Took the Accord in to the dealer yesterday for an oil change, and while I was examining a Fit Sport on the lot (a rare sight at dealer lots around here, although they're finally starting to become a bit more common), a salescritter wandered over and I decided to take it for a spin since I had some time to kill.
First impressions: roomy and comfortable (although since my regular daily driver is a CRX, just about anything else qualifies as roomy and comfortable), feels solidly put together with typical Honda quality. Nicer than you'd generally expect something in this price range to be. Didn't really test the handling much, but the engine had plenty of pep. The Fit weighs about 400 pounds more than my CRX, with roughly the same power, so it would be nice to have a bit more power, but as it stands it's certainly adequate. This one had the 5-speed manual, and again, there was the usual Honda slickness you'd expect.
It'll be interesting to see if these start to get discounted at all as the all-new 2009 Fit gets closer. Judging from this:
Pulled back into the lot, and saw someone else returning from a test drive of a Civic Si sedan. I couldn't resist the chance to check that one out, so while I still had the salesman's attention, I had him go and grab the keys. Interior: nicer than the Fit, but the gauge cluster absolutely blows. The digital speedo is awkwardly placed, but not nearly as badly as the tach - like many have complained of previously, if you're tall, the entire 10-to-2 quadrant is completely obscured by the top of the steering wheel. It wasn't that long ago that Honda would never have allowed an ergonomic disaster like this to go any further than the drawing board. I'd take the Fit's much more functional and traditional gauge cluster over this one in a heartbeat.
The real attraction, the engine, did not disappoint. As soon as you start it, it's apparent from the exhaust sound even at idle that it's not your average grocery-getter. Plenty of power, stratospheric rev limit, it doesn't get much better than this. The downside: this car had the optional NAV system, and the sticker was over $25K. Yeah, it's a very nice car, but I can't see paying that kind of cash for it. I didn't check the price on the NAV, but I'd bet it tacked on at least a grand to the base price.
Now, if I could get the Si's K-series motor in the Fit...%-)
Dave