Honda Fit

plekto

Another plus for a hybrid Fit would be the tank is the same. That means... 11 useable gallon of fuel, give or take, times 55(highway)... A 600 mile per tank car. That's all day driving on a road trip on one tank of gas.

Or in my case, filling up every two weeks instead of weekly. Imagine driving a car the costs you $75 a month in gas instead of $160-$200 like a typical truck does. Conservatively speaking, that's going to pay back the hybrid option in 4 years.

mack9

I have good news and bad news about the Fit Hybrid, first the good news, there is speculation that a Fit Hybrid from Honda will be marketed globally as early as Spring 2007! Although of course it will be a mild hybrid and have mileage as high as 80 mpg and it will be the first hybird to sell under $19 000!!!!!! And now the bad news, Honda has no confirmed a Fit Hybrid yet.

hungarian83

I'm not sure about the 80 mpg. Even the Insight tops out at around 66, and that car was designed for hybrid usage, while the Fit is not nearly as aerodynamic. 80 miles per imperial gallon might be more accurate, that being 66 mpg, but again that was probably using Japan's 10-15 system which is not compatible with the US. I would estimate 55-60 highway using the US system.

Honda hasn't confirmed it yet, but that doesn't mean its not coming. They deny lots of things, including the Fit rumors from early 2004 when the Nikkei news wire published something. Apparently, they were already well into development of the US Fit at that point.

I personally don't think the Fit Hybrid is going to be marketed globally immediately. I think Japan will get it first, and then other regions following. I believe the US will get it a short time after the Fit mk.2 is introduced...whenever that will be.
Needless to say, I'm hoping that Honda does go through with it. It will be great to have a hybrid with such a low price, and such high everyday functionality...as long as they can find a place ot put those batteries.

mebman

My wife asked me if I wanted to wait for the hybrid Fit. My short answer was no.
Honda has a long history of dragging their feet. The first entry on this board was almost 4 years ago. We have all been on a long roller coaster with this car; thinking it would have come out, then not. Rumors and misinformation continue to this day.
Honda may or may not produce the hybrid Fit, but if they do you can count on riding the same roller coaster of misinformation or lack thereof for who knows how long.
No thanks. I need a new car now and I’ve had about all of Honda’s waiting game I can stand.

jonniedee

"Supercharged, like it should be"

EXACTLY!!!!!

marcb

hungarian83

Frankly, I am thinking the exact same thing as you. While I do think it's great that this is a possibility (Fit Hybrid), there is no way I am about to wait for it.

Ever since the Jazz was introduced in my home country, I have wanted one. Since I reside in the US I never had a chance to purchase one, and I wasn't about to go through import/export hassles on a $15k car. January 2002 through April 2006 is a LONG wait in my opinion, and I will definitely be accepting my pre-ordered 5-speed Storm Silver Fit when it arrives...after all there is a reason why I pre-ordered.
I also want the 1st generation Fit.

However, even if I did wait until the hybrid arrived, I would still go for the regular version since a manual transmission is very important to me, and I still believe a regular gasoline engine version will last longer (with less maintenance) then the hybrid setup.
Just my humble opinion though.

uga91

So, consumers with the need to haul a boat or a RV trailer (or maybe a contractor) don't need such vehicles as full size trucks? For you, there may be no need for a large, useful vehicle; but, many do not share your view.

uga91

Unless you need the utility of a "typical truck."

hungarian83

"So, consumers with the need to haul a boat or a RV trailer (or maybe a contractor) don't need such vehicles as full size trucks?"

Did I say that? I don't remember writing that.
For those people who use a pick-up truck for real purposes, great, a Tundra with 10000 pound towing limit will work wonderfully. However, a lot of people haul nothing more than groceries, and the most use the truck sees is the freeway on their daily commute. Now, that's just my opinion and I don't live with the "typical" American driving mindset...but that's why I'm on this forum, not the Ford F-350 discussion.

mebman

Couldn’t agree more. If you NEED a large truck more power to you. (Pardon the pun) But What I typically see on the Houston freeways is an F-250 about 3 feet off of my rear bumper driven by someone who thinks its fun to try and intimidate the guy driving the small car. And they are usually driving alone with nothing in the bed of the truck. How wasteful!
Forget about green, how about national security? Every time someone fills up one of those oversized vehicles just to run out for groceries, they are sending money to people in the middle east who would really like to do bad things to us, and need some funding for their nefarious activities. It really cracks me up when I see a Ford Excursion on the road with 1-2 people and a bumper sticker that says “I support the troops”. Rolling irony is what it is!
This is one of the main reasons I choose to drive a small car. The Fit DOES fit!

mack9

Well I think there wouldn't be a such thing as 80 mpg but maybe the fuel consumption could be somewhere in the high 50s to the low 60s mpg? Well about the marketing of the Hybrid Fit from autoblog.com here's the link http://www.autoblog.com/2006/02/22/report-honda-to-market-hybrid-fit-globally-as- -early-as-2007/, a link to a HFP version of the Fit here's the link http://www.autoblog.com/2006/01/16/detroit-auto-show-wrapup-honda-fit-sport-hfp/- .

fit_ness

Seems like the powers that be have really mucked up this Forum.

What's going on?

PF_Flyer

Discussions are being reorganized into folders by make/model. This discussion is found in the Honda Fit Folder along with all other discussions about the Fit. If you click on the Track This Group link when you go to the folder you can follow all discussion within that group. You can still track single discussions as well.

Comments and questions about the forums are certainly welcome and we have a discussion over on News & Views for that:
Forums Software! Your Questions Answered

And you can always contact any of the hosts directly by clicking on our usernames and dropping us an email.

troman

my question is what do i need to get to have xm radio? reciever,connector ?

jmurman42

We use Google to do our adwrod campaign. If you are not familiar with that, when you Google something, off to the side you see comparable sites that match keywords.

So anyway I set up the Fit as a Adword group. Wow, there is a lot of interest in this car!

I hope that the Japan delivery times/logistics won't kill the buzz on this car.

hungarian83

"I hope that the Japan delivery times/logistics won't kill the buzz on this car."

Do you have any word on initial delivery dates, or at least build dates?

Thanks!

coldstorage5

More scoop , check out this video,
let me know what you think. I love there english guys, they are great.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7462198430398844118

PS I dont remember this being a Hybrid site.

lethalcircuit

HAHAHAHA! I love this! Awesome find.

mebman

That's just brilliant! I love that dry British Humor.

hungarian83

I was in the area of my dealership today, so I stopped in to ask about the build date. They have it down as March 15. They anticipate delivery in early to mid-April.

purduealum91

Szebusz baratom. Most vettem egy Toyota RAV4. Szep auto. Im curious to know about the Fit. Tamas in Illinois.

hungarian83

Szervusz Tamás!
Én pedig veszek egy Fit-et áprilisban. Januárban megrendeltem és most csak várnom kell.
Pál vagyok...dél-Kaliforniában.

What exactly would you like to know about the Fit? Are you considering purchasing one as a second car?
Here is some information on it from Honda's press site.
http://www.hondanews.com/CatID2150?mid=2006010734417&mime=asc

w9cw

Top Gear is one of my favorite automobile road test TV programs. I believe it's on Speed TV on a weekly basis. Typical dry understated Brit humor, but these guys tell it like it is. No pulling punches, if they think a car is a dog, they say so. We here in the USA could only be so lucky if we had a program like this produced here. Kudos to the Brits.

mikecapone

Thanks for posting the URL to the Top Gear video that features the Fit/Jazz. The link was used here with a mention of this forum:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/03/honda_jazzfit_w.php

bamacar

Increased Honda Production

dmundy1

There was also a buzz last fall that Honda was scouting out locations in Southern Ontario for another facility, within an hour or so from the Alliston plant in order to leverage off the supplier base they have in that area.

plekto

Honda is wise to buy out existing plants from GM and the others that are closing them. Huge savings and a wise investment.

dlim899

Hey guys, I am going to the Fit Ride & Drive end of March. Will let you guys know how this new model drive. I am excited! This new model should do great!

dlim899

Well, all these are just buzz in the media pipeline. Buying plants is one thing, retrofitting a plant for the model line production is another. However, we have to understand how Honda's business models are. First and foremost, unlike Toyota (Honda's main competitor), Honda offers no rebates. Honda inventories on the ground has always been around 26 days. I don't know about Toyota. Generally, for a auto dealer, this is low. Honda has no immediate plan to increase the turn-around ratio. However, due to the scarcity of the new models, especially the Civics, the resale value of used Civic models has increased tremendously. It is almost impossible to buy these units at the auction (at least for the Los Angeles area).

fit_ness

Is that for dealers? Where is it being held?

Anybody know if Honda will display a Fit at next weekend's Motor Trend Richmond, VA Auto Show?

jmurman42

On build dates I have 5 that are being built between 3/01 and 3/10. This will be the initial roll out for April. I have another 6 in the que for builds.

We've already gotten constraints on the Fit...no more than 25% manuals.

If you plan on buying a manual, it could be a long wait.

jethaden

It's interesting that they are already limiting manual production Manuals. My dealer ordered all 3 of his initial vehicles as manuals (2 sport, 1 base). My deposit is on a Red Sport Manual. I can not see putting an automatic on such a relatively small engine.

My dealer's initial drive in Orlando is 29-30 March. He has not given me a delivery date nor have I pestered him for one.

My only minor concern with Manual is the relatively high RPM the engine will run at Interstate speeds. From my calculations, the manual will run 21.5 mph per 1000 rpm, and the automatic 27.8 mph per 1000 rpm. This equates to about 3500 rpm at 75 mph for manual and 2700 rpm at 75 mph for automatic (R15 tires, but not much different for R14 tires due to different tire profiles). The manual 5th gear ratio appears to be the same as in England, based on a "AA" website review I found.

My only reference for acceptable RPM is my Jeep Cherokee (4 liter I6), which would hurt at this rpm, and my BMW motorcycle which runs higher than this rpm. Given the little cylinders in the FIT (375cc each), it should be as happy as my Bike (490 cc each). Any comments from small car owners? :confuse:

p.s. I actually like the look of the Sport better than the Base. And I am a mid 40's aged person.

hungarian83

"If you plan on buying a manual, it could be a long wait."

What about if I ordered the car already? I placed my order on January 20th, and was first in line at the dealership. I put down a deposit for a Fit (base) 5-speed manual in Storm Silver. I can't imagine I would have to wait so long if I already ordered.

jojojo

HEEELLLLPPPP!!! MY 84 civic wagon finally died.. i need a new car and i am dying to get a Fit. i will settle for nothing less.. except for maybe a Zest. Are the Fit's really supposed to go on sale? I noticed that a lot of references are for a 2007 Fit. Does that mean that they are not coming out until next year? I cant wait that long. for anyone who owned a civic wagon, you will notice that the seat folding configs of the Fit are just like the wagon!!!

i think the Zest should be called a Sub-Element. i was hoping that honda would come out with a small element like car. i was so disappointed when the element came out cuz i thought it was going to be a little car but it was huge.
:confuse:

raychuang00

You better get in line to get one soon because it appears sales are much stronger than what Honda anticipated. :surprise:

raychuang00

I think Honda is looking for expansion in the USA for production lines because I expect a lot more Civic sales and when the Fit finally gets its full model change (FMC), Honda will likely start up an assembly line either in Alliston, ON, East Liberty, OH, Marysville, OH or its new assembly line in Lincoln, AL for the car to meet North American demand.

jmurman42

If you ordered it already then you should be fine.

dewaltdakota

The Fits should begin arriving in April. Since they're arriving from Japan, my guess would be that the left coast will see them on lots before the eastern half of the country.

I don't believe the Zest is going to be offered in the US.

A bunch of us on these boards have already placed orders for "our cars" with our local Honda dealers. For those of us who were able to catch the dealer before they placed their initial order, (I believe) most were able to get the dealer to tweak the order to include the model and color they want. At this point, if you want a Fit in April, you're going to have to pick from whatever has not already been sold/reserved out of the dealer's initial order.

dewaltdakota

I'm counting on the Fit being there next weekend. If you have a AAA card, you can get in on Friday for free (and bring three other people with you!). That's my plan, because if the Fit's not there, I at least have not wasted any money. If you don't have AAA, then you can get $2 off Friday's admission with the coupon available here.

hungarian83

"I don't believe the Zest is going to be offered in the US."

Honda's kei-cars have only been offered in Japan. With a total length of 3395 mm (133.7 in) and powered by a 658 cc engine, the Zest falls into that category.
I think the only other small Honda models that have a chance of being sold in the US at this point are the City/Fit Aria and the Airwave (both based off of Fit), but of course that's just speculation on my part.

"before they placed their initial order, (I believe) most were able to get the dealer to tweak the order to include the model and color they want"

That was the case for me as well. He told me the model, transmissions, and colors, and then said "but we can change any of those to what you want."

hungarian83

The long-legged blue alien is now enjoying what appears to be a pizza in Refresh mode, but otherwise the page does seem like it's starting to grow up...a little.

Also, the specifications section has some updates from what we originally knew from hondanews.com
- Smaller turning circle. 34.3 for Fit and 34.4 for Fit Sport. This makes more sense and brings the specs in line with at least the European Jazz Sport at 10.4 m (34.1 ft)
- Cargo capacity for both seats up and down (21.3 and 41.9 cu ft)
- 31/37 mpg for Fit Sport AT (this change has actually been up already at hondanews). No changes to other models
- 160 and 200 watt sounds systems instead of 120 and 160.

http://automobiles.honda.com/fit

haulsmall

That's excellent...it's beginning to look like, well.....an adult car website. While we still have the "Fit is Go" tagline around, there is actually some useful content like more photos, better specs and now an "Events" tab which lists regional auto show appearances by the Fit and regional music events brought to you by the Honda Fit. It's beginning to look a little more like the Scion website, without all the accessories.

dlim899

Yep. The Fit will be available sometime in April. It will come in 2 models, the Standard or the Sport.

dlim899

Yes, its only for dealers. I don't know if Honda will have one for the public.

dewaltdakota

Now, what color is the featured Fit on the updated Honda Fit website page? It's definitely a sport trim, but more of a medium to light blue. If it's Lunar Mist, I thought that color was only available in the base trim level?

I ordered a Vivid Blue Sport with the auto tranny, but ideally, I would have preferred a Lunar Mist Sport/Auto with a black interior (had it been an option).

Oh, and based upon the info from Honda's updated page, it doesn't look like the Fit will be at the Virginia International Auto Show next weekend. I'm still going to look for it, just in case the web geeks missed it.

thetruth4130

these are the two choices my wife have left me with for cars
many similarities
state your case why the fit is so much better
anyone know when the timing belt has to be replaced in this engine, or if it is a interference design (if the timing belt goes, big trouble to engine)
I like them both, wish the next generation of both of them was out, cause after I buy one, the next one will come out bigger and better, son of a.....
thanks

thetruth4130

base model fit with manual vs scion xb with manual
might add cruise control as option for either
$14,400 or so for the xb, can't go much higher
took a short ride in the scion automatic, liked most things about it, would be better with 5 sp auto like the fit

hungarian83

That is Storm Silver. It does look a little blue now that you mention it, but out of all the possible colors for the Sport model, Storm Silver is the only one it could be. I think the lighting messes with it a bit.
If you go to the gallery section, pictures 5, 7, and 8 are Storm Silver while 10 is Lunar Mist.

I also would have prefered my order to be in Lunar Mist. The only reason I didn't go for it was the light beige interior, which looks like it would get dirty easily. The dark grey in the Storm Silver will visibly hold up better.
My favorite color for the Fit/Jazz was the Ice Blue Metallic with a dark interior available a few years ago in Japan and Europe:
http://www.parkers.co.uk/imagecache/file/590/archive/Honda/Jazz/DSC04811.JPG

fit_ness

I'm in Norfolk. Could you post up here on Friday if the Fit is in Richmond? (And if you can sit in it.) Sure would appreciate it.

I've got a few hours on Sunday morning to get up there bright and early. I know I want one, I'm picky about seating position - Upright and high like my old Civic Wagon. I'd like to see it and touch it before I put my money down. (Vivid Blue Sport 5MT) May be in for a wait.

thanks....