2015 Honda Fit The New Urban Chic +VIDEO
By Larry Nutson
Senior Editor, New York Bureau
The Auto Channel
2015 Honda Fit Review
In May of last year I drove the 2013 Honda Fit EV. That’s Honda’s entry in the pure, battery powered electric vehicle market. This drive was at the International Motor Press Association (IMPA) Spring Brake (yes, brake) in Bear Mountain, New York, which is located just south of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Again this year at the same event Honda brought out the all-new 2015 Fit for media scribes to drive on brief spurts in the foothills of the Catskills. I also got to see the 2015 Fit at the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA) Spring Rally at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The Fit is all-new for 2015 and I felt it appropriate to have a multiple-day drive behind the wheel of this very good entry in the subcompact segment.
Honda has built over 20 million vehicles in the U.S. over their three-decade history here. Up to now the Honda Fit has come from Japan, which has crimped supply. Fits sold in the U.S. will now be coming from a new plant in Celaya, Mexico with the expectation to build over 70,000 a year.
The outgoing Fit was not the most attractive kid on the block. It was, albeit, very functional and efficient. The new 2015 Fit is better looking and at the same time more functional and more efficient. It has more power but uses less fuel. It’s roomier on the inside but shorter on the outside. And the all important price is about the same. Honda says they added, depending on model, somewhere between $1000 and $1800 in more stuff.
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On the appearance side of the new Fit, Honda has made improvements from every angle. Up front is a new grille and headlamps. In the rear the Fit has new LED taillamps. I especially liked the side profile with a swoopy accent line carved into the side sheetmetal.
Honda has achieved very good interior space in this and the previous Fit by employing a central location for the fuel tank. The tank actually is under the front seat area. For the new 2015 Fit the fuel tank shape has been optimized which then allowed for an amazing increase of 4.8 inches in rear set legroom. Some of this comes from a 1.2 inch longer wheelbase while at the same time the outside length is 1.6 inches shorter, making for even easier big-city maneuvering and the all-important, or perhaps challenging, parking.
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During my week of living with the Fit we were doing some household purging and made a few Goodwill trips. With the rear seat folded, the long flat floor and the 53 cubic feet of cargo space proved very accommodating. And of course, loading through the large rear hatch makes life real easy. Note: Americans do like hatchbacks…minivans and SUVs with their big hatches proved that.
Up at the other end of the all-new 2015 Fit, is a 1.5L engine now producing 130 HP. The 4-cylinder with its direct injection and variable valve timing has been tweaked to increase output by 11 percent, up from the former 117 HP. Torque is up too, giving improved acceleration and highway merging and overtaking. I did a mix of 20-25mph city driving and some 50-60mph highway driving. The Fit did a nice job of handling the demands I put on it in traffic.
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All said, I think the 2015 Honda Fit makes for a very good urban-use vehicle. Its spacious, versatile, maneuverable, fuel efficient, and it won’t break the bank to own one. There’s some fun-to-drive to be found and of course Honda’s reputation to back you up.
Stay Fit!
2014 Detroit Auto Show - Complete 2015 Honda Fit Press Conference Video
© Larry Nutson