Honda Fit

bostonjazz · January 2006

1) Discovered this video of the Fit's introduction, which shows some shots of the car rotating (a good 2.5 minutes) and the remarks that were highlighted in the press release/transcript.

http://autoshow.msn.com/as/video.aspx?xml=streaming&shw=autoshow2006

Look at "Honda Fit" under that link.

2) Random question: Does anyone know how easy it will be to get racks (e.g., Thule, Yakima) for the top of the Fit? We have a Thule rack system (the bars) for our kayaks and I know we needed to find a "foot" or some other term for the plastic/metal thing that clips onto the door, specific to our car model.

coldstorage5 · January 2006

What are these paddle shifters??

dewaltdakota · January 2006

I've already started looking into the roof rack situation myself, using information, based upon availability for the UK Jazz. Here's what I've found so far:

For your HONDA Jazz (Fit) 02-04 / 05- you will need either the Thule Rapid System or the Thule Traditional System. Rapid parts and numbers are: Gutterless Foot Pack (part #750), Bars - 120cm (part #761 for square, #861 for aero), Rapid Fitting Kit (part #1312).

I haven't checked to see if the part numbers are the same between the UK and the US, but when looking up the 5-door Fit (JPN), I come up with the same part numbers.

This also assumes there's been no change to the roofline for the US version since the 2005 Fit was racked by Thule.

Here's a link to the installation guide, which clearly states it's for both the Fit and the Jazz, years '02 and up.

bostonjazz · January 2006

Dewaltdakota - thanks much! I too wonder if the roofline changed. I imagine both Honda and Thule might be able to direct us to the right info once the car is on sale in the U.S.

Coldstorage - Re: Paddle Shifters
Until the Fit announcement, I had never in my life heard of "paddle shifters" either. I did a quick search and it seems they are a way to shift gears at the push-of-a-button - but in a car with an automatic transmission? That didn't make much sense to me. It also seemed like they're something for racing. Silly, if you ask me. Seems like a vanity feature for the types who'll get the sport with the spoiler and special "underbody" (?).
Can anyone clarify what paddle shifters are and why Honda would include them?

thegraduate · January 2006

"What are these paddle shifters??"

Paddle shifters work similarly to how a "SportShift" manumatic transmission would. Instead of having a seperate gate next to Drive on the transmission lever, where you would tip the lever forward to upshift and back to downshift (as seen in almost all Acuras) you would pull on the left paddle to downshift and the right one to upshift. Perhaps it would be easier to understand by looking on Acura's home website and looking at the $50,000 Acura RL sedan, that uses an Automatic, with Paddle Shifting "SportShift". The paddle shifters helped lead this Acura to be rated higher than comparable sedans from BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi, and Jaguar (Car and Driver Comparison of $50,000 sedans; the paddle shifters were highly praised in this sporting sedan).This is handy, because unlike a manual, you can leave both hands on the wheel when you want to carve corners yet select your own gear. Most people that I know that have such a feature (the sportshift, not necessarily the paddle shifters) don't use it often, and one is my age, 19, and has a 2001 Acura 3.2 CL.

bamacar · January 2006

Sometimes numbers don't tell the whole story. The Rio5 has less legroom in the rear than I expected from its rear legroom numbers. Felt like 31-32 to me. I always just set the seat in the front as I would use it, and then get in the back to compare useable space. On the other hand, the Sonata seems to have greater space than its numbers indicate and significantly more than the Accord. The 2006 Civic sedan had better rear legroom than its numbers indicated also.

With the Fits upright seating, I will be surprised if it does not feel roomier (rear legroom wise) than the Rio5.

plekto · January 2006

The RX-8 and IS300/350 use simmmilar systems, though the RX-8 is identical to a steering wheel in an arcade - actual two way forward/back levers on each side.

Click Click Click - you just blew by 40 mph and are heading for 4th gear in another 2 seconds. All without your hands leaving the wheel.

Honestly, the Civic ransmission is probably a good thing. The CVT Honda uses is one of those silly expensive to replace models with a torque converter and all the other nonsense(read $3000 to replace!!!) instead of a true CVT transmission like the Prius has.(read - easily serviceable, no torque converter to replace, and maybe $500 to fix when it goes bad)

So it's a good thing as far as reliability goes. My guess is that they feared the combination of American drivers, paddle shifters and a CVT. Can you say "Why did it only last 45K miles?"

My two gripes:
No 1.3L engine. If Honda can make 120HP out of a 600cc engine in their motorcycles, surely they can give us a "sporty" 90HP version of the 1.3L engine with another 5mpg? 38/43 would be the magic ticket for most of us.

Also, if they crippled the steering it's going to kill its chances of being a Mini competitor. That 2.5ft smaller turning radius and quick steering ratio makes it a superb handler. If that's gone... Sigh.

***
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060110/BUSINESS03/601100425/10- 14

The reality is the EPA figures are nonsense. 25mph city, 45mph highway? You drive like that in most cities and you get run over. Twice. By the same car on its way back from the grocery store.
The awful truth is real-world driving for most cars can be as low as 50-60% of the EPA rating for city driving and is often 5-10% better for highway cruising(since the engine runs 20% faster at 70mph than it does at 45mph(35% increase in velocity))

So real-world figures for a Buick LaCrosse/Lesabre/Camry V6/etc aren't the 21/29 they state on the sticker, but 14/32 or close it it, with about 22 mpg being the norm.

Now, small cars, if they are properly geared, can win at this game. Their engines burn less at idle, so for the Fit, the 33/38 probably translates into 30/40, with 35mpg being about the average - or right in the middle.

With a 6 speed manual or a 1.3L enigone, though 40mpg onsistently shuold be achieveable. That's the car I want.

hungarian83 · January 2006

"All they had to do was leave the CVT7 in it that they already had on the 1.5ltr sport in Australia (39/45 mpg)."

No, that's not quite true.

I went on Honda Australia's website and found the following figures for the Australian Jazz:
Jazz GLi (L13A i-DSI) : 5,7L/100km (MT) and 5.8L/100km (CVT)
Jazz VTi (L15A VTEC): 6,0L/100km (MT) and 6,1L/100km (CVT)
Jazz VTi-S figures are the same as the VTi.
These figures are combined based on the ADR81/01.

The direct translation into miles per US gallon would be:
Jazz GLi (iDSI) : 41,3 (MT) and 40,6 (CVT)
Jazz VTi (VTEC) : 39,2 (MT) and 38,6 (CVT)

I assume the person writing the above comment was referring to the VTi-S as the "1.5ltr sport"

Meanwhile for the US, the combined figures are:
Fit (VTEC) : 35,5 (MT) and 34,5 (AT)

I have never been to Australia, so I cannot really say what the road or traffic conditions are like. I also cannot say what the ADR (Australian Design Rule) testing standards are for fuel economy.

However, I have come to three conclusions:
1. Yes, you really would have to go to the 1.3 engine to get over the 40mpg hump
2. Australia is not a whole lot better off with the 1,3i i-DSI. They receive 2,1 and 2,0 mpg (combined) respectively better than the 1,5i VTEC. Those 2 mpg do add up, but assuming that you got these combined figures in real world driving, that difference would add up to about US$325 after 100 000 miles of driving. That's a good sum of money, but nothing special after several years of driving.
3. Australia gets 3,7 combined mpg better than the US for the manual transmission version. That's good.
They get 4,1 combined mpg with the CVT. That's better, but considering how much more efficient the CVT is, I would have thought the difference to be greater. Also, we are not considering the differences between the fuel consumption tests used in Australia and the United States.

Here is an interesting example of comparing FE between countries. Finding the exact same car sold in both Europe and the US is challenging. The only one I know of is the Acura TSX (US) and the Honda Accord (Europe)
The Acura TSX 5-speed automatic with Navigation weighs 3329 has a 2,4L I4 DOHC and gets 22/31.
The Honda Accord 2,4i Executive 5-speed automatic with Navigation weighs 3236 has a 2,4L I4 DOHC and gets 17/34.
Yet this is the exact same car, apart from the 93lb. fatter TSX. Same aerodynamics, same engine, same everything.
The point is that each country tests their cars a different way. We all look at the European gas mileage figures and cry about them. Who knows, if the US Fit was tested using the European standards, it would probably hit 40 mpg on the highway. My point is that we all need to look at things on a level field. No point getting worked up on numbers that really can't be compared.

So basically, no, Honda is not doing some conspiracy to screw American drivers. Are the Australian 3,7 and 4,1 mpg better. Sure, they are much better, but I just don't know if I would call them "stellar", also since we have NO idea how the Australians test their cars. While Honda could have given the US the i-DSI and set the gear ratios for better fuel economy, the differences are not so drastic that we need to act like the sky is falling and the world is ending.

When the Fit arrives in the US, we can see what the real world fuel economy ratings are. I know that in some conservative (normal, not hypermileing BS), real-world driving I have received 37 mpg combined in a 24/29 car that had 220 000 miles on it.

...and no, before some person makes another completely lame comment about anyone on this forum working for Honda, I don't.

thegraduate · January 2006

This past weekend I took my 2006 Accord Ex 4-cyl 5-speed Auto to the beach. I set the cruise control on 75 mph and made an average of 36.4 mpg. If I can do this in my Accord (166 horsepower, 2.4L, listed 24/34 EPA), then surely some people will be capable of getting 40mpg in the Fit!

Let's hope so, for sales' sake.

mebman · January 2006

According to the website: http://www.honda.com.au/jazz/vti/=environment/fuel-efficient+lev+engine.htm "The Jazz is one of the most fuel-efficient petrol-engine cars on the road and consumption on city cycle is 6.0 liters per 100km and just 5.2 l/100km highway cycle (CVT-7 transmission)". This is for the same for the 1.5l vti or vtis. I have read other postings from Australia that say this is a good real world figure.
The direct conversion from ltrs/100km to mpg = 39.2city and 45.23 highway. http://www.sciencemadesimple.net/fuel_economy.php
39 and 45 would have made me a LOT happier and I would have still had a 1.5 ltr engine.
So yes all they would have had to do was leave the CVT7 in the car mated to the 1.5ltr to have both economy and performance, and YES I do feel that this was a purposeful marketing decision to limit the fuel economy of this car so that it would not outshine the hybrids. Having said all that this car is still a good value that I will probably buy, and I feel that the mpg figures are mediocre enough that there probably wont be the kind of waiting list that I had to buy my Prius. I furthermore will make the prediction that the forthcoming full redesign of this car will produce a CVT with much better mileage. The fact is that most of the SUV driving morons that read a press announcement about this car look at 31/38 mpg as being exceptionally HIGH. We in the USA have been conditioned that way. So this car will still sell well, but sell even better in 1-2 years with a redesign to what it should have been now.

jonniedee · January 2006

1) Discovered this video of the Fit's introduction, which shows some shots of the car rotating (a good 2.5 minutes) and the remarks that were highlighted in the press release/transcript.

http://autoshow.msn.com/as/video.aspx?xml=streaming&shw=autoshow2006

Look at "Honda Fit" under that link.

Anyone else notice this car has the 16's and what's up with the exhaust - is that just a "finisher" or the complete sport exhaust listed as a option? :confuse:
Also there's the optional Binacle bling bling red accent piece on the dash and a rear bumper threshold / step piece...
Honda is pushing the custom bits already... :surprise:

hungarian83 · January 2006

Yes, but you're still forgetting that the government testing for the Australian Jazz with CVT is rated with a combined fuel economy of 38,6.

If the Australian Jazz CVT with a combined fuel economy rating of 38,6 can get 39 in the city and 45 on the highway in real world testing, then there is a high chance the US Fit 5AT with a rating of 34,5 could get 35 in the city and 41 on the highway. The manual could do even better.

You are trying to compare the real world ratings of an Australian Jazz with the government ratings of a US Fit. That doesn't work and there is still a 4 mpg difference.

earth · January 2006

I don't know about you all, but I'm sick, and tired of this combined fuel mileage. I just care about city mpg alone, and highway mpg, alone....No combined anything. :mad:

mebman · January 2006

It looked to me that the 2 tier glove box was not part of the US version(not sure why). It looks as though they have taken out the upper glove box. I wonder if there is a way to put that back in with parts from Honda of Japan.

One other thing has me scratching my head. What is the point of a "paddle shifter" on an automatic car? If you really LIKE to shift gears all the time why not buy a manual transmission? It obviously doesnt help fuel economy, so whats left, Thrills? No thanks I just wanted a high utility reliable and economical car to go to work in. Oh yes you have to buy this little bit of unnecessary bling to get cruise control.

shneor · January 2006

There's a post a few pages backwhere someone says he has access to the missing parts - the divider for the upper glove compartment and the missing tray under the dash in front of the driver.

dewaltdakota · January 2006

Unless things come across starkly different than what I've seen since Sunday's release, count me in on a vivid blue Fit Sport with the 5AT.

Without the option of the CVT-7, I am looking forward to at least being able to get the 5AT with the paddle shifters. While I would prefer a stick, my wife cannot drive one (reasons listed in an earlier post). This way, when I'm driving it, and need a little more "kick" or control in the mountains, it will be there for me, and when the little lady's behind the wheel, she'll still be happy as a clam.

Regarding things like the two-tiered glovebox: How would someone in the US go about obtaining Japanese versions of OEM parts?

jazz4me · January 2006

On the Honda Japan site, the following stats are provided for the Fit turning "radius"

For the 185/55R15 tire, the radius is 4.9m, which converts to 16.1 feet x 2 to get the diameter and you get a 32.2 foot turning diameter/circle.

For the 175/65R14 tire, the radius is 4.7m, which converts to 15.4 feet x 2 to get the diameter and you get a 30.8 foot turning diameter/circle.
(These are the same measurements for the AU Jazz)

Wheelbase is the same for AU, Japan and US at 2450mm/96.5 inches.

Lengths
Japan Fit
1.5s/1.3s 3850mm/151.6"
1.5w/1.5A/1.3w/1.3A/1.3y 3845mm/151.4"
AU Jazz
VTi-S 3855mm/151.8"
GLi/VTi 3845/151.4"
US Fit 157.4"

1991 Civic Hatch (Info from brochure)
DX> Wheelbase 98.4" Length 157.1" 175/70R13
Turning Diameter 32.4'
Si> Wheelbase 98.4" Length 157.1" 185/60R14
Turning Diameter 30.4

All comments welcome

chrisducati · January 2006

I'm pretty excited about the car. I understand the whole fuel mileage thing. When a larger engine Civic can get as good or better fuel mileage one has to wonder what gives. I wonder if gear ratios have something to do with it. I know Americans look at zero to sixty times and demand a car with low numbers. That said most of the people where I live could get by with a car that does zero to sixty in about two minutes. They crawl away from stop lights. Transmission wise I have never driven a CVT so I can not say if I would want one. I dislike Automatics and end up shifting them manually any way. So the Manual is my way to go. I love the size of the car. It reminds me of what the Civic use to be. A fun flingable little car that made you laugh.

hungarian83 · January 2006

This is my last post regarding the Fit's FE because I'm sick and tired of it, but about the combined fuel economy. If Honda Australia had the separate city and highway figures I of course would have used those, however they didn't.

Also, a reason why you will often see the combined figure included somewhere is because most people drive a combination of city and highway, not just one or the other. I also think many people use the easy way of calculating FE even though it might not be most accurate. Just fill up the tank and divide the number of miles on the trip odometer. Of course, none of my previous cars calculated it for me, so I had to do it this way.
It's typically easier to compare average fuel consumption over any given number of tanks, rather than trying to figure out what percent of city and highway miles you drove.

smlcarguy · January 2006

Does any one know if US/CDN Fit's will have as standard equipment a removable rear cargo cover over the "trunk" area like most typical hatchbacks have or if it can be ordered.

Also I think some websites were saying something like a little over 20 cubic feet for behind the seat storage area but i am sure they consider TOTAL space including literally from floor up to the roof.

Most numbers i've seen advertised for other hatch's are nowhere near their claimed measurements when you just consider the "useable" area below the cargo cover to keep things hidden.

I'd guess that Fit's useable behind back seat cargo area, under cover, would be around 10 cubic feet. Does anyone know for sure?

raychuang00 · January 2006

When a larger engine Civic can get as good or better fuel mileage one has to wonder what gives. I wonder if gear ratios have something to do with it.

I think there are four factors in play in regards to fuel mileage result on the US-market Fit:

1. The US-market car uses the L15A VTEC engine, not the L12A and L13A i-DSI engines found on European and Japanese market Fit/Jazz models. The i-DSI engines do offer great fuel mileage, but at the expense of power (Honda UK cites a 0-60 time of 12 seconds with the L13A-powered Jazz, and that's with the European-market car some 175 pounds lighter than the US-market model!).

2. Because the L15A in US-market form has been tuned for 87 pump octane unleaded gasoline (not the 93 or higher pump octane unleaded found in Europe and Japan), Honda had to change the compression ratio and VTEC valve timing to prevent pre-detonation ("knocking"). This unfortunately does tend to cut fuel efficiency of the engine.

3. The gearing in both the five-speed manual and five-speed automatic transmissions are biased to more initial acceleration in deference to American driving styles. As such, that also kind of cuts fuel efficiency slightly.

4. The US-market Fit is some 175-200 pounds heavier than the Fit/Jazz models sold elsewhere in the world.

The fuel efficiency of the Fit is still quite good considering all these changes.

backy · January 2006

I got my first email from Honda today re the Fit "club" I signed up for weeks ago. The email had a link to the public Fit web site. Whooptee-do. :P

Kind of reminds me of the scene in the movie "A Christmas Story" where the boy finally gets his Little Orphan Annie Decoder in the mail and excitedly decodes his first secret message that is broadcast on the radio, only to find out the message is "Drink your Ovaltine."

allfiredup · January 2006

For months I've been able to build a Nissan Versa and for weeks the Dodge Caliber, you'd think Honda would have a more interactive website for the Fit. There is obviously a lot of interest just from the few message boards I've read.

coldstorage5 · January 2006

very funny lol lol.

backy · January 2006

Maybe Honda doesn't think they need a web site to "build your Fit", since the packaging is so simple, compared to the likes of the Versa. Also it's typical Honda--try to keep as much information secret as long as possible. I'm actually surprised they announced some pricing info at the auto show.

rlh2 · January 2006

Thank you, appreciate your insights.

allfiredup · January 2006

True, there aren't any real options. But it'd still be cool to be able to "color" one and possibly see the accessories available. Honda does tend to keep the lid on things longer than anyone else. I was surprised when Civic details showed up as soon before release of the vehicle.

I wonder if we could hope for a Fit Si? I wonder if they could milk another 30hp or so out of it? Just a thought.

sd_driver · January 2006

My first post after reading all here. Quite a discussion. Just got my latest Consumer Reports. Full report on the 2006 Civics. May put the Fit discussion into perspective.

Prices:
EX 5spd $ 18 810
EX 5AT 19 610
Hybrid 22 400

Mileage:
EX 5spd 22/40 31
Ex 5AT 18/43 28
Hybrid 26/47 37

0-60:
EX 5spd 8.6
Ex 5AT 10.1
Hybrid 11.7

Weight:
EX 5spd 2,740
Ex 5AT 2,810
Hybrid 2,890

Turning Cir.:
EX 5spd 38
Ex 5AT 39
Hybrid 38

Rear Leg Rm; 28 in. all

dudleyr · January 2006

I don't have my CR yet, but that info on the Civic takes it off of my list. The Mazda 3 gets better gas mileage on the highway (42 despite being rated lower by the EPA) and is a tick faster. It also has more interior room.

allfiredup · January 2006

You know, I'm surprised by that number even as a Mazda3 owner, but you're right. I just checked and CR managed 42mpg highway in their test of the '04 Mazda3 i manual. The automatic got 38mpg highway.

sd_driver · January 2006

I know this is a Fit forum, but CR's own site has the new Civic beating the Mazda3 in all those areas: faster, better mileage (by 1 mpg), 1 inch more leg room in back.

sd_driver · January 2006

The Mazda3 auto is faster. The OVERALL Civic mileage is 1 mpg better.

thevelourfog · January 2006

The turning diameter for both US models is a claimed 35.6 feet. The steering ratio is also different. Let us hope it is better than they list.

"On the Honda Japan site, the following stats are provided for the Fit turning "radius"

For the 185/55R15 tire, the radius is 4.9m, which converts to 16.1 feet x 2 to get the diameter and you get a 32.2 foot turning diameter/circle.

For the 175/65R14 tire, the radius is 4.7m, which converts to 15.4 feet x 2 to get the diameter and you get a 30.8 foot turning diameter/circle.
(These are the same measurements for the AU Jazz)

Wheelbase is the same for AU, Japan and US at 2450mm/96.5 inches. "

plekto · January 2006

I for one find the U.S. alloy wheels and the spoiler/sport
"kit" to be ugly. It ruins the clean, small lines of the original car.

I do hope the presentation is wrong on one area, though - that you have to get the uglier Sport model to get foglights. Definite deal-breaker for me, since I actually use them quite often(simmilar to how they used to offer cars with *optional* rear defrosters - another deal-breaker as well)

Still, it was fun seeing the announcer all mealy-mouthed as he tried to force out the lie about 33/38 being great gas mileage. Lol.

As for turning radius, if the steering doesn't go that last ten degrees or so, it's all that you need to turn the car into a handling disaster. Mini, for instance, could have made the wheels turn MUCH tighter, but chose not to.

jazz4me · January 2006

I couldn't find the steering ratio for the others. Where is this info located? Thanks

fdanna · January 2006

Bummer that they deleted the quarter panel mounted (or side mirror mounted) turn signals. Anything to get you noticed when signalling is a good thing.

hungarian83 · January 2006

I myself will be getting the base model with a few extra accessories. Really, the base is so well-equipped that there is no need for the Sport model unless you want the looks. Unfortunately, the cruise control and security system aren't available on the base.
However, I totally agree about the cleaner lines of the base model. It reminds me more of the European Jazz or the A and W type Japanese Fits.

I'm sure the foglights could be purchased as an option on the base. Of course, they aren't available standard and I'm not really surprised, as that would cut into the Sport model a little. The lack of a standard defroster (among other things) on the Yaris is really ridiculous. The packages allow Toyota to have an unrealistically low base price, and then make a nice little profit when everyone has to buy two packages just to get power mirrors.

coldstorage5 · January 2006

If I want rims and fog lights i will be able to order this??
How do you go about and do this??
I thought you preety much go to the lot and haggle with what they have.
Either the sport or the regular model.

:P

nippononly · January 2006

fog lights and alloys can be installed as options by the dealer, which is why people are saying they can get a base with those "options". They will not be factory options, you understand, but rather stuff that can easily be installed when the car is already on the lot.

Now cruise and security system are less likely to be available as dealer-installed options, I would think. But the aftermarket will fill the bill if Honda can't. Thing is, there is only a $2K gap between the base and the Sport, so if you want more than one or two things added to the base model, you might just be better buying a Sport. I wonder if those side skirts are removable, like they were on the Matrix I used to have.

thevelourfog · January 2006

The 1.5 Vtec has it listed at http://asia.vtec.net/Reviews/JazzVtec/index.html since it's not listed on the official Honda sites.

I'm assuming it's still the same as the newer models, but the turning circle is the same 4.9m as currently listed.

"I couldn't find the steering ratio for the others. Where is this info located? Thanks"

shneor · January 2006

The removable cargo cover is a dealer option.

allfiredup · January 2006

If I want rims and fog lights i will be able to order this??
How do you go about and do this??
I thought you preety much go to the lot and haggle with what they have.
Either the sport or the regular model.

Honda dealers have historically had wheels choices, fog lights, audio options, etc. available as dealer-installed accessories. I'm sure they'll have plenty of them available for the Fit as well.

plekto · January 2006

I checked online. YEs, most of it is from Japan, but there are tons of aftermarket mods and kits for the car. Want a turbo? Want racing suspension? Want carbon fiber?

So the smart money is to buy a base model and get the 14 inch alloys they sell in Japan(or something equivalent over here) - so as to keep the tighter handling. A car this small doesn't need 15 inchers on it. My old Mercedes has 13 inchers on it and it drives just fine. The Fit would be the commuter box. Not that a '67 230S can't go 500K miles or more, it's just that I'm kind of worried about it getting hit, being a "classic" car.

So the list currently is:
Base Fit
+Add foglights(dealer)
+Add *14 inch* alloys(aftermarket/or from Japan)
+Add divider tray and bin under the dash(both snap or screw in - it's just a matter of getting them from Japan)
+Add rear cargo cover accessory.(dealer)
+Add a stiffer swaybar(aftermarket)
+Add in the side turnsignals(aftermarket from U.K.)
+Get it in that dark orange or yellow.

Should cost what the Sport version does and yet drive and look much better.

P.S.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GIVE US YELLOW!!!!

woknwo · January 2006

Honda Update January 11, 2006 (22 Pics!)Just got today's Honda Update (comes 1-3 times a week) check this out...(22 great pics! inside and out)

4) Fit Photo Report Now Available DETROIT, USA, January 11, 2006 - The new Fit will enter the U.S. subcompact market with class-leading content and segment-defining standard safety equipment. Get a closer look at the Fit in our exclusive photo report. Photo Report (22 photos): http://world.honda.com/NAIAS2006/Fit/01.html

If you want to get automatic e-mails here's some sites to check out:

Honda Worldwide site http://world.honda.com/

Honda Update http://world.honda.com/update/

To add more addresses to this Honda E-Mail newsletter, click here: http://world.honda.com/update/subscribe/

:shades: :shades: :shades: :shades: :shades:

dewaltdakota · January 2006

It might be me, but under the "Photo Report", in image 16 of 22, it appears they're touting the "Convenient features, such as this beverage holder, come standard on all Fits", yet the stamping on the holder looks like it's saying "no drinks" (a cup with a line through it).

Since the "holder" is in the door panel, my guess is Honda doesn't want to get blamed for you throwing your drink across the car, when you close the door.

I wonder if they cover its proper usage in the owner's manual...

hungarian83 · January 2006

I think they are talking about drinks with an open container. We have a CR-V with door-mounted cup holders, and you can make quite a mess if you're not careful about the drinks before you shut the door.

However, things like bottled water, and closed-container drinks should be fine. What's nice in the Fit is it seems fairly well-integrated into the door and out of the way. On the CR-V it flips down and you keep banging your leg into it.

smlcarguy · January 2006

I thought there are 2 official FIT trim levels for US market, Base and Sport?

I just saw that in Canada they plan on 3 levels, a DX, LX and Sport. What would posses them to have these kind of differences for a very similar North American marketplace?

If thats true, any confirmation/spec on what would be different for Canada?

Sport has got to be sport for both countries but does anyone know if Canada's DX (base) will be "de-contented" (possibly cheaper $ also) than US "Base" version., eg possibly then Canada's mid LX version would be equivalent to US's Base version??? Any ideas?

Honda definetly used to play this game in Canada with the civic. I think what once was, or is, the top of the line USA EX civic with moonroof, loaded etc was (is still?) marketed in Canada exclusively under the Acura badge as a 1.8 EL or something like that.

smlcarguy · January 2006

here's a link to a canadian fit website with some dimensions etc... like USA site, but more info.

http://www.honda.ca/fit/EN/fit_minisite_en.html

I recall hearing about a 9 foot surfboard. Here it shows as 7 feet 8 inches maximum in long mode.

possiblyfit · January 2006

I read a dealer option of 16" wheels. What would be the advantage over 14" on a Fit?

backy · January 2006

If the dealer-installed fog lights cost anything close to the $500+ charged for fogs on the Civic, I think I'll pass--or maybe there will be aftermarket alternatives.

Honda Fit

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