any front-wheel drive car is going to understeer, depending on how fast you take the turn.
i took each turn really hard and managed the understeer. i didn't hit any cones and i knew where the car was throughout each turn

 

So how about the driver's seat room / position? (I'm 6'3") Any feedback from the taller test drivers?

Yeah, it's a silly question...that will be instantly answered once I can actually go sit in the car, LOL. Yesterday I sat in the new Toyota Yaris coupe...and it felt exactly like the Scion xA in terms of seating: adequate with an automatic, but if I chose a manual tranny...using the clutch would have been murder (knee hitting steering wheel).

The Scion xB was super roomy. The Dodge Caliber felt pretty good too. Both vehicles have a dead pedal, which (correct me?) the Fit does not.

Others have mentioned the notable absence of an armrest. PhillyB, I'm guessing in your short hard driving test you didn't really have time to lean and chill, but again...I'm interested in how comfy the interior feels. Thanks.

 

honda has always prided themselves with comfort for all passengers. we have a 6'3" salesperson where i work and the most comfortable car for him is the civic i believe. when i asked him about the fit, he said he fit. the seat however has no height adjustment, but goes forward and back. couple that with the recline position, you might be able to fit and drive comfortably.

 

I just meant that it's fairly easy to minimize understeer through tuning of stuff like suspension, tire sizes, tire pressure, etc...

Most new FWD cars (and actually many new RWD or AWD cars too) have paralyzing understeer from the factory, but while it always seems to chalk up big negative points for magazine reviewers, it's almost always correctable.

Does the farther-forward gas tank contribute at all to the understeer? I would think that it would shift the weight distribution farther forward than normal.

 

that i don't know. but there are two benefits of having the gas tank closer to the front. one is safety, the other is cargo space and lower entry port

 

Have you looked at the 360 deg. where you can see the btm of the car?
The exhaust comes dead center towards the gas cover, makes 2-90 deg.
turns and they have the cat. rt. beside the gas tank. All this is protected of course, just hope it doesn't present a problem later.

And also the very long filler pipe for the gas tank. Kind of exposed underneath the chassis.