After work I went to test drive an '09 SSM Sport AT. First, I have to say that I really liked the new look (despite all the negative things people had to say about it). I don't think the '09 photographs well at all. It's completely different when you see it in person. I thought it looked a lot more aggressive than its predecessor. The interior was nice as well. Definitely, an improvement. I think they used higher quality materials this time around. It didn't seem cheap at all. Driver's side arm rest and dead pedal were a nice addition! Luckily, I had my IPOD and one of the porters had the USB cable, so I was able to try out the USB interface. It worked perfect with my new 160gb IPOD. I wasn't too impressed with the sound quality of the stereo system, but that I didn't mind it too much. Overall, the car was very comfortable and quite spacious. I'm 6'2 and I had no trouble at all. The only time I wasn't comfortable was sitting in the backseat while the head rests were all the way down. They go so low that my back was touching them. As far as the drive goes, they made quite a bit of improvements. I thought it handled better and rode smoother (although seemed a little stiff at times). I could definitely feel the added horsepower. Overall, I'd say Honda did an excellent job of updating this model. I love this car.

Now for the bad news...

What I thought was going to be a $1,000 "market adjustment" fee ended up being a $1,500 "market adjustment" fee. Then, on top of that, they added all these upgrades like window tint, wheel locks, sports grill, etc. After all was said and done, they were asking for $20,600!!!

This was not the model with Navi/VSA...just an AT Sport with a CD player...So I ended up not getting it.

I want one BAD...But there's no way in hell I'm paying $20K+ for a sub compact (even though it's really nice). I think I'm going to wait until the first of the year...

But for those who have the extra cash to blow, I highly recommend it! Hopefully, I'll get lucky and find a dealer selling it for MSRP.

 

Thanks for the Review + Rep

 

Almost forgot...if anyone has any questions I'd be glad to answer them.

 

Nice write up man.
I also checked one out today, definetly a nice car.

My dealer wanted a 3900$ mark up lol.

 

$3,900?!?! lol is right...I was laughing at the salesman when I saw the sticker price of $20,600.

 

Seconded, thanks for the review it sounds great.

You've got a really crappy dealer, sorry man. I've already got a price for the Navi version of 19138 OTD. Can you find any other dealers online that will offer it for MSRP??

 

I haven't checked for the '09 online. I plan to while I'm at work tomorrow. Maybe I'll get lucky.

 

i thought that the 09's don't have armrests?


anywho, how was the engine note? is it still on the buzzy side at higher rpms? (it doesn't sound bad by any means, but buzzy is buzzy, i figured ivtec would smooth it out.)

how was the steering feel? just as communicative?

what about body roll? less than before?

did you take it on the freeway? how was high speed stability compared to the current fit?

 

The '09 has ONE armrest on the driver's seat...not on the passengers

As far as the sound of the engine, I thought it was really quiet compared to the previous model. When we were a complete stop I couldn't hear it or feel it.

The steering was very responsive..handled really well

Call me a noob, but I don't know what "body roll" is...

I did not take it on the freeway. The fastest I went was around 55mph and it was very stable

 

How's the new steering wheel? Does the telescoping feature make a huge difference in driver comfort over the previous model?

 

i guess honda is gonna put the new fit up there with the xb as far as price is concerned. i see some xb's go for ~24k. and that is way before the dealer fees and such. efffff that.

 

IMO worst thing Honda can do with this car is raise the MSRP

 

nah man i don't think so. xb's are no longer considered b segment cars, despite what scion and siphon will tell you. the fits msrp actually has not gone up that much, there are just higher trim levels now.

it still is the cheapest thing in the honda line up. makes more sense than a civic lx in any trim imo.

 

NOOB!

haha just kidding man!

body roll is how much a car leans when taking turns quickly.

for example, while my fit doesnt have the same kind of grip as my rabbit did, its stouter chassis leaned less when pushed hard through corners.

since the suspension has been tweaked, and the body itself reinforced, i was wondering how much better the new fit would handle corners and being pushed hard through them, and if it will have a faster slalom, (a test done to cars that measures how fast they can go through a set of cones...usually cars with controlled body roll to very well.), than the current fit

 

The Fit didn't really lean much around curves/turns...the only thing I can compare it to though is my Explorer (which feels like it's gonna flip over everytime I turn too sharp)

 

i understand, and yeah explorers are notorious for that.
i guess i'll have to take her out myself.

 

thats why i stated "as far as price is concerned". heck, i see the special edition XD's going out at $20K+

 

Go weigh the car at one of the truck stops around Houston and tell us what it was. I have a bet with my English friends.

 

I don't own the car (yet).

 

Yeah I went and saw the Fit yesterday, unfotunately no test drive since they already put it on their show room floor. But they wanted 2k market adjustment and a mandatory $600 teflon protection package. I have one last dealer left claiming msrp (that's right, this amongst several other all claimed MSRP until I came in). If this last dealer turns out to be lying as well, then I'm buing a xD from Scion and never looking back.