Click the 2009 Honda Fit Sport for a high res gallery

When Honda introduced the first generation Fit to the North American market in mid-2006, its timing couldn't have been better. The entry level hatchback appeared just as fuel prices in the U.S. were heading skyward. Ever since then, the Fit has been selling as fast as Honda can bring them in from Japan. The Fit (or Jazz as its known in some markets) debuted in 2001 and the second-generation model went on sale in Japan last fall. Honda showed the new U.S.-spec Fit at the New York Auto Show last spring and we had our first opportunity to drive it on the roads north of Ann Arbor MI last week.

As is typically the case with new models, the updated Fit has grown a bit (about 4 inches in overall length) but it's only about 44 lbs heavier than the outgoing model. Also in the usual fashion, Honda strove to increase the refinement of the Fit while not losing any of the fun-loving qualities of the original. In the process, Honda has had to deal with rising raw material and shipping costs while keeping the price from getting out of hand. Read on to find out if the spiritual descendants of Soichiro Honda have succeeded.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Click image for a photo gallery of the '09 JDM Honda Fit

The redesigned Honda Fit is ready to hit the US as an '09 model, and Honda will give it a big Broadway debut at the New York Auto Show next month. Okay, okay -- it's more like a big 11th Avenue debut, but you get the point. The overhauled Fit essentially blends the shape of a Prius with the face of a last-gen Civic Si. The end result is a subcompact with midsize-level interior room. It should do well at the pump, too. Don't look for the 98-horsepower Japan-spec 1.3L base engine to make the trip to the US, however. Instead, we'll probably get the 1.5L i-VTEC that makes 118 horsepower. That's a 9-horse jump over the current car, and it's capable of achieving a maximum fuel economy rating of 46 mpg under the Japanese test cycle. We'll have to wait and see how it rates under the EPA's program. AutoblogGreen will be there when Honda drives the car onstage in the Javits Center, and we'll provide full coverage from New York. In the meantime, if you want more info on the Japanese-market version, check out our October post on the topic.


[Source: Honda]