2015 Honda Fit: The 4800-Mile Update

"Jim Zeigler" (jimzeigler) 05/18/2015 at 11:40 • Filed to: Honda Fit, Reviews, Dipset

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Honda sits on the golden throne of my hypothetical automotive monarchy. Soichiro’s vision brought small engine design to unthinkable levels of sophistication, and Honda !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! with its small bikes and scooters. Until recently, they engineered rewarding driver dynamics into every one of their cars. Even if you think they’re boring, one must admit that Honda redefined the standard for reliability in almost everything with an internal combustion engine.

And that’s ignoring their racing pedigree. The company designed a race-winning !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! with dual overhead cams and 24 valves – in 1966. They blessed Prost and Senna with the 1.5L V6 that powered one of the most winning F1 cars in the sport’s history. A list of automotive superlatives is glaringly incomplete without the inclusion of the marque.

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Quality, ingenuity, reliability: these are the things made the brand one of the most successful manufacturers in the world. As a result, expectations were high when I purchased my first !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The company’s reputation as the gold standard has certainly taken a nosedive since the early 2000’s, but I hoped that the joie de vivre was still there.

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My distaste for the Fit’s exterior is documented, but I must admit that it’s grown on me. The lower offset Rota RB’s and fatter tires I slapped on provide a squatty, rallyesque front & rear profile. If I were feeling particularly confident after a couple beers, I’d even call it “burly”. Having the ass-end straddling wider tires really brings out the cosmetic and completely stupid lower bumper vents. It’s not a pretty car, but it’s passable.

With that said, the side profile still makes a Mazda5 look like a Maserati. I initially wrote a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! -level assessment to submit to Honda’s New Owner Survey, using fancy words like “tumblehome” and “DLA failure.” That made me feel pretentious, so I deleted it and put “CAR MAKES THE ODYSSEY LOOK SPORTY.” Nobody reads that stuff, anyways. The windows are too small, the beltline’s too high, and if you stare too long it kinda looks like a dopey snake sunning itself on a rock.

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Damn. This is what a new car is. From the seats to the controls to the stereo, I’m blown away by what Honda has equipped as standard in their cheapest offering. There are smart engineering touches everywhere, from the fold-out cupholder under the left driver’s vent (which I choose to believe is designed to keep your drink cold/hot) to the often-praised “Magic Seats,” which have allowed me to easily carry my three bicycles.

Not pictured because I am lazy - the third bicycle.

Without getting too deep into evaluating “soft-touch” plastics, you can see that Honda put serious efforts into making sure that the things you touch feel right . The tactile aesthetics are on point: the knobs are appropriately weighted, the signaling controls move with authority, and even the faux-stitched dashboard feels upscale. And the steering wheel! The buttons give you more-than-adequate control over the stereo and cruise, and the padding and trim details feel like they’re straight out of an Acura.

The stripper-model stereo in my car is an infotainment system that absolutely floors me with its versatility. Bluetooth streaming doesn’t eat up too much battery and connects without a hitch, and even the voice controls mostly work. Data packages ain’t cheap, so I’ve gotten the most mileage out of the USB port: the purchase of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! grants me 32GB of ill-begotten MP3’s while allowing the closure of the little hatch that covers the port. It sounds better than it has any right to, and my original plan to get a better set of speakers has been abandoned. If the quality of this stereo is indicative of the market as a whole, Crutchfield has gotta be nervous.

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My father always told me that back in the day, anything that got to 60 in less than ten seconds was fast. That may not be the case anymore, but this metric is still applicable if you apply a small modifier to the end: it’s fast enough. At roughly 2600lbs and with 130 mighty stallions !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ing under the hood, the Fit has adequate scoot for daily duty. Sixty comes at around the eight-second mark, and its willingness to keep up with traffic is only dictated by how enthusiastically you want to row gears.

Speaking of which, the gearbox is typical Honda happiness. The shifter’s surprisingly short, as is the throw. It’s about as good as it gets on a stock FWD/transaxle setup. Gearing is definitely on the aggressive side, and it spins high on the freeway. The noise doesn’t bug me, but has had unfortunate effects during road trips – I thought the person in the back seat was being unsociably aloof, but later found out that she just couldn’t hear any of our front seat conversation. This could be a pro or a con, depending on how much you like your travel companions.

As a sidenote, the engine’s free of any stupid plastic covers, leaving the 1.5L free to impress with its imposing presence when you pop your hood at the local HellaFreshSwag meet. Also, look at that cute little battery! I was going to use it to jump start the Miata last month, but mechanical (electrical?) sympathy made me reconsider.

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When I drove the car off the lot and introduced it to the expansion joints and general crappiness of Interstate 45, I wrote off the choppy ride as a new car quirk. Suspension settles, right? Maybe, but it hasn’t yet in the Fit. The front is mostly up to par (though a bit soft), but the rear feels worse than my Miata. Let me emphasize that: the rear end of the car feels like garbage over bumps.

Yeah, it’s a $16k car and I don’t have much room to bitch. The wheelbase is tiny, and some choppiness was expected (though not this much). All would be forgiven if it handled well, but it’s just kinda eh. Don’t get me wrong: the size and steering ratio of the Fit make it an excellent tool for maneuvering through traffic. The steering is just-the-right-side of darty, but coming from a Miata it has the driver feedback of a Cruisin’ World arcade game.

It’s also a bit spooky around long higher-speed sweepers like on-ramps. I have reasonably sticky tires, but the Fit gets my ass a-clenching if I go too far over the posted limit on the twisty parts. Most of this comes from the aforementioned rear suspension, but even on perfectly smooth roads it doesn’t inspire confidence.

Which leads me to my next complaint: the brakes. They do an adequate job of stopping the car at normal city speeds, but have a Drudge Report-sized bias towards the front end. One particularly hairy moment came when I had to brake hard for traffic in a straight line after entering the interstate from a neighboring on-ramp. The rear of the car became hugely unstable, and the car was wagging like an alarmed skunk standing on its front legs. I’m not going to pin the blame on the rear brakes being of the drum variety (though antiquated, drums do fine in situations that don’t involve too much heat). Instead, I chalk this up to a soft front end, a loose and undersprung rear, and a nose-heavy short wheelbase that’s more willing to swap ends than a drunk freshman.

It does do an excellent job on dirt road handbrake turns, and has handled a few 60mph railroad-track jumps with aplomb. No complaints there.

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Things fall apart, but they shouldn’t be doing so after 3 months and 4800 miles. My car developed an annoying and untraceable rattle in the driver’s side door panel less than a month after I bought it. Other areas of concern include the passenger’s side window seal (which inexplicably curled up and got pinched by the window), an interior trim strip that’s lost its adhesion, and the upper dashboard that in some places looks like it was assembled by drunk men with hammers.

When you consider that it was built to a pricepoint, it’s easy to forgive these quirks. But this is a Honda. My mom’s ’01 Prelude doesn’t have issues like this, even with 180,000 miles. My buddy’s ’07 Civic didn’t, either. These QC problems can be dismissed as new-model teething issues - the ’15 Fit is the first of the bloodline to be assembled outside of Japan. It’s made in a new factory in Ceyala, Mexico, the one !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! the release of the new HR-V (which stands for “Hella Rad – Vroom!”). Bringing a new factory online is hard enough without people hijacking supply trains carrying parts.

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From an objective standpoint, it’s nearly flawless: quick enough, incredibly versatile, and able to achieve 39mpg during highway trips with three passengers and the cruise control at 80. I can confidently recommend this car to anyone who has never owned an older Honda – they won’t have the expectation of near-perfection. Slap any other badge on this vehicle and it’s a home run, but as a Honda it’s a bit of a letdown.

After 4800 miles, the best analogy I can offer is this: the Fit is a cake made with great ingredients by a five-star chef that was taken out of the oven a few minutes too early. It’s pretty good, but it coulda been so much better.

Textured Soy Protein > Jim Zeigler 05/18/2015 at 12:04

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Let me emphasize that: the rear end of the car feels like garbage over bumps.

Several years ago when I had a Miata, I came close to buying a brand new ‘09 Fit to complement the Miata as my daily driver. I put a deposit down before the ‘09s shipped, but ended up backing out of it.

One of the things I disliked about the Fit was the same as you’ve described. I live in Wisconsin, we have tons of expansion-jointed roads, and the rear suspension of the Fit doesn’t cope with expansion joints at all.

I think it’s because the rear suspension is a torsion beam, not independent. There are plenty of cheap fwd cars out there with cheap torsion beam rear suspensions, and not all of them have this problem with expansion joints. But Honda seems to not quite have figured out the torsion beam. Either that or they’re just going for a stiffer setup than the other guys.

Frosted > Jim Zeigler 05/18/2015 at 12:08

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This generation of Fit is what will replace my Cube when that day comes. I actually LOVE the styling, it’s very unique and one might even say very Japanese looking. A huge improvement over the outgoing model and with some wheels and maybe a drop alone, these Fits look killer. Suspension can always be tweaked and brakes can always be upgraded.

thatotheritguy > Jim Zeigler 05/18/2015 at 12:25

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This has to be one of the best car reviews I’ve read in a while. I laughed out loud at work several times. The vice grips next to the gear shift made me laugh the most for some reason. Possibly because I drive British sports cars.

greenagain > Jim Zeigler 05/18/2015 at 12:29

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I put slightly lower springs on every car, and always like it better Does the EX have a rear sway bar? you might look into it

KentB27 > Jim Zeigler 05/18/2015 at 12:51

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I personally feel like pretty much every late model Honda, except maybe the Pilot and Odyssey has a very stiff and choppy ride. My mom used to have an 03’ Element and my god did that thing ride awful. Hondas have never exactly been renowned for their ride quality so I’m not surprised to hear that this Fit is no different. They’re still great cars though.

Nobi > Jim Zeigler 05/18/2015 at 14:16

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Is it bad that the first time I’ve ever heard the phrase “ joie de vivre” was on an episode of Roadkill?

Totally agree with you about everything you wrote. I really don’t like how Honda has softened the Fit’s suspension with every successive generation. It’s like as the interior and features get better, the suspension gets worse. I wonder how much it would set them back per model to throw out that torsion beam for a set of control arms? Maybe adapt the Civic rear suspension to save cost? I don’t know. Always been a fan of the Fit, but the soft suspension and the move from Japan to Mexico resulting in questionable build quality is starting to make me lose interest.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > Jim Zeigler 05/18/2015 at 14:18

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I love that sticker.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > Jim Zeigler 05/18/2015 at 14:23

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Your taste in sidearm is indicative of your taste in cars - cheap, functional, with decent quality.

boxrocket > Jim Zeigler 05/18/2015 at 14:44

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The Fit is the only current/ recent Honda mass-production automobile that I would consider owning, especially because of the size and Magic Seats. I like the first two generations’ styling better, but this seems more refined and less grossly cheap.

I'd probably get a Mazda2 or Ford Fiesta instead though, in all honesty, especially the new 2.

Jim Zeigler > greenagain 05/18/2015 at 15:23

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None of the new Fits have rear sway bars because they had to make room for the goofy fuel tank. There aren’t many aftermarket options yet, but they’re starting to trickle in from Japan.

Cebu > Jim Zeigler 05/22/2015 at 12:12

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I’ve been amazed with the trim levels on the new Hondas, as well. And, likewise, my mother’s new CR-V also feels a bit... underdone. Maybe it’s just the (crosses self) CVT transmission she was tricked into buying...