Five-Point Inspection: 2012 Honda Fit Sport
This week’s subject for Five Point Inspection is the Honda Fit subcompact, equipped with the Sport Package. The MSRP of this model comes to $18,700, and represents a nearly fully loaded Fit. All that’s missing is the navigation, and a la cart options and accessories.
Driving the Fit is a prime example of how far subcompacts have come. This is a free-breathing Honda engine that’s peppy and a ton of fun around town. It even sounds good when revved out.
Additionally, the steering is light yet precise, making it both easy to operate and fun to toss around. As an A to B car, driving the Fit never feels like a chore.
The Fit offers a near-excessive amount of interior space and a ton of headroom with lots of glass for excellent visibility. And yet despite the spaciousness it remains tiny outside, meaning you can park it anywhere.
Beyond the open space, the Fit also features some impressive folding seats, making enough room to fit a bike back there and have more space to spare. Additional seating arrangements include folding the front passenger seat back flat for longer objects, or folding up the bottom part of the rear seats which is ideal for taller cargo.
Headroom, yes. Legroom, no. Worse still is that anywhere that can be used to rest an elbow, knee or hand is unpleasantly hard and looks to be made from parts left over from Black & Decker power tools.
There’s no communal armrest and while the driver does get one, it’s a few inches too short and only long enough to rest an elbow, not an arm.
In comparison to the Fit’s gorgeous information cluster and appealing exterior package, the center-stack is a real eyesore. While the subcompact segment is not known for interiors dripping with style and fashion, the Fit’s controls are, to put it bluntly, ugly.
Simple to use, yes, but the big knobs look lifted from a pickup truck and their convenient location next to the steering wheel also makes them hard to both reach and see.
Once a fuel economy king, times have changed and the car’s 31 mpg combined rating is short of rivals like the Accent, Fiesta, Yaris and Rio. Worse still, I only managed 29 mpg. This in an era, and a segment, defined by fuel economy.
Think that the Honda Fit is right for you? Then have a look at our updated new cars section where you can gloss over the available trim levels, compare prices against other cars and even customize your own.
Sami has an unquenchable thirst for car knowledge and has been at AutoGuide for the past six years. He has a degree in journalism and media studies from the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto and has won multiple journalism awards from the Automotive Journalist Association of Canada. Sami is also on the jury for the World Car Awards.
More by Sami Haj-Assaad
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I do not find the center stack ugly. It's clean and easy to use to me. And not faddish. Some FIt owners get mileage better than EPA posted values. Reliability should be superior to all the other cars you listed for comparison. Overall I agree with Consumer Report that the Fit is the best value and best buy all' round. Next model change should see improved gas mileage and horsepower.
Sorry. Reliability of Fit is about on par with the Yaris, not superior to Yaris. Yaris less sporty in handling.