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Honda Fit New Owner Reports
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Comments
If that's reeealy the case, take the car back immediately.
when you sit in the driver's seat, which part of the wiper is furthest to the left...the pivot point, or the tip of the wiper?
I'm sorry to hear that you find it so annoying. I believe you said this was the first time you used the wipers - is it something that you can get used to? Seems like such a shame to get rid of a car you otherwise really like because of something like this.
Great! :P I bet it is much better in an MT, but you still got a great car.
Covered or not, if there is some easy remedy to a potentially "easy target" from general road use from "road debris", it might be useful info.
I havent had the nerve to look under the car. Might be a neat trip.
You have the blue one right?
I do the same thing.
Here is a MUST! Go to Walmart or other auto store and buy "microfiber polishing cloths" from the auto section. They work best wet and clean, so frequent rinsing in bucket helps. I did this a time or two in the cold also, getting rid of road salts.
They will leave a clean, spot free finish. Wring a new one out good to clean the interior including windows (without smelly solvent, just clean hot water wrung out good.)
Works like a charm. I swear!
I WISH I was using my AC!
Overall, I could not be happier with this car. I'm not sure what my mileage is yet (I've only re-filled the tank once since I bought it, and I've got the trip meter set so I can gauge the mileage), but I have a feeling it will be 30-35 mpg.
I am currently averaging 35.44 mpg after about five fill ups. My first fill up was 38.1 and I want that back!
Good luck and make it a point to buy a five pack of those microfiber cloths. They are fantastic! The other day I took car thru self serve high power spray off, and took it right home afterwards to get it while it was still wet and wipe off any remaining spots and debris. It took about five min wiht microfiber.
OMG....you do that too???!!! I do that at work.
::::Dies laughing::::
Look for microfiber cloths.
You will not regret it.
Just give em a good wetting and wring it out before you use it, and frequently while wiping. Also, soak in detergent or run in washer in hot water periodically.
Best investment you will ever make and can be used well for getting rid of "swirlys" and spots.
I hope I dont seem like anything other than someone reaally wanting sweet looking fits out there.....but....ditch the terry next time and look specifically for microfiber cloths. They leave no lint, and if you rinse it often you wont get any spotlets leftover either.
Sorry for repeating myself but I hate seeing dirty fits! lol
They say the first 600 miles is breakin for brakes, if i recall correctly.
Try to work them a bit softer over next few days or weeks, just to be on the safe side.
I dont know what you are getting but, is that minnesota? Cold starts knock down mileage. Check yoru tires too, that will affect mileage as well. They say they lose about 1 lb/psi a month and that could affect it.
I have been getting fewer miles per gallon when I have the radio cranked compared to first few weeks of "learning to drive this specific car" with volume down. I am going back to low volume if mileage gets worse.
Mine has been climbing back up gradually with getting garage empty and alternating weeks in the garage with my housemate(now I dont have cold starts for a week at a time, or at least not as cold as they were) and it has been very cold here lately.
Also it def makes a diff how much the attendant seems to want to jam into the tank.
Still getting change for a twenty but dammit if the gas doesnt go up every single day!
Good luck!
Are you serious? I've never heard of stereo volume affecting gas mileage. Is this true?
Try to work them a bit softer over next few days or weeks, just to be on the safe side.
I'm at about 600 miles, if not more, and the brakes are the same. Sometimes they're tight, sometimes they're so loose I get no stoppage until the pedal is to the floor. I keep meaning to check the fluid, but I haven't yet. I guess I feel like since it's brand new there can't possibly be a problem... yet. I wonder if my expectations are too high.
Are you serious? I've never heard of stereo volume affecting gas mileage. Is this true?
LOL For me it is true!
I made a bunch of CDs I play loudly in the car and I cannot hear the engine, so I sometimes hit the very high rpms before I realize how much I am revving it.
It is really more of an "I am not paying as close attention as I would if I were listening close to engine and babying it."
PRO'S
Great gas mileage. It has varied some due to the engine still being broke in but MPG at it's lowest was still 38.2 up to 43.3 at the highest (flat highway driving, following my dad at 60 mph for 300 miles.) I also noticed that I seem to get a bit better MPG with high test. Maybe it's just me, though.
LOTS of cargo space. My parent's have a farm and I took it to the feed mill to get horse, dog and chicken food. I laid the seats flat and was able to easily fit 13 50 LB bags of feed in the cargo area. 650 pounds...it rode very well with that much weight, I really should see what the maximum recommended weight is though so I don't overdue it.
Very comfortable drive. Seats are comfortable. I like how you feel elevated, almost like you're driving an SUV or van.
Dash design. Very easy for the driver to access everything. Blue back lit lighting is very cool too.
Stereo. It took a little bit of fiddling with everything to get it where it sounds awesome, but we got there. I faded the speakers about two clicks to the rear and turned the treble up a little bit. Also messed with the equalizer.
Easy carpet cleanup. I already had a mess! My nephew spilled Pepsi on the floor, but it was very easily cleaned and all is well now. :-)
Safety. I've never seen so many airbags.
Handling. It is a very fun car to drive. Very manueverable. The paddle shifters are alot of fun as well, although they took a little time to get used to them.
Pickup. You hit the gas and it goes. Gets up to speed fast and even at 70 mph if you hit the gas, it takes off.
Design. My friends and family all love the car and want one of their own.
Passenger space. My other car is a two door Civic. Fun to drive, but if you have more than one passenger, it's not fun to get adults in and out of the backseat. I love the fact that this is a four door and even though it's a small car, even my 6'2" friend can sit comfortably in the back seat.
Quietness. It is a very quiet ride. Not silent, but still very good. My dogs never hear us pulling in the driveway anymore, so they don't bark their heads off at the window.
Visibility. Big windshield. Bright headlights, but still don't blind other drivers and you feel elevated.
I know there are more things that I like about the car, but I've been typing so long my fingers are getting tired.
CON'S
Not too many but here they are:
Seatbelt. The seatbelt is comfortable to wear, but I hate wearing a seatbelt and hate the fact that it won't quit beeping at me and flashing a light on the dash until I put my seatbelt on, so until I figure out how to get around it, I wear my seatbelt.
No arm rest on the right side. Not a big thing, but I'm used to resting my right arm in my Civic. I'll get used to it.
No 6th gear. I hadn't thought about this until I saw someone else's post and I think it would be an excellent idea.
Floormats. Why would Honda make you buy floor mats and cargo mats separately? I got up to walk out my dealer threw them in the deal, but still...
Daytime running lights. I wish they had them and wish the lights turned off when you turn the car off.
No ashtray for us smokers. Typical Honda. :-)
That's pretty much all of the things that I don't like...overall, there's nothing that I can't live with. We love the car and wouldn't trade it for anything.
By the way, for the people keeping track of the age of the buyers, we are 25 & 27.
I definetely recommend the Honda Fit Sport 5speed Auto. In our opinion, it was the best "fit" for us compared to the vehicles we looked at. In all we looked at Chevy, Toyota, Dodge, Ford, Kia, Hyundai, Suzuki, Nissan, Mazda, Scion, Mini-Cooper, Jeep, and Chrysler vehicles. We spent about two weeks looking before we made our purchase and we're absolutely thrilled with our decision. Sorry for the book and thanks for reading it!!
How does the mileage compare to your old civic?
Here are a few sites to get the arm rest. I do not have either of these. I am sure there are others available.
http://www.maxdax.com/index.php?s=auto&p=honda_jazz_fit
http://www.qualityautointeriors.com/pc-334-16-honda-fit-adjustable-armrest.aspx
I do not recall hearing the ABS brake noise, but then, I had the stereo up comfortably loud.
I was fortunate enough to avoid the deer by about a foot, coming to a complete stop very quickly.
What a relief!
Stupid #$%& deer!
I think I need to tweak the headlights a bit though, because in my opinion the dropoff is quick. The deer were just barely in my headlights when I started braking.
Loving that 60-0 in 120 some feet!
I don't drive like a maniac or anything, and I have a mixed highway/city commute, but I can see the needle on my gas gauge moving, which is disturbing. And when I do the math, it's a steady 35 mpg since I bought my Sport Manual in March.
I want 38 to 43 though.
The first clue should have been that the dealer would not let me test drive the car on the freeway. It was on a fairly busy street that you can drive up to 50 MPH on. It seemed peppy on the street, and I loved the tight suspension and responsive steering. The salesman said I'd have similar performance on the freeway. I live in the foothills of the San Gabriel valley, and drive up and down hills every day. But after I waited for my car for 6 weeks, and it finally came in, the dealer wouldn't let me drive it on the freeway until the deal was signed and finalized. On my way home, driving up the 10 freeway, I immediately saw the gutless nature of this small engine, and was immediately worried. I called the dealer, and was told that it takes about 1000 miles to break in the engine, then I'd see better performance. After 12,000 miles....I still have a hard time getting up hills without taking it over 4000 RPMs. And driving up the Cajon pass is a death sentance!
As for gas mileage, the biggest selling point for me...the best tank of gas I've had in the whole 8 months netted me about 32 MPG, which was on a roadtrip from CA to UT. There was no stop and go, mostly on cruise, and I got 303 miles on my measly gas tank. On average, my fuel light comes on at 220 miles; which by the time I drive another 20 miles or so...makes the average tank 26 MPG. Where is this EPA-rated 32-38 MPG? I've taken it for diagnostic testing at two different dealerships, and both places said that everything was in check as far as the computer, as well as adequate tire pressure, clean air filter, etc... I did a road test at both dealerships, they said I accelerate correctely, don't slam on the breaks, and drive it conservatively in their opinion.
The cosmetic integrity also leaves much to be desired. The plastic wheel well on the driver front tire has a orange-sized melted hole in it from the first week of use. Sure, I drove it on the CA freeway traffic in 108 degree weather, but it still should have been more structurally sound than that. Some of the interior plastic moldings don't fit together. The interior dash and steering wheel smudge if anything brushes past it. The exterior paint has been a nightmare for me. I have so many little scratches and white smudges on it from people hitting my car when they open their door next to me in a parking lot. Also, my first week I had the car, my sprinkler came on while it was sitting in the driveway. It left hard water spots that I can't get off even after having it professionally detailed several times. I've been told I will have to get the spots buffed off and refinish the paint coating on the car.
Yikes....is anyone else this dissatisfied? I've had more little problems to get fixed, like overactive ABS that I had to have recalibrated. I like a lot of the features of the car, such as the great stereo system, fog lights, aux jack, etc... But I could get that on any car...The seats are very comfortable. I have lost 35 pounds since I bought they car (I promised myself that if I got the Fit, I'd get FIT!) Love the new body, disappointed with the car.
So if anyone wants to buy it...I'm going to sell it on cars.com
That is funny about seeing needle move. I agree it is unnerving, and its taking some getting used to. Youre mileage should be improving too as you break it in more and warmer mnoths are coming.
Still, this is how I think of it. I used to get to about 300-340 miles on a tank with my old car (13-14 gallons of gas). Now I am filling up around the same time but only putting in less than ten gallons. Big savings there.
If you get time, put your milage info in for sharing at www.fueleconomy.gov. You can watch it improve over time.
I am with you-I want 38-43 and am about 2500 miles on the car and graduallly I am getting better and better mpgs. I have gotten 38 mpg a few times and its creeping up. My overall is still around 36 which still isn't too bad.
It's a shame you didn't test drive one fully The Fit is definitely not a high-powered vehicle, and there are other similar cars like the Versa which are better choices if that matters to you. While the 2000 Civic had roughly the same torque and horsepower as the 2007 Fit, the latter weighs more than twice as much (2471lb vs. 1109lb). This extra weight would be most noticeable climbing mountains. The gas mileage is not that different either (shame on you Honda!); in fact the 2000 Civic HX Coupe gets better mileage, up to 43 Epa highway. (The other models get roughly the same mileage per gallon.) Which trim did you own?
It's a shame you didn't get a MT. You might enjoy climbing the hills more if you could shift to where you wanted. MT also allows you to drive in ways that vastly increase gas mileage compared with AT (especially coasting). Please forgive me if you've already 'been there done that', but have you tried (1) taking the long upgrades in a higher gear going slow like a truck, and with no a/c, (2) use gravity with engine braking on the long downgrade so as to use almost no fuel, (3) tires at 40psi? Those three tips alone will vastly increase your mileage on mountains.
The biggest negative of the Fit in my opinion is that it is overpriced if you don't need the cargo space or magic seats. You can get a yaris cheaper and with better mileage (or a Kia) and not feel like you're betrothed a golden egg when you find one in stock. I'll bet in five years there will be lots of great competitors to the Fit and the same type of car will be $4000 cheaper.
Out of curiosity, what are you going to buy after selling your Fit?
As far as the test drive, I test drove three different Fits, manual and auto, on highways and regular roads, so again don't complain because you decided not to test drive the Fit more.
You should not try to calculate MPG based on when your low fuel light comes on. If you really were after MPG, a manual Civic or Corolla have better EPA MPG ratings than the Fit.
As for the test drive, the dealership WOULD NOT ALLOW me to test drive the car on the freeway "for insurance purposes." I drove a manual Fit at a different dealership on the freeway, but was in traffic so I didn't get a good feel for it. I know, I know...I should have done more research, and feel dumb for accepting the mark-up and extended warranty. But 8 months of buyers remorse and lots of research shall help me make a more informed purchase this time!!!
jalopnik.
Some highlights:
"Brock lived in a refrigerator box. From the outside his box looked like a box, but inside it was a luxurious flat. Sometimes when Steven visited Brock, he'd be installing storm windows or an air conditioner on the box, and they'd retire inside to watch big-screen TV. While the Honda Fit is no refrigerator box, it is a very entertaining vehicle that, like Brock's box, defies its subcompact size."
"From the outside Honda's small hatchback conveys a certain cartoonishness, such that pressing the remote key fob to unlock the doors is like feeding a Neopet or pressing the snooze button on a Pompurin happy singing alarm clock. From the front the Fit even appears to wear a goofy grin."
"Seeking to avoid temporary blindness from a sea of SUV headlamps, I reached for the rearview's day-night lever. It returned a click so satisfying that I couldn't resist moving it back and forth a few more times. The attention and effort paid to that small switch permeates the entire Fit. Audio and climate-control knobs are simple and intuitive. The rear seats are ingenious and comfortable. It kept us thinking of the Kodama tree spirits from Hayao Miyazaki's anime masterpiece "Princess Mononoke." The Kodama made a sort of clicking noise to announce their presence, turning invisible once more as they blended back into the forest."
"Fans of Hello Kitty's über cuteness will likely enjoy the Fit styling a bit more than those who dig GI JOE with lifelike hair."
"Even though he's been known to shill for Mitsubishi, we tested the system using the barely intelligible yet stalwart croakings of none other than Mark E. Smith accompanied by a (surely) now disbanded version of the Fall."
"Suitability Parameters:
· Speed Merchants: No
· Fashion Victims: Yes
· Treehuggers: Yes
· Mack Daddies: No
· Tuner Crowd: Yes
· Hairdressers: Yes
· Penny Pinchers: Yes
· Euro Snobs: No
· Working Stiffs: Yes
· Technogeeks: Yes
· Poseurs: Yes
· Soccer Moms: No
· Nascar Dads: No
· Golfing Grandparents: Yes"
As far as the test drive, I test drove three different Fits, manual and auto, on highways and regular roads, so again don't complain because you decided not to test drive the Fit more.
You should not try to calculate MPG based on when your low fuel light comes on. If you really were after MPG, a manual Civic or Corolla have better EPA MPG ratings than the Fit.
Tell us how you really feel Bob.
I sorta felt the same thing. I do not understand how any dealer can reasonably expect a potential buyer to NOT take it out on the highway. Is it 50 miles to the next exit to turnaround? Well then maybe.
You may be able to cancel the extended warranty within a certain period of time, and you would have to do it all in writing. I am sure you could get that money back.
I guess it all depends on what you signed up for.
Good luck.
http://www.uship.com/shipment/2000-Honda-Civic-DX-Sedan/114075647/
2388 for the 2000 Civic
The 2001 Civic weighed 2400-2500 lbs with a 115 hp engine.
http://corporate.honda.com/press/article.aspx?id=20010104001153
Press release straight from Honda for 2001.
I don't think any car has weighed 1100 lbs in decades.
The Magic Seats have been so helpful for me. I lay them flat, put down a tarp, and haul bags of compost, wood mulch, plants, lots of stuff from Costco and Ikea....never had a problem fitting something inside it. I've also found that tall mode is great when I have to take the dog somewhere. He's small (a beagle), but tall mode gives him lots of room on the floor, and he can't jump on the seats and get them all dirty and hairy.
Overall, I'm very happy with my car. There's a few things that I haven't been so thrilled with, but overall things are good. When I first started driving it, I found that my back would hurt very badly after just a few minutes. I bought a seat cover, put in some padding where needed, and no more back pain. Yes, having a seat height adjuster may have solved the problem. But to me, this was a minor thing; I like the car enough overall that I was more than willing to do what was needed to make myself comfortable in it. Keeping the inside clean is a chore....lots of lint and stuff clings to the seats. Again, not a big deal, just a minor annoyance.
No car is going to be perfect. But for the price I paid, the Fit is a great little car that does everything I need it to do: it gets me to and from work reliably, hauls everything I can think of to put into it, and does it without using a lot of gas. Plus, I'm one of those people that likes the way it looks :shades:
No one uses miles here or gallons so I have to convert all the figures which is a pain, too many years of kilometers.
Anyway the Fit with the 1.3L was supposed to get at east 15km/l which is what the dealership claimed it's other customers were getting. I spoke to a few customers and they were all getting 14-15km/l in the same city I was and driving about the same as I did.
Best I could do was 10.5km/l so I took it to the dealer and complained. They had me run personal tests on it after looking at it and proclaiming nothing was wrong. They had me run a test where I would fill the gas all the way to the top of the filler cap so that it was spilling out of the top of the filler tube, then they had me bounce the car up and down and make sure it was at the verrry top of the filler tube then drive it for 100km and then refill the car and check the amount used. I was taught never to overfill ut did it anyway. I got 10.8km with that which was on par with what I normally got.
So after more complaining they put it on their computer but no problems showed up, so they got a special meter from the factory that determines economy with a computer but it has to be wired into the car and you can't drive it on your own you need 3 people to do the test. Me driving, the technician to run the device and the other tech to write down the info because the printer was broken. Plus you have to do 100km in the city in one day of normal driving. which is a lot of city driving! The computer ended up being wonky and was reporting as high as 18-30km/l and as low as 8km/l.
The computer then futzed out when we had to make a stop and I shut off the car without thinking, but I left the key on. It zeroed it out. The technicians figured I was at about 10.5km/l or so. Oh and I should have added that I am 200 lbs. and my wife is 80 lbs.
and it's mostly us that drive in it with no passengers and not much weight except groceries.
The dealer never did find out what was wrong with the car. They ran some other tests but with the A/C off and all that did was get them up to 11km/l. So I sold the Jazz when I moved as I was so tired of it and transporting it would have cost about $300 with the dealer moving it for me at his cost. I had no problems with the dealership after I was on a first name basis with the General Manager and had his personal cell phone number. He genuinely wanted to see it resolved and a few other owners had some complaints about economy as well.
The part of the country I moved to has rougher roads and home made speed bumps all over the place. Plus more flooding so I bought a brand new Toyota Hi-Lux Diesel 4 door short bed which is a 2x4 not a 4 wheel drive. There are more hills here, it's hotter, and traffic is about the same and teh worse economy I ever got in my huge truck. was 10.5km/l and the aircon runs a lot more plus I run it while my wife runs into stores and that's my worst. I normally get 11-12km/l and any long roads it jumps up to 15km/l that's 35.28 MPG in a 4 door diesel pickup truck. The Jazz on it's best could not equal it. The Jazz was great in the city to drive around the 1.3 had plenty of power. I even would drive it to to "Tops" the Top of the mountain here and with the 2 of us no problem. I also test drove a brand new at the time 2006 Honda Jazz Sport with the CVT transmission (I drove the 1.3L with it as well)
The hills going up the mountain are fairly steep and when I test drove other cars, the Kia Picanto, the Hyundai Matrix CRDi Diesel car and the Jazz of every engine and drivetrain the Jazz just zoomed up these step hills with not a problem. Roads here do not follow US standards so many areas have very steep hills. But they aren't steep for many miles. So I'm wondering how well the 1.5L Fit with a manual will do in the mountains and in the snow as I will be moving back to New Hampshire. The roads are very hilly there and the snow can be bad, often not plowed often as it's fairly remote. Any thoughts on the 1.5L Fit in those conditions?
I thought I'd post about my experiences with the Jazz so people who do have an economy problem will know it isn't just in the US.
Thanks
Steve
Has anyone else noticed this? Seems a danger Honda should address. After nearly hitting a mother with a stroller in a parking lot, I now make a special point of looking around either side of the pillar before turning in either direction.
I visited a local dealer, talked to the manager, and they had no Fits on site, and none coming in for months. At my second dealer, I was told the same thing, but it just so happened that the owner was there that day.
I was told that after a credit check, they would do a search. Fine... credit check good, and they did a search. THere were Fits in Ohio, but they were all the standard addition, and none were black. Was I willing to take one of those? Nope, Black Sport A/T. So, we made a deal.
I made a $500 deposit, and if they could not find what I wanted in 10 days, I would be refunded the deposit (which I got in writing, signed by the salesperson, owner and finance guy).
8 days later, I receive a call. "Would you willing to take the car in silver?" Nope, gotta be black. Late in the afternoon of day 9, the salesperson called and told me that they had the car in Indiana, and I could pick it up on Sunday. Cool.
I knew much more about the car than the folks at the dealership (hey, I was the first person to even ask about the car, AND I had driven one). I paid the MSRP for the car. This was at Hinderer Honda, in Newark, Ohio.
Now, for my impressions on the car itself...
While I purchased the car for the mileage and utility, I am quite impressed with the overall performance. I'm a small car guy (my last NEW car was a 1995 Nissan Sentra), so I wasn't expecting a speed demon, and I didn't get one.
What did surprise me was the handling. Yes, I had driven the Fit before, but it was in Tokyo which was pretty much stop and go all of the time. In my current situation, I drive 60 miles per day, city, highway and country. Oh, and I do not drive like a guy who likes little cars
My current route to work includes a stretch of curvy, country, 2 lane road and the fit is exceptional for this. I truly did not expect this level of cornering. Sure, it isn't a Porsche, but in the really real world, few things are. What I can do, in the really real world, is easily avoid cars suddenly pulling into the road , fallen tree branches and yes, even cows.
On the highway, the little guy does okay. Getting onto highways is pretty much the only reason to ever use the shift paddles (aside from some rare occurences), unless you just want to have some fun. I usually cruise between 75-80mph comfortably, with little engine noise, and I am easily able to pass. There is a discomforting lag if you mash the gas to pass, but that can be overcome with the paddles. One thing I did notice (being a small car guy), is that the A/C really didn't make that much difference in performance. With my Nissan Sentra, I used the A/C button like a turbo... if I wanted to pass, I turned off the A/C. Not so with the Fit.
For the inside of the car...
I am 5'6" and I find this to be one of the most comfortable cars I have driven. I have an old neck injury that used to cause major pain on long drives with other cars, but my first long distance drive in the Fit was 9.5 hours from Ohio to New Jersey and I only stopped when I was bored.I hate to say it, but the Fit seems to fit me... for long drives.
The trouble comes into paradise when I wish to back up. The rear seat headrests create huge blind spots for me. Putting the seats down remedies this, but I can't leave them down all of the time.
As for the stereo, It sounds good... for a factory stereo. Maybe a little better than I expected, but nothing great. I did not get the iPod attachment (I've heard too many bad things about it) but I did get the Monster iPod adapter (mentioned in a different thread) which works quite well. The stereo readout is extremely difficult to read in bright sunlight (as other have mentioned). I would like to have a REAL EQ, but that is a nitpick. Also, the on/off knob is too sensitive... hit a bump while adjusting the volume, you will probably turn the stereo off.
As for cargo space... that is the main reason I wanted this car, and it did not disappoint. Holy crap can I fit a lot of stuff in the little guy! And the seats give you plenty of options; I've hauled large amounts of luggage, chairs, a futon, etc. My favorite is when I bought my new home stereo receiver; the receiver cast me $2000 (there's another reason I drive a fit) and the box was huge! It would have easily fit in the hatch, but I I had more stops to make, and didn't want the box to be in plain view. I put the passenger seat forward, raised the right rear seat and not only was the box held snugly, I threw a coat over it and it looked like the messy backseat of a Honda Fit. It's like an extra layer of security
Pros: Exceptional handling (for its class), decent gas mileage, STORAGE, extremely comfortable (for me), ok stereo; oh, and safety.
Cons: Blindspots, forward and aft; dash is hard to read in bright sunlight. Gas mileage seems low for a car this size (but I use the gas peddle like a toggle switch).
p.s. My fit also has a built in nickname... The Little Guy
Aren't the rear head restraints removeable? I thought they'd really bother me, but I'm okay with them so far.
I also have a Sport, and I really like the stereo, but again, my previous car was a 1984 Tercel, and that stereo had been broken for years (the cassette deck was stuck on 'auto reverse' - the first time it broke I got it fixed, the second, I left it broken, and the radio had been broken for years, so I'm new to having MUSIC in my car!). I love all the speakers - I'm always playing with the Fader.
The acceleration on the highway is weird even in the manual transmission, but supposedly this is the drive by wire throttle system. I don't mind as long as I can get on and off the Interstate okay. I think it's a really quiet and smooth ride, and yes, the cornering is fun. It's such a fun car to drive. I just need to get used to the feel of the body, so I know how much room I have on all sides, and so I can eventually parallel park without worrying about scratching it.
Oh, I've had mine for just over two months.