2013 Honda Fit – Pricing Remains the Same

[EdwinTheMagnificent]

The thing is, Honda could make this thing more efficient with a simple change - gear ratios. It doesn't take a lot of engineering to change a final drive ratio. That alone would make up at least the 2 MPG deficit between manual and automatic. It might even add a couple points above that, to 36 or 37 highway. For the cost of a little engineering and parts swapping.

Honda could easily come out with a separate Fit model , call it an "HF", perhaps. Have appropriate gearing with the MANUAL transmission , clean up the aero underneath the car , add tires more suited to 117 HP (175/65R15 ? ) , and charge $1000 more.
But will they ? Heck , it might cut into Insight sales(snicker,snicker).

[RedylC94]

Edwin, you're right. That would put the Fit back on my list of hot prospects. The $1000 would be nearly pure profit, since more sensible tires would likely save them as about much as simple aero mods would cost them.

[southerncannuck]

Originally Posted by xcel

Hi CRT1:


When I criticize the Fit by comparison, you need to consider the all-new 2012 Accent in particular. Wayne

Can I put my 9" surfboard in it with all the doors closed? Will my 12.5 foot kayak fit in without an problems? If not the Accent is a good commuter but it's not my replacement for a truck which is what a Fit is.

[twoodcc]

i don't see why they can't put a 6-speed in all vehicles. then they can increase that highway mpg number

[CRT1]

Wayne,

From the perspective of "why don't they fix this damn MT" I totally feel you, man. Honda has some of the best engineers on the planet and so clearly it is totally lame they don't do better.

That said, the Accent and FIT are not interchangeable. The FIT is as big as the Elantra 5-door, much bigger than the Accent, and the squared out interior, low floor, etc makes the space is very versatile. The FIT gives people like me and southerncannuck small suv utility at a much better price and FE. The other b-segment offerings do not do that, you have to go up a segment and probably $4-5k.

When I had my Civic I commuted in it and we drove my wife's CRV for almost all other purposes because of kid, gear, cargo, work, etc. Once I got the FIT is all but replaced the CRV. The wife just drives the CRV back and forth to the train station now. If you look at that way, the FIT is saving more gas than if I got the Accent and we ended up still relying on the CRV for weekend & hauling duties.

Cheers,
Chris

EDIT: All this said, and I am thinking about trading the FIT for something with a plug.

[frv]

I took my eldest daughter out for a driving lesson in her '05 1246cc Jazz / Fit MT on Sunday and she managed 56.8mpg over 27 miles. Max speed mostly 50 (briefly hit 60), country roads, stalled it once, a few stops, some reversing, non-hypermiler (for now ).
It seems to get way better FE than the NEDC (never mind the EPA!) without much effort. I guess on the highway it wouldn't do so well with the higher revs but it doesn't rev at high as the US Fit but it has a smaller engine

[southerncannuck]

I wish I could figure out how to post a photo of my Fit with a full load. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

[Die2self]

I agree the MT are hammpered by a low gear ratio, but hey if the engine is off, what does it matter . I am working on a 200 - 210 % of EPA combined tank right now so with that in mind this car can be and FE junky's car.

Now, it I had to drive on the highway all the time with the engine on, it would be somewhat noisy, but I have never found it to be bothersome (or a buzzbomb). By the time you get to 60-65 the wind noise is just a loud as the engine. Staying around 60-65 MPH should also up the FE to 38 or so, if not 40 on flatish gound.

But the FIT shines where it likes to live, in the city. Being light and adgile and able to carry a lot of cargo or passangers it is dream when it driven in its element where the speeds are 45 or lower. In this range the Fit is capible of 50-60 MPG with a light throttle touch. it loves this range with excellent gliding returned with pumping up the stock tires to 45 where they should be.

I love my FIT and would not trade it for another Gasser. Now a plug in, well that is a different story all together . (I would love the FIT EV, which every one here somes to like as well, but not the price/fleece option).

Every car shines brightest in its element, the highway is not the FIT's, but it manages decent numbers if you slow down.

[WriConsult]

Originally Posted by CRT1

The FIT is as big as the Elantra 5-door

Possibly almost as big as the new Elantra 5-door GT? The Fit is nowhere near as big as the outgoing Elantra 5-door Touring, however. I drove both of them back-to-back within 2 hours of each other last year, and they're not even close. The Fit's cargo floor is only 28" long, and the Touring's is 36". The GT's is 30" per Wayne's measurement, BTW -- which is quite disappointing to me, because that's the same as the Accent. FWIW the Touring is probably a bit bigger than we need, but the Fit is certainly not comparable to it.

The Fit is much more spacious than most of its B-sement competitors, and has a lot of utility. The fact that the front seatback can fold flat for your surfboard (a feature the Matrix also offers, but most hatchbacks don't) is very nice. But amount of utility you get from it depends on what you're carrying: if you're going to haul really big stuff like furniture, appliances or surfboards, then the Fit's great and the cubic measurement of cargo volume is fairly indicative of how much you can haul with it. And as you've pointed out, its squareness helps with hauling large items.

But for me, cargo capacity is about hauling my family and our gear on a roadtrip. With all 4 seating positions occupied, I need to put a bunch of small bags in the back without blocking too much of the rear window, and without stacking them 3-4 deep so I have to unload half the trunk to get at stuff during a camping trip. So what matters more to me is the size of the cargo floor, period: the Fit's is only 28" long, shorter than our little Golf's, and that's really not very much room. The Fit's cargo area is unusually tall, but this does me no good, nor do the rear Magic Seats, nor does the folding front seatback. From looking in the back of an Accent at the auto show, I don't see how it would provide any less utility for my needs than the Fit.

What I do like about the Magic Seats is not that they fold out of the way, but that you can store a lot of stuff under them even when they're occupied. That does add a lot of utility in my book, and my son was initially disappointed we didn't buy the Fit for exactly that reason.

When I was car shopping last year, I drove and strongly considered the 2011 Fit. Ultimately the deal killer for us was the road noise (fixed with the 2012 model, as I understand it), which we found oppressive unless we were lucky enough to be driving on smooth asphalt. On a stretch of concrete where the Insight and Touring were tolerable, we found ourselves yelling at each other to converse in the Fit. But even with that consideration aside, we concluded that if we bought a Honda we'd rather get the Insight anyway. Because although its EPA volume is much smaller, its 5" longer cargo floor made it a lot more useful. Much easier to stuff a bike in the back with one side of the rear seats still up (and the chainring not completely chewing up the edge of that seat) so we can legally have our child in the car. And much easier to manage the cargo on a big family camping trip, such as the one we're taking next week.

Please don't take this as criticism of your choice of vehicle. The Fit's kind of utility works well for a lot of people, and I'm glad you're happy with it. Looking out just one window in my office to a portion of my building's parking lot, I can see 3 of them. I'm just saying that there's no single yardstick for utility, and the Fit's capabilities don't meet everyone's needs equally.

[CRT1]

Originally Posted by WriConsult

Possibly almost as big as the new Elantra 5-door GT? The Fit is nowhere near as big as the outgoing Elantra 5-door Touring, however.

Yes, I meant the 5-door GT, which is a pretty sweet ride. Sorry for the lack of specificity.

Originally Posted by WriConsult

What I do like about the Fit, cargo-wise, is the rear magic seats.

[/quote]

These seats are not comfortable for long rides but they are ah-mazing for cargo. I was able to put my kid in her car seat on the 40 side and flip up the 60 side and put her bike on the floor next to her, fill the cargo area with suitcases and not obstruct the view or get chain grease on any of our bags.

Also the rear passenger area accepts almost impossibly large packages with the seats flipped up which I haul a lot for my business.