http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=109580

Did I read right about 50% reduced NOx and HC emissions? I wish this article was better written. 1) doesn't say 50% reduced compared to waht 2 ) why is this LEV? I started a thread about emissions. if 50% less than a typical honda car (and most hondas are ULEV2) why is its grade worse? is it cuz it uses 2007 EPA standards, which are more strict?

how accurate is this article? 210% bend rigidity, twist 116%? I don't knwo what these numbers mean, but it sounds too impressive. This article is biased, but I hope these numbers are correct. They are impressive numbers. Still can't wait for real mileage numbers.

 

That was a really favorable review of the Fit. Thanks for the link.

 

That was a really cool article.

Why would we automatically conclude that it was a biased review just because it's favorable? Am I missing something about the author, maybe a relation to Honda or something?

At any rate, it just makes me want mine more.

 

Mini van like space with sports sedan performance - YEAH!

 

Its comparisons to a "sports sedan" and quick gear changes that make you feel like an "Indy driver" makes me laugh. Either the author has never driven a real sports sedan, like an Audi S4, or hes just making up the BS as he goes along.

 

That's what makes the Fit the best car EVER in the entire world!!!!

 

Did anyone else notice that their test Fit does not have body colored headlamps? ........

Nissan GOD

 

Also, in some of the action shots, the car is a right hand drive.

 

I've just read the motor show link and see you guys have to wait awhile for the Jazz, Well we've had it a while over in the UK and it's worth the wait believe me

 

If you would have read the whole article you would have known they are driving the JDM version, not the US version we will get. The colored headlamps are an option over there and not standard like the US.

 

Well what was confusing to me was that the exterior shots show a RHD Fit, but for the interior pic they show the US Fit interior.

 

Have alook at this, Uk version but worth a look
http://www.whatcar.com/car-review-vi...x?MA=14&RT=358

 

Nice vid. Too harsh? I would like to be the judge of that. I hope Honda hasn't softened the suspension to standard U.S. wallow settings.

 

It doesnt seem like that Beam rear suspension is winning over any fans as far as road driving is concerned. Vicky is the one doing that test drive from the UK Top Gear series and she definitely knows what shes talking about when it comes to cars. But depending on how the road's conditions where everyone lives, not everyone will have the same opinion on the car's ride harshness or there lack of.

 

Stupid question: On the Societey of Fit specs page, it shows the Fit as having a torsion-beam rear axle. Does the "torsion" part of that not mean the same as a torsion bar, as in spring? If so, why are there also coil springs on the rear suspension? Is this some sort of variation? Does one type of spring compliment the other? If it is a true torsion-beam, wouldn't that preclude the ability for ride height adjustment in the rear? If it isn't, why do they call it that? I could continue, but it's giving me a headache.

 

They went with the torsion beam for a few reasons...

1) Torsion beam acts like a swaybar
2) Enables the Fit to have a flat floor and increased interior volume
3) Cost
4) Ability to move fuel tank under driver seat

My concern is how the rear beam reacts to lowering? I.E- Toe in, Toe out etc etc.

 

Too harsh, No way, I changed from a Xsara (very good french suspension) to the Jazz/Fit and would have to say that the ride is no more harder than any other in it's class, I also drive an Audi A2 and that shakes you apart.
Fitting larger wheels with low profiles on may make it abit bumpy.

 

I also had a Golf and Jetta that also had the torsion beam. I can't remember now if they had coil springs in the rear or not (I didn't modify them). If it is a true torsion beam, couldn't they have created more interior space by not using coil springs at all? Isn't the torsion-beam supposed to act as a spring? What about using some sort of rotary damper like Suzuki tried on the TL1000, and get rid of the shocks too? That would really maximize interior space.

 

"Torsion beam" is a misleading term. It refers to the way that the two sides of the rear suspension are linked to eachother. It essentially has nothing to do with how the wheels are suspended from the car itself (which, in this case, happens to be conventional coil springs), other than dictating the geomety of the linkage points to some degree.

Think of it this way - on a torsion beam rear, there is essentially a "beam" connecting the two suspension units on either side of the car. Contrast that to other types of rear suspension and you'll see the diffference. For instance, on a fully independant rear suspension (such as most AWD cars have, i.e. Audi or Subaru), the two suspension assemblies are tied together only by a rear swaybar (or not at all.)

A torsion beam has some of the benefits of a swaybar on a fully independant rear, but more or less all of the disadvantages get amplified quite a bit - rough riding over bad pavement in the twisties, "hoopping," etc.

Keep in mind also that many cars with torsion beams in the rear also have swaybars, to help link the rear wheels even more tightly.

Halo, the fact that the rear suspension is torsion beam shouldn't really play in to toe settings when the car is lowered. In fact, I'd venture to say that torsion beam suspensions take to lowering much better than some other types (mcpherson struts, for instance, which typically get really wild camber settings when compressed in a turn on a vehicle that has been lowered.)

 

Thanks Illswitch for a very informative write up! But do you get the feeling that Honda is taking a step backwards? Going from double wishbone on the crx back 15 years ago to a rear beam in 06?