Hello,
I have the Honda Fit sales brochure book and want to point out something and ask a question. There is a picture in this book looking down on top of the Fit with the roof removed and 5 adults in the car. In the back is 3 twentysomething year olds. The way they are sitting struck my as unusual. The one sitting on the right has his left arm draped over the back set headrest, the middle woman has her back several inches off of the back seat leaning slightly forward, the guy in the red shirt next to her is learning much more forward with his hands on the headrest of the driver in front of him. In other words, not one person's shoulder in the pic is touching another person's shoulder, and they still look fairly cramped. It occured to me that the photographer made them sit this way because it was simply too cramped looking to have them sit the way people actually sit in a back seat--shoulder to shoulder. My question is has anyone out tried fitting 3 adults in the back seat? Comments please. Thanks, Glenn

 

I showed that photo around myself wondering about the trick. Maybe the girl is also 'un-large'!

 

Shoulder room would be the problem. Notice how one of the people is turned sideways.

 

I noticed that all three "adults" were younger "adults" that still had their youthful figures. That alone is enough to question the seating capacity. Sitting cockeyed on top of that does seem to make it look larger. I am sure three real adults could sit in the back but it would be cozy to say the least. The back seat of my Intrepid is large and three real adults are crowded back there. By real I mean three average overweight adults. Being fat doesn't make my shoulders wider but it does reduce comfort in any seating arraingment.

 

You can fit 3 adults but it is cramped and it wont be comfortable for long trips, especially if they are "large". But the what do you expect from a car this size? What amazes me is the amount of leg room in the back given the overall length of the car.

 

I had three normal sized adults in the back when we went for lunch last week and it was fine for a fun to a restaurant. Tallest was 6'3".

 

Fitting three big guys in the back is not gunna happen. Three regular people is ok, for a 30 minute drive.

 

Thanks everyone for their replies, it was helpful. I'm not picking on or finding fault with the Fit (it's likely I"m going to buy one myself), I just like to know the pros and cons of any vehicle. And to be fair, my farther in law has a Mazda MPV minivan, when three of us adults are sitting in the back, yes, it is cramped and uncomfortable. Now, some here (like me) are still waiting to compare the Nissan Versa and the Honda Fit. If you are, you must get the May 2006 Car & Driver magazine. It does a comparision test of seven small vehicles. They are (I'm giving them in order, winner is #1, close your eyes if you'd rather read it in suspense yourself from the mag):
7th-Suzuki Reno
6th-Dodge Caliber SE
5th-Hyundai Accent GLS
4th-Toyota Yaris S
3rd-Kia Rio5 SX
2nd-Nissan Versa 1.8 SL and #1....
1-Honda Fit (should be no surprise to people here). Now one of the things that leans me more to the Fit than Versa is that according to Consumer Reports mag (which I have here) they state that long term reliability is a factor with any Nissan vehicle but is not an issue with any Honda. That pretty much nails it for me. Thanks, Glenn

 

You means this picture??

 

Sat in the back of one, was comparing the width between seatbelts. The middle seat is far smaller than the sides, meaning it's gonna be a pretty tight fit.

 

Yes, that's the picture. I sat in the back of one today. I sat first in the left side, then I went into the middle. I felt weird. In the middle there is this part there that forces you forward an inch or so. That woman in the picture may not have been leaning forward, the back was forcing her forward. I frankly didn't like that. I'll have to think about all of this. Thanks for the pic!

 

Just five young hipsters in their new Fit. Hoping it doesn't rain!!

 

I also sat around the car in various spots, tried the seatbelts and whatnot. The back middle is somewhat uncomfortable, they usually are, but then I figured, I'll never sit back there anyway (ha ha). And while it is advertised for 5 person capacity, that's pretty much the most tolerable number, not the most enjoyable.

 

I can't remember, is there a hump on the floor where the middle seat is?

Comfortable or not, at least it is never cramped in the drivers seat!

 

I think that having the middle person sit forward an inch or two is actually a good thing, especially in a car this size.....it allows the the other two passengers to sit flush while the middle one can rest his/her shoulders on their inside shoulders (and still be able to have good back support).

 

There is, but it's much lower than other cars thank god. I think this might be due to the placement of the fuel tank further up.

 

Listen Guys,

Last Sunday My Brother In Law Fry His Minivan Tranny On The Higway And Call For Help....
....this Was The Perfect Excuse To See How Many Fit In The Fit, Right? Well I Went And Took Back My Brother In Law, His Wife, And Her Mother (all 6 Footers)+ Her Daughter 5'8'' + 3 Kids 9,10, And 3 Years Old, Plus Myself 5'11'' (the Driver) So, Make The Sum And You'll Know That It Pass The Scholar Bus Test. (it Was A Short And Emergency Ride But...)

 

I think if there were three adults in the back, they'd better like eachother I'm just excited to get two adults in a back seat. After 6 years with a Jetta where only kids could sit in the back, it will be a refreshing change!

 

Well, subcompact cares are usually not geared towards the husky.

 

I think the marketing material wasn't translated correctly. The Japanese for "Three adults" is "3 大人" but the original text is "3 人のかわいい学校の女の子" which roughly translates as "Three cute school girls."

-Dggitnow (愚かな外国人)