I spent some time last night in a Honda dealership looking at the new Fit (Sport model in particular). My impressions are below.
Exterior:
Looks are obviously subjective, but while I cannot say I like the exterior design, I could live with it if this was the only thing I did not like about the car. One thing that positively impressed me was the fact that Honda protected the rocker panels with a layer of whatever material (very smart and not a common thing as far as I know, especially at this price point). On the negative side, the rear wheel well looks completely unfinished; there is no plastic cover around the wheel well; plus, it's only partially sprayed with rustproof and sound deadening material. You could see at least three colors in that area, which due to its design, is very visible when you walk around the car. As cheap as it can be!
Interior:
I did not like the dash design and I still don't after seeing it person. It is very functional however and well laid out. The cabin feel was on the cheap side, but not offensive. The fit and finish is good in general, but not perfect. There is a rather big gap between the top of the dash and the A-pillar trim on the passenger side. Some plastic trims are not quite tight and they allow significant movement (this was in the rear- floor/ seats area). None of the little cubbies are lined - they are all hard plastic (easy fix). The folding driver armrest is a joke (same as in the CRV) and there is only one. I did not quite like the seats - not enough lateral support, but the backrest was fine. The rear seats are not very comfortable either as the bottom is quite short; they feel like a park bench and they are quite thin and hard with no contour.
Where the Fit shines is the cabin space and cargo. Lots of leg, head, and shoulder room everywhere (for 4 people). And the best piece of engineering - the cargo space. Fabulous!!! Of course it comes with the price of not having a spare tire and less comfortable rear seats, but I’d say it’s an acceptable compromise for many.
My take:
For those who like the car or are less sensitive to the design and little details, I think the Fit is a very, very good choice. From my perspective, it's only the best choice in the segment today, as considered by many people and auto media, just because there is no much competition (yet).
The only thing that makes the Fit stand out is its spacious cabin and cargo space.
I did not drive the car so I cannot comment on that part.
