North American First Drives
 

Anybody know when we can expect to see the first drives in NA media given that the on sale date is 4/14? It should be soon, no?

Where did you get the April release date from?

I've reached out to a few Honda dealers, including a friend who works at one, they have no dates or month yet. Just a spring release.

Actually, two posts from the "on sale date" thread have links to comparisons with the new Fit's competitors that list that date.

Here's three of the four links from that thread:

Ford Fiesta vs Honda Fit: Compare Small Cars

Kia Rio Honda Fit: Compare Small Cars

Nissan Versa Note vs. Honda Fit: Compare Small Cars

Wow. This must have recently been added. A awesome. Good find.

To me, the TBA 4/14 just makes it seem like Honda is announcing the price on 4/14 and not that it will be sold on 4/14

To me "on sale" at the top, means available for purchase. I guess we'll see soon enough.

These must be the cars that Honda sees as the main competitors.

Island Fits arriving months after mainland deliveries
 

You guys on the mainland really are fortunate to get April/May delivery. Us island folks won't be getting them till after a month or two. Haven't looked for ads but when I viewed exl500's link comparing the 2015 Fit to the competition, know now that I'll be getting an EX-manual. Was going to go cheap and settle for the LX (currently driving a 1st gen '08 base auto), but hell, will be keeping this for a decade. Will definitely regret it if I don't get perimeter entry and push button start. The wife's Lexus '11 RX350 has it and its practical especially when carrying a bunch of stuff (e.g. grocery/shopping bags).
In the past, the first of any new model usually had some imperfection or defect. Since mine will be one of those, just hoping that Honda figured it out for our market. They had it in Japan (Jazz) for more than a year so here are my fingers crossed.
Given the "0" problems encountered with my '08 and a previous '07 FJ Cruiser 6-speed (first batch I took delivery back in '06) my confidence level for JDM's is extremely high. :thumbups:

Motor trend posted a pic yesterday (or the day before?) of the one they were testing. Currently nothing on their site, but I am keeping a look out fornit

Hey, I want to get the EX MT. You know there won't be too many, probably only a few per dealer for the first few months.

Your totally correct. But am sure the big volume dealers are going to get more than most. Knew what I wanted last year after the Japanese release. After details came out from the Detroit show, did my deal last month with Pacific (formerly Pfleuger - our largest Honda dealer). Know they are spec'ng 8 units for late April build (June arrival) so depending on the allocation mix per model, will determine when I can get mine.
Subject to what final specs of each model, may end up with an LX instead. As long as I can get the M/T, A/C (you and I both need this) and perimeter entry/push button start. Lotsa standard stuff so don't need sunroof, leather and the rest. The less I spend initially OTD, the better, cause, whatever is left-over my budget will go into a set of wheels.
The bad part - will most probably pay full pop.
If anyone wants one immediately, visit a bigger dealer cause they will be getting the larger allocation.
Lets face reality. Its a new model and most dealers will be selling them at full MSRP initially. The price of "keeping with the Jones". In my case, time for my trusty GD to go to a new home (its pre-sold). Lying!!! It was the perfect excuse to the wife!!!
Hell, I feel giddy like her when she goes shopping for bags and shoes. Trouble is, unlike her, can't do it every 20 days. I can only afford do this once every 20 years!!! :rotfl:

What island are you from? I'm from Guam and there is a small chance we will get Japan made US versions.

Oahu. Wouldn't be surprised if you get Jap made stuff. Its closer than Mexico. Post once you confirm. That would be interesting for this community. Aloha:D

<p></p>
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<p>It's a possibility. If ours are Japanese made I'm pretty sure yours will be too... No point Honda going through the trouble just for us. My wife's 2010 Toyota Highlander is made in Japan but my 1990 Accord is US, Ohio I think.</p>

Pretty sure our island will be getting "Made in Mexico". GM of dealership am dealing with is headed of to San Antonio, TX for a dealers ride/drive event happening all of this week. :thumbups:

@ROTTBOY, any news on your end? I got nothing here and technically today should be the On Sale Date as it's already the 14th here.

Suspect the first units to arrive on the island in May but it could be earlier. Keep an eye out on the other FF posters from our island. There about 1/2 dozen of us who are following the arrival quite closely. My specific unit is expected at the latest, by July. After many years of communicating with car sales employees, have learned not to believe their promises in detail. They're earning a living and mostly mean well, but are all dicated by their managers.
If you need tech specs, scroll on the other threads under 3rd Gen. Lotsa pricing and tech reviews. All very interesting.:D

FLASH UPDATE - GOOD News
 

Fellows, Just got an e-mail from the dealership (Pacific Honda) I've placed my order with. They have 2 Fit EX's on the lot and I've been invited to view them despite they're knowing my order is for an LX. Guess they want to upsell me into the EX cause he told me the LX production allocation won't be till next month (meaning arrival in June/July). May go tomorrow to check them out and will post my impressions. Hopefully I'll be able to take it around the block (doubt it).
These are exciting times!!!!!!!!!!!!:hyper::hyper::hyper:

Wow... looks like all your worries of mainland people getting a test drive before you are gone! I live in Southern California and every dealer I'm in contact with is giving a range of unknown to "at least a month" away till they have units available.

Note that the e-mail from the dealer says "view", so a test drive is not set in stone. Don't want to burn my bridges either, with my sales rep as he has been pretty straight-forward with me up to this point. If his manager says no test drive, believe me, I ain't gonna push it. The distressing news is he mentioned that LX allocation may not happen till June!!!:violin:Next month's shipments are all EX's. BTW, So-CAL Dealers all have strong brand relationships. Wouldn't be surprised if they all (Honda dealers) agreed on holding back putting the GKs on public view till the start of May or later.

Just got off the phone and the two colors available for the EX's on the ground are Alabaster Silver and Black. They have 22 GKs posted on their online inventory - 14 EX-CVT - 7 EX L-CVT - 1 EX L Nav - CVT. Most should be on ground in the next two weeks. Would be interesting who would be buying those EX L's cause they got heated leather seats. That's one option that may not get any use on the island!!!!!!!!

I just spoke to my guy over at Honda Windward. He said they have a demo 2015 Fit EX CVT in stock. They have 15 more Fits coming in during the next 2 weeks, but no manual transmission cars. He has been unable to give me an ETA on my Aegean Blue 6MT car on order.

Dude, your gonna be the first (uh, second guy on FF, Jason was first) to drive a GK. Drive that demo and post your impressions. Can you imagine our dealers getting inventory to show/drive before the mainland??? Am on a late double shift the rest of the week so may not be able to see the Honda boys till the weekend. Go for it!!!!!!!!!!:vtec:

Not exactly, you forget, I live on Maui. Honda Windward, where I have bought my 2009 Fit and my 2011 CRZ is on Oahu because our dealer here on Maui will not get new model cars for months after introduction.

I would like to fly over to Oahu for a test drive if it were cheaper, but $200+ for a test drive is a bit much.

We'll see if I can save you the $200 this weekend. Windward is only 8 miles from my place but will try to do a short one with Pacific first. No matter what, we will be paying MSRP, so never felt the need to shop.
Unlike some sales people, some of us buyers do believe in maintaining our integrity!!!:D:D:D

Is Pacific going to have cars this weekend? I gotta call Stan to see whats up. I heard the cars arrived on the 10th boat.

2 cars already at the dealership (EXs Silve and Black) and the remaining 20 supposed to arrive in the next 2 weeks. According to TCroly, Windward's got a couple of EX's on the ground and one is designated a demo. Let's you or I save TC $200!!!
:D:D:D

When are you going to get to Honda Windward for a test drive? I see today that their online inventory now shows 2 LXs coming in. The vin numbers are in the 5800 range, so they were probably just manufactured.

From a more national perspective Cars.com now shows 502 2015 Fits and they are all CVTs. Most of these are probably still in transit or sitting in Holding centers. It looks like production has not started on the 6MTs.

Also colors are still limited to Black, Silver, Dark grey and red, with only 2 blues, and 3 whites.

Will let Colin do that for the benefit of all FFs. He's dealing with one of the more senior (Stan) sales people at Pacific. He'll get the royal treatment.

Besides, know myself too well. If I see/drive that EX, I'm that weak, may fork up just to get it.

With whites in rarity and LX production delayed for months, at least I know my sales rep. has been truthful. August arrival is his best estimate. My cardinal rule in sales: UNDER PROMISE and OVER DELIVER!!! Anyone who treats me with this thinking deserves my business. My new Fit has to be a White LX M/T. Won't be flexible on that. Paying full MSRP, so might as well get and wait for what I want.
Perfect timing as this allows ample time for grabbing more overtimes and double shifts for the extra funds to cover those much needed accessories!!!!

GD is puttering along faithfully, so will enjoy the next 4 months (this time frame for old farts like me will feel like 4 weeks). In the meantime, shocks need replacement and am going to do that before the wife's niece gets it. Might as well do all fluids too.:D:D:D

Just got back from test driving an EX with CVT. Overall, I was quite pleased with how it drove. We are not in the market for an automatic transmission but the overall feel was very positive. A little background: I'm currently driving an Acura ILX with six speed manual. My wife (for whom the car is for) is currently driving a CRZ with a six speed manual. My previous car history includes a 2008 TSX, '05 S2000, '00 S2000, '95 MR2 Turbo and '88 MR2 Supercharged. All have been with manual transmission.

We are approaching the Fit with a specific set of goals in mind. As you can tell from our previous vehicle history, having four seats, or great cargo carrying capacity is not a priority. A manual transmission is a must, and a certain "feel" is important to us. Fuel economy is pretty high on our list as well. At this point, I'm perfectly happy to sacrifice a certain amount of straight-line acceleration to get better economy.

Stan Lum at Pacific Honda gave us an excellent opportunity to drive the car. Upon first approach, we realize how much taller this vehicle is then our current CRZ. My wife commented that the seating position is significantly higher than what she is currently driving and also much higher than her previous S2000s (she had a 2001 and 2004, yes, we had four of them between the two of us). She felt that the CRZ is a little "peppier" no doubt because of the additional torque provided by the IMA system and the fact that it is a manual transmission. She appreciated the improved visibility and commented that the Lane Watch Camera would take some getting used to.

From my point of view, I found the acceleration to adequate. Not fast by any means but it was acceptable. I have read some comments on the "slower" steering ratios but felt that in actual usage, it was plenty quick. Certainly faster than my current Acura. It required a brief period of adjustment at highway speeds to keep from darting back-and-forth in the lane. I wish I could comment on the weighting of the steering but I didn't notice anything good or bad, which might be a compliment in its own right. There was a little more resistance than the somewhat overboosted steering in the Acura, and it seemed to offer a pretty good feel for what the front wheels are doing.

Our test drive took us up the Pali highway in pretty heavy rain and then back down on Old Pali Road which provided some nice twisties. Of course, with the wet roads we were forced to be a little more cautious. That said, I felt the car cornered very flat, exhibiting very little body roll. The steering provided enough feedback for me to feel the car entering an understeer condition on the wet roads and to modulate in a little braking. I was also pleasantly surprised with the feel of the shock absorbers. I have felt that recent Honda/Acura tuning has yielded shock absorbers that have too soft a compression and too strong a rebound. This felt much more linear than the dampening in the CRZ for example.

I think I was most impressed with the overall feel of the chassis. Honestly, it felt incredibly rigid which surprised me considering it is essentially a "tube" with little or no cross bracing like you would find in a sedan. Naturally, this benefits handling but also NVH. We drove the previous generation Fit Sport but opted for the CRZ for a number of reasons but one of them was noise. This car seems much quieter overall, and even things like the rain on the windshield was pleasantly muted. It's certainly no RLX with acoustic glass and double pane side windows but I can think of a number of cars that are noisier than this one.

The telematics in the car was very intuitive. Especially if you are already familiar with Honda/Acura systems. The phone paired up quickly and easily and my phonebook synchronized properly. The response time on the new touchscreen is significantly better than what we see in the dual screen MDX and RLX. Also, the large, roomy screen provided an excellent image for the back up camera. I was surprised to see it offered trajectory lines, I was only expecting fixed guidelines. I may be the only person in the world that cannot use a camera with trajectory lines but it was easy to turn them off. Siri Eyes Free was already enabled and worked perfectly as it does in my ILX.

We still need to try the six speed version of the car but assuming the comments on the high engagement point of the clutch are overblown, I think this will be our next vehicle. I will be sad to lose the high-intensity discharge headlights but feel that there are enough other positive factors in the new Fit.

Fellow FFs this is a critique we should all give a serious read. Its from someone who has actually DRIVEN the GK.

Best of all, its no pre-production vehicle. It a retail vehicle!!!! The OP seems to be the FIRST in this forum.

Good job C. TCroly and I owe you big. What a comprehesive review. Guess the only part you missed is how does that stereo sound???chahahaha
Post more when you remember stuff. :thumbups:

Thank you for the detailed review!

I noticed in a review video that they mentioned the trajectory lines on the backup camera are a nice perk of the higher trim levels. So since you drove the EX, possibly the LX has just fixed lines on the backup camera. Not sure though, just noticed that comment in a video!

The review was great!! Interesting read - got a feel for the car just reading your comments. Interesting to me was your comment on the steering, that the car was "darting back & forth in the lane". That is one thing that I notice in my 13 Fit, that I'm always correcting the steering, especially on the freeway. Really don't like electric steering. It's OK surface street, but at freeway speeds you constantly have to make corrections. I would like to drive a 15 Fit just to see the difference. I think it will be a good little car. Like you, I'm a MT guy. :vtec:

I thought the stereo was OK. I used to be in the audio biz at Island Sound waaaaay back in the day, but (sadly) audio is not a priority to me like it used to be. The truth is that I'll probably be listening to audiobooks and podcasts most of the time. :eek3:

I must be the only person in the world that cannot use these moving guidelines. To me, it is literally a MOVING target. I like to see the fixed lines and change my steering based on what I see. With the trajectory lines changing with the steering wheel, I can never get it in the space properly. :confused:

I've been driving EPS since the '00 S2000 and have adapted to it nicely. I would agree that it does require a lighter touch and a little more 'sensitivity' on the part of the driver. I guess I'm a sensitive guy after all. :puke:

I would add that for those getting the CVT, it's not bad. Honda's current ED CVT does allow some RPM 'rise and fall'. Much more satisfying than the way some hit the torque peak and just drone on. Using the manual mode was a lot more fun. Downshifts were pretty quick, but the tiny engine doesn't offer a lot of engine braking till you get it REALLY low. I was trying to explain the concept to my wife, and I could see her thinking "that's a lot of work when you can have a proper manual..." :rotfl:

Thank you ColinS for your excellent, comprehensive '15 Fit EX CVT review! Your review comes with a lot of credibility and weight because of your ownership of various high performance Honda and Acura vehicles. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!

Mahalo Colin for this test drive review. I am very happy to hear that you found the steering to be acceptable. I have always been satisfied by the steering of both my Fit and CRZ, while neither is up the the benchmark "feel" of the manual steering of my '91 NSX, I do think that steering is one thing that makes a Honda, drive like a Honda.

I am also pleased to hear that you preferred the shock dampening of the new Fit to your CRZ. I have often described the shock feel of the CRZ to be "personal luxury car" soft and the Fit "Economy car" firm. While each has its merits in certain driving conditions, both could be improved on and it sounds from your impressions that Honda has achieve some degree of improvement in this regard.

We share some car history with each having owned an MR2 turbo and CRZ, and I had an M- Roadster to match your bevy of S2000s. And all of the cars that I have ever purchased have been manual gearbox cars. So I think we share similar desires in what a car should feel like. I am encouraged to hear your enthusiasm for the Fit's chassis rigidity and driving dynamics. I do hope that Honda has not lost any excellence in their gearbox and clutch, but like you I expect it will be fine.

It looks like it may be a while before we get to sample a manual transmission car as none have shown up in any of the online inventories yet. The new Factory seems to be starting out producing CVTs exclusively.

So has nobody else driven the car yet?