Honda Fit Pros and Cons

Everything has its pros and cons and for the Fit the pros definitely outweight the cons. I am going to list what I think are the pros and cons of the car and their importance to me.

Cons

• No dead pedal. It isn't a big deal for me since I am not getting knee pain or anything from it as some other drivers are.
• Car doesn't heat up very fast for the winter and the windows stay fogged up. It's annoying, but I guess that is what you will expect with a tiny 1.5L engine and light weight car (not heavily insulated). I don't drive much during the winter anyways.
• Radio reception isn't the greatest, but it is doable. I have an aftermarket headunit now and listen to mostly CDs and my MP3 player.
• The inside of the car gets pretty loud from road noise when driving 70-80 mph on the highway. It was so loud it was hard to hold a conversation with a passenger. This was important to me so I ended up sound deadening/proofing parts of the car which helped extremely.
• The colored plastic interior scratches easily. Lower quality than expected. I just need to be more careful that's all.
• Power door lock button for front passenger side. It is just a common to have it for driver and front passenger.
• No lumbar support or adjustment. It's something I would really like to have, especially on long trips.
• Small, light weight car. It doesn't FEEL very safe when driving it especially if the weather is very windy.

Pros

• Great gas mileage. I've had 44 mpgs on one highway trip driving 65mph most of the way. When driving 80% highway and 20% city I would get 38-40 mpg. Great to have, I like to safe money and the environment at the same time. The savings practically pay for the car itself over time (depends on how much mpgs your current car gets compard to the Fit).
• Super reliable. I don't have to worry about being stranded or paying for maintenance bills. Very important to me.
• The car has a 5 star safety rating. Very important for me.
• The car handles well because it is light weight and has a rigid body. This is nice to have.
• The car was well priced for a brand new, reliable, and good quality car.
• The different modes the car can be used in is a great utility to have. This was definitely a perk when I purchased the car.
• The fit and finish of the car is not the best, but it definitely holds up against its compact car competitors in terms of quality. I would give it a 8 out of 10.

I will add more pros and cons to this list as time goes on and I notice new things. Currently, the pros definitely outweight the cons otherwise I would have not purchsed the car in the first place. It's nice to have a car that gives you a peace of mind.

2007 Base Honda Fit Specs (Manual and Automatic)

Quick Specs of the Base Fit I copy and pasted from http://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/.

Engineering

Engine Type: In-Line 4-Cylinder
Engine Block/Cylinder Head: Aluminum-Alloy
Displacement (cc): 1497
Horsepower @ rpm (SAE net, Rev 8/04): 109 @ 5800
Torque (lb.-ft. @ rpm): 105 @ 4800Redline (rpm): 6500
Bore and Stroke (mm): 73.0 x 89.4
Compression Ratio: 10.4:1
Valvetrain: 16-Valve SOHC VTEC®Multi-Point Fuel Injection
Drive-by-Wire Throttle System™Front-Wheel Drive
CARB Emissions Rating: LEV-2Direct Ignition System with Immobilizer
100,000-Miles-or-More Tune-Up Interval*

*Does not apply to fluid and filter changes. Exact mileage is determined by actual driving conditions. Please see your owner's manual for more details.

Transmissions

5-Speed Manual Transmission Gear Ratios
1st:
3.462
2nd:
1.870
3rd:
1.321
4th:
0.970
5th:
0.757
Reverse:
3.231
Final Drive:
4.290

5-Speed Automatic Transmission Gear Ratios
1st:
2.996
2nd:
1.679
3rd:
1.067
4th:
0.756
5th:
0.550
Reverse:
1.957
Final Drive:
4.560

Body/Suspension/Chassis

Unit-Body Construction
MacPherson Strut Front Suspension
Torsion-Beam Rear Suspension
Stabilizer Bar (mm., front): 21
Electric Power-Assisted Rack-and-Pinion Steering (EPS)
Steering Wheel Turns, Lock-to-Lock: 2.41
Steering Ratio: 12.8
Turning Diameter, Curb-to-Curb (ft.): 34.3
Power-Assisted Ventilated Front Disc/Rear Drum Brakes (in., front/rear): 10.3 / 7.9
Wheels: 14" with Full Covers
All-Season Tires: P175 / 65 R14 81SCompact Spare Tire

Interior Measurements
Headroom (in., front/rear): 40.6 / 38.6
Legroom (in., front/rear): 41.9 / 33.7
Shoulder Room (in., front/rear): 52.8 / 50.6
Hiproom (in., front/rear): 51.2 / 51.0
Cargo Volume (cu. ft., seat up/down): 21.3 / 41.9
Passenger Volume (cu. ft.): 90.1Seating Capacity: 5

Exterior Measurements
Wheelbase (in.): 96.5
Length (in.): 157.4
Height (in.): 60Width (in.): 66.2
Track (in., front/rear): 57.3 / 57.1
Curb Weight (lbs., MT/AT): 2432 / 2514
Weight Distribution (%, front/rear, MT): 61.8 / 38.2
Weight Distribution (%, front/rear, AT): 63.3 / 36.7

EPA Mileage Estimates*/Capacities

5-Speed Manual (City/Highway): 33 / 38
5-Speed Automatic (City/Highway): 31 / 38
Crankcase (qt.): 4.4
Coolant System (gal.): 1.4
Fuel (gal.): 10.8
Required Fuel: Regular Unleaded

*Based on 2007 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Actual mileage may vary.

All values subject to change without notice.

Safety

3-Point Seat Belts at all Seating Positions
Front 3-Point Seat Belts with Automatic Tensioning System
Adjustable Front Seat Belt Anchors
Dual-Stage, Dual-Threshold Front Airbags (SRS)
Front Side Airbags with Passenger-Side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
Side Curtain Airbags
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
Side-Impact Door Beams
Outboard Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
Child-Proof Rear Door Locks
Immobilizer Theft-Deterrent System

Exterior Features

Roof-Mounted Antenna
Body-Colored Power Side Mirrors
2-Speed/Intermittent Windshield Wipers
Rear Window Wiper/Washer
Impact-Absorbing Body-Colored Bumpers
Multi-Reflector Halogen Headlights with Body-Colored Bezels
Tinted Glass
Body-Colored Door Handles

Comfort & Convenience

Air Conditioning with Air-Filtration System
Power Windows with Auto-Down Driver's WindowPower Door Locks
Adjustable Steering Column
Beverage Holders, Front and Rear
Door-Pocket Storage Bins, Front
Passenger-Side Seatback Pocket
Headlights-On Reminder
Driver's Vanity Mirror12-Volt Power Outlet
Cargo Area Tie-Down Anchors (4 total)
Cargo Area Storage Pocket
Rear Window Defroster with Timer
Cargo Area Light

Seating

Reclining Front Seatbacks
Adjustable Head Restraints
Fold-Flat-Capable Seating
Rear 60/40 Magic Seat®

Audio Systems

120-Watt AM/FM/CD Audio System with 4 Speakers
Speed-Sensitive Volume Control (SVC)

Instrumentation

Maintenance Minder System
Blue Backlit Gauges
Tachometer
Digital Odometer and Digital Trip Meters (2)
Fuel and Coolant Temperature Indicators
Door-Open Indicator
Low-Fuel and Low-Oil Pressure Indicators
Front Passenger Airbag-Off Indicator
Front Side Airbag-Off Indicator

My Honda Fit's History

I purchased my Honda Fit on May 22nd, 2006. I purchased the Fit with the intent to replace my reliable Gen3 Acura Integra. The Fit I purchased is actually built in Japan and imported to the USA just like my old Acura Integra. It's also not the first year ever that the car has ever been sold. The Fit is also called the Jazz and has been sold for a long time in other countries. It is known to be a very reliable car worldwide and also one of the best selling autos in some foreign countries. This made me confident to plop down the money for a brand new Fit even though I would have prefer to buy a used car.

The car has been running great since day one. I did have two safety recalls though. The first one was for the airbag where they spent about 45 minutes reprogramming the SRS unit so that the airbag deploys at the right time. The second one was for the SRS wire harness where they beef up the wiring harness for the SRS underneath the driver's carpet so water doesn't penetrate it and cause the passenger side and front airbags to malfunction.

The first time I changed my oil and oil filter was when the maintenance reminder was at 30%. I have changed the oil at 20-30%. I always change the oil filter when I change the oil and I used Valvoline GTX 5W-20 oil and Purolator One oil filter for the past 33K miles. On my next oil change I plant to use Extended Performance Mobile 1 Synthetic oil and a NAPA Gold (Wix) oil filter. I also rotate the tires at every oil change. It doesn't take much time and helps the tire to wear out evenly.

So overall, the Fit has been a very reliable car and I have more time to enjoy it than worry what might go wrong next.