I am worried about a couple of issues I have read about. I am shopping for a 2010 Fit Sport manual transmission:

1) Not enough power to merge safely
2) Foot pain from the gas pedal
3) Weak AC

How bad are these issues?

 

1) not true. It's entirely adequate for interstates. It's just not as powerful as most cars, but hey it's a 1.5L economy car. I drive metro Atlanta daily and have no issue entering and merging. I'd think twice before passing someone on a two lane road especially if any hills were involved.

2) Some people don't like the feel of the gas pedal (not enough tension). I think it's perfect. Thought I'd miss not having cruise control (base Fit) and I don't.

3) Not bad enough to keep me from buying it during August in GA. But yeah, it's weak. On recirculate it maintains interior temperature once it's cooled down, but takes too long if left out in the sun. I resorted to lowering the windows and driving half a mile or so to get the interior cooled to the point the A/C could cope.

 

1 - No problems here, it compares very favorably to the '85 VW GTI I drove for 10 years. Just remember it's a Honda, and don't be afraid to run it in the upper end of the revs when you gotta go.

2 - Yeah, it's a light spring, at least to me, but I'm used to driving trucks and vans. Having the cruise control in the sport is a big help.

3 - I'm more of an open window in the summer driver, and got mine at the end of July, so it doesn't bother me much, but it did take a while to cool the car down the few times I did use it in August.

 

1) It definitely has enough pep to get out of and into (wink) sticky situations

2) It feels great to me, but there is also a spring fix for this

3) AC has been more than adequate for me so far...live in TX and bought the car in August...you tell me.

 

Awsome, thanks!

 

1. I have no problem merging onto the highway, this car has plenty of get-up and go, even with a full load. Then again I drive a MT and can keep myself in the powerband without having to treat the accellerator pedal like a suggestion box.

 

1. C&D tested the MT Sport to 60 in 8.9 seconds, which isn't as bad as it sounds. It'll get moving quick if you let it spool past 4500 RPM.
2. I've got a big foot (size 13) and I have no problems maintaining throttle position over extended drives. Though it does come cruise control if you do alot of highway cruising.
3. I haven't driven too many cars, so I don't think I can make a good comparison to another car. I will say that I don't go past two on the fan speed, and I spend 90% of my time on the first speed.

EDIT: I will point out that the pedals are a little closer together than I'm used to. For the first few hundred miles I would clip the brake pedal on my way to depress the clutch. Not too bad and easy to adjust to, but something to be mindful of.

 

1. There's plenty of power. No problems whatsoever. There's simply LESS power than in some other cars, but it's not so weak that you can't keep up with traffic.

2. My first week with my Fit, I did a 400 mile (800 mi round-trip) road trip. I have a base model, so that means no cruise control. My foot didn't hurt because I rested it against the side of the console. It was pretty comfy.

oh, and I haven't had to use my AC yet, so can't comment on this.

 

1. Acceleration is no problem at all. Think about that 0-60 time of 8.9 seconds. 15 years ago, that would be considered pretty decently quick for an average car--seriously, how fast was a mid 90s 4-cyl accord or a 140 hp 3.0 liter Ford Taurus? Or how about an 88 hp Escort like I had back in the day? Power numbers are insane in many flashier offerings these days, but the Fit still can get up and move with you tell it to just fine. It is quite peppy, and the engine likes being pushed a bit. Nobody needs 300 hp (or even 200) to merge onto a busy highway or pass a slower car.

2. No problem with my pedal at all. It's never crossed my mind.

3. AC got me through summer fine (and my Fit is black), but I'm also a window down kind of person.

 

1. I own the manual transmission, and find the gear ratios are very well matched to the powerband of the engine. The car is plenty quick enough to get up to speed on entrance ramps and strong enough to pull most hills around here in 5th gear at 55 MPH. Downshifting is faster and a lot more fun. The engine likes to rev, and never feels uncomfortable being asked to do so. Add in the cars taught, nimble handling, and you can cover ground surprisingly fast for a "little econobox".

2. I've never noticed an issue with the gas pedal.

3. I'll admit we didn't have the hottest summer ever, here, but I thought the AC worked just fine, and I'm NOT a "window down" kind of guy. It DOES seem to cycle on and off more than it seems like it ought to, but I just ignore it.

Find a Fit on a lot and take it for a test drive. That's what sold me.

 

1) Like everyone says, it's not as fast as other cars, but it's definately not dangerously slow when merging. Plus once you get on the highway, passing in top gear is faster than in my GTI with >100 more horsepower

2) This was the only problem I had with the car when my wife got it. My ankle would kill me after about 150 miles of highway slogging. That is until i learned to rest my ankle and leg on the center divider and use my big toe to apply pressure to the pedal.

3) With so many windows, it's a little difficult to get the car cooled down in 95*F Virginia summer heat, but some tinting actually helps with that a lot. My wife could attest to the AC's effectiveness better than me as I always drive with the windows down.