how's the ride quality?

 

Test drove a 2012 Fit and right afterward a 2010 used fit. The 2012 was noticeably quieter in road noise. Ride seemed the same, but I was much more lead-footed on the used one--I hate it when people gun the motor on a new demo.

 

It's a surprising difference

 

Can't compare previous years, but I will say on a good road my new 2012 is ok, yesterday I was driving on new paved highway, minor road noise, then we crossed over to the old section, amazing, if the new road was a 1 the old would be at 10 and I would be changing tires, insulating the bottom, doubling the carpets, and covering any place on the vehicle that I could apply sound deadner. No other vehicle I've ever owned showed so much difference to road surface and noise.

 

I came from an 09 Fit. The 2012- big time quieter. Good thing too- voice commands and blue tooth phone are better in a quieter space. It's an overall quieter, tighter, and more insulated feel to the space now.

 

per various sources, the 2012's have more insulation.

i remember sitting in a 2012 at a dealer, and the door felt noticeably heavier...even shutting it made a pleasant, solid sound that my fit (2010) couldnt match.

i heard they retuned the suspension ever so slightly but i cant confirm it. the ge's were a massive improvement in ride harshness over the gd's so i was happy from the get go with mine.


funny thing is, c&d's last comparo (which put the 2012 3rd) listed road noise as a demerit. cant believe that there are subcompacts THAT quiet.

 

the new Sonic is supposed to be very quiet, but real world mpg's are dissapointing

 

I recently traded a 2010 Sport for a 2012 base model.
Two initial impressions - the '12 is much quieter except that the tires "sing" a little at highway speeds. Also the '12 has a much smoother ride, but that's probably more a Sport compared to base thing than a '10 compared to '12 thing. I always found the Sport to be a little too taunt, especially on rough urban streets.

Regards -

Dan

 

I find the 12 good. I have heard plenty of complaints in years past, so I can infer there was a significant reduction...

 

The JDM Fit RS has a hood insulation blanket part # 7414-1TF-0000

I don't know if the mounting points would be the same since the hood differs slightly, and if it would make much of a difference. They are usually for fire suppression, but the one on the fit looks padded and thick and would probably keep noise down, but maybe not out of the cockpit.

 

yes the 2012 FIt is a lot quieter then the 09. i have ownerd both and found it to be a lot quieter, it's not perfect, still has some road noise, but not as bad as the 09-11

 

So who's gonna volunteer to take their '12 apart so the rest of us can see how Honda did it?

I did a little checking through Honda's parts catalog and I did notice that the inner door skin cover plastic has a different part number on the '12. I'm sure there's more to it than just that, though.

 

We have a 2008 & 2012. Huge improvement in rolling noise level but I listen to loud music. The 2012 is 157 percent stiffer than the GD. Thats the main reason I auto x the new fit. Runs rings around old. And we got 44mpg on a return trip from Lake Tahoe.

 

I have heard the portholes have thicker glass. This seems true from the part numbers: Front left porthole on the 2012 is P/N 73371-TK6-306, right porthole is P/N 73331-TK6-306. The 2011 left porthole is P/N 73371-TK6-305 right porthole is 73331-TK6-305. Also, the 2011 and earlier portholes are about ~$30 less each than the 2012.

 

I wish my 09 was quiet Or maybe it's just the roads here in Tucson are crappy.

 

Hey folks, If you really want a car that is quiet then go get yourself a Toyota. Honda's are designed so you can "feel" the road where as Toyotas are designed so you can be separated from the road.

The "noise" in my 2011 Honda Fit doesnt seem annoying and its kind of sporty. I enjoy hearing the engine rev. As for the "stiff" ride, thats all a part of driving a sporty car and "feeling" the road. The rolling "noise" is easily dampened by getting rid of the Dunlops.

If I needed insulation and a boulevard ride then I would have bought a Toyota Camry. In fact, my friend has a Toyota Avalon. The Avalon is definitely a car you drive to be fully insulated from the outside, however, it did feel somewhat elderly and lethargic. Not something you drive to enjoy the road.

 

Or why not go all the way and get a Buick? I enjoy the feel of being connected to the road. It seems more authentic and I think keeps me more aware that I am actually driving in the real world, as opposed to the "couch on wheels" experience. YMMV!

 

In my 2012 sport on the highway today, with tunes playing and the quieter cab, it's really nice. In the 09, tunes had to be louder and no matter what, nothing really covered the noise floor of the road. You can definitely get that luxury disconnect on the road now in the 2012. Even driving silent, it's just a quieter ride. Only someone coming from an earlier model 'gets it', but the difference is very obvious.

 

It seems the door glass has different part numbers too. Considering how much glass the Fit has it's no wonder that changing them out could affect noise that much.

 

I went from a 2011 to 2012 Fit and the first thing I noticed was that the '12 was much quieter...both road and engine noise. I guess that's one of those 'little' things that Honda changed/fixed between model years that we couldn't see.