"MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig" (MR2_FTW)
08/28/2015 at 12:46 • Filed to: new car, honda, fit
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"MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig" (MR2_FTW)
08/28/2015 at 12:46 • Filed to: new car, honda, fit | 3
| 18 |
A few weeks back, my fiancée and I bought our first new car: a 2015 Honda Fit EX 6-speed manual! It looks just like the one pictured. (Disclaimer: none of the pictures in this post were taken by me)
She just got her first job out of college and has an hour commute, so her old, beat up ‘01 CRV had to go. She was excited to learn how to drive a stick, and I feel better knowing she doesn’t have to worry about breaking down on the side of the highway. Anyways, on to my thoughts on the car!
We were originally looking for the base model “LX” trim, mainly to save a little money and avoid the touch screen entertainment system. However, after shopping around, the only manual Fit we could find was a mid-level “EX” trim which adds the aforementioned touch screen stereo, a sunroof, push-button-start (blah), and 16” alloy wheels.
The first thing I noticed about the car was how light the clutch pedal is. Granted, both of my cars are more than 27 years old, but both this and my parent’s ‘13 Mazda3 have crazy light clutches. Maybe it’s just a new car thing?
The second thing I noticed was just how fantastic the shifter feel is. It’s very direct and notchy which makes rowing the gears a very satisfying experience. The steering is of course pretty numb with it’s electrical assist, but is actually better than I was expecting, as is the low end grunt from the engine. I was expecting the little 1.5L i-VTEC (yo) unit to be gutless down low, but it’s perfectly happy around 2k rpm, unlike my MR2 which always wants you to be over 2,500rpm. The thing is averaging like 37 mpg too, which is a huge improvement over her old CRV’s 24 mpg.
Another great thing about the car is the interior space. The rear seats fold down flat, like any other hatch/wagon/ecobox, but also if you leave the seat backs in place, you can lift the seat bottoms UP which is neat. They also advertise the front seats laying all the way back flat with the rear seats to make a bed-like surface for....camping I guess?
So I suppose it’s time to talk about things I don’t like. Fortunately this list is pretty short. The first one is something that could probably be said about most new cars, but it’s really bad on the Fit: A-pillar blind spots. It’s so bad that Honda had to put in another small window, but it still doesn’t help. Looking left/right at a stop sign requires a LOT of moving yourself around to see. That’s the price of safety I guess, but still. Another thing I don’t like is the blind spot camera. If you look closely at the top image, you’ll notice a little tumor on the underside of the mirror. That’s a blind spot camera that turns on every time you put on your right-turn signal. I personally find it extremely irritating, useless, and just another thing to break, but that could just be me, being an ornery old man (I may only be in my mid 20’s, but I am an old man at heart).
Going along with the “more stuff to break” train of thought is the touch screen multi-media interface. Thankfully there is no nav, but it’s still an overly-complicated radio, which is why we were initially looking for a base model. As a dealership employee (not Honda, but another big Japanese carmaker), I see first hand how many issues there are with the multi-media units on newer cars, and how freaking expensive they are to replace. We did end up getting an additional warranty to cover all the electronics to 100k miles, but I’m still uneasy about it.
Overall I really like the car and I think it’s a great value for the money, and a ton of fun to drive. If you are in the market, take one for a test drive (if you can find one with three pedals).
Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
08/28/2015 at 13:07 |
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Holy cow those reclining front seats are incredible! Perfect for road trips.
PanchoVilleneuve ST
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
08/28/2015 at 13:30 |
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Heavy petting. It’s for heavy petting.
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> PanchoVilleneuve ST
08/28/2015 at 13:40 |
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NOT mom-approved
kernkernkern
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
08/28/2015 at 13:41 |
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I have a 2010 Fit and the front seats reclined into the back seat is ridiculously comfortable. Try it at a drive in. Not sure about the third generation Fits, but on mine you can recline the rear seat back too for a little more comfort (pull the rear seat release handle and lean back).
Also, you’ll soon realize that it becomes a bit of a game to find the random things that will fit in there with the doors closed (yes, those are household interior doors...I think the biggest ones were 30”).
I keep toying with the idea of getting a new Fit, but I’m like you and just see all these fancy unnecessary electronic whizbangs that will break. I’m perfectly happy with radio buttons and checking over my right shoulder.
Ash78, voting early and often
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
08/28/2015 at 13:47 |
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both this and my parent’s ‘13 Mazda3 have crazy light clutches. Maybe it’s just a new car thing?
Yes! Every manny tranny I’ve driven for the past 10 years has had a superlight clutch. But I also thought the mid-90s Civics were super light compared to my car, a competing VW Golf. If I had to guess, I’d say it was an attempt to make manuals more accessible to a wider group and eliminate any bitching about “ow, my calf hurts” :D
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kernkernkern
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
08/28/2015 at 13:52 |
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I fully anticipate issues when I sell mine because some mom will want to buy it for her teen and then realize that everything folds flat. Aside from this, it’s actually a great car for teens because it’s incredibly slow.
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> kernkernkern
08/28/2015 at 14:04 |
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It is slow, but with the manual if you rev it up high enough it moves along just fine. It “feels” about the same as my parent’s Mazda3.
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kernkernkern
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
08/28/2015 at 14:11 |
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Yeah, it takes a little finesse. If you keep the revs up it can usually cobble together some power but there’s the occasional uphill freeway onramp where you’re just like ¯\_()_/¯.
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kernkernkern
> Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed
08/28/2015 at 14:17 |
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I’ve used it in a pinch for a friend recovering from foot surgery. Just plopped her in the back seat, reclined the front seat, she got settled into the lounge (with her foot elevated), and was way more comfortable. Probably not the safest thing since it affects the fit of the seat belt over the hips, but the alternative was her putting her foot on my dashboard and that’s a whole lot of fck no.
Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
08/28/2015 at 15:45 |
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“Granted, both of my cars are more than 27 years old, but both this and my parent’s ‘13 Mazda3 have crazy light clutches. Maybe it’s just a new car thing?”
That’s because it’s probably a hydraulic rather than cable-actuated clutch. That gives you a lighter clutch pedal, but the down side is now you have a clutch slave cylinder that is another potential failure point that is much more expensive to fix than a regular cable. I had to replace the clutch slave cylinder on both my current car and my previous car.
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
08/28/2015 at 16:01 |
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Both my old cars are hydraulic clutch. Also our 03 Subaru has a much MUCH harder clutch then either of the newer cars as well.
Van Man, rocks the Man Van
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
08/28/2015 at 16:15 |
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Nice choice! If it was looking for a car in the segment, I’d definitely get a Fit in the same trim and transmission (of course) as yours. I don’t believe you mentioned color, so what color is it?
Chasaboo
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
08/28/2015 at 17:57 |
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I bought a fit in November. Best value for dollar car out there. Wouldn’t change a thing on it.
HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
> kernkernkern
11/09/2015 at 13:10 |
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especially with an airbag under your foot.
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HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
> kernkernkern
11/09/2015 at 13:13 |
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going up a big hill is the only time I kinda don’t like my wife’s 2010 fit. but at least a when it down shifts it’s not jarring or horribly noisy.
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HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
11/09/2015 at 13:15 |
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I’m thinking that low end grunt is a product of the third gen’s Direct Injection. I at times wish we had gone out and bought a new Fit instead of my wife’s 2010, but then I look at our monthly payment, and our bank account and remember why we made the choice to buy a used car.
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kernkernkern
> HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
11/09/2015 at 13:44 |
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My Fit’s slowness is starting to get on my nerves these days. If a manufacturer managed to scalp that hugely functional fold flat cargo area and small footprint AND pair it with a motor that had any guts I would jump ship.
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HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
> kernkernkern
11/09/2015 at 18:40 |
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The new with it’s direct injection should have just enough extra pep, to take care of it. I mean it’s only an extra 15hp but that’s like a 14% increase lol.