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  • William Maley
    William Maley

    By William Maley •

    Quick Drive: 2015 Honda Fit EX-L Navigation

      Versatile Is Its Middle Name

    Subcompacts tend to have that one thing, a gimmick or feature that they try to put out there as a selling point. We have models that are fun to drive, get good gas mileage, have the back seat space of a midsize, etc. The 2015 Honda Fit is no exception to this rule. As I found out at the MAMA Spring Rally, Honda is playing the versatility card with the Fit.

    The back seat in the Fit is what Honda calls the 'magic seat' and there is reason why. The back seat can be folded in a number of configurations to allow tall items to stand in back; create a flat floor delivering 52.7 cubic feet of cargo space; fold the front passenger seat along with the back seat to fit an eight-foot object (surfboard, ladder, etc); or have the back seat up and fold both front seats down to provide a nice space to lay down. Describing it seems a bit funny, but actually having someone demonstrate it from Honda and then trying it out for myself, I was really impressed.

    Aside from the clever seating, Honda has classed up the Fit. A new dashboard design with better materials and a cleaned up center stack make the Fit a nice place to be in. The optional infotainment system features the latest version of HondaLink which comes with a new interface. I like the interface as its easy to read and navigate. What I'm not so keen on is Honda's choice of using capactive touch controls for the volume and seek since it takes a couple of times for it to be registered.

    Stepping outside and looking around the Fit, Honda has designed the Fit to be more in line with other Honda vehicles. This is apparent up front where the grille and headlights are reminiscent to the Civic. I understand what Honda is trying to do with the design, but I Iiked the alien shape of the previous model and wished Honda built upon that.

    Powering the Fit is a all new 1.5L four-cylinder with Earth Dreams technology. The 1.5L makes 130 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque. This was paired up to a CVT, though a six-speed manual is available. Like most subcompacts, the Fit's power lies towards the top of the rpm range. Great for driving on the backroads, but a little bit buzzy when driving in the city.

    The back roads of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin also revealed another big change for the Fit. The previous Fit was known as being a fun to drive subcompact vehicle. The 2015 Fit loses some of that the suspension doesn't quite handle the way a Chevrolet Sonic does, nor is the steering as sharp. Plus side: Fit exhibits some impressive ride quality when driven over rough surfaces.

    While its versatility may be its trump card, the 2015 Fit has a few other qualities that make a real contender in the subcompact class.

    Disclaimer: Honda Provided the Fit for the MAMA Spring Rally

    Year: 2015

    Make: Honda

    Model: Fit

    Trim: EX-L Navi

    Engine: 1.5L i-VTEC Earth Dreams Four-Cylinder

    Driveline: Front-Wheel Drive, CVT

    Horsepower @ RPM: 130 @ 6600

    Torque @ RPM: 114 @ 4600

    Fuel Economy: City/Highway/Combined - 32/38/35

    Curb Weight: 2,642 lbs

    Location of Manufacture: Celaya, Mexico

    Base Price: $20,800

    As Tested Price: $21,590 (Includes $790.00 Destination Charge)

    Options:

    N/A

    William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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    David

    Nice write up, be interesting to see one in person.

     

    Did they mention if they did anything to deal with the poor performance in the Crash tests?

     

    How is the sense of where your corners are on the auto? One thing I have noticed is that many FITs tend to have bumper scuffs on the corners and in talking to even my daughters friend who has owned one for 2 years now, she says it is so hard to tell just how close you are to something as she cannot sense where the corners are on the auto.

     

    So did you feel you had better feel of the dimensions of the auto or worse?

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    William Maley

    How is the sense of where your corners are on the auto? One thing I have noticed is that many FITs tend to have bumper scuffs on the corners and in talking to even my daughters friend who has owned one for 2 years now, she says it is so hard to tell just how close you are to something as she cannot sense where the corners are on the auto.

     

    So did you feel you had better feel of the dimensions of the auto or worse?

     

    It has been awhile since I drove a Fit, so I cannot really say. I think the dimensions are ok for the subcompact class.

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    A Horse With No Name

    The crash test safety of this, the Fiesta, the 500, etc.  keeps them out of my interest.  Offset frontal is nasty.  Honda does seem to be going more mainstream and less fun to drive with its stuff.  You can only get the Accord Sport in Silver or Grey, not very interesting choices on an already bland car IMHO.

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    fuel_sipping

    You can get an Accord Sport in an color, unless you want the MT. Then, you can only get it in Grey or Black.

    This may also be relevant to the crash test question: 
    http://www.hondainamerica.com/news/honda-leads-industry-first-development-visualization-technology-advance-study-crash-test

     

    How was the build quality, fit/finish and such?

    Edited by fuel_sipping
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    regfootball

    Last fit I drove was loud, lacked torque , and ran like 3500 rpm on the highway.

    I do like the redo, but I would probably look at the cvt here. Much less rpm at 75 mph cruise.

    Magic seat is amazing. In the end, Hondas usually still feel cheap and tinny to me.

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    bobo

    The Fit is on my short list right now if I decide to replace the Prelude.  The EX-L model goes for about $21,000, and there are no dealer discounts.  In comparison, a new 2014 Accord EX-L 4-cylinder has about a $3,500 discount, to about $26,000, which to me is the better buy.  The Civic isn't even worth considering.

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    David

    The Fit is on my short list right now if I decide to replace the Prelude.  The EX-L model goes for about $21,000, and there are no dealer discounts.  In comparison, a new 2014 Accord EX-L 4-cylinder has about a $3,500 discount, to about $26,000, which to me is the better buy.  The Civic isn't even worth considering.

     

    Quality of Life and Life in general, I would rather you stay with your Prelude or get the accord so you have more steel around you. The Fit is a coffin on wheels. I have seen them in accidents and while I understand people wanting a subcompact for inner city driving and parking, on the freeways and in the suburbs, they are not safe IMHO.

     

    I value your life more and would wish you drive something with better protection around you than drive this.

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