I had a 1987 Ford Escort GT back in 1987. The Fit is very equal in specs to my old Escort GT which would go toe to toe with the Ribbit/Golf GTI. Fit does have better stereo and other amenities. Modern electronics and technology help make econo shitbox class cars equal or better than the Hot Hatches of the late 80's/early 90's.

But to answer the OP question if I wanted a fun, cheap econobox and wasn't as concerned with hauling capacity and willing to have a little less fuel economy than the Fiesta ST would be the way to go for "FUN"

 

I, too, have a new 2018 Fit Sport and I'm coming off a '90 CRX Si that I drove since '91. Both USDM.

The CRX Si was known to be a pretty zippy feeling toy of a car back in the day but not fast, even by 1990 review standards. Basically a FWD 1st gen Miata type of fun-to-drive-a-slow-car-fast thing. Responsive, direct and light...and no power steering for the ultimate in front tire communication.

I'd say the new Fit is like a muted CRX feel. Everything is less direct feeling and there's less connection to the road and car when compared to the CRX but all of that results in a substantially more comfortable and refined driving experience...but it is still a fun, sporty driving experience, to me, even when compared to my old CRX. I'm almost willing to say it's like my CRX was but with the rough edges rounded off. It doesn't feel like I'm substantially missing out. But I'm not a young buck anymore at 48 (I value comfort more than before) so take that into consideration.

I wonder how much the 2018 changes to structure, suspension damping and steering bearing stiffness has improved its feel. Has anybody driving both pre-2018 GK's and 2018?

Interestingly, the performance test numbers of the 2018 Fit are right about the same for the CRX Si...

 

how the hell did u manage to drive the same car for 27yrs with completely obsolete safety systems and survive? haha
maybe you can teach gibson how to survive out there too.

 

Ha another guitar player. The Fit seems very popular among musicians (I play in a weekend band myself). And yeah Gibson is definitely in a bad spot, hopefully they come out leaner and meaner.

I too had CRX Si (several of them in fact) back in the day, and agree the Fit is similar if nothing else, in spirit. I have owned many sporty cars; Prelude VTEC, Integra GSR, Integra Type R, Subaru WRX to name a few. The Fit, while obviously very different from those, is involving enough to drive to make me not miss them too much.

That said, I hope to get a CTR in 3-4yrs. We shall see.

 

Okay, not only did I drive that CRX Si for 27 years, but I'm ALSO a guitar player. Moreover, my main instrument is a Les Paul. I guess my username is a hint.

The CRX was excellent at carrying my gear. It was actually more convenient to load than my FIT which takes more steps and time.

 

 

I remember the days of loading my 4x12 into my CRX! LOL it was awesome.

I also have 2 other pro-musician friends (as in, thats how they make a living, playing music) they also have Fits! Good stuff!

 

dats cool. im a hobbiest music composer. had original tunes aired on a major commercial radio station and was offered to do live shows in jland by a major music publisher back in my youth. but i declined cause i wanted to keep music just a hobby to enjoy.

i make a decent living doing other things im naturally good at for some reason, and my wife drives the Fit.

 

The Fit has been a blast with all the extra parts I threw on it so far. Wish all of you can critique my car after test driving it

 

Sporty is relative. I learned to drive on a '73 VW camper bus, so switching to a '75 VW Beetle felt sporty to me. For the past 30 years I have been driving an '81 Corolla wagon so our 2016 Fit CVT feels sporty (all the MT model owners are going to be shouting, "NO WAY is a CVT sporty.") On the other hand I put my leadfoot, burn-rubber-at-lights days behind me a few decades ago so anything that can get up to 55 mph (yeah, sorry, I drive the speed limit) in under 20 seconds feels zippy to me.

Really, a 1.5 liter engine isn't a muscle machine. I mean, back when I was in my teens I drove our camper bus like it was a formula one but you can only do so much with so much. I bet you can go to a Miata forum and see similar discussions about how to treat your 2-seater like a pickup truck. There's a dozen good reasons to get a Fit but to me "sporty" doesn't come high in the list.

 

1.5l not muscle?

You may want to double check your sources.

 

To be fair, the Mclaren was turboed.

 

The 2015 Fit EX I drive is a pretty good car, except for one thing: I felt the power steering is a tad over-boosted. Hopefully, Honda fixed it with the 2018 models.

 

that is very true. the GK's steering is much too light for any kind of sporty driving.

 

How about the RA272?

 

When ya have some time to waste, dig into performance specs of hallowed all-American in-modded muscle cars of the mid-'70's, info is easily available on the www. A 1.5L 130 HP Fit is as quick 0-60, etc, as hallowed names with V8s .....as you stated at the beginning of your post, "Sporty is relative." Sure, cars are a dime a dozen that can outperform the Fit, but compared to the old days, in perspective, it sure feels pretty dang sporty - as much as I hate that term.....and especially hate the word "pep" when used to describe a 4 cylinder engine, but...I digress. Entry level cars have never been better. Same analogy can be applied to guitars....when I was kid and learning, as far as I knew then, there were "great guitars" (Gibson, Fender) or junk. Entry level guitars at the time left something to be desired (talking late '60's, '70's). Nowadays, there are many very affordable guitars and the build quality is pretty consistent and well done (Squier and Epiphone). There has never been a better time to be a guitarist on a budget. I love my Fender, my coupla Squiers, my coupla Epiphones, and my BMG ....none of them MIA, btw, the Fender Thinline Tele is closest, being MIM, and it's a sweet guitar.

 

I have had a 2018 Fit Sport since Nov and I would say it is pretty fun and sporty... providing:
- you get the manual.
- use the manual to drive it like a classic Honda. In other words it likes to rev. Keep it above 3000, and above 4000 when you want to have fun. Great throttle response (no turbo lag) above 4000.
- Get the Honda HFP (Honda Factory Performance) suspension. I got the HFP suspension pieces without the rest of the HFP package for a good bit less than retail from the dealer after I bought the car and it wasn't very expensive and really makes it a fun car. I am surprised not to see others on this forum talking about the HFP package available for 2018.

 

So I got the kit but found out the other day there are separate part #s for AT vs MT. I have a MT but ordered the AT, so I returned it and am waiting for it to come back in.

Did you do the install yourself or had it done? Curious as to install difficulty, tools needed etc.

 

Did you drive the car extensively before the HPF suspension bits were installed? If so, how big a difference did it make regarding:

1. Ride quality/comfort
2. Steering responsiveness
3. Overall fun-to-drive level

One of the things that makes me hesitant with the HFP suspension is the lack of assurance that the Hpf dampers would be offered separately in the future for when the original ones wear out.

 

Most people plan on having a vehicle long enough to wear out dampers, but the reality is that few do. In the rare instance you wear them out AND replacements aren't available, can always just go back to stock.