First Drive...

2009 Honda Fit: First Drive

Notes from the the logbook...

From the logbook: Honda Fit: Consumer Reports Cars Blog

“Brilliant little car: comfy, efficient, cheap and fun."

“[Automatic model] drives well – adequate power (better than before at climbing hills) but merging takes planning.”

“[Manual transmission] needs to be shifted often to get the most power from the engine.”

“Enjoyable handling but the ride is somewhat choppy.”

“[Sport model] has crisper handling than the Base, but ride is stiffer.”

“Good steering; handling remains excellent – especially for an entry-level model.”

“Driving position is MUCH better than before – enough foot room and telescoping steering wheel helps, despite its minimal range.”

“Comfortable seat over the long haul.”

“Pretty noisy on the highway.”

“Surprisingly high amounts of squeaks and rattles in the cargo area and around the front dash.”

“Lots of room inside; flexible interior with innovative seat-folding technology is being applied in this generation.”

“Controls are excellent.”

“Not a lot of content [with the Base model]: no remote locks or cruise control.”

“Fit and finish is good for a budget car.”

“Give the Fit ESC and a 6th gear and it would be all the car I need.”

“[Sport model] is almost as much fun as driving a Mini. Awesome car.”

“This Honda blows the Smart into the weeds.”

 

Good find. Thanks!

I don't rely on CR on any subjective opinions they have towards cars...they seem to be regular joe shmoes who don't really know cars. They always comment on rough ride/road noise as if they all drive limousines. And don't get me started on their performance testing! Very misleading to me.

But I do rely on their reliability charts.

 

Nice find!

Does the GE have more rattles and squeaks than the GD?

 

Actually it feels (09) like a more solid car than my 07.
But over the long haul, dont know yet, time will tell! LOL

 

^ agree. i had an '08 sport for ten months.

the '09 feels more solid in general, but the rattling from the upper glove compartment gets on my nerves every now and then. aside from the stiffer suspension/shorter wheelbase, the '08 was a fabulous budget car.

 

Interesting...my dad's 07 and the number of other GDs I've driven sounded rattle free and solid, while my 09 has a few minor rattles (1 rattle remaining after I fixed most of them) and seems to have more cowl shake.

 

i trust CR. i subscribe their website and look for advice on just about anything. i will not buy a car that CR rates low. In fact the reason I wanted the Fit partially is due to the CR's great ratings.

talking about rattling and noises - i have heard quite a lot from my car lately. i don't think the car is falling apart (less than 500mi), but rather, i have stashed a lot of stuff in just about every nook and cranies and they tend to "vibrate" on the road. maybe it's due to the stiff suspension? i don't know. removing the items got rid of the rattling noises, but I have to put them back because i need to use them all.

 

Having owned a Mini and now a Fit...

I agree with CR that the steering is excellent. Not as good as the Mini ( too light on the Fit ), but very sharp. The Mini was a lot more fun to drive, better seats and suspension. Fit is very good, though.

I like cars with firm rides, but to me, my Fit is harsh, not firm. There is a difference. I think the Fit's impact harshness is unacceptable, feels oversprung and underdamped. I find bumps in roads I never knew existed. My VW pickup rides better, and it rides like crap, really. A two-hour trip in the Fit on a concrete highway is a nail biter. My Mini was stiff but much less annoying/jittery on most surfaces. If you had a glass road and laid a penny on it, and drove over it in the Fit, you'd feel it. I think Honda could have done better.

I find a lot of rattles in the dash of our Fit to my disappointment.

Controls are excellent, agree with CR.

A great value for the money overall. If you can live with the ride, a fantastic car. I think the Europeans have mastered the art of a firm yet not harsh suspension better than Honda, at least as far as the Fit goes.

 

i dont own a 09 fit, but i do own a 08 fit, and all i can say is the looks, and i dont like the 09 fit because it looks too "city", where as the sport has at least some "sport" in it.. i should say.. and also i dont like the arc of the 09 hood, looks too much of a ball. the 08 is the same but it has 2 arcs, and it looks cool

 

I also subscribe to CR, but have noticed of late that their ratings are not so reliable in some areas. Appliances, for instance. Many of their highly rated models get really poor reviews from real-world users. Quite a startling trend actually. When recently shopping for a washer and dryer, I was amazed at how many CR subscribers reported very different results than CR themselves. Many models CR thought were mediocre got very good reviews from a large number of subscribers, and many of the highly ranked models got terrible reviews from a large body of users. There were large enough sample sizes to cast some doubt on the CR ratings. I'm not so sure that at least with appliances that a good CR rating means much anymore.

 

is the sport really stiffer ? I thought the suspension was the same on all models...

 

The lower profile tires of the sport make a difference.

 

so if we change hte tires will the ride get "softer" or more comfy?

 

You'd need to also change the wheels to a smaller diameter so you can increase the sidewall to make it softer. If you increase sidewall height but not the wheels, the overall diameter will be bigger which will affect your speedo/odo, as well as performance.

 

that's a costly alternative ...i'd just release a little air out of your existing brand new tires just like when you took delivery of ur fit from ed voyles. but just not as much

 

U can get 175/65 x 14 tires from Tire Rack mounted on black steel wheels for a very reasonable price. Your gas mileage will go up and u get a vastly improved ride. Better yet is buy a nice set of wheels from them and sell your original wheels and tires to a base Fit owner just slobbering to get some. Tire Rack knows what offset U need, etc.
Your handling will go downhill of course.

All the Best! Dick W

 

The correct size is 175/65 x 15

175/65 x 14 would be too small in overall diameter.

 

Supposedly, the Sport fit has a rear stabilizer bar, the base does not.

 

I keep reading rattling over and over again. Hope it's not that bad.

 

I haven't noticed any in mine, but then again, I love to play the stereo loud.