Upgrading from 2008'sport fit to 2016
 

I bought a 2008 Fit sport MT new. I added an after market center console and left foot rest, and added some foam to the drivers lumber support. I have been very happy with it. Now considering buying a 2016 EVX CVT. Anyone have such experiences and/or any comments? Is noise and ride the same or better?

I can't directly compare, but the consensus here and in automotive media is that the current generation is quieter and rides more smoothly, perhaps at the expense of some handling sharpness.

I am in the group that find the seats to be supremely comfortable, but many do not.

I never use the armrest, so it's irrelevant to me that it's low. Plenty of people here hate the low armrest, which I gather was an issue on the previous generation too.

Short answer: I love my 2015 EX.

I went from a 08 Sport AT to a 15 EXL CVT, so I feel like I can answer this pretty well.

I owned my 08 for 6 years and put 41,000 miles on it in that time.

I've now owned my 15 for 2.5 years and put 20,000 miles on it.

The 08 had a much tighter suspension which gave it that go-kart feeling. The 15 is much softer. MUCH softer. I personally think its a bit too soft, but it still feels like a fit. You could say the 15 feels more "refined"

The 08 had hydraulic power steering. The 15 has electronic power steering. The 08's steering felt much more direct and nicely weighted. The 15 is too light and not as direct. 08 wins on steering big time.

Power. 15 wins for sure BUT... I think the 08 was so happy to rev high that it kind of felt faster, or was at least more comfortable at higher speeds/revs. The 15 will easily get up to higher revs and higher speeds, but you can tell there is something either programming or mechanical that makes the car dislike it. I travel 20 miles each way to work and hit 80 mph every day on my commute. The 15 really doesn't like to go past 80. Sometimes I'll get above 90 but it doesn't feel right. I frequently got the 08 above 90 and it always felt like it could keep going.

Interior comfort. 15 wins. No doubt about it. Some people say the new Fit's seats are too hard. I don't feel that way. I have the leather and its nice. Can't speak to the cloth.

Overall, they are very different cars with the same DNA. You will be happy with the new Fit. But it will feel different than your current car.

I've only test driven the 08 Fit and now own a '16 Fit, both manual shift. I prefer the steering and handling of the '08, as it was tight like a go cart. I found the '08 to have really great acceleration, but so does the '16.

There is a on youtube from a guy that owned an '08. Look up Accordguyintake. He has a couple of Youtube videos on the new '15 Fit. He comes from a heavily modded '08 Fit. He is also a Fitfreak member. I found his reviews very helpful.

There are more...

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...t-weekend.html

I bought a 2007 FIT LX brand new in August 2006(5 speed manual). In March, at 9 years+ and 250000km, I decided to trade it for a new 2016 DX(6 speed manual). The DX is available in Canada and is basically a US LX with no AC.

My 2007 FIT was a really great car hence the decision to remain with the brand/model.

My new fit is only 7 months old, 17000kms. I've had some bad luck with it (two destroyed tires/two damaging animal collisions/freak wheel sensor damage/doored by idiot) None of these are the fault of the car and in general it has worked very well, as advertised. My only issue is a noisy transmission mount which Honda will be replacing under warranty.

I'm pretty much on board with Andre181 who posted above.

I'm disappointed with the handling of the 2016 as compared to my O7. It understeers more and has more body roll. It feels like it has a higher centre of gravity. The 2007 was on rails, truly a go cart. I typically don't drive my cars fast in a straight line but I do like to drop tailgaters in the corners. The new car does not instill the confidence of the old one. (Firestone P185/60R15 on the DX)

To me, the steering feel in the '07 was much better. A bit too light in the 2016. (Both vehicles have electric assisted rack and pinion steering)

I would say that the new car is quieter, especially on new asphalt. But it is not a quiet car :) Honestly, I preferred the engine sound of the 2007. With the 2016 I'm hearing more mechanical, non-combustion noise. This may be DOHC and injector noise.

The old car had a more useful hatch when the back seats are up. I seldom have rear seat passengers so the additional leg room back there is no use to me.

While not applicable to you, the six speed transmission ratio's are not great. I seldom bother with 5th and would really like a taller 6th.

I've done a 1200 mile trip in the new car and it is certainly more suited to highway driving than the 07. It really worked great and the additional power was obvious. Also, the '07 really blew around in high winds. This car is more stable at speed.

My fuel economy is about 10% better with the new car over the first 6 month period. (43.7USMPG vs 39.8USMPG) These are manual transmission numbers...CVT is a different animal.

All of that said, I do like my new car and 9 years (I hope) from now will probably do it again.....

i owned the GD sport MT, two GE's AT and MT, and now my wife has a GK CVT (i bought it actually... under my name).

i can say that between the GD and GK it's a huge improvement as far as a 'car' but not sure if u'd enjoy the CVT as much as ur MT.

when i owned the two GE's together, the cars were night and day different between AT and MT. i hated da AT, liked the MT. the GK is my wife's so i dont care but it does get great mpg's. 40.2 without trying. :D

I thought the 2008 was a bit cheap and much too jarring of a ride.

The 2015 has been magical. The improvements are so vast over the 2008, hard to compare them really.

the new Fit's gearing in the manuals is too short. I find myself having to row through gears a lot in the cities. Otherwise, like other people mentioned, the suspension is softer, but the seats are more comfortable with the car having a more "grown up" feel to it. I still prefer a throttle cable and hydraulic steering rack though. Plus I still feel the older Japanese made Fits were better assembled.

I went from an '08 Sport MT to a '16 LX CVT. Didn't want to give up the '08, but a red light runner at high speed made that decision for me earlier this year. At 147K, I was on my 30th oil change, and she didn't burn a drop. Hated to junk it but had no choice, it was not repairable.

I did a lot of cross country trips on the '08. While I loved the car in general, the ride was pretty harsh. Might have been a little less so in the base version with smaller wheels. Also, the engine was screaming at 70mph - 3500rpm if memory serves. So it was noisy as well as having a harsh ride.

In comparison, the '16 LX has a more compliant ride, and is quieter. I actually prefer the CVT to the '08 MT for a couple reasons: 1. Better mileage, I average around 44mpg, compared to 36-38mpg for the '08 MT. 2. Wider gearing range than either the '08 MT or the '16 MT, which means that at 70mph, the engine is only doing around 3000-3100rpm.

Did the '08 handle any better than the '16? Possibly, but I'm not into carving up canyon roads at speed, so the '16 works just fine for my needs.

One difference between the two: The '08 took 5W-20 oil, the '16 takes 0W-20 synthetic. Can go longer between oil changes but twice as expensive generally. Most cars are synthetic only these days but it's still worth mentioning.

For those complaining about the handling, throw on a Progress rear anti-sway bar ....improves the feel of the GK quite a bit...dunno why Honda opted to not have a bar on the 3rd gen

After driving all 3 gens of Fits, I wouldn't say that any are an "upgrade" per say... More of a side step or trade off in terms of features across the year range. To me the GD is simple, practical and analog as your can get for a Honda, the GE is a little more practical in terms of in car storage and cargo capability, and the current GK is a refreshed/modern GD that is much more tech friendly.

In terms of GD vs GK... The GK is a more matured/softened up GD. It offers just about everything the GD has in terms of features and simply refines or one ups what the GD did not have. Like telescoping steering wheel and height adjustable driver's seat as improvements as well as steering mounted hand controls for the audio unit, leather, nav, sunroof, smart key, auto lights and more as things the GD did not have. You also do gain a smidgen more room for the 2nd row passengers and a more efficient and powerful direct injected engine. You also see a noticeable jump in interior quality (minus the carpet) gain factory bluetooth integration, sun roof and a very smooth CVT transmission which is great especially on long highway trips. The optional audio integration is nice too if you have a phone that is compatible with MirrorLink (...or Android Auto... or Apple Car Play in some Honda/Acuras) since with some applications you can for example have a navigation app like Sygic guide you along your route through the audio unit display.

BUT... The GK isn't as inspiring to drive as the GD. Even when comparing manual versus manual. The steering is the lightest I've felt across the Fit range and also pretty numb as well when it comes to steering feed back. The spring and/or shock dampening rate is too soft as well and seems a bit want to bounce and roll more than the GD does stock vs stock... despite having a much larger 26mm front anti-roll bar.

The CVT transmission is rather disappointing. Sure the CVT is very efficient and smooth... but man does it numb the car down if you do decide to drive the car spiritedly. There isn't an "engaging feeling" like that you would get with the older 5 speed A/Ts when shifting them with the paddles. Yes, it does engine brake and yes, it also does "simulate" a "gear shift" but at the end of the day its still have CVT that sticks with 7 predetermined settings when used in "manual mode".

The GD is electronic power steering not hydraulic.

I have a 2015 Fit with a manual transmission that I will put up for sale soon once I meet my 20 posts requirement. It's a great car. I really like how versatile it is. The road noise and engine noise can be annoying, however, it's expected in a 15k car.