Just got my build date!
Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 561
From: Illinois
It's been a year since we were all counting the days until we got our sport m/t navis. There weren't any for sale in the US and we had to order them. They were all built over a two-day period at the end of November, 2008. We were all excited to get those build dates. I thought I'd write a little about the first year in the car and share it here. Maybe by resurrecting this old thread all of us who waited (im)patiently for build date and delivery could share our first-year experiences. Was the car worth the wait?
We've put 15,000 miles on our Fit since January just doing cross-country driving. Every place is a long drive from here. We drive our other cars locally, but we've been all over the midwest and the northeastern part of the country this year in the Fit.
Ride: I thought the ride was harsh when we got the car. It has become less so as the car broke in. Last winter I was very tired trying to hold the car on the roads in strong crosswinds. We made numerous 500-mile, one-day round trips to Chicago. My shoulders would ache by the time we'd get home late at night. I don't notice that anymore. The car is definitely a weathervane in crosswinds. I like the steering just fine.
Comfort: We are both tall. The seats and driving position are fine for us. I appreciate the dead pedal in the 2009. I thought I'd install an armrest, but I changed my mind. We are both comfortable without it. We don't use the little armrest that came on the car. The seat fabric is hard to vacuum and the Honda floor mats are not worth the money. Very cheaply made. There has to be a better product out there. I don't see how the driver side mat will last another year. We make good use of the two glove compartments, the underseat storage, and the cupholders when we travel. It's a car you can live in for days at a time.
Noise: People complain about road noise and high engine revs at cruise with the m/t. That is not a problem for me. I'll put up with the noise in exchange for enough revs not to have to downshift going uphill with the cruise control on. I noticed the constant hunting for the right gear when I test-drove an automatic on hilly roads with the cruise control on.
Sound system: Poor quality sound from the navi/radio. Must need an amp, better speakers, or both. I throw a satellite radio in it when we travel. I wish it would completely kill the radio or ipod when navi woman talks. The iPod works really well with the navi. Very easy to navigate the menus.
Navi: Frankly, I like it. It is well integrated into the car. Very handy to just press the talk button on the steering wheel and speak a phone number to get a destination. Pretty flexible display. I wish it had a more modern look. Reminds me of Windows 98. Works extremely well in cities like Boston, where it gives plenty of advice on when to turn in and out of the roundabouts. The navi knew the location of the Boston transit system's parking garages. Plenty of aural advice from navi woman when you don't want to take your eyes off the road. They should have integrated a trip computer and there is no excuse not to display more data if the driver desires.
VSA: I bought the navi to get VSA. Wouldn't do without it in a modern car. Plenty of people will say that a skilled driver doesn't need it. I have more than forty years of driving and I am happy to have it there. It doesn't exert itself until you need it. Then it responds faster than you can. I would urge anyone who has not driven a car with VSA to try one out. I recommend Interstate 80 across Illinois on a winter day. Count the overturned pickups and SUVs in the ditches. You won't be one of them with VSA. Works great on dry pavement, too, when you have to swerve suddenly. We've had terrible weather this week and plenty of roads that are clear until you get to snowdrifts. VSA takes it all in stride. We use the stock tires and haven't had any real problems.
Flexibility: The Fit works as advertised. We love being able to load it any way we want to get a job done. Even with four adults and luggage for a week we didn't fill it and no one complained about the back seat. Maybe they were too polite.
Economy: Fuel costs are no problem. Don't care what gas costs. Wind direction and speed have a definite effect on fuel consumption. There is a pretty significant difference in fuel burn between 60 and 75 mph, too.
Reliability: No repairs and no warranty work. Good thing. The nearest dealer is fifty miles away.
Night driving: Terrible headlights without the driving lights on. OK with high beams out here in the country. The problem is seeing the deer come up along the roads at night. You just can't see far enough in front of the car without the high beams. See my comment about VSA and having to swerve. Terrific instrument lighting. I like being able to adjust the navi screen brightness separately.
Wanted: Better sun visors. Additional 12V outlet or two. Cargo cover. Vanity light for mirror on back of sun visor. Wish the seats would slide back just a little more. I'd tint the front windows if that were legal here.
If I could get away from work, I'd love to drive it to the west coast. We love watching the country go by through the huge windshield. We'll put another 3,000 miles on it driving around the midwest over the holidays. The Fit is small on the outside, large on the inside, and versatile enough for anything we need to do with a car.
What do the rest of you think a year later?
Cheers.
We've put 15,000 miles on our Fit since January just doing cross-country driving. Every place is a long drive from here. We drive our other cars locally, but we've been all over the midwest and the northeastern part of the country this year in the Fit.
Ride: I thought the ride was harsh when we got the car. It has become less so as the car broke in. Last winter I was very tired trying to hold the car on the roads in strong crosswinds. We made numerous 500-mile, one-day round trips to Chicago. My shoulders would ache by the time we'd get home late at night. I don't notice that anymore. The car is definitely a weathervane in crosswinds. I like the steering just fine.
Comfort: We are both tall. The seats and driving position are fine for us. I appreciate the dead pedal in the 2009. I thought I'd install an armrest, but I changed my mind. We are both comfortable without it. We don't use the little armrest that came on the car. The seat fabric is hard to vacuum and the Honda floor mats are not worth the money. Very cheaply made. There has to be a better product out there. I don't see how the driver side mat will last another year. We make good use of the two glove compartments, the underseat storage, and the cupholders when we travel. It's a car you can live in for days at a time.
Noise: People complain about road noise and high engine revs at cruise with the m/t. That is not a problem for me. I'll put up with the noise in exchange for enough revs not to have to downshift going uphill with the cruise control on. I noticed the constant hunting for the right gear when I test-drove an automatic on hilly roads with the cruise control on.
Sound system: Poor quality sound from the navi/radio. Must need an amp, better speakers, or both. I throw a satellite radio in it when we travel. I wish it would completely kill the radio or ipod when navi woman talks. The iPod works really well with the navi. Very easy to navigate the menus.
Navi: Frankly, I like it. It is well integrated into the car. Very handy to just press the talk button on the steering wheel and speak a phone number to get a destination. Pretty flexible display. I wish it had a more modern look. Reminds me of Windows 98. Works extremely well in cities like Boston, where it gives plenty of advice on when to turn in and out of the roundabouts. The navi knew the location of the Boston transit system's parking garages. Plenty of aural advice from navi woman when you don't want to take your eyes off the road. They should have integrated a trip computer and there is no excuse not to display more data if the driver desires.
VSA: I bought the navi to get VSA. Wouldn't do without it in a modern car. Plenty of people will say that a skilled driver doesn't need it. I have more than forty years of driving and I am happy to have it there. It doesn't exert itself until you need it. Then it responds faster than you can. I would urge anyone who has not driven a car with VSA to try one out. I recommend Interstate 80 across Illinois on a winter day. Count the overturned pickups and SUVs in the ditches. You won't be one of them with VSA. Works great on dry pavement, too, when you have to swerve suddenly. We've had terrible weather this week and plenty of roads that are clear until you get to snowdrifts. VSA takes it all in stride. We use the stock tires and haven't had any real problems.
Flexibility: The Fit works as advertised. We love being able to load it any way we want to get a job done. Even with four adults and luggage for a week we didn't fill it and no one complained about the back seat. Maybe they were too polite.
Economy: Fuel costs are no problem. Don't care what gas costs. Wind direction and speed have a definite effect on fuel consumption. There is a pretty significant difference in fuel burn between 60 and 75 mph, too.
Reliability: No repairs and no warranty work. Good thing. The nearest dealer is fifty miles away.
Night driving: Terrible headlights without the driving lights on. OK with high beams out here in the country. The problem is seeing the deer come up along the roads at night. You just can't see far enough in front of the car without the high beams. See my comment about VSA and having to swerve. Terrific instrument lighting. I like being able to adjust the navi screen brightness separately.
Wanted: Better sun visors. Additional 12V outlet or two. Cargo cover. Vanity light for mirror on back of sun visor. Wish the seats would slide back just a little more. I'd tint the front windows if that were legal here.
If I could get away from work, I'd love to drive it to the west coast. We love watching the country go by through the huge windshield. We'll put another 3,000 miles on it driving around the midwest over the holidays. The Fit is small on the outside, large on the inside, and versatile enough for anything we need to do with a car.
What do the rest of you think a year later?
Cheers.
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