2009 Honda Fit Review

2009 Honda Fit Review

The 2009 Honda Fit has been completely and totally redesigned for 2009. It is a bit longer and wider than last year's model with added interior space, enhanced seating functionality, a more powerful engine, sharper handling, and a higher emphasis on safety. It is Honda's smallest car with an innovative-upgraded interior and fun-to-drive character.

The Fit is available with a long list of standard safety equipment to multiple seat configurations and ample storage room. With all these attributes, the Fit comes across as a good choice when fluctuating fuel prices, environment concerns and economic uncertainty are hogging the limelight. In all, the 2009 Honda Fit has all that most people actually need from their cars.

What’s new for the 2009 Honda Fit?

For 2009, the Honda Fit sports a new, more upscale and driver-friendly exterior design and an improved interior comprising better materials and seats. The second row seats now can be folded in multitude of ways. However, the deletion of the "refresh" mode as one of the possible configurations and the addition of a secret compartment at the seat bottom can be noticeable.

2009 Honda Fit Model lineup

The 2009 Honda Fit is available in two models with three trim variations, Fit, Fit Sport and Fit Sport with Navi. The main differences among these trims and variants are around equipment and technology upgrades. The Fit Sport has one-inch larger wheels, and the Fit Sport with Navi includes satellite navigation and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA).

The Fit comes with features 15-inch wheels, black side mirrors, a five-speed manual gearbox or a five-speed automatic transmission, telescoping steering wheel, auxiliary input jack for your iPod, MP3/WMA playback and 160-watt stereo with four speakers.

The Fit Sport comes with larger wheels, a sporty front bumper, body-colored side mirrors, keyless entry, leather-wrapped steering wheel, USB connectivity, a driver side armrest, map lights, a five-speed automatic or five-speed automatic transmission with sport mode and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

The Fit Sport with Navi sports a manual transmission or five-speed automatic with paddle shifters. The Fit Sport with Navi adds satellite navigation and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA).

Front, side airbags and side curtain airbags are standard safety features on all Fit trims.

2009 Honda Fit Exterior and interior

Honda has retained the Fit fresh, giving it a redesign after two years of its debut in North America thereby making an effort to stay ahead of increasing competitors like the Nissan Versa and Scion xD.

With sharply styled headlights, larger front quarter windows and a more aerodynamic front design, the Fit sports a new functional and attractive style for 2009. These enhancements contribute towards making the Fit the most appealing car in its class. A wider stance, more aggressive fender flares and sharper character lines along the side are some other design changes that are new for 2009.

The in-dash cup holders and split glovebox are highpoints, though both upper and lower boxes are too small to be of much use. Space inside the cabin ranges is almost-spacious, particularly for a car this size. However, a noisy and thrashy ride, slightly numb steering and a small (split) glovebox are some backdrops.

The critical elements of the interior have been improved considerably to ensure that the awesome utility of this little car is intact. The new front seats now accommodate taller passengers. The materials used are sufficiently ample and durable. The center stack bears the easiest layout - the large knobs that control the environment and settings curve around the stereo controls on the driver's side, making the design stylish and easy to reach. However, the plastic controls are a bit thin to the touch.

Honda claims that if the rear seat is folded flat, the Fit can provide 57.3 cubic feet of cargo space. Actually, this figure is considerably more than that of the 41.9 cubic feet of last year's model.

2009 Honda Fit Driving impressions

The Fit delivers better performance from its 1.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine. The upgraded chassis and suspension components have resulted in the overall improved ride and handling experience. The fuel efficient Fit delivers an EPA-estimated 27/33 mpg city/highway. The 1.5-liter engine delivers 117-horsepower at 6600 rpm and 106 pound-feet of torque at 4800 rpm.

The 2009 Honda Fit gets better in terms of driving and with new seats and suspension changes, offers comfortable conveyance and is fun for everyday driving.

The manual transmission or automatic with paddle shifters increases the fun by allowing drivers to dip down into the vehicle's torque band when needed. On twisty corners, it provides more fun, and almost as efficient as the Scion xD or Nissan Versa. Most of the time, the rear of the car nicely follows the front with a new improved electric steering set up. The clutch and throw play on the manual transmission is easy to manipulate and gives a lot of fun to operate. 2009 Honda Fit Modifications and Parts

The Honda Fit is one of the more popular Honda models, and offers a great platform for modification and aftermarket parts. Some of the popular upgrades are to swap in a K20A2 engine from an Acura RSX Type S, or a K20Z3 from a Honda Civic Si. There are also popular performance parts for teh stock engine, such as a short ram intake, cold air intake, catback exhaust, headers, and suspension parts such as coilovers or lowering springs.

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