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2009/2010 Honda Fit
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Comments
GE8749EW 2009 FIT 5DR SPORT 5MT KA
GE8769GW 2009 FIT 5DR SPORT VSA&NAV 5MT KA
GE8829EW 2009 FIT 5DR 5AT KA
GE8849EW 2009 FIT 5DR SPORT 5AT KA
GE8869GW 2009 FIT 5DR SPORT VSA&NAV 5AT KA
Sport
CRYSTAL BLACK PEARL/BLACK
BLUE SENSATION/BLACK
TIDEWATER BLUE METALLIC/BLACK
ORANGE REVOLUTION/BLACK
BLACKBERRY PEARL/BLACK
MILANO RED/BLACK
STORM SILVER METALLIC/BLACK
TAFFETA WHITE/BLACK
Base
CRYSTAL BLACK PEARL/GRAY
BLUE SENSATION/GRAY
TIDEWATER BLUE METALLIC/GRAY
MILANO RED/GRAY
STORM SILVER METALLIC/GRAY
TAFFETA WHITE/GRAY
The colors again but with more detail. In order to have VSA you must get the navi which should have been standard. 2010 will get VSA stanadard. NAVI is only on the fit sport. This also answers backy's question on the interior trims.
Cost is always a factor. But since I don't know the cost for the VSA+Navi option, this choice is hard to make right now. Are the merits of VSA that great over a Sport without it? Would you rather give it up so you are not paying for the Navi system as well?
The safety merit of the VSA or ESC or whatever people call it is virtually indisputable. That is why in many countries the stability control system is now mandatory, and will be so in the U.S. by 2012.
But for a car in this price bracket, the cost of the navi + VSA is not negligible, either. There is no question that all trim levels of the new Fit will ultimately come with VSA, with or without Navi due to the legal mandate. The question that remains is that of how soon. Would Honda wait until the 2012 model year to make VSA available on the Fit without Navi because they have to, or would they make VSA available as a stand-alone option, or for that matter, a standard equipment piece, sooner? No one knows, and that makes it a tough call for anyone who is thinking about pulling the trigger on the next-gen Fit soon after its introduction.
I plan to buy a base 5MT not so much for cost savings or fuel economy (although I wouldn't be planning this step if it were an expensive gas guzzler), but because it appeals to me as a small fun-to-drive sporty car - taking into account that it did so well in the Car & Driver lane change test (beating Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette). Its power-to-weight ratio is not shabby.
I'll install 17" Kosei racing wheels with 215 Kumho sport tires left over from the 2004 Civic that preceded our 2007 SE Accord. And I'll get a somewhat louder exhaust. Forgive me, that's my youth talking (84 in January).
Red or silver?
http://www.gasgoo.com/auto-news/6937/Guangzhou-Honda-launches-new-Fit-in-China.h- tml
I plan to go to our Honda dealer to check how it looks like
Also, will the MPG go down more than a couple of points?
Many thanks. :
Fit sales started yesterday in fact, and employees were cleaning a bright yellow fit they just received. I could sit in it.
It was a 1.5L with a manual trans.
Overall feeling is good, with a fit and finish close to the outgoing generation.
The new body shape gives a feeling of a cab forward design. This is OK but the front lights really look a bit too big / over the top. The front pillar shape is different and it looks like front visibililty has been improved.
Inside, the color set is very much alike with a combination of black and grey.
The dash design looks a bit complicated imho, but now the integrated CD-Radio set supports MP3 at last with an audio in jack. Climate control is still manual and one must pay an extra 2000 USD to go to the sports edition to get automatic climate control.
Seating position is somewhat different from the previous. it looks like the steering wheel is in a lower position. I found this a bit more relaxing than mine. it is also adjustable in reach on top of height.
This time, i have a feeling that my head is quite close to the headliner if set the seat in the highest position (China models come with height adjustable seats)
maybe the overall seating position is higher, which gives me the impression that the steering wheel is lower.
There is still the mandatory power roof that eats-up some headroom. Not a real issue as I am not tall (5.9) but I just don't need this function and I think it adds unn
Rear leg space look light as tight as the previous generation. I would have expected a 3-inch increase in length to have added at least 1.5 inch but It does not feel this way. Rear seet keep their intelligent folding scheme with two interesting improvements :
1) rear headrest are now collapsible into the bench body, so no need to remove them when folding the bench down and possibility to increase rear sight area.
2) rear bench has 2 angle settings. the most reclined one compromises cargo capacity a bit but improves rear seat comfort a lot.
Rear doors come with accomodation for a large cup or a small bottle.
The grey cloth used for the seats seems easy to stain. there was already one appearing. Seats have been redesigned and seem to have a better side cushion shape.
Boot seems to be of same capacity than before. Now model come with a cargo cover.
Tires are still the 15X175 as the outgoing model. This is a good think they don't force us to oversize.
The big down is with the transmission, where the previous CVT is now replaced by a 5 spd conventional box. I fear that this setup may compromise performance or fuel economy or either both.
So far, the impression is ok but not overwhelming. I guess a test ride would give much more answers.
Yes it did. a full sized one.
If I don't remove the headrests, I just can't fold the back seats, even if the front seat is all the way ahead. The Chinese Fit must have different design than the US version
That's tall even for an American woman! I don't think the US version will get the moon roof.
Was the steering wheel adjustable?
And finally, when you say boot do you mean trunk?
Lastly, thanks for all of your info regarding the '09 Fit.
Yes and I mentioned that they added reach adjustment whereas the old one was only adjustable in height. it does improve seating position indeed.
>And finally, when you say boot do you mean trunk?
Yes, When I learned English at school, I was told that the word was the boot. maybe it is British English.
> Lastly, thanks for all of your info regarding the '09 Fit.
My pleasure. We plan to go to the Honda dealer today to get a purchasing price for our 2006 Fit. We expect around 11500 USD. If you have some other questions about the Fit, I could check
There was a nice cobalt blue fit standing in the show-room. The show room was really crowded and it seems there was a lot of buzz around the new fit.
The dealer quoted me about 10500 USD for my Fit, which was a bit disappointing but not surprising as he told me they offered up to 3000 USD cash rebate on older Fit to clear stocks for the new one.
Although I don't have plans to buy a 09 Fit, I indulged myself a test drive of a Sport version, the highest spec sold in China for about USD 20K.
This version comes with 15 X 185 wheels instead of the 14X 175 ones and has an automatic climate control. there are pads in the steering wheel to shift gears in Manual mode. It is a slushbox.
It was a short test in an urban environment, so I can't tell a lot, but it looks like rolling noise it a bit better control, and the suspension a tad more compliant but still pretty firm in comparison with mine. Handling is on par with current version. Climate control is working well. front visitbility is a bit improved with thinner A pillar.
I tried to push the engine a little bit without scaring the sales rep. I can't hide that I was a bit disappointed by the powertrain, as speed pick-up seems not as smooth as with the CVT of my Fit. This is more visible I push the pedal harder, but in light load or economical driving, there should not be much difference.
As the torque value is identical to the outgoing version, I think the 10 more Kw will not translate in much more performance, unless pushing the engine into the red zone.
Frankly, I would not loose 50K RMB = 7K+ USD for an upgrade. I don't see a radical improvement over the outgoing model and I dare say that a simple model update with its few problems addressed would have been enough. The Older fit is still strong.
For those having a good rebate on an older model, I would recommand to consider this offer with care.
I forgot to mention that Fuel economy figures are nearly identical between the 1.3 and 1.5 engine. I don't know where is the 20% difference quoted by some other sources, but I strongly believe this is unlikely.
As for English vs. American:
Boot = Trunk
Bonnet = Hood
Drophead = Convertible
Wing = Fender, etc.
P.S. We are told, "There are more people learning English in China than speak English in the rest of the world." No doubt vchiu is one of Hainan's best English teachers!
I don't believe that!
My local NY dealer said they would be getting quite a few in. And would not push or include any unwanted add ons.
He wrote down what I wanted,( Red base auto) and said he would keep me informed as to when they were being shipped, the pricing and would send any brochures when they got them.
He said they just put in an order for their last 2008 model. And Honda would start building the '09's in August.
BTW, I noticed that Honda's insurance cost is higher's toyota's. For example, my camry was cheaper to insure than the Civic, for the exact same policy terms. Does anyone know why is that? Is Honda's less safe? I thought the Civic is cheaper so should be less costly to insure, but I was wrong.
And lately, the Civic isn't all that much cheaper than the Camry.
Vchiu said it's available on the Chinese version. I can't imagine they "need" it more than we do in the States. My wife tried one in Japan and recalls that it did have the seat height adjustment. (She's 5' 1" and I'm 6' 1")
On the other hand, as with many other Japanese exports, maybe we here in the States are getting the less expensive, dumbed-down version with fewer embellishments.
2) The current Fit offers a height-adjustable driver's seat outside the U.S. But not here. Hey, it worked for Honda before, why not again? :P
This is crazy. Developing those different versions cost money. Why don't they rationalize and simplify the number of versions ? It can't be a mistake to offer height adjustable seat and wheel in any country can it ?
Is it a penny-pinching move ? This seems really gross to me.
If they really wanted to do some more engineering, why don't they offer a turbocharged version of their 1.5 ? a 150 HP Fit with a lot of torque would be very sweet.
As for a 150 HP turbocharged version, whoa! Most people are currently looking for more MPG, not BHP :-) A low numeric final drive ratio, low rpm, super high mileage, highway cruiser would have more appeal than another pocket rocket.
Needless to say, a hybrid Fit would be a colossal hit here in the States.
The 2009 Fit adds Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure technology, available Vehicle Stability Assist ™ (VSA®) and active head restraints, to a top-of-class list of standard safety features.
http://corporate.honda.com/press/article.aspx?id=4444
I hope if Honda changed its mind about VSA, they have tossed in a seat height adjuster too.
Checkout the Honda site at this link. It does not say Available next VSC.
http://automobiles.honda.com/2009-fit/
P.S. Web pages have been known to have errors before.
If so, then Honda may be putting in the feature, even before it is required for compliance.
Maybe the Civic is typically purchased by a younger demographic (when compared to the Camry), thus leading to more "incidents", which in turn push the Insurance rates up ?
Well, I think the age difference should be taken into account based on the DRIVER's age, not the average age of the car's driver. When I said my camry rate is lower than the Civic, I mean MY insurance rates for both cars, not the average rate of all drivers (although the average rate also happens to be lower). I had the Civic first and it was wrecked. I leased a Camry the next day, and was surprised to learn that the Camry insurance rate was lower even though the car was more expensive. The insurance was from the same company, with the same terms. Basically I asked the agent to transfer all the old policy into the new car, and the rate did not go up until the next renew time (due to the accident). Also, I noticed that my Honda dealer charged more for maintenance work. I will still buy a Fit though, because it is an overall winner and fits my needs perfectly.
I am looking for more torque
Actually, VW produced an interesting breed of 1.4 liter supercharged engines with 120 / 140 / 170 HP. Thanks to direct injection and technological advances, they are very fuel efficient, but offer the comfort of low end torque and relax cruising. mated to a 7-speed DSG, they make a very sweet powertrain.
The new Fit engine is just increasing its high rev abilities. not something that is going to help relax highway motoring nor fuel efficiency.
Now, if they would just go one step further, ala VW, and make ESC standard on all 2009 models, that would be really great.
Maybe we need two classes of vehicles... today's everything-mandated versions and an alternative, less than say 1500 lbs, max 55 mph, high-mileage, minimally regulated, four wheel, four passenger Segways!