April 2012 issue of Motor Trend magazine: In comparison of "Economy Five Door Hatchbacks", the Fit came in 4th place!! The line up was as follows:
7th Kia Rio
6th Suzuki SX4
5th Mazda 2
4th Honda Fit
3rd Toyota Yaris?!
2nd Chevy Sonic
1st Hyundai Accent

Now, as much as I love the Fit (Currently awaiting delivery of 2012 Sport 5MT) I'm starting to feel that Honda is letting itself be outclassed. The YARIS has 4 wheel disc brakes?! Only the Fit & Mazda have 5 speed manuals, all the rest have 6 speeds! So, what do YOU think???

 

I do gotta say that yes it has been time for a 6-speed & 4 wheel disc brakes. I mean the cr-z has both of those. I guess they're really trying to push that instead of the Fit. Honda just confuses me nowadays. I still love my Fit though. Why push away a good thing?

 

Once the Fit is made in Mexico, those items may show up in US bound Fits. The GE8 RS here has had 4 wheel discs from day 1 and the refresh GE8 has a 6MT as well now. Though the price on a Fit here is about $25k at current exchange rates. A CR-Z here costs upwards of $31k.

 

I think that Honda hasn't given enough advertisement dollars to M/T. LOL.
Car and Driver and Consumer Reports has given the Fit high test scores.

 

The 4 wheel disk brakes wouldn't benefit me all that much but a 6 speed transmission would be a great addition to the Fit... I'm not crazy about the engine buzzing away at highway speeds but you have to expect that from a 2500lb car powered by 1500cc engine... Still an over driven 6th gear would have you dropping 2 or even 3 gears at times to pass slower moving traffic... Honda had a dual range transmission on 750cc 4 cylinder motorcycles back in the 1980s, that is what I'd like but I wouldn't sell my Fit to get another one just for a couple of features.

 

4 wheel disc brakes is just bling. there's NOTHING wrong with rear drum brakes on a lightweight hatchcrap.

 

That's the way I see it also....

 

The 6MT here has the Fit sitting at about 3500rpms at 75mph in 6th gear. That's only 350rpms less than the old 5MT here. The GE 5MT Fit stateside sits at about 3500 at that speed in 5th. So not really a difference, of course highest posted speed in Japan is just 100km/h, but most expressways are just 80km/h so they can get away with more agressive gearing.

The gears are as follows on the new 6MT RS, 4.625 final (same as US), 3.461 first (same as previously, US is 3.308), 1.869 second (same as US and previous GE8), 1.235 third (all new, CR-Z uses a 1.303), .948 fourth (same as US), .809 fifth (all new) and .727 sixth (same as US 5th). Really the gearing is not so hot and why I really wouldn't want the new 6th that is here. The current Fits when out on circuit with me definitely accelerate faster, but that is because of that 4.625 final, which I'm rectifying at this moment with the 4.687 MFactory final.

I think they should of stuck with the CR-Z's gearing in the new RS as its 6th is more of an overdrive gear being a .688, though add to the fact the CR-Z has a horrid final of 4.111, would of been better with at least the JDM GE8's 4.294. MFactory offers a 4.9 final for the CR-Z, now that would be fun. CR-Z sits at about 2900rpms at 75 in 6th and outfitting to the 4.625 final in the CR-Z would see 75 running at about 3300rpms. So for the US, to really see an overdrive with the 4.625 final, it would need to be something like a .560 6th gear, that would see 75 at about 2700. So a definite FE gear at that point.

 

yeah but we need more gears! also disc brakes! I can't believe i bought a fit with drums. also 4 cylinders? Why can't we have 8 in this car! would make it much better! Oh, and wings! Driving on the ground is for suckers.

 

screw 8, why don't we just put a jet engine in it

 

I like the way you think. You need to work for honda because they are obviously doing something wrong! It isn't enough that we drive a great little gas saver, we need to win (extremely subjective) magazine tests.

 

Just a little bit of boost is a lot of fun.

 

Honda is starting to lack behind the competition (I'm thinking standard features and some refinement). But it is still one of the most fun B-segment cars you car buy today. If I had the choice to buy another Fit compared to the other 8 vehicles tested, I would buy the Fit again.

 

Car and Driver saw it differently: http://automobiles.honda.com/images/...rAndDriver.pdf

J.D. Power and Associates' "Highest Ranked Sub-Compact Car in Initial Quality" and ALG's 2012 Residual Value Award for "Best Sub Compact Car." : 2012 Honda Fit - Awards, Accolades and Ratings - Official Site

You're always going to find one of these companies who'll see it differently. Motor Trend named the Passat it's 2012 car of the year and that wasn't a very popular choice with some car enthusiasts.

 

That C&D thing is funny, they say 'there's no competition', when the Fit won 203-201, that seems p close

 

Something tells me he first page was done up by Honda. Then the C&D review is on the bottom page.

 

Motor Trend is pretty much the last place I would go for information or reviews of a car I would purchase.

 

Motor Trend has really dropped off in recent years, I was a big fan in the C.Van Tune era, but I haven't liked the direction its been heading since he left.

C&D is also dropping in quality.

The only car mag I have a subscription to at the moment is Road&Track, and even then, its just for any articles written by Peter Egan, the rest goes largely unread.

 

Hyundai, Sonic,Yaris ahead of the Fit. These tests are about as spot on as some of the tests in Cycleworld.

 

Peter is the man...cracks me up.