I'n not here to rant and rave. I bought a Fit (2007 with 28K miles on it) and I knew what I was getting. I don't hate the Fit but I can't honestly say I love it either. I find it to be reliable, very economical to maintain and rather bland. That said, I do have 2 things I would like to say to Honda.

1. The carpet is TERRIBLE. I have never seen such a cheap hunk of garbage as the carpet in that car. I have 58K miles on it and it looks like a bear has been using it for teething. I have had several Hondas over the years (starting with a 1980 Civic 1500GL) and I have never seen such terrible quality in a Honda product. There aren't even any decent OEM fit replacements available.

2. 33mpg highway? My 80 Civic got 45mpg highway 31 YEARS AGO. You cannot make me believe that in 31 years of Honda engine design and refinements that is the best you can do. I realize emissions standards play a role in this but in three decades surely you could have done better.

Okay, I feel better now...I've vented.

 

Huff... puff... pant... Well put D! I feel better now too

 

I get about 40 mpg highway on the Fit without even trying? The laws of physics will say though that you can only do so much to save gas when you increase weight. For what it is I think the L15 is an incredibly efficient engine.

Your 1980 Civic was also probably 700 lbs lighter and a deathtrap in any accident above 30 mph and was putting down a pluse pounding 60hp.

Safety standards, more weight, bigger car blah blah

I do agree the carpets are garbage.

 

Why do I feel like he went out and bought a Fit with an automatic transmission?

 

No need to get nasty...

...nope, it's a 5MT and it has never even sniffed 40mpg. I might have gotten 35mpg going downhill with the wind behind me but 40mpg is not something my little orange Fit will ever see.

 

If it could get 40mpg I'd be happy. FWIW the 80 Civic was 200lbs lighter and had 70hp and it was just plenty zippy..but yeah, it probably wasn't the safest car in a crash.

 

That's very strange unless you're driving 80mph everywhere. At 65mph on a flat road you should be seeing 40mpg easy unless there's something wrong.

 

On the stretch between where I live and Seattle (about 100 miles) which is relatively flat and the speed is a constant 65-70 on a good day I'll get 33-35 max. It's better than the 25mpg I got on my WRX but still less than I would have thought. I think the the Fit's reliability and low cost to maintain are it's strongest points. It's also reasonably fun to drive as long as you don't expect it to be something it isn't and is very useful as a utility vehicle. Fuel economy however (at least in my experience) is not the reason to buy the Fit.

I suppose weather might be a factor. OC has a lot of warm dry weather as opposed to NW Washington which does not and windy, wet conditions are not ideal for good mileage. As I recall my Civics always got better mileage in hot weather. That said my 86 Subaru wagon with 4WD and an engine ready to die any minute could manage 30mpg highway up here. Well...whatever the problem 40mpg is a fantasy as far as my Fit is concerned.

 

Ah, another Rex'er...

 

Most fun on 4 wheels...I had to sell mine but it's high on my list to pick another one up when the opportunity presents itself.

 

Yup... still have my '02... 109k and still havin' fun

 

I was getting between 37.5 and 39 pretty consistently when my car was stock but now the best I can do is 33 and the last tank was just under 28.. Using 0w30 synthetic oil in my car helped a lot and running it to red line in a couple of gears at wot after the engine has warmed up a couple of times will result in more ignition advance from the ECU and will also help get better mileage...

 

My AT just got two tanks over 39 mpg on a long road trip in 100 heat. Mostly 75+ mph through the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. The AT will hold it's own for a slushbox.

 

I think I'm a pretty careful driver when it comes to mileage (my wife says I drive like a grandma but I think that's got more to do with her lead foot than me). I suppose I need to make peace with 33mpg. At least it's not 23mpg.

 

The automatic Hondas fuel mileage isn't all that great in traffic or hilly terrain but with the taller gearing they have the engine is turning much lower revs than a car with manual transmission... I think I would prefer an automatic if I lived on the High Plains because the drop in revs would be less stressful..

 

I can honestly say that my Fit is still getting great gas milage and I normally fill up every 2 weeks. It has a lot to do with how you drive, weather and road conditions. I wouldn't give up my baby for anything and I know it has its faults but the fun factor just erases those things in my eyes.

 

In my mind the Fit is many things... practical, reliable, very economical to own (despite only fair mileage for a car in this class) and has a remarkable level of utility. I guess it's fun in the way that a Swatch is fun but I have a hard time seeing the Fit a fun in any other way. That's not a bad thing (I bought one after all) but I am seeing it as sort of a practical little wagon. There ARE some hot hatchbacks like the Mazda 3, New Ford Focus and VW GTI that really are a blast to drive but I don't know that I would put the Fit in that class of car. I gotta think that over.

 

I guess for me the fact that the Fit is fun -is based on several things. First my Fit is modified and doesn't look like anyone elses Fit on the road (at least here in WV). I've had people stop and ask me about the car, someone took a picture of my Fit rolling down the road sticking their cell phone out the sun roof to snap it and I've had guys give me the thumbs up. So yes, all that has been fun. I've never own a car that has gotten that kind of attention and I have to say everytime I open up the garage door I feel like Twinkie in FF Tokoyo Drift when he is showing Shane his car for the first time. To me the Fit puts a smile on my face everytime I get behind the wheel. Oh and this also makes owning my Fit fun...



I am the only person in WV who actually shows their car in import classes at cars shows all over WV and Ohio. We've actually won some Best of Shows and even though the car is my DD it is my weekend show baby too. So far the Fit has won 20 awards and this is something else fun that I do with my car. I still can't wait to get behind the wheel of the Fit and this is the only car I've ever had this connection with. Everything else was just transportation until I got the Fit. Purchased it for the good gas milage but then once I started modifying and making it my own - it became so much more. My hope is to keep driving the Fit for many more years. I have owned it for 4 years and only have 25,0000 miles on it so my hope is that it will take me to nearly my retirement time. Then I plan to purchase a Honda either a CRX, EG Hatch or Del Sol that will become my new show car. No matter what happens though the Fit will always be remembered as the most fun car I have ever owned.

 

Cat...I want to thank you for your post. You really have a terrific car and it's great to see what you have done (and are doing) with it. The table of trophies speaks volumes about both you and your ride. I also want to thank you for putting it into perspective for me. Recently I have been very down on my Fit. Not only on these forums but in the fact that I can barely stand to look at it or drive it anymore. What your post made me realize is that my problem with the Fit isn't about what it is but what it is not. What it isn't is my WRX.

About a decade ago I got a brand new 2002 WRX (silver sedan with no spoiler). It was my 40th birthday present (from my wife) and it was the kind of car I had been wanting for years. I grew up driving Hondas (multiple Civics) and now I had a thriving business, house, retirement, terrific wife...you get the picture. Fast forward several months...9/11 happened (and as a lot of our income came from work the shop did for Boeing it was devastating to the business) then a few months later I was diagnosed with cancer. My next step was going to be lay off my employees and try to downsize and ride it out. I was tol by my insurance company that if I did that they would cancel my insurance coverage (this is while I was in active treatment for my cancer). I kept all my employees and paid them with my savings, retirement and eventually by borrowing from my credit cards. A year later I was cancer free (and I am coming up on a decade cancer free next year) but I also lost everything of material value (savings, retirement, home and finally my WRX). In truth, I have gained much more than I lost. I went back and got my Masters my wife and I have a wonderful 8 year old boy (and after 27 years and still going strong) and I am probably in the best health (and shape) I have ever been in. My life is better in more ways than I can count. That said I also had a the great big cosmic reset button pushed on my life so at age 50 I am only 5 years into my job (although thankful to have a job in this economy) and facing the prospect of needing to work until I am 100 to get back to something resembling savings and retirement...but it's way better than being dead.

But...I miss the WRX and what it represented to me. I look at the Fit and it just seems like a goofy orange faux car (partly because it was all the car I could afford). The Fit and the WRX could not be more different. The WRX was fast, agile, reckless and could go anywhere (fire roads were a thing of beauty in my WRX). I also learned how to work on it so I had a connection with it like I have never had with any car (just as you have with your Fit). After reading your post I realize that I have not been giving the Fit a fair shake. I have been disappointed for all that the Fit is not and not seeing it for what it is. Maybe it's time to start seeing the Fit for what it really is. I went out and bought a new Skunk2 shifter knob in an attempt to show the Fit some love (and maybe it's time to install that SRI still sitting in the box under my desk). It'll never be my WRX but maybe if I make it mine I can have some fun with my Fit as well...maybe I'll even grow to love it like the rest of the Fit Freaks . Thanks for reminding me to look at things in a different way. I predict your going to need a bigger trophy table.

 

Hey D, cheer up bud! As one who has both cars, you really have to take them for what they are... Definitely apples and oranges... Hey, you can't put a recliner in a Rex but you sure can get to the store quicker. On the other end, you can sure pick up that recliner in another city and still keep that 25% discount you've been after, in your pocket and not the gas tank.

"Let the car show your character and not give you character." Cheers!