2009 Honda Fit fits pared-down budgets

Here's an easy way to remember the 2009 Honda Fit. It's a Frugal, Intelligent Traveler, especially for today's pared-down households.

With a starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, of $15,220 for a base Fit with manual transmission and $16,020 with automatic transmission, the Fit has the lowest starting price of any 2009 Honda.

The five-door, four-cylinder Fit also is the top gasoline-powered hatchback in the country in federal government fuel mileage ratings. A base, 2009 Fit with five-speed automatic is rated at 28 miles per gallon in city driving and 35 mpg on the highway.

This tops other small, five-passenger hatchbacks that run on gasoline, such as the 2009 Chevrolet Aveo, which is rated at 25/34 mpg with automatic, and the 2009 Nissan Versa, which is rated at 27/33 mpg with a continuously variable transmission.

The new Fit is an intelligent choice, judging by the "better than average" reliability rating bestowed by Consumer Reports magazine and the fact the Fit was the highest-ranked subcompact car in J.D. Power and Associates' annual Initial Quality study, released in June. The study surveys early owners of new cars to determine which vehicles have the fewest problems.

To be sure, the starting price for the 2009 Fit is increased $600 over the previous Fit, which was in great demand as gasoline prices skyrocketed.

And shoppers will find many small cars with lower prices. For example, the 2009 Chevy Aveo hatchback starts at $12,120, while the 2009 Versa hatchback starts at $13,685.

But the Japan-built Fit is a spunky, easy-to-maneuver car that doesn't come across as cheap. Nor does it try to masquerade as a luxury car.

It is what it is: a practical five-seater that sips fuel and has more room inside for cargo than can be believed.

For instance, I took all the recyclables -- bottles, newspapers, etc. -- stored in the cargo area of a 1992 Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle and fit them into the back of the 2009 Fit. With the second-row seats folded down, the Fit offers an SUV-like 57.3 cubic feet of space.

In addition, it has a novel second-row "Magic Seat" whose seatback can be left up and whose seat cushion folds up against it, providing a floor-to-ceiling space for tall items of 50.4 inches.

For 2009, the Fit is revamped slightly with a new platform for a better ride, new front styling, bigger wheels, more powerful engine and new features.

The first and lasting impression of this 13.5-foot-long car is how spacious the interior feels. The windshield is pushed forward now over the hood area, and there's a small triangular window at each front pillar where the windshield attaches to the side of the car.

All this creates an airy feel for front-seat passengers. But it also creates a rather sizable dashboard for a small car and reminded me of early General Motors Corp. minivans that had a similar windshield and side window design.

Because the Fit is a full 5 feet tall, there's as much headroom in the front seat -- 40.4 inches -- as in the front seat of a 2009 Cadillac Escalade. And the Fit's second row offers nearly as much headroom: 39 inches.

Legroom is equally impressive, with 41.3 inches in the front. The back-seat room is measured at 34.5 inches, but with the front seat up a ways I could extend my legs while sitting in the back seat and rest comfortably.

Two adults can be comfortable in the back seat. Three adults sit closely.

But everyone gets an adjustable head restraint, and there's only a minor hump in the middle of the second-seat floor.

All seats, revised for 2009, feel like thick sponges to rest on. And while I appreciated that the seat fabric also is on all four doors, right up to where the windows are for a warmer, softer place to rest elbows, the cloth on the seats has a tendency to grab clothing as passengers exit.

There is no leather seat option.

With new electric, rack-and-pinion steering, the Fit Sport test model responded quickly to steering commands, even in emergency maneuvers at highway speed.

The Fit sits low to the pavement, so there was no tippy feeling during the test drive. But drivers who want more security can opt for electronic stability control.

All other safety features, including six air bags, anti-whiplash front head restraints and antilock brakes with brake force distribution, are standard.

Tires and wheels now are 15-inchers on the base Fit and 16-inchers for Sport models. They're not glitzy, and they create a good amount of road noise -- so much so I never noticed any wind noise.

The 1.5-liter, single overhead cam four cylinder has Honda's intelligent variable valve timing system. Horsepower now is 117, up from last year's 109, and torque peaks at 106 foot-pounds of torque at 4,800 rpm, which is about the same as last year.

While these numbers don't look like much, they give the lightweight, 2,600-pound Fit a peppy feel with either five-speed manual or automatic.

I can attest to the fuel efficiency. The test vehicle with automatic got 30 mpg, even with no effort made to maximize fuel. Another Fit with manual transmission got 33.5 mpg.

I wish that driver and front passenger both had seat height adjustment.

The dead pedal for the driver to use to brace herself in spirited driving is new and well positioned. But I could do without the bugged-out new headlamps whose outer profile look like swollen bug eyes.

The blue lighting of the gauges at night is pretty, and I appreciated that the rear doors open nearly a full 180 degrees for easy entry and exit.