I realize 1,000 miles since taking delivery on December 5 isn’t really all that much but I’d figure I’d share my experiences anyway.

Full Disclosure: I traded in my 2013 Ford Fusion SE 1.6 Turbo 6-speed AT for the Silver 2015 FIT EX 6-MT. I was a previous 1st Generation FIT owner but had bought the base model back then. I wanted to see if I could live with a no-frills vehicle but realized I needed things like cruise control and a better radio so I sold it some time ago. The Fusion isn’t a bad car and I bought it when my job was going to take me into Baltimore-DC rush hour traffic so I wanted something comfy and mindless to drive. The Fusion fit that bill perfectly but, alas, my job situation changed and I wanted back into a small, light, car with a manual transmission.

Cross Shopping - I seriously looked at the Ford Fiesta but couldn’t really warm up to it. If I had more cash, the Fiesta ST would have been nice and I think I would have grown to like it especially with the engine and chassis but the cost was beyond my means.

Purchasing - I was pleasantly shocked to see that fully 1/3 of the FITs on the lot were MT models. Finding a car with a stick shift can be pretty tough sometimes. Also, they had a Sliver EX model which is exactly what I wanted. So, that pretty much sealed the deal.

Owning It - So far, it’s been a treat. The car has noticeably more power than the 1st Generation FIT and I think it looks better too. The acceleration and handling are pretty decent and it’s really tossable. As this forum has pointed out, you do have to launch it at about 2000 RPM to avoid minor bogging. Also, I find the throws to 3rd and 5th gear are a little long but that’s because I have the seat all the way back. Otherwise, the transmission is a dream. The car begs to be hustled from place to place. I think I can probably keep up with 90% of the cars on the road in the stoplight grand prix so no complaints. I’m averaging about 38 MPG at the moment mostly on rural 2-lane roads. I’m looking forward to taking a road trip so I can see how good the mileage gets.

I’ve been mostly pleased with the sound system. Pandora works well as does my SiriusXM all-access internet streaming radio through my iPhone 5 and into the car via Bluetooth. My data plan should be able to handle the streaming for now and I’ve not driven through any significant coverage dead spots.

In general, the sound system is a bit overly complicated but I find it has a pretty short learning curve. I will confess that the whole Honda Link thing with their home grown apps seems a bit glitchy so I’m not going to bother for now.

I could use just a tad more front leg room. Road noise is noticeable as this forum has pointed out. The upside of the high revs is that you’re always in the power band and the car feels pretty responsive at highway speeds. Cross winds are noticeable but as long as you keep your head in the game there’s really nothing to it.

Rear disc brakes would have been nice but on a car this light I’m guessing the front discs are providing 70% or more of the braking power. Rear drums, as cheap as they are, probably work just as well as rear discs would.

I had one minor glitch with the TPMS warning light coming on during the last 25 miles of a 160 mile road trip. I checked the tires with a gauge but nothing was wrong. I had upped the tire pressure and thought I did the TPMS recalibration procedure via the owner’s manual correctly but maybe not?

It’s weird to say but it’s pretty nice to actually wake up look forward to driving to work for a change.

 

Thank you for the review and congrats on your new Fit!

You are absolutely correct that finding a manual (place model here)______ is difficult. Understandably, dealerships cater to the majority of the buying public and most cars that we looked at were solely automatics on the lot. An enthusiastic salesperson would suddenly be hampered after we said that we're looking at a car, but it needs to be manual. They would give a reaction of "ooohhhhh, ummmm". Most would say either it has to be special ordered or that they are so rare that there's no point to looking. Some would even try to coax me into driving an automatic and that is so much easier. Or would ask why on earth would you want to drive a manual? Anyway, you get the point. Kudos to Honda to offering a generous percentage of Fits in manuals.

Ford offers plenty of Fiestas in manuals as well, but like you, it was hard to warm up to that car. Great fun to drive and well planted, and much quieter than a Fit on the road. But oh so cramped. There was no leg space in the back, no cargo room, the console rubbed against my knees, and the interior door panel didn't want me to have elbows because there was no place to put them. It was just miserable to sit in for a long period. Too bad

Glad that you are looking forward to seeing your car every morning, which you didn't seem to have with the Fusion. It's hard to explain the draw to a certain car and the chemistry

 

Nice review!

 

My 1000 mile review: very similar to yours........front leg room could be increased (hear that, Honda - make a kit for us to fix the leg room) but not bad.....engine/ MT transmission work well for my situation - I'm driving in the mountains in north GA, TN, & NC and it keeps up just fine; that said, like others, I will eventually use a sound-deadening material to take some noise out of the drive (Frost King, here I come!!)........I added a 1-1/4" hitch (easy to add, just Youtube the video) to keep my bike off the car and it works perfect.......would've like to be able to adjust the headrest for better neck support but I might create my own pad for a custom fit.......hmmmm, any questions? - just post and I'll try to answer what I've noticed so far which is nothing major........

 

Nice review, I'm in the market for a new car and looking strongly at the fit. I like to hear in depth reviews. I'm looking at the same vehicle you have or the agean blue. The manual shifter is sweet. The review pretty much sums up my test drive. I posted a thread a little bit ago about strongly considering a fit and seeing what people have to say about it after driving it for a while.


It'd be a utility car for me, bought for pricepoint features, getting me from A to B, and a reliable vehicle to last up to 200k.


Thanks for your review. I do find for people who regularly maintain their car, the tpms is annoying at best.

 

I agree on the front leg room, there should be more travel, even just 1 more inch on the 3rd generation would help those over 6 feet, up to about 6 foot 2 inch which is common in North America.

I had a friend at 6 foot 7 inches in my 2015 Fit and that was embarrassing but he's 50 years old and looked at me, like "ya I have seen this far too much in my life."

With the Fit it borders on serious oversight... it is one of the only things I don't like. That and highway engine noise.