Reader Review of the Week: 2009 Honda Fit
If you live in San Francisco and find yourself looking for fuel efficiency while hauling goats, then the Honda Fit might be your ride. This week's reader reviewer certainly recommends it. He and his wife not only own the brand-spanking-new 2009 Honda Fit, they also have an '08 version for comparison. Gas-friendly and apparently spacious enough for small livestock, keep reading to find out why else the Fit gets their endorsement. Also, submit your own review here.
“I'm a big guy, and while the 2008 Fit was a little bit tight, the 2009 offers more room: Foot room, hip room, headroom is still fine. It's a pleasure to drive, though the 2009 isn't quite as "hot" as the 2008, which I also happen to own. (When the 2009 came out, my wife bought that, gave it to me, and took the 2008, so I really do know them both; it made sense since I have the longer commute.)
“This is a great car for the 21st century: Yes, I've read the EPA rated miles; I'm a good, and careful driver, but I get 28 mpg in town and 36-39 on longer road trips (that's gas purchased into miles traveled, not from the "mpg gauge" on the dash, which is a little generous). Plus, the "rep" of this VTEC engine is that it picks up a few mpg after the first several thousand miles; I'll let you know. I'm driving the Sport with a manual transmission. I never even test-drove the automatic, but why bother? The manual repays the effort.
“Is there a drawback? Even on the Sport, which comes with a fold-down armrest, I want a center console. As with the 2008, I'm sure someone will produce a console-armrest combo that will fit in where the fold-down goes now. Oh, the upper glove box includes a USB plug and can securely hold an iPod, which when plugged in is fully controlled by the stereo. In short, follow your bliss: Give the car a shot and see if you agree.
“I bought the original 2008 Fit because the magic seats meant there was room with the seats folded down to carry all sorts of stuff, including bales of hay and two big goats (220 pounds each). And that's still true.”
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The 2009 Fit does have a console-armrest combo as an option, based on their brochure and configuration on their website.
It's been my experience that ALL cars pick up a bit more mpg and generally some performance after a few thousand miles on the engine.
the automatic base '09 Fit acctually gets better MPG than the manual or automatic Sport Fit. the Sport is a little bit more aggressively geared than the base model, which lends "better" acceleration but slightly lower MPG
What are you talking about JM?
The gearing is the same
http://www.hondanews.com/categories/1263/releases/4689
Different tires (175/65 14 vs. 185/55 16) econo - sporty
If you use the manumatic interface, and drive in challenging terrain (hills) you can get better mileage in the Sport because you can leave it in 4th gear where the regular automatic will be hunting 5,4,3,4,5 ad nauseam
You can get a center console with the automatic, but the manual only allows room for a small driver-side armrest because you need room to shift.