We've had our Fit for about a month now, mostly city driving, some city-highway driving, and a little road-trip driving. This is Kansas which, like it does for most things, flies under the radar of whatever topic is under discussion. While Chicago is known as the Windy City, Kansans refer to what most people call "high wind" as a nice breeze. Every spring to early summer is tornado season here and it's not remotely unusual to see 50mph straight line wind here. 80mph isn't unheard of. And we don't have big buildings, lots of trees, hills, or anything to slow things down.

So when I say I know about driving in wind it's safe to say I'm not exaggerating. (Not to get into a pissing contest with anyone - I'm sure there are worse places wind-wise to drive in, but the point I'm making is that I'm not talking about a gentle 30mph crosswind here.)

Put it another way: I learned to drive on a 1970 Ford LTD with a cool 4000lb curb weight. Even in that iron beast you had to keep in mind that you could get pushed a foot or two sideways by a good gust. Maybe exaggerating a little there (it's been a good few years) but that's how it felt.


So to the Fit: it feels really wind-neutral to me. Our other vehicles are a 2001 Chevy S10, and a 2007 Toyota Yaris hatchback, and both of those feel like they get bullied by strong wind more than the Fit, though the S10 feels like it's on rails if it has a dense load in the back (obviously). Empty it's not too bad, but the back end feels a little squirrelly if it gets really windy. The Yaris really makes you appreciate the wide Midwestern road lanes and the narrow vehicle - aim for the middle and try not to panic when you get pushed around.

And of course passing big trucks is one of those things you just get used to - just steer into them a little as you go by the front to compensate for the lateral wash (but keep in mind that some rig designs push more or less than others).


I think a big thing is the good front/rear weight balance of the Fit. My heartrate doesn't really blip if I get pushed hard - evenly - by a crosswind. If I'm cruising along at 60+ in the truck and suddenly feel the ass-end pushed hard... oh yeah, that'll pucker you up a bit.

 

Just to second those suffering from cross-wind instability... on a Jazz 2009 - automatic, on a simple 1hr journey under 47km/h winds, I could feel I was clearly pushed away from my lane and had to really stay firm the whole way. We' ve only had it for 6 months but now I know our next one must be a lower/sportier one.
Interesting comments on wheel options and alignment.

 

Just FYI - your experience driving a 2009 with aging suspension isn't A: necessarily reflective of how the car handles new and B: at all relevant to how a 3rd generation Fit/Jazz handles.

 

The 3rd gens handle it pretty well in my experience. Even in my smaller and lighter old 1997 Toyota Tercel, it wasn't that bad. Maybe I'm just used to driving small and tinny feeling cars.

 

It is a small car, almost the size of a dune buggy or go-kart lol and it will handle as such. I always joke around and tell people you might as well tie a string to me and take me to the park on a windy day with how much I get blown around on the highway with high wind speed. You can always stiffen the suspension with aftermarket parts, even just putting in a new sway bar and linkage set that's sturdier than the stock helps out quite a bit I found.

 

The car is low to the ground and it;s not as high as say a regular SUV so less vulnerability to wind. On the negative side it only weighs 2500 lb which is quite a bit less than larger cars so yeah that makes it sensitive to strong wind.

 

It was really bad for me on Stock suspension but with it lowered and tighter with wider tires it felt more planted on highway at 70+

 

One word: Wheeee!

 

my '19 has a slightly wider track , about an inch , with wider rims , 195 tires , a rear sway bar and a few added chassis braces front and back . cross winds aren't much of an issue , i don't usually drive that fast , but it does feel very stable at 80