2009 Honda Fit, Manual Fit

With improved ride and handling plus a more spacious and more stylish interior, the new 2009 Honda Fit addresses all the criticisms leveled at the current car. With an aggressive new face, it’s perfect for the hustle and bustle of metro-centric lifestyles. Enjoy zooming around town with its new 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder, i-VTEC® engine and available Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System.™ Pick up friends in the Fit Sport, set your iPod† to shuffle, and groove through your playlists with its USB port‡ for radio-controlled connectivity.

Judging by the sales numbers of that previous Fit — over 2,000,000 globally in six years — it wasn’t lacking too much. The car gets Honda’s voice-recognizing satellite-linked navi; 3-mode, single-motion dive-down Magic Seats in back (parents, it’s not what you think); a revised suspension and more rigidity. The all-new Fit Sport comes with some impressive safety equipment including available Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®). Check out the lineup of standard safety features for all Fit models.
- Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure
- Active front head restraints
- Dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags
- Front-side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
- Side-curtain airbags
- Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
- Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)

Compared to the Nissan Versa, how large the new Fit is? At 6 feet tall, I fit in the Fit’s backseat, where legroom has improved but still doesn’t seem to match the Versa’s. Cargo capacity, however, is impressive. In addition to a cavernous cargo hatch, the backseat offers a good deal of versatility. The 60/40-split backrests fold forward in a single step. You can also raise the seat cushion, giving a super-tall space between the floor and ceiling, similar to the backseats of some pickup trucks. There’s even a storage box inside one of the seat cushions that’s accessible from its underside.
By moving the windshield forward by 4.7 inches, the stylists have created a cabin that feels as roomy as that of a Civic. Clever triangular windows have been sculptured into the side front doors to improve visibility, as the A-pillars of the previous design were thought by many owners to be obstructive.
The wheelbase has been increased 2 inches to 98.4 inches, while the overall length goes up 2.2 inches to 153.5 inches. The Fit is also 0.8 inch wider, while the front track is 1.4 inches wider and the rear track is 1.2 inches wider. It’s surprising that the overall weight gain is a meager 22 pounds.

2009 Honda Fit feature a new 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder, i-VTEC™ engine coupled to either a 5-speed manual transmission or an available, segment-unique, 5-speed automatic transmission, which includes steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters on the Fit Sport. The new engine will offer the best balance of fuel economy and power.
Larger 15-inch and 16-inch (Fit Sport) wheels hint at enhancements to the Fit’s suspension, steering and body rigidity, which are intended to produce sportier handling without sacrificing comfort.