Small is big these days, especially in the world of automobiles and electronics. In many ways, the Honda Fit is the consummate example of this trend.
Sharper styling for '09
It didn't take Honda long to re-work the Fit, making it more visually striking and slightly larger overall. In addition to expanding interior real estate, increasing the Fit's body length and wheelbase allowed repositioning the windshield approximately 5-inches further forward.
 | | The 2009 Honda Fit is fun to drive and delivers impressive fuel economy. |
The new sheet metal retains the fundamental Fit shape while improving the car's proportionality, imbuing it with visual vitality that's certain to appeal to youthful buyers as well as the "common sense" purchaser. My tester was the Sport version. It uses discreet body skirting, fog lights, larger wheels and a rear spoiler to emphasize the vehicle's youthful design theme.
Reworked cabin more functional and spacious
The new cabin is slightly more spacious, and interior size has always been a Fit cornerstone. Downright impressive is the generous leg and headroom found at all five seating positions. My driver's seat spoiled me with comfort and support. A fold-down armrest added to the pleasure. Too bad the front passenger wasn't as "armrest" fortunate.
My brow furled again at the lack of a centre-console storage bin. Despite these misses, a revised instrument panel and an updated dashboard enhance the cabin for 2009. It would seem Honda took a genuine interest in the feedback it received on the former Fit, and reengineered the rear seats enabling one-handed drop and raise functionality.
Last year, head restraints had to be removed from the deeply folding rear seats, making the process of dropping them into the floor a bit awkward. This year it's a "one-handed" piece of cake. The vastness of the resulting cargo-hold is absolutely stunning given the vehicle's overall compact size. Adding to the commodious cavern is a low, flat load floor.
Slightly more oomph
It's not a lot more and it certainly doesn't reposition the Fit as a high-performance car but the 2009 version of Honda's "little car that could" nets eight more horsepower and one additional pound of torque, earning ratings of 117 horsepower @ 6,600 rpm and 106 pound-feet of torque @ 4,800 rpm.
 | | The new cabin is slightly more spacious, and interior size has always been a Fit cornerstone. |
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