Thanks to the unique folding properties of our 2007 Honda Fit Sport's rear seat, a trip to the groomer was easy for Rudie, our 80 lb. German Shepard mix. He came from a shelter, so the actual ingredients of the mix are anyone's guess. Rottie or Doberman are the two leading theories.
What isn't in doubt is the utter flexibility of the Fit's rear seat design. In addition to folding down the usual way to expand the volume when loaded from the hatch, the rear seat bottoms can be folded up against the seat backs to create a tall space suitable for a big dog, a bicycle or any other sort of tall, slender cargo. A big-screen, perhaps? Framed artworks? No problem. Simply load them from the curb via the rear door.
The hidden secret that makes it work even better is an unusual gas tank location--under the front seats. This provides an ultra-low and ultra-flat load floor unlike any other.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 25,765 miles
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why didn't you take him in the Smart car?
hahahahahahahahaha
Rudie looks impressively happy back there.
that is an awesome feature.
Great feature, and great dog.
If I were in the market for this size car, this feature alone would convince me to buy this car. We have an old Golden Retriever, and it's hard for her to get into any vehicle. So anything to ease her pain I'm all for. Good job Honda!
I'm definitely no psycho animals rights activist, but it never ceases to amaze how people will spend $400 to get their 11-year-old child into the ultimate booster seat with ridiculously oversized side bolsters, and only allow them to sit in the center position in the name of safety... and yet their dogs wander freely about the cabin. I'm sure he's safer on the floor than up on the seat with his head out the window. But you really ought to have folded the rear seats down, not up, and put the doggy inside a travel crate. Much safer for both of you. And it would have been an equally impressive display of the Fit's cargo capacity, and the flexibility of hatchbacks and wagons.
After having test driven a Fit Sport I have to say that there is not much to dislike about these cars.
I was actually going to buy one last month, but decided to hold off to see how the 09 model turns out. The power increase alone is worth holding out a few months for.
Is it just me or does the interior look purple in the photo?...I hope that's just my eyes (or monitor) playing tricks on me. A car this ugly with purple interior would really stoke my doubts about Honda judgement as a whole.
This is the stuff that made Honda great. Brilliant small cars that don't feel cheap. Looking forward to the 09 as well.
I test drove one when they first came out. I brought along three other people plus a sales-man. The FitSport auto strugled to get up even small hills, and the fuel economy is not that much better than a civic.
It isn't purple--just a badly washed-out photo taken at high noon.
Redliner: I've driven a Fit auto myself (admittedly not the one with the paddles) and I tend to agree. There are not enough hamsters under the hood to deal with the autobox, which for some reason avoids the use of 4th gear--it tends to bog in 5th then scream in 3rd. There isn't a D4 position on the PRNDL, either. For me, the 5-speed manual is the only way to make the Fit a viable choice--it makes the car infinitely more drivable.
We do the same thing with our dog for trips both short and long. Our dog is about the same size, and he can handle long car rides really well from the bottom of the Fit. You can also easily lay a bed sheet or two down to prevent getting lots of hair and debris in the car.
Even after a trip to see the in-laws for several hours, the interior remains hair free once you take out the sheets. We always put one over the backs of the front seats, and another on the floor and drape it over the folded up rear seats. It works perfectly.
Makes me think about the Fit for our Golden, now that the wife has a new (dog-free) car. Great post, I'm looking forward to the '09 Fit.
I can't wait to see reviews on the new one. We dug the fit but found its lack of power a bit disconcerting. The new one looks even better...
ahightower
My dog weighs 111 pounds. If you want to put her in a cage and then lift it into a car, be my guest.
The Fit, with fold-up rear seats, is a perfect "fit" for her as it it stands. :)
I usually put the crate in first, then have the dog climb in... but like I said, not trying to be preachy.
You really should secure your dog in the car. My dog is much happier in her doggy seat belt because she is no longer sliding around the back seat at every corner, or off the front when braking. In an accident we will both be safer for it too. The harness style seat belts don't cost that much.
I keep seeing comparisons of fuel economy between the Fit and the Civic. The Civic gets better milage as its a MUCH MUCH newer design. The Fit dates back to 2001 or so, while the Civic was new for 2006.
"The Civic gets better milage as its a MUCH MUCH newer design."
The Civic is "capable" of better mileage, doesn't mean that it always does. Like so many of todays engines, it can get great mileage if you drive it just right, not so much if you don't.
I have a friend with a 07 Fit and a 08 Civic. His Fit gets much better mileage then the Civic (he's an aggresive driver) which is just as I expected.
Power is never free.
The best thing about the Fit is it's cheaper and it comes as a hatchback. If they bring back the Civic hatch, Fit sales would suffer.
Comparing civic to fit is apples to oranges. anyone know how much more aerodynamic the Civic is? much smaller frontal area, and much lower Cd i'd guess. that equals better highway mileage (when driven sensibly).
the Fit's real advantage is space flexibility - a hatch with a true fold-flat floor and flip up seat bottoms vs. a trunk with a pass through. big, big difference. space efficiency, too - the Fit is 20" shorter than the Civic, but you can fit an 8 foot long object (e.g. surfboard) INSIDE the Fit with the hatch closed.
Why do you think the Civic has a smaller frontal area? It is wider and more surface = more frontal area. Cd is tied to frontal area so that must be factored in.
The Civic is longer which makes it easier to control airflow but the FIT is still relatively clean and I don't think it affects mpg's as much as suggested.
The 09 FIT looks even cleaner and w/ the more steeply raked windscreen, looks to be pretty aero.
The FIT's attractiveness is the Honda interior flexibility, mpg's and polish all wrapped into an affordable, trouble free pkg.
They perfected the fundamentals.
the civic does have a smaller frontal area - not by as much as I thought though. it's quite a bit shorter than the fit, and not that much wider. but Cd is completely independent of frontal area - drag force on a car = (0.5)*(density of air)*(speed squared)*(frontal area)*(drag coeff). a baseball and a basketball have roughly the same coefficient of drag (the stitches and texture make it different).
Civic is 0.31, or 0.27 for the hybrid version. I can't find a number for the Fit, but I have to believe it's higher than the Civic.