April 21, 2006 - At last year’s launch event for the new line of Honda Civics, a certain cynical journalist (er, that would be yours truly) voiced his displeasure that Honda went exclusively with sedans only for their new compact lineup. Sure, on paper, the new Civic Coupe Si seems a huge improvement performance-wise over last year’s more sober, British-built three-door. But where were the funky Civic hatchbacks that Europeans customers get? And by moving the Civic upmarket—in size at least—wasn’t Honda abandoning the legion of mid-‘90s Civic DX owners that are probably ready to replace their aging hatchbacks?

The nice Honda PR folk’s response was basically, “Have some patience, and you will be rewarded.”

Et volia, the 2007 Honda Fit. The answer and the reward all wrapped up in a new five-passenger five-door, subcompact hatchback that Honda also happens to be pitching as the most fun-to-drive in its class.

To convince the cynical among us, Honda Canada provided the full six-model Fit lineup for a morning of driving split between an on-road evaluation and roaring around a cone-filled parking with subcompact competitors like the Chevrolet Aveo, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio5 and Toyota Yaris. In Canada, the Fit will be offered in three trim levels with a base DX model, LX and Sport. The DX, which won’t be sold to our friends south of the border, starts at $14,980 with a stick, and the range-topper Sport with an automatic starts at $20,780.



Honda is promoting the generous passenger and cargo space in the Fit for good reason. Placing the fuel tank in the middle of the car allowed the floor in the rear to be relatively low, increasing the interior space accordingly. The 60/40 split rear seats can fold down or the seat bottoms can flip up (as in Honda’s Ridgeline) providing a tall space for potted plants or sliding in a bike sideways. With all five seats in position, the Fit has a passenger volume of 2,550 litres with 603 litres of cargo capacity behind the second row. With all the eats tucked away, the Fit’s cargo volume increases to 1,186 litres. With such a wide variety of passenger and cargo arrangements to haul friends and all of their active lifestyle stuff you see in car ads, feel free to regard the Fit as a mini-mini-minivan. 

Volumetrically, the subcompact Fit thinks it’s a compact. And Honda seems to have gone along with this in outfitting the car with compact-like features as well. Even on the base DX, a 160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system, power windows and a two-tone interior are standard. And for those customers coming from larger vehicles, Honda has provided a full complement of standard safety features such as anti-lock braking with electronic brake distribution and both front side and side curtain airbags.



The only give away that the Fit has been sold in other markets since 2001 is the somewhat dated styling similar in to the last-generation Civic three-door hatch. What is brand new is a mill designed specifically for North American’s propensity for torque. The Fit’s 109 horsepower 105 lb.-ft. of torque 1.5-litre, SOHC, 16-valve four-banger’s numbers are right on with other subcompacts, with a measure of technical sophistication that includes Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control and a drive-by-wire throttle control.

Being a Honda, it’s no surprise that this is the smoothest engine in its class. The sweet revving motor also delivers the raisin d’etre for many who are deciding on the Fit in the first place: one of the best fuel economy ratings for a conventional gasoline engine with fuel consumption estimates of 7.3 L/100km city and 5.8 L/100km highway when equipped with the standard five-speed manual transmission.

In addition to larger 15-inch rubber and alloys, when you order the automatic transmission in the Fit Sport, you get wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Other Sport model extras include a body kit, fog lights, security system with keyless remote entry, cruise control, 200-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with 5-mode equalizer and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. If that’s not enough to fit your Fit, Honda dealers are stocking up on all kinds of Fit accessories that they’ll gladly sell you upon your request.



The Fit’s five-speed stick’s rowing actions won’t remind you of the crispness of a Mazda MX-5, but it has fairly short throws and the gear ratios are enough to accelerate the Fit quickly. I drove a Fit Sport model with the manual and unscientifically by my watch achieved an under nine second run to 100 kilometres per hour, which would make the Fit one of the quicker subcompacts around. The cockpit is driver focused and build quality leaves most of the under-$20k subcompacts wanting. Ergonomics are excellent with the steering wheel, shifter and seats all well positioned for spirited driving. The seats in particular are very supportive and the driver instrumentation looks very upscale with blue lighting and faux-aluminum trim. The only thing missing is a proper dead pedal.

The compact front McPherson strut suspension and rear torsion beam may have been designed to garner a larger cabin and additional cargo carrying capacity, but it’s the Fit’s suspension setup that delivers handling that further distinguishes it from less sporty rivals. The wee Honda corners flatter than the Yaris RS that was on hand, and surprisingly without a harsh ride. The only bug-a-boo is a slight step out over rougher pavement at the rear.

When driving the competitors through the low-speed slalom, it became evident that the Fit had the quickest steering of the subcompact bunch. Employing an electric power steering system instead of a traditional hydraulic setup, you can add accuracy and feel as qualities to the steering as well. Subjectively, the Fit is nimble like a mid-‘90s Civic Si, albeit with room for four friends, a nicer interior and modern safety equipment.

With a rash of new additions and more coming (Dodge Caliber, Nissan Versa) Honda’s timing to get back into the subcompact game couldn’t be better. Customers may be attracted to the 2007 Honda Fit five-door hatchback’s excellent gas mileage, first-rate build quality or voluminous interior room. But it’s the Honda’s emphasis on sporty handling that also makes it the driver’s choice in this flourishing segment.

- John LeBlanc, Publisher, www.straight-six.com