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I'm thinking of buying one of these and actually test drove one yesterday. I previously test drove a Jetta wagon (TDI) and will look at some other competitors. To put it in perspective, I currently drive either a 2002 Honda Odyssey or a 2006 MINI Cooper S. I drove a Fit Sport with manual transmission. The Fit would either replace the Odyssey or the old Volvo we leave out in the street. If the Volvo (manual transmission) goes, we'll get a Fit with a manual transmission. If the Odyssey goes, we'll probably spring for the automatic.
The Fit is well put together and has lots of well-thought out details. It does not have the same quality feel as the Odyssey. No mystery there as the Odyssey costs twice as much, weight lots more, and has a 3.5 liter V6.
I'm 6'2" and the Fit works OK. It's annoying that the seat does not adjust up and down; I'd like to lower it a bit. The rear view mirror is in my line of sight (I'm long in the waist and sit tall) though it does adjust vertically a bit. That said, the seats are comfortable enough and the car actually passed the self-behind-self test (adjust the front seat for yourself, then see if you can sit comfortably behind it). I think the magic seats and storage in general is awesome--it's a real selling point for the car. Cloth seats have always bugged me, and the Fit is no exception. These seats will look awful after the first spill from one of the abundant cup holders. I do not expect leather at this price point, but I would much rather have something like the "Leatherette" MINI uses or the "VW-Tex" of VW.
Clutch feel and take up is fine, if unremarkable. Steering is pretty good though there is an annoying dead spot in the middle that seemed particularly bad around 30-40 mph. Acceleration is OK but has nothing on the MINI Cooper S. If you've ever driven a real driver's car, the Fit will not leave you thinking it's a sporty car, not even the "Sport" version. The car seems undergeared and freeway speeds (I only got up to about 65 mph) had the thing winding out--I can't imagine it would be lots of fun on a long highway trip because it feels and sounds like it's really working hard. You can almost hear the engine begging for either a sixth gear or a better ratio. Maybe the reason people get good mileage in their Fits is because the abusive sound and feeling at high speed convinces them to drive at the legal limit or below. We've happily taken the Odyssey on trips of thousands of miles (and the Volvo as well); the Fit would not be a good choice for a cross-country road trip. This may not influence our decision because we see it mostly as a city car for local use.
The controls are thoughtfully laid out, the stereo (I didn't test the one that comes with the NAV system) is certainly good enough for this price point. The Fit Sport is pretty well optioned, though making me pony up for a useless (to me) NAV system to get the VSA I find to be a useful safety option really bugs me. Ditto with the steering-wheel mounted audio controls which I also classify as a safety item. I understand why manufacturers bundle options, but I'd rather they bundled them in functional groups. Oh well.
The Jetta TDI wagon I drove last week was more convincing from a driver's perspective. Where the Japanese excel in attention to detail, the German attention to ergonomics beats it hands down. The Jetta had a much better shifter (six-speed) and much torque, which is to be expected with a diesel. I found headroom worse in the Jetta and rear-seat passengers will definitely prefer the Fit. The driver's seat in the Jetta is definitely superior. This is not a fair comparison because the Jetta TDI I drove cost almost $5,000 more than the Fit I drove--I'd probably choose the Fit over the Jetta anyway.
Another car we're looking at include the Subaru Outback (well equipped for only a couple thousand more than the Fit), though the poor mpg bothers me more than the occasional advantage of all-wheel-drive.
Anyway, I liked the Fit Sport and may end up buying one in a few months. It's a nice car.
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