2011 Honda Fit - 10Best Cars - Car and Driver


VEHICLE TYPE >
front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 5-door wagon

BASE PRICE >
$16,000–$18,500

ENGINE TYPE>
SOHC 1.5-liter 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection

Power (SAE net) > 117 bhp @ 6600 rpm
Torque (SAE net) > 106 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm

TRANSMISSIONS >
5-speed automatic, 5-speed automatic with manumatic shifting, 5-speed manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase > 98.4 in
Length > 161.6 in
Width > 66.7 in
Height > 60.0 in
Curb weight > 2500–2600 lb

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving >
27–28/33–35 mpg
No sooner had the first-generation Honda Fit alighted on U.S. showroom floors than it shouldered its way onto our 2007 10Best list. Now it’s a five-time champ, maintaining its entertaining demeanor through a comprehensive 2009 makeover. Since its debut, the Fit Sport has won a seven-car comparo [May 2006], then faced a pair of brand-new challengers—the Ford Fiesta SES and the Mazda 2 Touring—to score another triumph [October 2010]. One-hundred seventeen horsepower ain’t much—there exist Montanans with lawn mowers as powerful—but the 2500-pound Fit nails 60 mph in 8.3 seconds, 1.8 seconds quicker than the Fiesta and 0.8 second sooner than the Mazda 2. We’re equally zinged by this Honda’s upscale interior, its quick and precise steering, an engaging shifter, spot-on ergonomics, a windshield as big as a minivan’s, and a rear seat that is both adult-habitable and drops to the floor faster than a Marine pumping push-ups. All of the foregoing, plus an observed 34 mpg. Although it’s close, the Fit isn’t perfectly fit. Its 197-foot *braking distance is substandard, the front seat’s lumbar support is too aggressive, and the air conditioning strains to keep up with the solar load caused by all that glass. Nonetheless, the Fit offers a fun-to-drive quotient that proves basic transportation isn’t always basic.

 

gotta love the word "manumatic"

 

Five for Five. Gotta love it.

 

Wow! I was wondering how it would stack up against the new Fiesta

 

I've driven the Fiesta 5MT and it's crap. All the ballyhooed soft touch surfaces are ones you don't normally touch, like the upper dash. The surfaces you DO touch are awfully cheap in feel and operation, like the HVAC controls.

Ride and noise are a little softer than the Fit Sport (though my freeway ride was brief), but the handling/steering/fun to drive is much better in the Fit, including the clutch and shifter.

While the Fit MT feels zippy, eager and energetic, the 5MT Fiesta feels lethargic and reluctant.

Can't even compare the interior space.

And the car I drove had its rear bumper jutting out from the body. Was it rear ended or is that how it came from the factory?

 

I've wondered why a soft touch dash matters. It's not like you spend much time pushing the dash.

 

I wonder if the reason they didnt put "soft touch" material on the commonly touched locations is because it would wear out too quickly?

 

That reminds me of old Detroit apologist arguments. What do I care if none of the panels fit just right. It's not like I spend all day measuring seams and gaps.

I'm fine with lots of hard plastic in the Fit, for the most part. They did skimp in a few notable places (There's no universe in which those door armrests are acceptible). Hard plastic, thin carpet, limited seat adjustments, etc. are expected in the cheapie-car class. That's why it's notable when a car includes more upscale features.

If I bought a D/E class car that didn't have soft-touch surfaces, I'd be pretty damn pissed off.

 

you are preaching to the choir. everyone on this board already bought one.

 

Well, I think there are a few that are still "deciding" to buy one. And I know I've seen a few that have sold theirs.

btw, your sig is too distracting!

 

best car in the price range