Car and Driver: 2015 Honda FIT EX Manual Transmission Long Term Testing

• September 2014
• BY K.C. COLWELL
• PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL SIMARI

The first- and second-generation Honda Fit subcompacts won our hearts with a combination of dynamics and practicality that couldn’t be beat at their price points—or perhaps any price point. The pair racked up seven consecutive 10Best trophies, went undefeated in three comparison tests, and a 2007 model survived a 40,000-mile long-term test without, ahem, giving us a fit. 

With a new platform, engine, transmission, and look, the third-gen Fit was ripe for another go at our high-mileage test. In our hands, the 2007 had a per-mile operating cost of about 10 cents, and while we doubt the 2015 will be able to match that statistic—in no small part because the cost of fuel has increased in the last six and a half years—it’s going to be fun to see how close we can get. 

We will admit to some trepidation about how long it’ll take us to accrue 40,000 miles, which takes just over a year for most vehicles. That’s not any major fault of our Fit, but rather because it’s notoriously difficult to persuade staffers to take little cars on long trips, no matter how much interior space they may have. It’s also especially challenging to convince them to do so when we have stuff like an F-type, a Corvette, and a Cayman in our fleet, as we do now. Small cars—and more specifically narrow small cars—typically tramline in highway ruts, and our Fit is no exception. In two months of service, the Fit has struggled to accumulate 3000 miles. 

When it launched the 2015 Fit, Honda did so without the previous-generation’s Sport trim and its dynamics-enhancing rear anti-roll bar. Instead, the latest Fit is offered in a pair of trims that aren’t differentiated by their handling. This time around, a conventional automatic has been replaced by a continuously variable transmission, while manual-transmission buyers get another forward gear for six in all. The stick shift is restricted to the bone-stock LX model and the one-step-up EX. The CVT-only EX-L has standard leather and available navigation and satellite radio. Why leather is even available in a Fit is a head-scratcher for us—it kind of goes against the Fit’s fun, basic-transportation premise—but the transmission-availability matrix made our choice easy. 

There is not a single factory option available on the Fit EX, but you are at least allowed to choose exterior color. We spec’d Aegean Blue paint because it reminded us of the old Vivid Blue, a color one editor (who shall remain nameless for his protection) likes so much that he had his ’67 Chevelle sprayed in the Honda hue. 

Stepping up the $18,225 EX from the $16,315 LX mostly means adding more electronic doodads, including the turn-signal-activated camera that shoots backward from the passenger side mirror, proximity entry and start, an upgraded audio system, and a seven-inch touch screen. The EX also gets a sunroof, and 16-inch aluminum wheels. We can already state unequivocally that if you’re buying a Fit, the EX is the trim level to get. Period. 

Honda prescribes no specific break-in period for the 130-hp, 1.5-liter direct-injected inline-four or the six-speed manual, but we still went easy for the first 1000 miles before heading to the track for initial instrumented testing. Of the new Fits, we have only tested another manual model thus far, and our long-termer proved to be slightly quicker. It turned in a 7.7-second 0–60 time and a 16.1-second quarter-mile, improvements of 0.3 and 0.1 second versus the other 2015 test car. Stopping from 70 mph took 181 feet for our long-term car, and the wee Fit held onto a 300-foot skidpad at 0.78 g. 

We’ve taken the Fit as far as Chicago. The car returned 39 mpg on that highway run, but our overall average is 33 mpg thus far, one better than the EPA’s combined estimate. The Windy City excursion proved that the Fit can still fit a whole lot of stuff in its 53-cubic-foot cargo hold; a high-school grad headed off to college in one of these should be able to get all of their stuff inside. 

As for complaints, there’s the tramlining, and, well, the sideview camera came in for a 1.5-page logbook rant from a staffer who found it to be more distracting than helpful. On the whole, we’re not particularly sure of its usefulness in our suburban environs, given that the Fit’s outward visibility is excellent and a set of properly adjusted mirrors (on any vehicle) can eliminate blind spots. The feature did, however, save a couple of fast-moving, seemingly suicidal bicyclists’ bacon when we were set to make right turns in more urban areas. Those who dislike the feature can deactivate it, though. 

Our previous test of the new Fit came to the conclusion that this latest generation has lost some of the joy in its driving experience. Our long-term test has so far confirmed that, yes, it’s softer overall than before, the steering is less feelsome, and the clutch pedal feels sprung with tissue paper, but we’re also rapidly coming to the conclusion that there are still few other sub-$20K cars that rival this Honda’s combo of usefulness and fun. Indeed, two months with the Fit have reinforced the notion among the staff that budget transportation doesn’t have to be a penalty. We’ll see if that impression holds up. 

Months in Fleet: 2 months
Current Mileage: 2794 miles Average Fuel Economy: 33 mpg
Fuel Tank Size: 10.6 gal Fuel Range: 350 miles
Service: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0 View Photo Gallery

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-honda-fit-ex-manual-long-term-test-intro-review