I've had a 2010 Fit for 3 yrs, then upgraded to 2012 Sport MT a year and a half ago. Today I drove my 2012 Fit to the dealership and thoroughly inspected and test drove a CVT Fit EX (with sunroof).

Impressions: This is the second time I sit in the new Fit. The interior seems well made but I can't say I am in love with the dash board. It's definitely more of a traditional design compared to a GE futuristic look.

The push button start was odd at first, but I quickly realized that it is a convenience feature and allows quick and easy start up, especially on the run. The first time I sat in the fit (2 weeks ago) the seat felt more comfortable. This time (right after driving my GE8), the seat felt less comfortable and seemed "too flat" and less curvy and adaptable. The steering wheel looks a lot more basic (with just plastic) vs the leather wrapped GE wheel. Also the round buttons on the new steering wheel look out of place and not very stylish (but all this is a matter of taste, of course).

The engine was smooth and quiet when started and throughout the drive. I actually liked that and noticed how little vibration was transferred to the steering wheel. The engine sounded pretty quiet and normal for a 4 cylinder even with the hood open. Yes there is a little clatter, either from the DI or regular lifter noise, but it wasn't anything concerning.

The rear view camera did not impress me. The quality of the screen was not very high and it felt very artificial. Also for some reason, it didn't help me judge the distance to the object behind the car. There was a trash bin nearby which I saw when I turned around to look through the rear window, but somehow I didn't see it on the camera. Maybe it was too much to the side or something had to do with it being grey and the car being in shade.

The immediate difference I noticed when I started driving what how soft the steering wheel was. I mean that it was light and required very little effort to turn it. Honestly I didn't like that. It felt like a steering wheel of a bus or a big van, where there is almost no effort required. On the highway and in turns I noticed that this light steering took a significant sporty feel out of the drive feel overall.

I was impressed with the feel of a CVT. Which was not surprising because I have a CVT scooter (Elite 110) and I know that CVTs are comfortable to drive especially when paired with a smooth engine. This combo felt smooth AND RESPONSIVE. When I gunned the engine, it revved to 4500-5000 rpm and the car pulled as if it downshifted to second (in auto).

What also surprised me was that after that acceleration, WITHOUT ME MOVING THE PEDAL, the transmission seemed to downshift in a noticeable STEP, as if it is automatic. I couldn't believe that that's what happened, but felt exact same thing when accelerating onto a freeway ramp. It wasn't an issue, just felt unexpected out of a CVT.

The handling (in terms of suspension and response to steering corrections) seemed to be very similar and maybe just tiny slightly worse than my 2012, and significantly worse than my dad's 2010 (which is way tighter than even the 2012, i wrote about it before).
The handling was not bad, the car felt secure, but it was NOT sporty. It was stable and competent for what would be expected by mainstream public, but to call it "tossable" or great handling, I can't. It felt the car was too tall for that and the suspension was too soft. It leaned too much with hard steering move.

I have to say that I wasn't able to appreciate the right side camera on the display. It showed the area in the same way the mirror did, adding a poor artificial quality and being in an unusual place. I still had to look at the mirror to be sure I was safe to merge, and don't see what one would need or prefer to rely on display when a properly adjusted mirror does the job in High definition.

I was highly impressed by the low rpm of the CVT at hwy speed. I was rolling at around 50 mph when I looked at the tachometer and the needle was at 1500 rpm. I pressed the pedal and the engine revved to 3-4 K and the car was going 60 very quickly.

Again, I liked the engine CVT combo and can see it being popular for women, older people, those who don't want to shift and have trust in Honda's CVT. It definitely adds to comfort and will be easy to live with especially in LA traffic.

The sunroof worked well. It was smooth to open and close, and had a tilting feature. I didn't appreciate it as it was hot, but can definitely see it being super handy in some weather conditions.

The rear seat has good leg room and was fairly decent in comfort. It's not Acura RLX but one can get used to it.

The exterior did not have any noticeable issues with paint, panel fitment, or that rear chrome strip above the tail light. No bubbling but from the distance the reflection showed the irregularities (as if it was not uniformly flat). Maybe it's normal. Would not bother me.

The tires were Bridgestone Turanza 185/55/16.
The ac worked ok, but it was 6:30 pm, so it's not a real test.
The engine was buzzy at acceleration, but not an issue. The brakes felt decent and were on par with the GE.
The visibility was good. The sun visor seems to be larger and hangs lower, covering more during the side operation.

The right armrest console was indeed too low to be of any use. The left panel seems better designed than on the GE.

The audio system felt ok, but I am not a fan of it. I didn't like changing the volume by pressing the screen and it didn't seem very responsive. I guess I could get used to it considering the screen offers an opportunity to play content from the phone and so forth, and one can easily change the volume from the steering wheel. But I was glad to be able to turn the volume up and down using the over sized volume dial in my GE.

Buttom line, I thought the car would be popular for mainstream riders coming from other brands and models. The engine and transmission seem capable and smooth. The handling should be acceptable for those who don't have better handling cars to compare it to. The rear seat room is generous. The car should offer safety advantage and of course slightly better fuel economy.
Reliability is not known at this point and would likely take few years to really see how it turns out.

I did realize that I am more happier with my GE. It feels sportier, just as smooth and refined, and looks more interesting on the inside. Add to that a proven reliability and the fact that it was assembled in Japan, I see no reason to not keep it until some else comes out to rival it.

I am now looking forward to driving manual transmission Fit as well as seeing while and yellow colors in person. It would be nice to know how new Fit does in small overlap crash test as well.

If anyone has any question, I would be happy to answer while my memories are still fresh.

 

This is what happens when one makes an effort to physically interact with a newly introduced vehicle. Whatever apprehensions one had previously, are factually proved or disproved.
Not everyone is going to agree with your outlook. Nevertheless, I applaud the decision to make this effort and look forward to reading your impressions once the 6 spd. M/T is available in your area. Good job!!!

Remember, GD, GE or GK, we're all part of the same FIT family.

 

You have three different views from the back up camera. Didn't you try them all, and see if the trash bin was visible ?

 

The salesman showed me all the three views. Maybe it's about getting used to. It must be useful when parking and another car is within inches. The biggest issue with camera that I noticed was the screen quality and artificiality. But again, that must be a matter of getting used to it. If one sees a child there and and reacts because of the camera, the camera would have served its intended purpose well.

 

How loud is the CVT under acceleration?

Does it have the annoying sound qualities of a moped CVT?

 

The leather wrapped steering wheel is available on EX-L and up.

 

Yup, and it's too bad you can't get it on the EX. I love the leather wrapped wheel in my 09 Fit, and if I upgrade to a 2015 EX, I'm going to miss that so much. If only they offered the EX-L in a manual...

 

This. 100%

 

I personally hate leather seats with a passion, but want a leather wrapped steering wheel. Leather seats cracks, doesn't age well, gets stretched/expanded, gets too hot/cold, etc.

Also not everyone wants leather seats, but still would get a navi if offered.

The only cars with leather steering wheels and cloth seats typically are somewhat sporty too. Go figure, but its quite the winning combo.

And interestingly enough, the cheaper priced Accord Sport gets a leather wrapped wheel while the more pricey EX does not!

It sounds like the GK does indeed show the effects of not having a rear sway bar too. But at least it sounds like they're not as squirrelly as the GEs are on highways based on the various reviews others have posted.

 

I definitely noticed the engine drone during hard acceleration. That reminded me of reading about this online (without expecting or waiting to hear the sound, it got noticed on its own).

But I wouldn't say it was annoying or super loud. Also it was only present when I pressed the gas pedal beyond normally necessary.

The CVT felt great overall. It's luxurious, worry free and SMOOTH (hope it is just as reliable in the long term).
My scooter's cvt is its strong point, at least in terms of ease of operation and I don't miss manual transmission bike. The scooter offers plenty of excitement and fun while riding it without needing to shift manually.

When the belt wears out, however, it becomes narrower and is not able to run as high between the cones as the newer belt, resulting in decreased top speed. The longevity of belts varies dramatically and depends on the driving conditions. The belts on the scooter may last anywhere from 2-3K to 15-20K miles.

I wonder what the belt on CVT Fit is made of.

 

I looked up some google images of the Honda Fit CVT and shows that the belt is made of metal. Unsure how it works as I know the scooter belts are made of an entirely different material.

 

Automotive CVT transmissions work on the same basic principles as the variator transmissions on scooters, snowmobiles, etc. it consists of a belt running between two adjustable pulleys. The sheaves of the pulleys move apart and together to change the diameter of the pulleys. There are a few differences between a variator and a CVT. The differences are:

1. A CVT belt is metal, not rubber.
2. A CVT is sealed in a housing and runs in a lubricant bath.
3. A CVT has a more sophisticated electronic control system.

The purpose of a transmission is to keep the engine at the optimum RPM for either power or econony. Any stepped transmission is a compromise because the engine varies above and below its optimum RPM. In order to minimize this, engineers add more and more ratios to the transmission. This makes the transmission more complex and, if it is manually shifted, more prone to shifting errors that reduce efficiency. In F1 racing, manual transmissions are actually required so that drivers will have more opportunity to make mistakes!

A CVT, OTOH, has the ability to automatically select any ratio. It can keep the engine at a single, efficient RPM while the vehicle accelerates or cruises. Some people who do not understand this principle interpret this as "droning" or "slipping." Some manufacturers even go to the point of creating fake "steps" in the CVT ratios to help people who are used to older gearboxes adapt.

Obviously there are those who love controlling their own drive ratios just as there used to be some who enjoyed controlling their own spark advance and fuel mixture. I happen to enjoy shifting and the three cars I own are all sticks. I'm also an engineer and recognize when a better idea comes along. For most people that is the CVT.

 

Did you get to drive it in highway traffic? as in low speeds with lots of start and stops?


In my 13 Accord Sport the CVT keep "changing gears" which was quite noticeable. It would shudder a bit as the CVT keep adjusting to the constant speed changes. Wondering if this would happen with the Fits CVT.


Also, when coming to a stop did you notice the CVT shifting to the lowest "gear" right before stopping? There were a lot of 13 Accord Sport owner complaining that the car would shudder right at 5-8mph when the CVT would shift to the lowest "gear" right before coming to a complete stop.

 

I test drove a CVT Fit as well. Street and highway, EX-L if it matters. I am not an avid driver, more of a point A to point B and interior kind of person if that makes sense.

CVTs in general are "loud" compared to a regular auto when accelerating. So taking off from a light is a bit noisy but not uncomfortably or annoyingly loud IMO. Just noticeable. Loudness depends on how hard you punch the accelerator somewhat. Same with taking off on an on ramp to gain speed. You just get used to the different sounds, you just have to realize it's not the engine straining that's just how a CVT sounds.

Once you decrease the acceleration, it is quiet as a mouse. MUCH quieter than a regular auto IMO.

Hope this helps

 

Thanks but I was wanting to get feedback if you can "feel" the CVT shifting. In my old 13 Accord you could feel the CVT shifting after a couple miles of start and stops on the highway due to going from 0-5mph to 20 mph and vise versa.


I know the CVT can get loud, especially when revving it close to red line a lot.

 

I intended to put that too, but forgot. Whoops! I'm sure an engine enthusiast would have more detail for you, but as a driver I felt no shifting whatsoever. Very smooth and fluid. You could only tell it was doing something by the sound changes. IMO.

 

I was curious about what Honda was going to do with this, thanks for posting that.

I didn't realize how much I liked the zenki GE's steering until I drove an older car this weekend and the first time I turned the wheel on an onramp I used way too much effort and cut the wheel way more than I intended to