kinda knocking when you say it was designed in the 90's.
the Fit/Jazz was designed and released in 01.
yeah i'm first gen biased.
but i knew the 09' was coming out when i got my Fit.
i saw the JDM spec Fit and disliked it from the start. I wouldn't be caught dead in that neo-minivan.
but to each his own.

 

nothing wrong with the 90's, just 8 year old technology and styling. It takes years to design a car, and most major aspects are usually pretty much set a year or 2 before actual production (hence, 90's). It takes a year or two to set up production facilities, etc. Likewise, they probably began design of the new model in 02.

styling is one thing, nothing says new styling has to be better, they try, but often do not succeed in making something look better. i think it's a mixture of taking what's acceptable at the time plus trying to push the limit of acceptability. some argue that BMW, Audi, Honda?? screwed up this time around with their new looks and Porsche hit it just right with the 911. So it's debatable. But technology and safety wise, it usually only gets better.