The 2007 Honda Fit

Honda recently introduced what is presently its smallest sedan in the North American market. Critics of oversized American vehicles were quick to point out how smart those Honda folks are, always coming up with just the right vehicle at just the right time. And those critics would have a pretty good point.

But it’s not as if Honda foresaw what would become of the American gasoline pricing situation and quickly slapped together a small, economical car to help gas consumers save some dough. The Fit has actually been on the international market for a few years now, where it’s sold as the Jazz; Honda did have the foresight to decide to bring it to our shores at just the right time, though. (Just as did Toyota with the Yaris and Nissan with the Versa.)

This isn’t Honda’s first dip into the North American subcompact sea. Their first automobiles to hit our shores, the N360 (1967-1970) and the N600 (1969-1972), were miniscule by today’s standards—the N360 had a 78.7-inch wheelbase compared to the Fit’s 96.5 inches. They were powered by Honda two-cylinder motorcycle engines, but because of their teeny-tiny size were still able to hold their own in traffic. As this is written, the pictured 1970 N600 is available on eBay, with a present bid of $1,035, which includes a spare parts car—which you’ll probably need.

The Fit, as you can well imagine, is not powered by a motorcycle engine. It comes with Honda’s superb VTEC four-cylinder DOHC unit, which is rated at 109 horsepower. Our public officials at the EPA tell us we can expect 33/38 miles per gallon city/highway with the five-speed manual transmission. The Sport model is available with a five-speed automatic (31/38 mpg) which comes with—now get this—a paddle shifter. This is a steering-wheel-mounted shifter usually found on the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. Call me a complainer, but I expected higher miles-per-gallon ratings than this, seeing that the larger Civic coupe is rated up to 40 miles per gallon.

That being said, the Fit is a far cry from my old friend Carl’s N600. It comes with six standard airbags, anti-locking brakes, drive-by-wire throttle control and an am/fm/CD audio system with six speakers. (I remember when “audio systems” in cars were called “radios.”) Looking back at that list of equipment, I realize that most of it didn’t even exist back when Carl’s N600 rolled off the assembly line in 1972. Who would have figured back then that Honda would be among the top-ranked auto producers in the world or that they would have assembly plants right here on US soil!

The Fit comes in two guises: Fit and Fit Sport. Extras on the Sport include: steering wheel-mounted paddle shifter (when the automatic transmission is ordered), underbody kit, rear roofline spoiler, fog lights and 15-inch aluminum alloy wheels.

All Fits come with a 60/40 seat which has a rather innovative way of folding. As you can see in the graphic, you can fold the front and rear seats in a number of configurations for different cargo/passenger carrying/resting situations. Looks like a great drive-in car.

Pricing for the Fit starts at $13,850 for the base model and goes on up to $15,970 for the Sport automatic transmission-equipped model. You’ve got to admit, there’s probably one to “Fit” almost any new-car budget.

More info at: honda.com.