I owned a great 2010 Honda Fit.
I'm considering strongly coming back to the Honda Fit with the Gen 3.

I really liked and enjoyed my 2010, on all fronts. BUT....one thing I was disappointed with, with the Gen 2...was the absence of the "Refresh Mode". You could NOT fold down the front seats to make a long "lounge" chair like sitting arrangement.

Long story, short. In the past few years, I've developed circulation issues. Blood clots, blood thinners. Which means on long drives I need to stop, stretch and rest. I can no longer do my Banzai 10 hour, straight through drives. * They probably never were a good idea, even when I could do them.

I'm looking at the refresh mode, returned for the Gen 3, and thinking it would be great.

But what I'm curious about, is how many of you actual owners REALLY use refresh mode, and is it actually comfortable or of benefit?

Wouldn't be a deal breaker one way or another. But if you some of you could tell me whether it really is usable? It might be a factor that makes the choice that much easier.

 

I have never personally used it other than trying it out in the garage, it feels pretty good....my wife has "refreshed" whilst I drove up to MI, she enjoyed it....she sat back there, read a book, took a nap or two, she likes it....but that was in transit. Dunno how refreshing it would be to pull over and sit there for a while - our Fit is black, and it gets warm inside when parked, even with windows cracked and tinted. Yeah, I'd say it's a marginally nice feature and definitely not a deal breaker of any sort either way

 

it isn't perfectly flat, but slightly raised so your knees are elevated a little bit. be sure to slide the front seat all the way forward before reclining the seat, otherwise u can't do the mode properly. it's decently comfortable, especially if you have a nice pillow

 

I'm not going to run out to the car right now but I noted this mode mentioned on a web site. It seems you can get it pretty flat if you remove the headrest. I was wondering if it would be long enough for rough car camping for those under 6' tall?

 

Thanks for the replies.
I suppose the next step is tangible "test drive" and testing.

 

Or would you call that a "rest" drive?

 

I always though rest mode was more of a marketing gimmick, I tried it a few times and it was comfortable enough I guess, though I made sure to take my shoes off so I didn't gunk anything up. For road trips I got a ThermaRest for the back but that wasn't very comfortable when I did a dry run one night in the driveway. I discovered quite by accident that just reclining the driver seat is enough to grab 4-5 hours for me as long as it's dark outside. I'm not sure I'd do it two nights in a row though.

 

The front seats don't fold exactly flat to match up with the rear seat pan, so your knees are at a slight bend resting on the tops of the front seat. I'm 6 feet and find that I need to slouch and left my feet slide more forward to really get comfortable because the rear seats simply don't have enough of a recline angle.

 

I tried mine out just for giggles, 2015 EX.

It seems like they built the seat with about half an inch too little space for "refresh mode" to work smoothly. Other people have commented that the seat doesn't quite go flat. I made mine go flat by lifting up the back seat, putting down the front seat, then putting the back seat down last, with lots of pushing and shoving to get the cushions to fit.

It was really tight, I think if I did it often the back seat cushion would get beat up where the front headrest mount is pushing into it.

That said, it was pretty comfortable. I took a nap back there to recover from my exertions.

 

Refresh mode is pretty nice on long trips where you just want to pull over and kick your feet up. Like others mentioned, the seat doesn't go completely flat, and has a slight bend at the knees on most people.


With you having history of clots and on thinners, refresh mode probably will probably not be conducive with you as I feel the top of the seat (with head rest removed will just wedge right where the popliteal artery/veins pass through. Probably better for you to get up and walk around with TEDs on and stretch your legs out on a park bench.

 

Thanks for the advice.

I guess I've unfortunately reached a place where now on long drives I don't have much of a choice BUT to stop occasionally and stretch and move around.

I haven't had a chance to even experiment with "Refresh Mode" yet, haven't had the luxury of taking a long road trip with my New Fit yet. It's all been around town driving thus far.

To be honest I don't have a long history of Blood Clots and Thinners, this was all diagnosed in the past year or so....

I feel kind of like Chris Bosh...the diagnosis sucks.

By the way...what are TEDs?

 

TED hose, short for thromboembolism-deterrent hose......compression stockings

 

UPDATE:

Went on a road trip this past weekend...first relatively long road trip drive with New Honda Fit.

Tried out the "Refresh Mode" at rest stops along the way.
Actually very impressed.

Very easy to set up...and makes IMO a very comfortable "Stretch Your Legs Out" sitting arrangement. Could even catch a little nap. I liked it...more than I thought I would.

One thing however, would be my advice...

If you plan to use "Refresh Mode"...bring a pillow or pad to put under your feet, as they will be on top of your front seat bottom cushion. If you have any dirt or moisture on your shoes...it can mess up your passenger cushion. So something to protect that cushion while your feet rest in that area...IMO a good idea.
Also check your shoes before climbing in.

But I'd say something I questioned as a gimmick...was actually REALLY nice on a road trip.

 

^^ Or just take off your shoes...

It is indeed a great feature to have. I have Clazzio seat covers in my GD and frequently use refresh mode in between run groups on autocross days. Very comfy, almost couch like thanks to the additional memory foam padding from the seat covers.

I have yet to try out refresh in the GK though. Each time I get access to one at work I'm either to dirty to sit in it to try it out, don't have the time to do so, or simply forget.