The Fit doesn't always get the respect it deserves. We might as well call it Rodney.

Well Rodney, my good friend, If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be able to do my job. With your seats folded flat I'm able to haul my gear around easily. And because you have a low cargo lift level, I'm able to take some nice car to car shots.



So, thanks pal. Even if others roll their eyes at the prospect of driving you, I know you're a good friend to me.

Scott Jacobs, Senior Photographer

We've praised the Honda Fit's incredibly fluid shifter before, but for some reason, I was more aware of it than ever this weekend. Every shift was so light , so effortless. It honestly felt as if my hand was being guided by a chorus of incredibly attentive anime angels. When the temperature is as butt-scalding-hot as it was the weekend, the last thing you want to have to do is work too hard. The Fit seemed to literally assimilate itself into my wavelength, taking me to and from with a spirit of fun and ease.

My upstairs neighbor in my apartment building is thinking about downsizing from his lumbering Equinox. He's considering both the Fit and the Chevrolet Aveo. When he asked me which one I'd recommend, the answer was a no-brainer.

Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor @ 24,490 miles

I took our 2007 Honda Fit Sport to the relatives' this weekend, where I was bestowed with a hand-me-down vanity set for my young daughter. The obvious question: Could I get it home in this tiny economy car?

Fortunately, the answer was yes, The vanity, which was about 17" deep and twice as high, fit nicely behind the second row of seats when turned on its side. The stool tucked in as well. We couldn't have lowered the rear seats even if we had wanted to, because then we'd have no way to get the kids home. But all four of us, with booster seats, the vanity and a couple of bags of swim clothes (sorry America, it was 95 degrees here on Sunday) fit into the Fit.

There was no room for anything else, though... I had to choose between the vanity set and the two large plastic storage boxes I also wanted to take. But I suppose you can't demand quite that much cargo room from such a diminutive vehicle.

-- Joanne Helperin, Senior Features Editor, Miles tba

We are dope fiends for big wheels, aren't we?

It's the sidewall of the tires that we should be talking about, of course. Since big wheels simply make it possible to produce tires with narrower sidewalls, and that's the feature that delivers quicker steering response. But instead we're all over the wheels, equating bigger with better. When you look at design renderings for future concept cars, you can barely see any tire at all.

And yet the secret to the Honda Fit is its tiny wheels.

If you want real packaging efficiency with as much interior space as possible, it's a good idea to start with smaller wheels. Take a seat in the Honda Fit and you'll notice you're not swinging your legs around a giant wheel well in front of you, and there's plenty of room in the footwell to set up the pedals in a natural position. (Well kind of natural, since the Fit's driving position is calibrated for shorter drivers.)

That's the message of the Honda Fit. If you want to maximize your people space, maybe you need tiny wheels, not a bigger package.

Of course, any kid in design school would rather eat a bug than draw a car with tiny wheels.

Michael Jordan, Inside Line Executive Editor @ 23,804 miles  

I don’t know about you all, but I refuse to drive around by myself with the front passenger seat slid all the way forward. Whenever I see that someone’s left the seat that way, I compulsively slide it back so that it’s roughly parallel with the driver seat. So it was in our long-term Honda Fit when I brought it along to Joshua Tree National Park last week -- someone had left the passenger seat all the way up, so I promptly slid it back. Except this time I got a little more than I’d bargained for. “In the name of Soichiro Honda,” I exclaimed, “what…is…THAT!”

I’m taking suggestions. Meanwhile, browse onward for a few Joshua Tree pics. I averaged a little over 35 mpg for the trip, by the way -- mainly unimpeded highway driving, A/C blasting (to the extent that the Fit’s apathetic A/C can be said to blast), with some stop-and-go mixed in.

Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 23,283 miles

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I’ve been spending a lot of quality time with our venerable long-term Fit recently, and I have to say I’m less than aurally impressed with its engine. While the Fit’s engine note has been lauded by at least one of my colleagues, I can’t find much to like about the 1.5-liter’s uncouth booming north of 4,000 rpm. Thing about the Fit is, you’ll be north of 4k rather frequently if you want to keep up with traffic, so you’re going to hear that strident soundtrack on the regular, like it or not. It doesn’t help that the emissions-friendly engine calibration has given our Fit an unfortunate (though not uncommon) case of hanging revs.

Hey, I know the Fit’s a budget compact, but when I see “VTEC” on an engine cover, I expect a more pleasant aural experience en route to redline.

Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 22,531 miles

Everyone knows that some manual transmission vehicles are harder to drive than others. Being a Joni-come-lately to the stick shift world (I'm not a road test editor), I had to cut my teeth (and likely some of the gears' as well) in heavy rush hour traffic, on whatever random manual vehicle was occassionally available to me. I struggled with our VW and Audi. I had an easier time with our old MItsubishi Eclipse. Finally, I asked to have the Fit for an entire week, to give me some real practice.

As a result, the Fit will remain forever in my heart as the car that got me comfortable with manual transmissions. Why? The Fit's clutch is the most forgiving one I've yet encountered. As opposed to cars that have a very precise engagement point you have to hit -- or risk stalling out -- the Fit cuts the driver a lot of slack. And as others have mentioned, the shifter is easy to control with just your fingertips. After a week in this car, all that anxiety about getting it right was (more or less) gone. I began to actually have fun with it, to gain confidence. Shifting finally became second nature. I even made it up some steep hills -- in real traffic.

So if you're trying to get someone to drive a stick -- a significant other, a roommate, whatever -- this is a great car for them to learn on.

I have been posting on the Driving Woman about my search for a fuel-efficient vehicle. The lease on my Volvo XC90 is up soon and we aren't planning on keeping it due to the 18 mpg it averages on my 105-mile round trip commute.

Mike and Mike, keepers of the cars, were kind enough to loan me the Honda Fit for the night so that I could get real mileage numbers for my commute. This can't be right, can it? 107 miles on 2.5 gallons of gas for 42.8 mpg? I filled up the tank. I double checked the figure. It sure was 2.5 gallons. I checked the mileage, it sure was 107 miles since the last fill up (105.1 miles for my trip). If my math is accurate, that is pretty damn good. I only got 39.4 mpg on the same route in a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid.

I like the Honda Fit. I thought it was zippy and cute, and nothing about it irritated me. If I buy an economy car, I am going to have to remember to turn the headlights on and off myself. The Fit needed a little jump this morning due to my forgetfulness.

I posted on the Driving Woman about the car seat fit.

-Michelle Magoffin, Sr. Product Manager @ 21,645 miles

If I traveled internationally every week, our 2007 Honda Fit would be the car I'd leave at the airport. I mean the hatchback no disrespect when I say this, but I find it very easy and un-challenging to drive when I'm out of sorts (but still operating within the legal limits).

I don't think I've ever encountered a car that managed to convey such lightness through its steering, pedals and shifter while still feeling so direct during these interactions. Most subcompacts get the lightness bit of it, but fumble on the directness.

This was the first time I've driven the Fit since the transmission scare, and it felt no worse for the wear... it's the same as before. The car's general well-being, along with the nameplate's 7-year lifespan in Japan, makes me think the incident was anomalous. However, I still wish it hadn't happened to our Fit.

Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 21,539 miles