Honda Fit

jonniedee

I can speak from experience too - 14" rims on my old Toyota got it killed by pot holes in Michigan (bent control arms)- so it IS possible to go too far back down the size range as well... :surprise:
When I confronted my dealer he suggested "up sizing" to 15's if I continued to drive the same route... :mad:

robertsmx

If you switch to larger rims, you will have to go with lower profile tires which will be affected more by potholes than 14-inchers would (more rubber to absorb the impact).

mebman

I have ordered a sport model fit and really would prefer to have the 14in tires. They have a better ride, and are much cheaper to replace. I wonder if the dealer would swap them out? It seems like this would be to his advantage. I'm also thinking about taking off all of the underbody spoilers that just screams "teenager in heat". I wonder if this would mess up the paint job or leave holes?
Grandpa?--no just a practical guy!

nowakj66

Any hope the fit would work for a tall driver (6' 4") with 2 car seats in back?

hungarian83

"Any hope the fit would work for a tall driver (6' 4") with 2 car seats in back?"

I would think so. Of course, you will want to give it a test drive (bring the car seats with you), but the Fit has a good bit of room for its exterior size in both the front and the back. The cargo area is also quite large, which means you can hold plenty of stuff in the rear, but still have the whole family in the car. Passenger volume based on total cubic feet, as well as head/leg/shoulder/hip room for both front and rear are very similar to the Civic.

Safety-wise, it would be a good choice since you have 8 airbags and a car that has performed well in the Euro/NCAP. I expect very good results for the US crash tests as well, particularly with the side and side-curtain airbags.

mebman posted...
"I'm also thinking about taking off all of the underbody spoilers that just screams 'teenager in heat'."
I agree with you. However, considering you want to remove the wheels and side skirts, you should have just bought the base . The only thing I will be missing by purchasing the base is the lack of cruise control and keyless entry, but it's not a tragedy for me not to have those. However, I prefer the clean lines of the base over the Sport. It reminds of the European Jazz.

ludexr

Fit spec updated.
Just check Honda fit page: http://automobiles.honda.com/fit/index.aspx#
Audio Systems
160-Watt AM/FM/CD Audio System with 4 Speakers -base
200-Watt AM/FM/CD Audio System with 6 Speakers -Sport
Key features was updated.
http://hondanews.com/CatID2154?mid=2006010736064&mime=asc
Audio Systems
120-Watt AM/FM/CD Audio System with 4 Speakers-base
160-Watt AM/FM/CD Audio System with 6 Speakers-sport
Why is there a difference in audio spec.?
Which audio are we going to get?

haulsmall

Hi Folks. I've enjoyed your discussion, now I'm just waiting to try out a Fit for size. Does anyone have any experience with ordering a car from a Honda dealer when they don't have the model you want in stock? I really want to try one out before ordering and I'm trying to gauge dealer lead times.

coldstorage5

I feel you need to wait until you can see them. I plan buying a Fit, But wont preorder. Whenyou preorder, you lose all power to negotiate. So when the first couple arrive, check em out.

:P

nowakj66

I want to beleive the Fit would work for us. 41.9" of front seat legroom sounds good but then I see 33.7" of rear legroom and I am not so sure.

I am also considering the Scion xB which has 45.3" of front legroom and 38" of rear.

I look forward to checking it out.

PF_Flyer

Check what our editor-in-chief has to say about the Fit in his blog

http://blogs.edmunds.com/.ee8eeca

hungarian83

"I can further say that Honda is good at making even their smallest, inexpensive cars not feel small or cheap."

This is what will continue to set the Fit apart from the competition. My impressions of the European Jazz have been very good, and obviously Honda has brought that hard work and quality to the US...and in an entry-level car, no less. I personally don't see much of a link with the Aerio. Sure, they have similar profiles, but that's about it. Too me, the Aerio always looked kind of funny and out of proportion. Like the wheels were too small or something.

Hmmm...April 1st. Is that the final release day (ex. can I pick my car up on April 2) or is that just the day the journalists can talk, and the Fit gets a real page on honda.com?

mebman

I just got back from the auto show in Houston, and they had what appeared to be a Storm Silver Fit Sport manual transmission. I say appeared to be because the Honda people couldn’t tell me what color the car was!
This is my lovely wife in front of the Fit. Can anybody confirm that this color is “Storm Silver”?

It’s really amazing just how little the factory representatives new about this car. They thought this was a base model, thinking that the sport only came in an automatic. This car is only 3 months away from the dealer and there is no brochure, no price info color swatches, options list and so forth. We are still relying on the internet boards for most of our info.
I did notice a piece of good news to confirm. There is an aux jack that would accept ANY mp3 player or XM radio or any other source with a walkman plug.

This car didn’t have the ipod plug on it, but they had taken off everything that could be stolen for the show.
One other thing; I took a close look at the underbody spoilers, and for those of us who wanted a sport without them it appears to be just a few screws to remove them and should leave no damage.

I was very impressed looking at the car and it made me fell like it will be a very good purchase. By the way I read a post about a big guy wondering how he would fit into this car. I watched a man who was 6’4” and fairly heavy get into the front and back of this car comfortably. The only disappointments I had were minor. It didn’t have a passenger side visor mirror, no reading lights, or homelink. Oh and the felt carpet covering the trunk seemed kind of thin- you will really need to put down a rubber mat to protect the back end.

fit_ness

Where'd they go?

hungarian83

Hi mebman.

Yeah, that looks like Storm Silver. The only other "silver" color is Lunar Mist, but that is much lighter and has a slight bluish tinge to it.
I'm not surprised the representatives don't know anything. My dealer actually asked me to tell him if I hear any news about what accessories are available!!!!!

Actually, Honda has not officially announced the colors to either the press or the public. The only reason I know the accurate colors is from a list my dealer gave me, and that was from Honda's private dealer network. Of course, then I had to go on the Japanese website to see what the colors looked like!

kev604

I was wondering if a sunroof would be an available option for the Fit? :confuse:
I know it does not come with any of the model lines. In Japan I think it comes as a standalone option. Does anybody have any idea on this? Any guess how much a sunroof option might cost?
Does the sunroof slide straight back or does it tilt up and open?
Thanks for any info on this.

vchiu

My fit was delivered with an electric sunroof even though I did not want one. In China, no way to choose any option when buying a Fit. Only aftermarket accessories are installed.

I don't see why the option would not be available in the US

nowakj66

Thanks for the photos and the insights!

nowakj66

Does anyone know if the steering wheel on the fit is telescoping as in the Accord and Civic or just tilt adjustable like the Element, CR-V, Pilot and Odyssey?

hungarian83

I highly doubt the Fit will have any factory options in the US...at least not for the first generation. That is why the base model is so well-equipped.
I could be wrong, but I believe if a sunroof was a factory option, they would have put it on one of the Fits at the NAIAS debut...probably the red one that had everything else on it.

From my experience, although it is an option in many countries, not many people buy it. I have never seen one on a Jazz.

plekto

The rear seating space is misleading, though. Yes, it's a bit small on paper, but remember that the passengers sit more upgright and can put their feet under the seats.

dewaltdakota

With all of the "maintenance" they've been doing on these boards lately, my guess would be someone did a restore, and blew them away.

dewaltdakota

The specs for the Civic specifically state "Tilt and Telescopic Steering Column", while the Element and CR-V state "Adjustable Steering Column." The Fit uses the "Adjustable Steering Column" term, as well, so I'm thinking, it's tilt only.

joey0708

Hi-On a very hot day, has anyone tried the air conditioning & did you find it adequate? We found the pt cruiser to work extremely well & the scion xa just allright & the mazda 5 van poor-Does anyone have feedback on that?

jrct9454

...obsessing about a sunroof. I go out of my way to avoid them when at all possible. Costs headroom, admits more noise, and allows quicker heat buildup in the summer. Paying someone extra to add one to this car strikes me as...well...a curious choice. To each his own, of course...

hungarian83

I especially agree with the headroom issue. I am about average height, but my head is practically touching the ceiling in our Civic EX coupé 5-speed (with sunroof). I keep the seat a little farther up than I would with an automatic, and I feel kind of squished sometimes. It will be nice to have the plentiful headroom with the Fit, and I would not want it compromised by the sunroof.

jmurman42

actually Honda has announced the colors that are available. They are on our Honda in-houses system for us to order cars.

I'm at work now, if I get a chance I'll post colors.

vchiu

The Aircon of mine seem quite underpowered, and we are in winter in China. It just keeps the cabin fresh enough now, but I need to see how it will fare when hotter days come.

vchiu

A Sun Roof paves the way for future leaks and adds top weight so furthers body roll . The added heat buildup is a real issue in China.
Some people want it whereas I may have considered paying more not to have it if I had the choice. Different tastes make our world richer.

Anyway, as a factory installed option, it is well integrated and does not seem to compromise head room by much.

jmurman42

Base

Taffeta White
Storm Silver Metallic
Nighthawk Black Pearl
Vivid Blue Pearl
Lunar Mist
Milano Red

Sport

Taffeta White (2 interior colors)
Storm Silver Metallic
Nighthawk Black Pearl
Vivid Blue Pearl
Milano Red
Blaze Orange Metallic

hungarian83

Thanks for the list. My dealer actually showed me the list right after the car was introduced at NAIAS. He had it from the dealer network. What I meant by "not released to the press or to the public" was that the colors are not on the Fit website, or on any of the press releases. The only way to find out is from a dealer.

To expand on the color list...
The base model has a beige interior for Taffeta White, Lunar Mist, and Milano Red. Dark grey (black) for Storm Silver, Nighthawk Black, and Vivid Blue.
All sport models have the dark grey (black) interior, except for Taffeta White models which have a choice of beige or dark grey.

One can view the colors on Honda's Japanese website. 6 of the 7 colors the US will be getting are there. The only one not shown is Lunar Mist (light silver with a hint of light blue).
http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/fit/color/index.html

mwqa

'...obsessing about a sunroof.'

Well, obsessed I may be.

I don't have air conditioning on my present car (a little Mazda 323), and don't want any in my future one either.

Maybe I'm lucky, with weather that makes air conditioning useful for maybe 3 weeks a year. Or to be living in a city where traffic jams are much less of a problem than in other cities.

Maybe its because most of the people I know who have air conditioning find it most useful for defogging their windshields when it is raining. :surprise:

But me... well, I mostly like the fact that all that hot summer air evaporates almost instantaneously when I open my sunroof. It seems so much more elegant than having the car windows rolled up with the air conditioning blasting! :P

I have a manual 'flip-up' sunroof, which is flush with the roof of the car (no headroom problems there) and has never leaked. Not bad after 13 years...

It's no deal breaker, and I'd have to think twice about buying an aftermarket sunroof, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't like to have one!

twok

Thanks to all the regulars on this site for ferreting out so much useful data on the Fit. Can anyone direct me to the Honda source for specification statement concerning timing chain for the US Fit motor? And has any tall person reading this actually sat in and attempted to stretch out their legs in the new U.S. or current generation Fit? I visited my local Honda dealer today and found out little, but I was not aware that for the 2006 model year, all Hondas now come with a 5 yr/60K mile standard powertrain warranty, (like Toyota and Nissan), which may help me (and spouse) decide whether to order the (new?) automatic trans. offered in the U.S. Fit. Anyone want to make a guess as to the amount of increased price for the Sport over the Base? My local Honda salesman thinks 2K. Thanks again all.

joey0708

Thanks-I'd be imterested to know how the air conditioning works in summer.

joey0708

Does the Honda fit feel like you are driving high as in the scion xa or the pt cruiser ? In other words, the civic feels low to me-I'm used to driving something higher than a sedan feel-Would you compare the seat comfort with that of the scion xa? Or are they alot harder than xa?

jonniedee

A great source for L series engine info (timing chain etc...)
- http://asia.vtec.net
Just look for all the fit/jazz info articles by Wong.
Be advised there are some differences between what you read here and what we're getting stateside, but for the most part I'll bet the L series internals stay pretty much the same....

vchiu

today was a sunny 25°C and I had to put airflow on 3 (out of 4) to keep a reasonable temperature in the cabin, Hence my concern when the temp will be 35°C. Running at maximum airflow is very noisy and is not good for the fan motor in the long term.

I will mention this when servicing the car. I can't believe a car sold in a Hot place (Factory is about 100 km from here) have weak A/C as a standard equipment. And when the A/C is on, the Cooler fan switches on every minute like the engine would be heating in a deadly traffic jam, which wasn't the case. I have about 3K on the clock, so let's consider the powertrain is still new and needs more time to fine tune its efficiency.

Apart this and a very small issue with a window rubber, everything is working fine

hungarian83

I have also sat in both the 7 and 8 generation Civics and they have a considerably lower driving feel than the Fit (or Jazz for that matter). In the Jazz, you are also sitting over the fuel tank, which does raise up the seating a little. Overall, thanks to the fuel tank location, and the high roofline, you have a more commanding view of the road.

"but for the most part I'll bet the L series internals stay pretty much the same"
I believe the engines are identical apart from the emissions controls. Also, the covering on the cylinder head gasket looks different :confuse:
Of course, there will be other differences with the 5AT models (which I assume most people will be getting), but for those who purchase the 5MT, the differences will be few and far between. Mechanically the transmission should be the same as in Europe and Japan, but of course some of the gear ratios are different.

jonniedee

I believe the engines are identical apart from the emissions controls. Also, the covering on the cylinder head gasket looks different

Right off the bat the intake manifold is completely different - cast metal on the US version - plastic on the others and yes the beauty cover over the valve cover is different - part of it is to fit the different intake I'm sure.

hungarian83

OK...almost identical

I wonder why the intake manifold is different. All the specs are the same (identical actually) to the Japanese version, but while there are a few exterior differences, I compared pictures of the US version to an LHD European Jazz, and most things were the same. The actual internal mechanics of the US L15A is what I meant should be the same with the Japanese L15A.

jonniedee

No - I'm right with you on this one hungarian.
The more the US model is like the others all the better!
I've heard tell that the engine management profile is "detuned" for lower octane NA gas. That might explain the changes in said intake manifold.
Also some hints were dropped by Honda Heads at the NA show that something very different is going on with the Cat placement in the NA model.
Time and a good aftermarket dissection of a production model will tell... :confuse:

joey0708

Thanks for feedback-Have you ever been in the Toyota xa & how do you compare that to the Fit? Also, do you think the fit will ride better because it has a bigger wheel base? Do you think that will make it ride slightly better-That you don't feel all the strips in the road? The xa handles good but I thought it was really rough feel. Thanks

mwqa

Anyone have any idea how long it will take to get North American production rolling on the Fit?

If they move production here, how long from the date of the announcement do you think we'd have?

I won't be buying until the summer and I don't want to be caught with a first year NA model!

hungarian83

Don't worry. North American production won't come for at least a year. There is the possibility that the 2nd generation Fit (expect Japan intro in summer 2007) might have US production, but it might not be right at the beginning.

Look at the CR-V. US introduction in 1997 and only in 2006 for the third generation is it going to be produced in the US. I'm not saying it will be that long before US Fit production, but I'm not expecting it right away either. The Jazz is Honda's best selling model in Europe, and all European-market Jazzes are imported from Asia.

If you wait until summer you will still have a nice 1st generation Japan-built model.

You can expect a minimum 6 month notice before the Fit is produced in the United States.

thetruth4130

pictures anyone, checking out xB and ford focus wagon, scion seemed underpowered with automatic, roomy on inside looked tiny from outside

dewaltdakota

Define "medium size dog", if you don't mind. My family has great danes, so while I think rottweilers and sheepdogs are medium-sized, others think they're large, if not down-right huge.

plekto

1: BUY THE JAPAN MODEL. I want the exact same car they sell in Japan to their overly picky customers. Quality will be spotty the first year in a new plant/production line, guaranteed.

2: YELLOW. I'd pay extra for a Yellow Fit. Seriously. I'd wait two months to have the factory in Japan build a Yellow fit and ship it over.

Sigh. That orange is such a not-push-my-happy-buttons color by comparison.

mebman

Check out this link with many pictures of dogs in the Honda fit.
http://www.honda.co.jp/dog/honda-car/fit/index.html
Here is a google translated versionof the same:
http://translate.google.com/translate?sourceid=navclient-menuext&hl=en&u=http%3A- %2F%2Fwww%2Ehonda%2Eco%2Ejp%2Fdog%2Fhonda%2Dcar%2Ffit%2Findex%2Ehtml

PF_Flyer

Be sure to join the Eagle One team in a live chat event tonight to find out how nanotechnology is changing the future in car appearance products.

The chat gets underway at 9PM ET/6PM PT.

There's also going to be a special offer available only to those attending the chat, so don't miss this one.

Eagle One Team Chat

Hope to see you there!

moparbad

Do you realize that Honda exports US built vehicles to Japan? There is no difference in quality between US and Japan built Honda vehicles.

Quality will be spotty the first year in a new plant/production line, guaranteed. This is proven incorrect based on past 20 years of Honda Civic and Accord introductions.

jonniedee

My family has great danes, so while I think rottweilers and sheepdogs are medium-sized, others think they're large, if not down-right huge.

I am so looking forward to the magic seats and the ability to put my Corgi on the floor in the back seat - she sheds like crazy and the ability to make her stay on the floor (and off the seating area)with the seat bottoms folded up is so appealing!