2009 Honda Fit

It's been raining all afternoon, but I went ahead with my purchase anyway. Pictures and video available at the link above.

Of note are the varying sizes of cup holders. I put a standard soda can in three places and took pictures to demonstrate.

I also took video clips of the iPod interface working with a 3G iPhone. My camera will only take short clips, so I had to break it up into 4 segments. I apologize for the horrific sound quality.

In so many ways, the Fit is very similar to my 06 Civic. It feels similar driving, although the Fit does better with higher RPMs across the board. The automatic transmission tends to keep the engine a good 600-800 RPM higher than my Civic does for equivalent acceleration. It feels fine though.

The paddle shifters work pretty well. Shifting is very fast and responsive, although downshifting when approaching a stop can be jerky. It's like someone downshifting and then letting the clutch out too fast. There is also a noticeable delay with the downshift. With the weather so bad today, I haven't tried downshifting for an acceleration yet, but hopefully that will behave better.

The NAV unit is nearly identical to my Civic's, save the XM part. The iPod interface seems to do pretty well, but it deserves further testing. My iPhone doesn't have much music on it, so I'll be interested to see how an iPod loaded with tunes will behave.

 

Nice pics. Love the color.

I couldn't get the movies to play in either Firefox 3 or Internet Explorer 7.

What is the file format you've posted for the moovs?

Thx.

 

Congrats! Enjoy your Fit. Thank you for sharing the photos.
I use Firefox and have no trouble with the video.

 

Hmmm. FF tells me I need to download a plugin, but can't find one, and doesn't tell me any more info.

 

It's a standard .AVI format. I run Kubuntu linux, so I'm out of touch with multimedia issues on other platforms.

 

Nice Color.

 

Why would you not want to buy your Fit while it was raining? Afraid it would shrink if it got wet??



Great color, it looks like 2 different cars from the front and from the side.

 

Hah, no. I wanted to get a sense of how much road and engine noise there is on the highway, which is difficult to do when its raining. In any case, I'm sure it won't be too bad since nobody has really complained about it. It would have taken a LOT of noise to actually prevent me from buying it, which is why I went ahead today.

 

I couldn't get the movies to work in firefox 3 or google chrome, but IE6 did the trick. Thanks for the pics, vids, and review! I'm glad it works fine with the iPhone 3G. I absolutely cannot wait to get a Fit.

 

can you make some videos of the NAV in action?

also, is the nav sport worth the extra money in your opinion?

 

Nice pic's!!

 

For me, it is definitely worth the money, but some people wouldn't use it. I am a classical musician, and I am constantly driving to new places to play gigs. Having navigation is incredibly valuable, whether I'm on the road looking for a place to crash for the night, or just arrive to a gig early and want to know where to grab a bite to eat. I'll never be late to a gig because I got lost.

Ok, so far, this is nothing special about the built-in navigation. I could get that out of a $200 portable unit. But I love the built-in system. For starters, the screen is bigger than any portable unit. That helps a lot. It always knows what direction the car is pointed. It has an entire DVD worth of data to work with. It works right away without having to wait for a GPS lock, and also works in places where you can't get a GPS lock. Lastly, the iPod integration is quite good.

You could probably accomplish a lot or all of that with a nice aftermarket unit, and it would probably come with some nice additional features. But, then you're talking about replacing the dash, dropping $1k+ on the system, paying for installation or doing a bunch of work yourself, etc. AND, then you still don't have the stability control.

I think I'm a good driver, but I've never been on a track, and don't have skills that extend far beyond standard street driving. Some people claim that they could do at least as well as VSA just with their own skill, and maybe they are right. I'm not one of those people. And if I loan the car to my girlfriend or my mother, they won't be either. I am happy to accept the car's help in keeping it on the road.

For me, the extra money is well worth all the conveniences of the navigation and iPod integration, plus the added safety of stability control. For someone who mostly drives the same routes a lot, navigation may not be worth it.

As for video, I don't think I could show much in 15-second increments. All of the honda NAV systems I've seen are virtually identical, so if you want to see how it works, go check out any car with navigation at your local dealership. I can't vouch for all models, but I know for certain that the Civic's nav unit is nearly identical.

 

Is this all in reference to the use of paddle shifters? How does the transmission feel in regular automatic mode?

 

Yes.

The regular automatic mode feels quite good. The shifting isn't quite as smooth as it is in my 06 Civic, but I think that's related to the Fit having less power and needing to shift at higher RPMs. In general, it seems quite intelligent and easy to drive.

Having put about 50 miles on the car now, I'm getting a better feel for the transmission. Using the paddle shifters in sport mode really accentuates the worst qualities of torque converters. It's nice to have the control over an automatic transmission, but while using it, you become very aware of the "slush-box" qualities.

For example, when I'm going about 50mph in 5th gear with RPMs around 1900, if I step on the gas, the RPM will jump to >2700 without the car changing speed. I was not expecting that.

I guess ignorance is bliss. With a normal automatic transmission, most people (like me) don't notice the difference between a downshift and the torque converter just being inefficient. I'm not completely clear on how a torque converter works, and it would be very interesting to hear someone explain this phenomenon in that context.

One thing is clear: this implementation of paddle shifters is definitely NOT a substitute for a manual transmission. It does not really even come close to the same experience. I highly value having control over the automatic transmission, but you potential buyers must be aware that it is just not the same.

If you are hoping that the paddle shifters will provide some sort of compromise between the fun of a manual and the convenience of an automatic, make sure you get in a good test drive with the paddles first. You may decide, like me, that the automatic will still make you happy. Just make sure you're completely clear on what you're getting.

 

Congrats on the new ride! Thanks for the pics -- car looks great. In some instances it looks a bit darker than others I've seen posted, which is probably due to the overcast day -- I think this is a good thing. Enjoy!

 

love the color congrats!

 

great choice on the color! congrats!

 

I went on a Starbucks run for my work, and wished I had that many cupholders. I used up all the cupholders to hold the drinks except for one and I ended up spilling some iced coffee on the passenger seat.

 

Kubuntu linux can play AVI and other files quite well. Just need to proper codecs. See
[all variants] Comprehensive Multimedia & Video Howto - Ubuntu Forums

I run Kubuntu and I love my 08 Fit Sport AT, NHB

 

I just want mine!!! I ordered the same color AT5 on 9-9-08. It is scheduled for arrival in late October. As of today it is not on the factory line and I am concerned about the estimated delivery time line.