Good news everyone: It’s the all new 2015 Honda Fit straight from the Detroit Auto Show!
Hey! I see you sighing and glancing at the cheerleader in the ad bar. Stop it and pay attention. This car is not just really good, it’s important.
The thing about little cars like the Fit is that they are frequently some of the most fun to actually drive. And the new Fit looks like it’s going to live up to this ideal. The car marks the debut of Honda’s 1.5-liter DOHC VTEC engine. It puts out its 130 horsepower all the way up at 6500 rpm, which means that with the new six-speed manual you can have the fun of revving the vales out of this car, while you drive it like a go-kart.
Intriguingly, despite being shorter, the new Fit has a longer wheelbase, which means the wheels are closer to the corners. That makes for extremely nippy handling and fast direction changes.
If fuel efficiency is more your speed, you can get Honda’s new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). When fitted with the CVT, the Fit will manage 33 mpg city and 41 highway mpg. With mileage like that, why suffer through the clunkiness of a hybrid? It even comes with paddle shifters. Of course, because a CVT doesn’t actually have gears, these paddle shifts are liars. But like the best liars, they make life more fun.
Despite being roughly the same size of the previous Fit, if not actually smaller, the 2015 actually has significantly more interior space. It’s good to see that the space-bending MC Escher is still finding work, being dead for 42 years usually slows people down.
The 2015 Fit remains both extremely safe with Honda expecting a NCAP Top Safety Pick rating, thanks to its new Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE). Looks wise, I have always liked the Fit. And the new generation continues to impress me with its more aggressive looks.
As for luxury accoutrements, the Fit does shockingly well for a subcompact. You get everything you would expect in a more expensive car, like Bluetooth, a rearview camera, and, if you are willing to spend on options, you can get heated seats, lane departure warning, and a seven-inch touchscreen display.
In the end, maybe the best thing about the Fit – and cars like it – is it doesn’t stomp the joy out of you for being practical. You could walk out to your Fit every morning and look forward to revving the peppy 1.5-liter up to 7000 rpm as you overtake someone, and not even have to feel that guilty about gas mileage.
