2008 Honda Fit Review Summary
The 2008 Honda Fit was introduced in the USA in 2007, with no changes from the 2007 model, it still stands at top of its class and is ranked number 1 by Allcarguides.com. The Honda Fit is a $15,000 5 door hatchback. Most reviewers said that is fun to drive, responsive, has ample room for passengers and good cargo space. Almost forgot, it gets great gas mileage at 27 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. The Fit has a 1.5 liter four cylinder engine powers it to 109 horsepower that gets good mileage but emission rating is only LEV 11. The Fit comes in two trims, Fit and Fit Sport with the sport having features such as fog lights, alloy wheels, better tires. Though it is a bit more expensive than competitors such as Kia Rio5, Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris, Chevrolet Aveo, Hyundai and Scion xD. CNET and Caranddriver noticed that Honda used good and high quality interior materials, top notch finish, ergonomics and sensibly uses hard or soft materials as one would expect. Rated by Caranddriver as Top ten Urban Vehicles. Though it was introduced in other parts of the world in 2001 so it is not as advanced as one may desire.
2008 Honda Fit Review Handling
The Honda Fit is very maneuverable and it feels light and nimble while cornering. At only 2,500 ponds the Honda Fit accelerates briskly to 60mph in 9 seconds. Most reviewers remarked that it is best in class in terms of handling and acceleration. Though at high speeds its engine is a bit loud. The Fit’s unibody structure utilizes a high percentage of lightweight high-tensile steel to provide strength and rigidity without excessive weight. The Fit handles and corners very well, with a very well tuned chasis, compared to competitors as noted by numerous reviewers including car and driver.
2008 Honda Fit Review Safety
The 2008 Honda Fits has standard ventilated front disc brakes and rear drums, ABS, front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. Government crash tested the Fit to a perfect five-star rating for protection of front passengers in frontal and side crash tests. It received three stars for rear side protection.
2008 Honda Fit Noteworthy
The Honda Fit offers a slick rear seat and cargo area. As noted by the auto channel, Edmunds, Motortrend and others, it has excellent space utilization and ingenious design to create a very roomy car for four adults and has lots of useable cargo space. At 57.4 inches long, 66.2 inches wide, and 60.0 inches high it is small on outside and large on the side..Because the gas tank is under the front passenger seat, the rear seat can fold to match the floor. This creates 41.9 cubic feet of cargo space, which is a lot for a subcompact car. The rear 60/40-split - Magic Seat - features a seat bottom that folds up, allowing additional storage space. The rear seat provides as much space as does the larger Civic. The Honda Fit also has a very simple yet intelligent control panel. CNET did mention that there is no interesting interior technology related to stereo, GPS, Bluetooth integrations etc. Money mentioned one interesting feature that is the -
steering wheel paddle shifter that allows the driver to quickly intervene and choose gears when needed.
