The Honda Fit is a Hit!

The all new Honda Fit has become the car to be seen in on the roads of America's universities and colleges. With its popularity, Honda has announced a 4-month waiting list for the all new Honda Fit Sport in both manual and automatic versions. The Fit is the "It" car of 2007.

Safety-wise the Honda Fit provides dual front airbags along with side airbags for all passengers. Braking distance is very short in comparison to other cars previously owned by this reviewer. The safety restraint system is somewhat sensitive, but if you drive at higher speeds then this will definitely save your life.

The Fit brings to the table a stylish interior along with seating for 5 adults and with a rear cargo area that can be converted to carry up to a 7-foot surfboard. The interior has been updated from Honda's previous U.S. subcompact, the HondaCivic CRX. The Fit provides more headroom than most in its class, providing even this 6' 1" reviewer with almost 5 inches of room above the head. The leg room is plentiful in the front and the Fit comes with an adjustable steering column in all versions to provide additional leg room height if needed. Our passengers regularly comment on how the interior looks more expensive than other sub-compacts they have ridden in.

The audio system in the Fit is ample in the base model with a 160-Watt system with CD/FM/AM and 4 speakers while the Sport model is equipped with a 200-Watt AM/FM/CD Audio System with 6 Speakers. The audio system in the Fit Sport plays MP3 and WMA CDs and comes with an audio input jack for any MP3/CD player that uses a standard headphone jack. Honda also offers the option of an Apple Ipod control link to be able to control your Ipod from your stereo for about $250 installed pre-delivery.

In driveability the Fit is near the top of its class. The Fit Sport is equipped with paddle-shifters located directly behind the right and left sides of the steering wheel allowing the driver to get off the line with more horsepower in lower gears. By providing direct control of the transmission the paddles are extremely useful in hazardous conditions such as snow and sleet, of which we have a lot of in the Midwest. Under the hood is Honda's famous Inline 4-cylinder VTEC engine with a drive-by-wire throttle technology that is seen in higher end luxury cars such as BMW. This technology seems to reduce, and even eliminate, much of the lag time between pushing on the pedal and waiting for the engine to respond. The handling is tight and the car can make any U-turn look easy. The ride of the Fit can get a little bumpy on sectioned concrete roads and uneven surfaces; however, this is Honda's introductory-class model and the price reflects the cutbacks Honda has made to make this car competitive in the U.S. Market.

The Honda Fit is extremely fuel efficient for not being a hybrid vehicle as it gets us an honest 28-38 mpg on the highway and 25-35 mpg in the city. It is extremely friendly to the environment and gets a LEV-2 rating. The gas tank is a smaller 10.8 gallon tank but that will get you nearly 300-400 miles on a $25-30 fill-up. Operating the air conditioner seems to have very little effect on fuel efficiency and may diminish it by only 1 or 2 miles per gallon.

The Fit is definitely a car for long road trips because a couple or family of three could fit all of their luggage into the cargo area and still have a bit of breathing or stretching room. The Fit comes with Honda's innovative "Magic-seats" in the back that fold down completely to the floor and provide a flat area for luggage, wedding cakes, 42" television boxes, the previously mentioned surfboard and even bicycles, or even your dog who, by the way, will love the Fit!

Finally, the Fit was not made for individuals who want to carry construction materials or have a family of 6 or more, but it was made for the fuel conscious individuals who want a sporty sub-compact with a good sound system and a great amount of cargo space. The Honda Fit has become a big hit among the 20 and 30-Somethings (and you will see the occasional 50 and 60-Somethings) who want to get into a Honda without having to shell out $20k or more. The price for the Fit Sport model with automatic transmission (including a killer ground-effects package and super stereo system, along with those paddle-shifters and a rear-roof spoiler) is an extremely reasonable $16,490. Of course, this is a Honda and will have great resell-ability over the life of the car as long as you take care of it and get the scheduled maintenance accomplished.

We constantly get head-turns while driving my Fit and it is one of only a small handful in our city of 50,000. We love our Fit and everything it has provided us. From the short trips to the store to the long trips across country, the Fit provides you with a feeling of safety and it is one of the funnest cars we have ever driven. You can't go wrong with the Honda Fit and it is worth the wait to get your name on the waiting list.

As Honda states, "The Fit is Go" so go and get that Fit!