2017 Honda Fit: Product and performance overview

They said that when you have fun, time flies quickly. This is the case with the 2017 Honda Fit. This small cruiser celebrated its 10th birthday in showrooms across the country. Those looking for a practical 5-door subcompact car should consider the Honda Fit.

Over the course of the next few minutes, we will look at the essentials of the vehicle for 2017.

Flexibility

Interior

Exterior

Platform & Performance

Fuel Economy

Safety & Security

Availability

Flexibility

Despite its smaller platform, the 2017 Fit offers class-leading passenger and cargo volume – 52.7 cubic ft. with the rear seats down. The vehicle “fits” taller or wider items and still accommodates passengers. The interior features a remarkable 95.7 cubic feet in passenger volume and 39.3 inches of rear seat legroom.

It might be hard to imagine, but the Honda Fit’s rear legroom is more generous than some midsize cars. In some instances, it’s as much as four more inches for rear passengers.

Interior

Along with the Fit’s flexibility comes Honda’s “airy spaciousness” with regard to the interior. There are plenty of soft-touch materials complimented by black and silver accents. The interior surfaces and controls, along with the blue backlit instrument dials are a stylish touch. The Fit’s available Display Audio touchscreen interface and leather seats (EX-L models) are elements of luxury.

Additional upgrades include Smart Entry Push Button Start, a moonroof, and heated leather seats.

Exterior

Honda focused on a sporty, expressive, and purposeful design. How someone defines those terms are probably subjective, but they are concentrated in Honda’s styling of the headlights, grille, and lower intake. The overall linear slope through the hood and windshield is added for effect. The roofline tapers into the spoiler while the body lines through the doors give it a chiseled look.

The 2017 Honda Fit is available in eight colors, including several vibrant options. Lunar Silver metallic replaces Alabaster Silver metallic for 2017.

All Fit models have auto on-off headlights and LED brake lights.

Platform & Performance

The 2017 Honda Fit rides on a lightweight and rigid chassis, the benefits of which are numerous. Handling, safety, and fuel efficiency all improve from a lighter, yet stiffer vehicle architecture. Steering is sharper and for the 2017 Honda Fit, the engineers focused intently on a sense of oneness between driver and vehicle.

Much of that is accomplished with a well executed chassis.

A 1.5L 4-cylinder DOHC engine powers the new Fit, producing 130 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 114 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,600 rpm. The engine features a combination of i-VTEC+VTC valve and timing control plus direct fuel injection – the first use of such technology in a Honda subcompact. Together, they give the 2017 Honda Fit an advantage when it comes to overall responsiveness.

Two transmissions are offered: a 6-speed manual or a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with G-Shift Control. Wide ratio ranges and low internal friction were key in Honda’s design of the CVT for smooth acceleration and improved fuel mileage.

Fuel Economy

The 2017 Honda Fit has an EPA fuel-economy rating of 29 city, 36 highway, and 32 combined with the manual transmission. By contrast, the LX trim with the CVT is 33 city, 40 highway, and 36 combined. The EX and EX-L trims with the CVT come in at 32 city, 37 highway, and 34 combined.

Suffice it to say, fuel economy would be a prime reason to purchase the 2017 Honda Fit.

Safety & Security

Honda’s next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure is absolutely vital here. With a network of front frame structures, ACE absorbs and deflects the impact of frontal collisions. Energy and forces generated during a collision are thus more evenly dispersed, and intrusion of that collision energy into the cabin where occupants are seated is minimized.

Other safety features include Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with traction control, side curtain airbags with rollover sensor, Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), and Brake Assist. The Fit also received a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Availability

The 2017 Honda Fit is on sale now. Starting MSRP is $15,990 (USD) for the basic LX trim with the 6-speed manual. Comparatively, the highest trim, the EX-L with navigation and the CVT, starts at $21,265.

*Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.

Photo & Source: Honda North America