2011 Honda Fit Review and Prices

By Chuck Giametta

Table of Contents
2011 Honda Accord Review and Pricing
2010 Honda Fit Review and Prices
2009 Honda Fit Quote

2011 HONDA FIT BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Honda Fit is the best car for you if you want near-hybrid fuel economy without near-hybrid prices.

• The 2011 Honda Fit is a candidate for the first styling changes since this subcompact debuted as a 2009 model. The 2011 Fit could also be ripe for addition of a hybrid powertrain if Honda decides to expand its stable of gas-electric cars. Small outside, big inside, fun to drive – none of that will change.

• Should you buy a 2010 Honda Fit or wait for the 2011 Honda Fit? This wedgy little wagon does make its own sort of fashion statement. But as a reason to buy, styling takes a backseat to sub-$16,000 pricing, 27-mpg-plus fuel economy, and remarkable space efficiency. Barring introduction of a gas-electric hybrid model, there won’t be any significant mechanical changes for 2011. And appearance updates would be minor. So if you find today’s version of this Honda the right, uh, fit, you won’t be disappointed with a 2010 model.

2011 HONDA FIT CHANGES

• Styling: The 2011 Fit marks a potential midway point between this first-generation’s model-year 2009 introduction and its next full redesign, which could come for model-year 2014. If Honda decides model-year 2011 is the right time to give Fit a “midcycle” freshening, it would not alter the four-door hatchback’s basic shape or size. Instead, changes would almost certainly be confined to a subtly reshaped grille and front bumper, slightly revised taillamps, and maybe some new wheel styles, exterior colors, and dashboard trim. What would remain is a front-wheel-drive car just 12 ½-feet long, but with a relatively generous wheelbase (the distance between front and rear axles). Combined with a tall roof and a compact powertrain snuggled smartly under the briefest of noses, Fit surprises with room for four adults to ride in comfort and class-leading cargo versatility, too. Fit’s three models – the base Fit, the Fit Sport, and the Fit Sport with navigation – look identical except for the Sport versions’ fog lamps, rear spoiler, and larger tires on alloy wheels.

• Mechanical: Honda has little motivation to modify Fit’s only engine, a smooth 1.5-liter four-cylinder. Its 118 horsepower moves this lightweight along nicely so long as you’re not trying to win a drag race. No need, either, to mess with its steering or suspension. Ride comfort is on par with many larger, costlier autos. And Fit’s handling challenges some cars that look far sportier. However, Honda may see advantages in launching a hybrid version of the Fit. A Honda Fit hybrid would conceivably be the lowest-priced hybrid car available in the U.S. It would help Honda in its green war with arch-rival Toyota by swelling Honda’s hybrid lineup. That lineup currently consists of the Civic Hybrid compact sedan, the Insight subcompact four-door hatchback, and the sporty two-door derivative of the Insight, the Honda CR-Z. Fit shares its basic underskin engineering with the Insight and it could adopt the same gas-electric powertrain. Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) teams a 1.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and an electric motor to produce 98 horsepower. IMA can deactivate all four cylinders when the car is stopped. And it taps the electric motor to enhance acceleration, which enables use of a smaller gas engine. Both strategies save gas and reduce emissions, But unlike rival hybrid systems from Toyota and Ford, IMA is incapable of propelling the car electrically for more than very short distances.

• Features: Timing of a Fit hybrid is fluid (see “What’s Next for the Honda Fit” below). But the 2011 Honda Fit ought to make the antiskid system standard on all Fit models, not just the most-expensive Sport with navigation. Also known as stability control, antiskid helps protect against sideways slides and would be a welcome addition to the lesser-Fits’ otherwise-healthy list of standard safety systems. Fit doesn’t offer leather upholstery – very few cars in its price range do – but it is available with a very good factory-installed navigation system. It includes voice recognition and a 6.5-inch screen and it comes with a USB audio interface for iPods. Like stability control, the navigation system has been limited to the Fit Sport, but Honda could make it available on the base version for 2011. Every 2011 Fit will continue with an innovation Honda calls the Magic Seat. This triumph of levers and hinges allows the split rear seatback and cushions to fold down to floor level, creating a low, van-like load platform. It also enables the bottom cushions to flip up, creating a chasm behind the front seats big enough to swallow objects as tall as a bicycle. The front passenger seatback also folds so Fit can carry long items such as skis.    

2011 HONDA FIT PRICES

• Given previous Fit pricing, the 2011 Honda Fit base model should remain priced below $15,500 with manual transmission, around $15,500 with automatic. The 2011 Honda Sport should continue from around $16,200, topping out at just under $20,000 with navigation and automatic transmission. (All prices discussed in this report include the manufacturers’ destination fee, which as $670 on 2010-model Hondas.)

• Both 2011 Honda Fit models should carry one with a decent list of standard equipment that includes air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, power windows, mirrors and locks, and an auxiliary digital media plug. Expect Sport models to continue to be differentiated by such added standard features as steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, cruise control, and remote keyless entry. They also have a sport suspension and 16-inch wheels and tires instead of 15s.

2011 HONDA FIT FUEL ECONOMY

• This Honda is already among America’s most-miserly gas-powered cars, and 2011 Honda Fit fuel economy should be just as impressive. That means ratings of at least 27/33 mpg (city/highway) with manual transmission and 28/35 with automatic.

• The 2010 Honda Insight was rated at 40/43 mpg. It’s some 234 pounds heavier than the base Honda Fit, but Fit’s weight advantage would dissipate once the hybrid powertrain’s compliment of nickel metal hydride batteries was added. So a Fit hybrid would likely mirror the Insight’s 40/43 ratings.

2011 HONDA FIT RELEASE DATE

• Look for the 2011 Honda Fit in showrooms by late-summer 2010.  

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE HONDA FIT

• Honda could make the 2011 Fit available with the super-fuel-efficient continuously variable automatic transmission it offers in the Jazz, the Japanese-market version of this car. But the bigger story would be a true Fit hybrid.

• Honda made waves with introduction of the 2010 Insight, a hybrid-only hatchback larger than Fit on the outside but slightly smaller inside. Helped by the cost-efficient IMA, Insight’s $20,470 base price pressed Toyota to launch its redesigned 2010 Prius at $22,750.

• Prius is a larger, faster, and more-fuel-efficient hybrid than the Insight, and most industry observers envisioned it priced at $24,000 or higher. Prius opened a big sales lead over the Insight, denting Honda’s corporate ambition to be considered just as green as Toyota. A hybrid Fit could help Honda’s cause with a price even lower than the Insight’s. Honda reportedly is committed to holding the premium for a Fit hybrid to $2,000 over a gas-only Fit. That would mean a Fit hybrid could come in under $18,000.    

• If Honda decides to create a Fit hybrid, it almost certainly would offer it first in Japan, where hybrid competition is most fierce. That could come as early as the 2010 model year. Industry observers are divided on when a Fit hybrid might come to the U.S. Some speculate Honda may hold off until it introduces the third-generation Fit, which would be for model-year 2014 or 2015.

2011 HONDA FIT COMPETITION

• Scion xB: Boxier than the Fit; bigger and a little pricier, too. But it’s the best all-around vehicle in this bunch for power, composure, and refinement. Interior room for people and parcels is outstanding, as well. The xB hales from Toyota’s youth-oriented division. No major changes are due before model-year 2013.  

• Nissan Cube or Versa: Take your pick. They share the same chassis and use the same mechanical bits, but the Cube is a shipping crate on wheels while the Versa comes as a more-conventional sedan or four-door hatchback. None of these Nissans is going to win a beauty contest, but each has its appeal. Our favorite is the roomy, well-mannered Versa hatchback. The Cube debuted for model-year 2009 and won’t change much until 2016 or so. Versa is next due a major overhaul for model-year 2012 or 2013.  

• Suzuki SX4 Crossover: Some might peg the krazy Kia Soul as a more fitting Fit fighter. But we suggest you consider this underrated little four-door wagon from Suzuki. It isn’t as roomy as the Fit, xB, or Versa, and not quite as fuel-efficient, either. But the SX4 Crossover has designer-Italian styling, is solidly built, and is the lowest-priced all-wheel drive vehicle sold in the U.S. The current SX4 should be around in its current form until model-year 2011 or 2012.