Honda Fit: Quick Review After a Class Win at Autocross

"way2blu does a rev update" (way2blu) 12/09/2018 at 19:25 • Filed to: Crossin' Some Auto, Autocross, honda fit, Honda, vtec, yo

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Yeah, it was just me in H Street, but this thing (‘15 Honda Fit CVT) is freakin’ hilarious to drive. It’s so much more fun than its meager power output and automatic transmission would lead one to expect.

I’ll start with the negatives, since they are few:

CVT is hard to convince to launch. Best I could get was by holding both the gas & brake briefly, then letting off the brake while flooring the gas. Minor complaint, maybe .5 of a second per lap.

CVT has paddle shifters, but it still upshifts automatically when you hit redline. Not cool. Had to compensate by triple-clicking the downshift paddle all the time to get it back into 2nd “gear.”

CVT won’t downshift to 1st except at <5mph. Eh, whatever.

Alright. Now for the positives:

This car is light. 2600 lbs light. And despite its height, all the seats can be folded down flat, for a low center of mass. The engine is plenty responsive above 5,000 rpm.

But show it a corner, and the true magic happens. At 7/10ths, it feels pretty mediocre, but at 11/10ths it evolves from “Fit” into “RAGE.”

I found that the combination of FWD and relatively soft suspension rewards absolutely silly driving. Taking a smooth racing line is nice in other cars, but the Fit really shines when you fling it around corners. The body rolls onto the outer wheels, and allows the tires to dig in and rotate the car.

Was there understeer? Sure. Was there oversteer? Surprisingly, yes as well!

This is an excellent car on which to learn about weight transfer and how to corner better with it. It’s balanced but it rewards aggressive inputs too.

Bone stock, CVT, OE all-season tires. Said tires will be replaced soon.

Wagon Guy drives a Boostang > way2blu does a rev update 12/09/2018 at 19:36

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H Street is really entertaining to watch too, since it’s full of things that most folks wouldn’t consider “race cars”.

arl > way2blu does a rev update 12/09/2018 at 19:36

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Well dammit - I wasn’t expecting to hear that. Cool!

TheJWT > way2blu does a rev update 12/09/2018 at 19:43

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FIT LIFE

I have to give autocross another shot in mine when it warms up next year

daender > Wagon Guy drives a Boostang 12/09/2018 at 19:53

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Raced an ex-rental in HS for a whole season , can confirm the colorful variety of cars that enter that category .

daender > way2blu does a rev update 12/09/2018 at 19:54

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Fits are good cars to toss about, especially when stock because that’s the most fun!

way2blu does a rev update > daender 12/09/2018 at 19:56

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Yeah all my complaints were CVT-related, a manual Fit would be even more entertaining for sure!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > way2blu does a rev update 12/09/2018 at 20:46

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I’d expect any CVT to last about a week after such a pounding.

way2blu does a rev update > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 12/09/2018 at 20:54

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After each run, I would stop to get my sticky note with my time written on it, and then when I’d try to move forward again the engine would rev up with little or no acceleration.

It felt like clutch slip. Also smelled pretty mechanical and burnt, distinctly not tire smell.

If the CVT fails, this Fit’s getting a Civic Si powertrain swap. Or at the very least, a manual to replace the CVT :P

I own dead car brands only > daender 12/09/2018 at 20:55

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I need more pictures like this NOW!

daender > I own dead car brands only 12/09/2018 at 20:58

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Sadly no other action shots, just a few videos.

Future Heap Owner > way2blu does a rev update 12/09/2018 at 21:04

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I’m extremely confident this is gonna be my next car

I own dead car brands only > daender 12/09/2018 at 21:06

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Here is my dearly departed Saab autocrossing

way2blu does a rev update > Future Heap Owner 12/09/2018 at 21:07

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Do it! And get a stick shift; my CVT smelled weird after each run and had clutch-slip symptoms :P

wafflesnfalafel > way2blu does a rev update 12/09/2018 at 21:27

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H ow are the brakes - I drove a first gen a number of years ago and the brakes were it’s downfall, (and the driver seat wouldn’t slide back quite far enough for me..) I really like the car - keep wishing Honda would drop that 1.5 turbo in there with a 6spd... I can totally see it’s tossable at 11/10th - off throttle, late brake into a corner and have the rear end come around.  

way2blu does a rev update > wafflesnfalafel 12/09/2018 at 21:32

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The brakes were 100% competent for the speeds I was achieving. I can’t speak for extended track time, but they didn’t fade during repeated 60-80 second autocross runs.

I’m a leggy 6'2" and I Fit in the current-gen Fit with plenty of headroom. Helmet included too.

On the all-season tires, it was wonderful to oversteer this little FWD economy car. Just flinging it around allowed for drifting, but with torque to the front axle it was also quick out of corners.

Future Heap Owner > way2blu does a rev update 12/09/2018 at 21:46

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Definitely gonna have a stick because, for me, automatics are too boring now

way2blu does a rev update > Future Heap Owner 12/09/2018 at 21:52

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The CVT on the Fit has fun paddle shifters, but a 3rd pedal is going to be more fun for sure.

TeamPunkassRacing > way2blu does a rev update 12/09/2018 at 22:00

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I had a ‘13 Fit base 5 spd a while back, and it was a surprisingly good handling car. I swapped out the stock 175/65/15 eco tires right away for a set of General Altimax all seasons in 195/60/15. I drove it on my favorite backroad route a few times and it was always a blast. And the car was able to carry an impressive amount of cargo.

I’d love to see them make a 200hp Fit Si.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > way2blu does a rev update 12/09/2018 at 22:38

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My friend has a Fit with a manual and I put about 500 miles on it a few years ago. It was the worst manual transmission car I’ve ever driven. Lots of rev hang and a miserable shift linkage. Whatever Civic Si powertrain swap entails, I’d recommend doing that over rigging up a Fit manual.

Did you get a deal on this car and set out to flog it to death?