The Honda Fit has always been one of the most versatile cars on the used Honda cars market and even with the fourth generation the Japanese engineers have managed to obtain a spacious interior (and well finished; the plastics are rigid but assembled with great care and practice. its rear seats that allow you to raise the seat to load tall objects behind the front seats – and to improve visibility thanks to the horizontal instrument panel and extra-thin pillars that optimize the front view.
Closer Position
The touchscreen display operates a complete infotainment system but we would have preferred a position closer to the driver. Staying on the subject of hi-tech accessories, the Fit stands out in terms of active safety. In fact, it presents the ADAS package (Advanced Driver Assist System), optional on the basic Trend version and standard on Comfort and Elegance, which includes Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR), Front Impact Warning (FiW), Intelligent Speed Limiter (ISL), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Self-Adjusting High Beam.
In addition, the automatic braking system (City-Brake Active System), designed to avoid city rear-end collisions, is standard on all. Honda Fit offers space to the occupants as you would not think given its size as a car for the city. It also has an excellent trunk, with plenty of capacity. Everything is designed to offer space: the petrol tank is positioned in the front, so as to have more space for guests on the rear seat.
A Very Different Car
In addition, Honda has thought of an intelligent way to further exploit the interior space: the rear sofa can be split in a ratio, and there are different seating arrangements. The modernity of the infotainment is guaranteed thanks to the use of the recently introduced Honda Connect system, with a touch screen, NVIDIA processor, and Link technology which allows you to view your phone on the screen.
The Honda Fit is a hybrid very different from rivals and technology exploits the full hybrid. it is petrol-powered combined with two electrical units capable of generating maximum power to a battery lithium-ion battery and a fixed-ratio transmission. Unlike other “non-Honda” hybrid cars, here a driver can travel with zero emissions, with the traditional thermal engine that powers the electric one and connects to the wheels only at high speeds.
There are three driving modes, chosen directly by the car’s hybrid system: in EV Drive the battery directly powers the electric motor and during deceleration, it stores energy through regenerative braking, in Hybrid Drive the car powers the electric generator (which in turn supplies energy to the permanent magnet unit) with the excess energy that can be used to recharge the accumulators while in Engine Drive, a system that is activated at cruising speed on the motorway – it is up to the thermal unit to deal directly with the transmission of motion to the wheels.
The solution guarantees incredibly low consumption in the city and on the highway, while on the motorway the distances are drastically reduced due to the thermal unit running at high revs (also penalizing the acoustic comfort during acceleration, otherwise excellent).
Excellent And Speedy
Our opinions after the road test of the car were positive. With an intermediate figure, you take home a well-equipped Honda Fit, with absolutely outstanding technical contents. The interior is certainly not luxurious: the cabin is rational, focuses on the concrete, and offers plenty of space.
Road behavior has the same philosophy. as a prospective used Honda cars buyer, you need to note, Honda Fit is not designed for racing, and has rather touristic characteristics: soft set-up, progressive and light steering, neutral behavior with a certain roll in a specific drive or road situation.
On the other hand, it is a car designed mainly for the city. An excellent speedy non-auto gearbox is standard; alternatively, Honda supplies its CVT continuously variable transmissions with virtual gears, which go well with the city. Finally, Honda Fit prices are excellent. With an intermediate figure, you take home a well-equipped Honda Fit, with absolutely outstanding technical contents.
