2009 Honda Fit

Faced with the surprising but not entirely untimely demise of our over-a-decade-old Nissan, we found ourselves car shopping in time for a cross country trip. While we might have looked more carefully at hybrids at another time in our lives, they weren’t in our budget in Winter 2009. And so we test drove…and test drove…and test drove. The other natural choices in this range (Yaris and Versa) were out for various reasons (the pricing of the hatchbacks as well as the fact that Toyota doesn’t make a 4 door Yaris hatchback). The final contenders came down to the Ford Focus, the Honda Fit and the Mazda 3.

We ended up choosing the Fit for its roomy cargo capacity, great gas mileage and its handling. We haven’t been disappointed.

We have driven this car up and down both coasts as well as across the country since we got it in March and it has performed admirably. We have seen it get upwards of 42 mpg during highway driving, and in the high 30s in town. We have hauled bookshelves, boxes, boards, bureaus and chairs in it. Its cargo capacity is indeed well worth noting- the seat bench in the rear flips up to allow for larger (taller) items and of course the rear seat folds down, either split or in its entirety.

The handling of the car is great. Its responsive and at the same time surprisingly rugged for such a small car. The sound system is perfectly adequate in the base model, though it would be nice if there was a more available direct plug-in for iPods etc. (there is an auxiliary jack, which is what we use).

The cupholder scene is no joke! Ten cupholders in this little car means that everyone has plenty of storage space for their drinks and goodies. I would prefer a cargo net attached to the back of both seats for back seat storage (there is only one). Leg room is surprisingly good in the back seat (better than in the Yaris, we noted) and the rear seats actually recline slightly for the comfort of those in the back. The cargo capacity in the rear is spacious and deep, we have yet to really fill it during our daily activities such as grocery shopping, going to the beach etc. Tall people (including ourselves) have noticed and appreciated the headroom in the Fit, though it does have the tradeoff of having a slightly boxy, ungainly shape.

The instrument panel’s blue backlight is pleasant without being distracting. The odometer flips from trip to carlife to mpg with the turn of a switch. The passenger side has a double glovebox/storage compartment situation—one traditional and another which flips up and is perfect for stowing a myriad of sundries (snacks, hair brush, lint roller etc).

The biggest downside to the Honda Fit has to be its small gas tank. Though it’s an incredibly fuel efficient car, it still can feel like you are tanking up more than you should. However, with all things being relative, you are still hitting the pump less than most other drivers out there.

Great car- fun to drive, easy to ride in and impressive cargo capacity.