So as the title says. I finally have the approval to purchase a fit! This post may be a long one! So prepare to read a long essay LOL. I LOVE to write as well. So this may be interesting for you. All in all this post will be about the Honda Fit years 2009-2013 and their practicality etc.

So it took me a long long long time to try and convince my partner about the Honda Fit. Currently we have a small little family of 1 child. And our current vehicle is a 2nd gen HONDA CRV. This is my very first car that I have bought after having my new drivers license for about 3-4 months. And let me say. This Honda has been a JOY to use. I’ve taken it to the mountains. And it handled the steeps very well. Went into some gravel road without no fuss. Not once has it left me stranded or failed. But we all know that’s Honda reliability! It’s built tough like a tank too. It fit the car Seat just fine too. And cargo was a breeze. I took a big telescope to the mountains and it fit along with all my cargo. It was a night unlike no other. As for gas mileage. There has been ups and downs I purchase a “scanguage” meter and have been averaging 20-21MPG in the City. And about 22-26MPG combined. 26MPG in the highway with some interesting dips up to 28MPG at times.

My very main focus on switching over to the Honda Fit is NUMBER one. Fuel economy. I drive In stop and go traffic so I think my economy will improve if I switch to the fit. I bet my gas ⛽️ bill will be cheaper as wel monthly! Currently I fill my gas with $42-$48 2 times a month depending on the price. I estimated on the fit it will cut to $29 twice a month. Which I think is excellent.

I have been doing the very best to get the best fuel mileage. I changed the spark plugs. Put in 29psi on the tires. Not use the AC etc every single little bit to improve the mileage. And I did come a long long way. From 17-19MPG to 21-23average. Which I think is a very good improvement. But at times. I’m still left unsatisfied 😆. That is where the Honda Fit comes in.

I’ve been doing a lot of research. And the Honda Fits cargo. Fuel economy compactnes and overall ride and feel. Is perfect. It took a very very long time to convince my partner, because as most people think. They think it is unsafe because of its size. Small on cargo capacity and overall low clearance. But in my opinion I beg to differ and say it is GOOD on cargo GREAT on gas. And overall in the long run easy to repair and maintain.

A question for all here. Owners of Honda fits. (And if you own a CRV as well!)

Do you guys think that the transition from a 2nd gen Honda CRV to a 2nd gen Honda Fit is a good one? And will it fit 2 adults and a small child comfortably?

I showed her a video. In the video it was a review of the fit. The dealer said “it’s so roomy inside it’s like an SUV!” And I agree. The cabin inside could as well be as big as the CRVs! Minus the back cargo with the seats up. But fold down those magic seats and boom! Big cargo 😀.

We are mostly on the lower budget end of things so I really think a Honda Fit would improve our gas savings! I plan to sell or maybe even trade this CRV to a Honda Fit 2009-2013.

And finally. Do you guys think that the fit could do all the things I mentioned with my CRV just fine? Such as going up those mountains. Gravel roads, and fitting a slim child’s car seat? And also. The safety was of it? Should I really switch from a CRV to fit? Or just stick with a CRV? Thank you.

I have loved the fit ever since I did research on it. Fuel economy is great! Handling is great! And one thing I always loved about it. Easy parking no more needing trying to find a spot in my fullly parked neighborhood. There are times when in my CRV I said “I wish I had a fit. It could just. FIT there “ lol see what I did there?

 

Our 2009 Fit Sport and 2018 EX 6 speed Fit (both manual) compare with our mother-in-law's 2011 CRV:

The Fits get 30 mpg in the city when Leadfoot Wife drives. I get about 32 mpg. On the highway, we get 35-39 on the 09, and 36-41 on 18. At 60 mph, both return in low 40s. A/C use knocks 1-2 mpg off. The CRV AWD gets around 20 in city, and 25 on highway, based on one trip w/o A/C running.

We took a 3 week vacation cross country with three adults and one small child in 09 FIt. Both Fits have served well on multiple 2 adult, 1 child in car seat long trips. The cargo area with the rear seats occupied is the same as the Accord. The 18 has significantly more rear legroom. The CRV has a much larger trunk area, but headroom and legroom are similar. The CRV is a little wider, but still feels compact on the inside. The Fit does require us to arrange luggage pieces to fit with child equipment like strollers and playpens, where in the CRV there is enough cargo room to just pile it in without thinking. For three people , the Fit has room to spare if each traveler has one rolling bag and one medium duffel bag.

The Fit costs much less, consumes less fuel, so total cost of ownership will be significantly reduced.

WIth the manual, the Fits both climb mountains will full loads easily. As one magazine put it in a review, 'just enough power to have fun'. No experience with climbing in CVT models. I do wish both 09 and 18 had a lower highway gear for fuel and noise considerations.

THe only place the Fit feels its size is in width. The Civic and CR-V are slightly but noticeably wider, and much wider Accord is better for seating three across in the rear.

As for safety, I don't feel badly compromised in the Fit. It passes the tests and I would take a current model anything over something built 10 years ago. The new offset crash test forced manufacturers in the mid 2010s to strengthen the passenger compartments.

THere are few tradeoffs with the Fit, like only four fan speeds, a harsher ride on really rough roads, but for $10000 less and better economy, it's a deal I recommend. Most families I see tooling around in giant SUVs or even CRVs don't need that much vehicle. The FIt, after all, is family sized in the rest of world.

 

Mine has two car seats in it, and I don't have any problem running normal errands like grocery shopping, etc. I don't know about long trips, though, if we took a vacation we'd probably end up using the wife's CX-5. Mostly because she would try to pack the entire house into the trunk, but still, there's more space, and enough to make a difference. For daily use, though, I definitely prefer the Fit. Especially when filling the tank.

While you're working through the decision, have you tried going to 40 psi on the tires? It might have a noticable effect on your mileage, but shouldn't be high enough to cause uneven wear. I like the feel better, too, but that's obviously down to personal preference.