2011 Honda Fit Sport Review

[ahmed_2011]

The current-generation Fit is a great little car. Yet its sales figures don’t reflect how good it is, because not many people are buying it. Three reasons explain this; two are real, while the other is speculative. First, let’s see what makes this car so special.


Step inside the Fit, and you’ll notice how spacious this car is. The expansive greenhouse fills the cabin with light for an airy feel while providing great outward visibility, headroom is more than sufficient, while the supportive seats, driver-side fold-down armrest and telescopic steering column make you feel comfortable.

The heating and ventilation knobs are simple and located near the driver, while the stereo with MP3-capable CD player makes it easy to skip songs and flip through folders with its big center-mounted buttons and volume knob. There is a USB port, but it hangs by a wire in the upper glove box; you can’t plug a key in while driving. Wheel-mounted controls and Bluetooth phone connectivity also would’ve been nice, stuff that the competition offers.

Rear-seat accommodations are top-notch for a subcompact, with more legroom, shoulder room and hip room than the also-cavernous Nissan Versa Hatchback. Something no one else but Honda offers is such a versatile seating arrangement; the bench cushions flip up and lock into place for carrying tall objects like plants or an LCD screen, and the seatbacks fold down to create a totally flat load floor.

Its cargo capacity, with the rear up (585 litres) or folded down (1,622 litres), is unmatched among subcompacts, and even makes several compact hatchbacks seem small.


Power comes from a 16-valve, 1.5-litre inline-4 that develops 117 horses and 106 lb-ft of torque. Mated to a 5-speed manual, the Fit is good for 10.2-second sprints to 100 km/h. The engine feels lively, while the clutch and shifter combo make the car pretty fun to drive, perhaps the most amusing among subcompacts after the MINI Cooper.


What spoils the driving experience quite a bit, though, is how noisy the Fit’s cabin gets on the highway. At 100 km/h, the engine spins at 3,000 rpm, which is just too high. The optional 5-speed automatic includes taller gear ratios; they make the car a little slower during acceleration, but engine revs are lower on the highway, which means less noise and better fuel economy.

Even published figures favour the automatic on the open road, at 5.4 L/100 km versus 5.7 with the manual transmission. Still, our average of 6.2 L/100 km over the course of the test week is pretty good. Imagine if the Fit could count on a 6-speed manual with a tall 6th gear, fuel consumption would be even better. If you spend most of your commute on the highway, the automatic would be a better choice in the Fit.

The base Fit DX starts out at $14,480 before tax, freight and delivery charges, while our Sport trim lists for $18,780. The mid-grade LX is arguably the best deal at $16,880. Competition for the Fit Sport includes the Ford Fiesta SES ($18,899), the Mazda2 GS ($18,195), the Nissan Versa 1.8 SL with Sport Package ($19,448) and the Toyota Yaris RS ($19,530). A MINI Cooper Classic is more thrilling but much less spacious, and lists for $21,950.

And let’s not forget the newcomers in the subcompact category, such as the Scion xD (well, new in Canada at least), the 2012 Hyundai Accent, the 2012 Kia Rio and the Fiat 500.


But the MSRP doesn’t tell you the whole story. The Fit never really benefitted from low lease or finance rates, at least not as low as its competitors. Meanwhile, Civics were moving out the door with aggressive incentives.

In the last two years, if you visited a Honda dealer looking for a Fit, the salesperson probably steered you towards a Civic instead, as its monthly payment was almost the same as its smaller sister’s. This is the speculative reason why the Fit isn’t selling well as Honda won’t let it steal sales away from the Civic in order for it to keep its title as Canada’s bestselling car 13 years running.


As for the real reasons mentioned earlier, customers who cross-shop will realize that from an equipment standpoint, Honda’s subcompact feels pretty bare compared to a Versa or a Fiesta. There’s no sunroof, no stability control, no heated seats, all stuff that’s available elsewhere, and in some cases, for less money. Furthermore, subcompact category sales are currently sliding.

The fact that such a great car is overshadowed by Canada’s sales sweetheart is a crying shame. Maybe Honda could put the Fit up for adoption and allow another manufacturer to give this car the spotlight it deserves.