According to the door tag, combined weight of occupants and cargo should not exceed 850lbs.

32mpg is not problem with 80% highway/freeway travel. With improved tires and an alignment I'm currently getting about 36mpg (09 Fit Base auto) with 80% freeway in metro Atlanta. I don't skimp on the A/C (and yes it's only adequate).

The auto has a lower ratio in 5th making it more quiet and frugal at highway speeds. It'll do a lot of shifting with heavier loads though.

Be careful on the seat. It has few adjustments and many find it uncomfortable. I think it's fine (5'8" 165lbs average build).

Other thoughts: check with your accountant. There are tax advantages to placing vehicles in service that have 6,000 GVWR or more by the end of 2011 that might make any gasoline savings a smaller car gives irrelevant.

 

In a move last Feb I averaged 34 mpg over 3800 mi at 73 mph w/cruise in a '09 auto with 400lbs in the car. I always made sure the bulk of the weight was right behind the front seats.I was going to suggest taking the rear seats out, which I did, but with 2 little ones I can see thats a no go. Getting a good tint job will help reduce heat TREMENDOUSLY! Although there is complaining about the acceleration of the Fit, it was, by far, the quickest of all the small cars I test drove before buying the Fit.

 

Competition is out with more though now - Hyundai Accent, upcoming 2012 Chevy Sonic (with the 1.4L turbo) all have more power than the Fit. Even the Ford Fiesta has a bit more gusto, and most of these cars are EPA rated similar or better to the Fit. And all are available as 5-door hatches for better cargo carrying but not as great as the magic seats in the Fit.

The only real slowpoke of small cars that the Fit handily beats is the Yaris.

 

Here is my 2 cents after owning my 09 fit for more than a year:
1. As a daily commuter car with 1-2 passenger, you will love it(maybe a little noisy i the highway).
2. A 400 lbs of cargo plus 2 adults will probably overwhelm the engine, transmission and the suspension in the long run.
3. You will definitely miss the power and the torque of the FJ but your get amazing mpg in return.
4. I think you are better off with a small SUV for better mpg compared to the fj and will have bigger room for all your cargo vs fit, golf or fiesta.

 

Fit was also faster than Scion Xd and Toyota Matrix 2.4 4wd. The 1.8 Matrix was not available for purchase or test..

 

I can assure you guys that think of the Fit as being slow there are plenty of decent cars being sold throughout the world that are much slower but still capable of moving fast enough to drive in the US... I can't count the number of miles I have driven over 70MPH in 40 50 and 60 horsepower air cooled Volkswagen Beetles, Micro Vans and water cooled diesels... The air cooled Beetle holds the record as being the most sold and longest production run of any vehicle.. It was killed off by emission and safety laws but not because it was slow.... If it wasn't due to the irresponsible drivers on the road, cars could be far lighter than they are and that alone would make them faster and much more economical.... Fear is being used by the government and corporations to exploit us and create larger profits for corporations which the Supreme Court has given the same legal rights as an individual human being.... I really have trouble believing that with the idea that is true since it isn't likely that a corporation will ever be executed by lethal injection.