2015 Honda Fit: A Master Class in Packaging

The new third-generation Honda Fit, also known as the Jazz in Asia and Europe, will hit the Canadian market in September 2014 as the 2015 model, nine months after its unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show in January. This marks the beginning of a new era for the Fit since all units destined for the North American market will now be assembled at the Honda plant in Celaya, Mexico instead of being imported from Japan like the previous generations.

The new Fit is built on a brand-new platform, features a more confident style, is powered by a more technically advanced engine, is equipped with new transmissions and shares no parts with the previous version. As is often the case with Japanese brands, Honda’s designers summarize the inspiration for the styling in just a few words. For the Fit, those words are “Crossfade Monoform.” Your guess is as good as mine as to what that means. Style-wise, the forms are more dynamic, the grille is bigger, the side view mirrors are very large and the taillights are inspired by Volvo.

A versatile car

This Fit is a tad shorter than its predecessor, but the wheelbase has an added 30 millimetres, which translates to as much rear legroom as in the Honda Accord. Obviously, the Fit still has its ingenious adjustable rear bench known as Magic Seat, which allows four different configurations and gives it absolutely unparalleled versatility for its class. It now has higher-end materials on certain surfaces of the dashboard and the best equipped versions come with a seven-inch colour touch screen that sometimes reacts slowly to commands. The standard equipment is very comprehensive throughout the lineup, including the base DX version, which receives a factory-standard back-up camera, but Honda Canada keeps a tight grip on the cargo covers, offering them factory standard only on the high-end EX and EX-L. This forces the customer to choose between opting for another version or buying a cargo cover from the dealer. All vehicles whose cargo area is part of the passenger compartment should offer a cargo cover as standard equipment—period. It’s a question of security to prevent theft and plain old common sense.

Did somebody say sixth gear?

On the road, the new 1.5-litre four-cylinder direct injection engine is always ready for action. Its 130 horsepower and 114 lbs.-ft. of torque help the Fit reach 100 kilometres/hour in just over eight seconds. This is also thanks to the updated manual transmission—it now has six gears instead of five. However, the engine vibrates a little too much at 120 kilometres/hour in sixth gear with the engine revving at 3,600 rpm, which constitutes a major irritant.  A longer gear, even overdrive, for the sixth gear would have reduced the noise and vibrations at highway speed while improving fuel consumption. Too bad... What’s more, the clutch’s friction point is higher and it engages less directly, thus diminishing feedback for the driver. As for fuel consumption, we logged an average of 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres with a manual Fit on a drive that included urban areas, highways and back roads. The new continuously variable transmission (CVT) that replaced the automatic does a fine job. It has less “rubber band effect” during initial acceleration than other Japanese models equipped with a CVT, and improves fuel economy compared to the manual gearbox.

As for handling, the new Fit drives less like a go-kart than the previous version, having given up some of its dynamic qualities for improved comfort. The new power steering doesn’t offer as much feedback as the old steering, but the Fit remains pleasant to drive.

The price of the 2015 Honda Fit line-up ranges from $14,495 for the DX base version (manual transmission only) to $22,595 for the high-end EX-L version with navigation (equipped with a CVT). The Fit DX and EX offer very good equipment for the price, since they are well equipped and their prices have remained stable.