Unique among subcompacts, the Fit mounts its fuel tank in the center of the car, under the front seats. This allows the floor for the back-seat passengers to be lower, thus increasing space behind the front seats.

The unit-body structure is highly rigid, which is helpful for developing crisp handling response and a smooth ride quality. Stuctural rigidity is also useful for protecting the people inside and Honda expects top ratings from the government and insurance industry. Honda achieved strength while keeping weight down by using high-strength steel. A Honda Fit Sport with a manual gearbox weighs 2,471 pounds. That's comparable for the class and considerably lighter than a Nissan Versa.

Interior Features

The Honda Fit is comfortable front and back and the interior can be quickly configured to carry big boxes or tall items. All in all, it's a great cabin.

The front seats are supportive, even sporty, far better than what's usually found in subcompacts. The front seats have lots of seat travel, so short and tall people fit in the Fit. All models have the same fabric upholstery and it's nice. The seats are done up in an attractive two-tone design that cleverly matches up when the seats are fully reclined. The fabric itself appears nicer and more durable than that of the Nissan though not quite as nice as that of the Scion xA. The drivers gets lots of headroom, 40.6 inches, which is as good or better than the other cars in this class, lots of legroom, nearly 42 inches, and hip room, both comparable to the other cars in the class, though the Versa is a standout in hip room with its giant front seats.

The back seats are impressively roomy, given the size of the car, and surprisingly comfortable. We put three adults back there for a short drive to lunch and all three were quite content. There's lots of headroom front and rear.

Even more impressive are the cargo-carrying options. With the seats in place and ready to take on five people, the Fit offers 21.3 cubic feet of cargo space, more than the Versa (17.8) and Yaris (13.7 for the sedan, 9.5 for the liftback).

Flip the seatbacks down and the Fit offers a low, perfectly flat cargo floor with nearly 42 cubic feet of cargo space. By comparison, the Toyota Yaris offers less than 26 cubic feet in the three-door Liftback, a huge difference, while the Yaris four-door sedan trunk holds less than 14 cubic feet. The Nissan Versa offers just over 50 cubic feet of space, but the back seats don't fold down nice and flat the way they do in the Fit. This makes the Fit better for a dog or anything else that benefits from a flat floor without pitfalls. The Kia Rio5 is also impressive with nearly 50 cubic feet. The Fit's rear seats can even be folded down without removing the headrests, but you'll likely have to scoot the front seats forward to make that happen; or you can easily pull the headrests off, which is what we did. Now, recline the front passenger seat and you can load long objects down the right side of the cabin, which is quite handy.

But wait! There's more: Fold the rear seatbacks down, then lift the seatbottoms up again. Voila! The trunk area is back to the way it was with the seats up, but a big cargo area is now revealed behind the front seats. This is perfect for hauling tall objects, like that Renoir you just inherited from your great aunt or maybe a plant or a bicycle. This area measures 50 inches from floor to ceiling.

The back seats are split 60/40, so you can also have one down, one in place. Leaving the seat behind the driver in this position might be quite useful for grabbing groceries and running errands.

And that's not all! Starting with put the rear seats in their normal position, you can also recline the front seatbacks until they are flush with the rear seatbottoms. Essentially, this turns your Fit into a couch that's sheltered from the elements. Honda calls this the relaxation mode. You (and a friend) can slide back and lean against the rear seatback with your feet on the front seat bottoms, sort of like a chaise lounge. Relaxing, indeed. It would work well at a drive-in theater if they still existed. It would also be useful when stopping in a rest area for snooze on a long drive, much safer than trying to drive when sleepy.

Visibility from the driver's seat is good, with good mirrors and a panoramic windshield, though there's a bit of a blindspot. The Fit has a comfortable steering wheel. All of the switchgear (headlights, wipers, power windows, etc.) works well. The center dash is logical.

Driving Impressions

The easygoing nature of the Honda Fit is even more apparent underway. The engine is smooth and responsive, shifting is easy and it rides nicely.

The Fit gets good gas mileage, achieving an EPA-estimated 33/38 mpg City/Highway with the manual gearbox and 31/38 mpg with the automatic. It's a flexible engine that's comfortable for running errands and commuting, yet ready to squirt away from any situation. It's smooth and quiet, very pleasant.