

This included a 6K road trip I made from Upstate New York to Glacier National Park in Montana, so even subtracting that, my 9 month total was 24K+.

This year so far I've put on 22.7K with 4 months still to go!

I LOVE to drive, and I LOVE my Fit!!

 

i have over 13000 since march 23.

 

i love to drive and have a 100 mile a day commute.

brought home brand new with 12 miles on odo on nov 1, 2009 and i have 29,877 reading on the odo today.

i agee with most of the "bad" in the op posting. i did my research and lurked a bit on fitfreak to warrant that the AT would be a better choice since im on the highway 80% of the time. the a/c imo is adequate in a car of this price range.

i will keep my fit till it dies. its my daily driver and i love this little thing. i will slowly mod it as time and funds allow. i will soon be acquiring another car for weekend fun and light track duties.

 

Same here partners...almost 2 years old and my BBS has 46k miles on it. Some issues one under warranty and the other goodwilled by my dealership.

I love this car!

 

good review and your fit looks fantastic.

about the really short first gear...i suppose i'd feel the same way if i didn't drive on san francisco hills almost everyday. trust me, that first gear works wonders in chinatown since the motor is lacking in torque. it'll save your life if you have a car full of passengers.

i do agree about the inconsistent clutch. i like to think of myself as a pretty smooth driver but this car's manual transmission has been the most fickle that i've ever had the chance to step on.

 

We have a 2007 Honda Fit Sport and WE have logged over 240,000 on it. It's the GREATEST car we've ever owned! My husband commuted 200 miles a day to and from work and we also have taken it all over the Southeast in travel. We've (pardon the expression) FIT us,3 kids,2 dogs and all our camping gear either IN it or ON it.\We just replaced the engine because of the hard driving and the transmission has needed some work as well but we are looking to drive our baby til the wheels fall off! The Fit is STILL "go"!

 

I bought my Fit at the end of February this year and I've got 15k on the clock right now. I've taken 5 trips back home to Detroit, 2 "little" trips out on route 66 and 2 weekends ago we all took a ride to Starved Rock state park where I put about 325 miles on the car for the day.

When I was back home in Detroit I switched the oil over to Mobil 1 (0w30) and Mobil 1 filter. The mileage showed 14,686 and I will now only run Mobil 1 in the car and keep it in for atleast 10k too. I'm going to have an oil test done to it too, I bet it can stay in longer. I noticed this things oil just didn't seem to get dirty. My first oil change was at 8400 miles and it was still pretty clean, Honda has done a good job with this cars state of tune.

Looking forward to the next 135K

 

5 months and 9K miles. I love this car. I am retired and drive my FIT more than if I was still on the payroll.

The clutch?? Finicky but predictable in my mind. It drives as well as any other, plain and simple. It is only a Fit.

Short gears, well I'm not sure about that. Comes in mighty handily at times. Top gear is giving me 40MPG so I can't complain, though I started to as soon as I started driving my FIT.

Heated mirrors I will go with, even our Canadian friends get them as standard as well as a low windscreen washer fluid level warning - go figure.

The good - I'm right there with you - however, my daughter hooked me up with an i-pod loaded and it's just about all the tunes I need + my XM -- I'm in heaven.

It is one hell of a car and my hope is it and it's class will gain an upper hand respect in the good old USA.