The Fit is acknowledged to be the quickest car in its class. And, indeed, the 1.5-liter engine delivers brisk acceleration performance, revving smoothly to 6500-rpm, generating 109 horsepower and 105 pound-feet of torque. That's a little shy of the Nissan Versa, but the Fit is lighter. Its all-aluminum engine comes with Honda's VTEC variable-valve setup, four valves per cylinder and single overhead-cam, though it doesn't produce the explosive burst of power associated with the larger VTEC engines in Civic Si models.

The five-speed automatic is popular and fun. Put it in drive and it does a good job of responding to the driver's wishes. Select the manual mode and the automatic can be shifted manually using paddles behind the steering wheel. Touch the one on the right with your fingers and it shifts up a gear, touch the one on the left and it downshifts. Do this in the normal Drive mode and it shifts up or down temporarily, a great feature when you just want a little boost going up a hill or for passing or when you want to short shift for better economy and smoothness. Put it in the Sport mode and it won't shift again until the driver shifts up or down. It's a nice setup.

We like the five-speed manual gearbox. It's smooth and easy, efficient and very enjoyable. The shift throws are short, giving it a sporty feel and the shifting is silky smooth.

The ride is smooth and comfortable, possibly the most refined in the class. Noise and vibration levels are low, thanks to extensive effort on Honda's part in these areas. At times the Fit feels like an econobox, as it jostles about, tossing the heads of its occupants. But it's a pleasant car, one that we feel like we could live with happily.

Handling is excellent, the best in the class. This is a highly maneuverable car, able to zip around traffic. It would be our choice among subcompacts for an autocross. The steering is precise and accurate, allowing the driver to steer the car exactly as intended. Front wheelspin is likely when accelerating from a standstill on wet, slippery pavement; there's no traction control. The turning radius is relatively wide at 34.4 feet for the Sport, nearly two feet wider than that of the Toyota Yaris, so it takes a wider road to make a U-turn.

Braking is easy to control. The driver can easily modulate the brake pedal for smooth, accurate slowing or stopping. The brake system uses drums in the rear, less desireable than four-wheel discs, but they work fine for this lightweight car.

Audio controls are easy to operate. We liked the giant volume knob and the big buttons for the selecting AM/FM, CD and sound quality as well as the big buttons for pre-set stations. Unfortunately, the pre-sets cannot jump across bands like those in GM cars, more efficient when switching from an FM music station to an AM talk radio station. Also, satellite radio is not available. But we liked the 200-watt, six-speaker stereo that comes on the Sport. A mini auxiliary jack is provided for the Apple iPod and other MP3 players, and the Honda Apple iPod Music Link allows an iPod to be controlled through the main audio interface. The the accessory kit, toss your iPod in the glovebox and it will read out on the dash. Pritti kewel.

Heating and ventilation is controlled with three big knobs, though they're not as easy to grab as it first appears. Neither a sunroof nor a navigation system is available, but the Fit comes with a high level of standard equipment.

The driver gets a big speedometer flanked by a tachometer on the left and a giant fuel gauge on the right, all ringed in silver trim. At night the instruments are backlit in blue. The cruise control switches on the steering wheel are backlit to match the rest of the interior. At night, blue interior lighting comes on when the doors are unlocked and fades when the ignition is switched on. Honda offers accessory footwell lighting kits to add ambient light. The cup holders work well. Cubbies of varying sizes are scattered about and the glovebox is a decent size. Cargo nets and a tonneau cover are available as accessories. In short, this is a friendly, easygoing car.

Summary

The Honda Fit is probably the best car in its class, particularly when measured in terms of performance and handling as well as interior packaging and versatility. It's quick, smooth and enjoyable to drive. It gets an EPA-rated 38 mpg on the highway. It's cute. And it's extremely practical, with back seats that flip fore and aft, allowing it to carry long items, tall items and just lots of stuff.

NewCarTestDrive.com editor Mitch McCullough performed test drives of manual and automatic Honda Fits in Pasadena and Redondo Beach, California.

Model Line Overview

Model lineup:Honda Fit ($18,350); Sport ($15,170)

Engines:1.5-liter sohc 16-valve inline-4

Transmissions: