Not long after its arrival, our long-term 2015 Honda Fit was affectionately nicknamed Fiticia. It’s a twist on “Bye, Felicia,” a meme that went viral around the same time the Fit first rolled into our garage. The phrase originates from the 1995 movie “Friday” and refers to a drug-addicted neighborhood nuisance named Felicia whom nobody wanted around. Fiticia, however, is nothing like Felicia. For a little more than a year, I chaperoned the Milano Red hatch and witnessed the tiny Honda gain plenty of fans among MT staffers.
When it comes to what is expected of subcompacts, the 2015 Fit ticks all the boxes and then some. It’s practical, affordable, stingy with fuel, and reliable. Its strongest quality has to be practicality. There is plenty of headroom, and the rear Magic Seats truly are an impressive engineering feat. With the rear seat bottoms folded up, the area behind the front seats is spacious enough for a road bicycle, a 4-foot-tall plant, or a 60-pound English pointer. In all, the Fit can handle 52.7 cubic feet of cargo (more than the Kia Rio and Nissan Versa Note). Digital director Chris Clonts put that to the test when he commissioned the Fit for moving day and was able to squeeze in a large painting, a folding table, boxes, and then some. Editor-in-chief Ed Loh shuttled an 8-foot surfboard and says the Fit can probably handle a 10-footer. If you need to haul a lot of stuff, the Fit can do it.
With an as-tested price of $19,025, our Fit EX with the continuously variable transmission packs a long list of goodies. I appreciated the capacitive keyless entry (driver’s door only), push-button start, moonroof, and automatic headlights the most. The Fit EX comes with the LaneWatch side-view camera that displays the passenger-side blind spot via the infotainment screen whenever the right-hand turn signal is activated. Cool feature, but it’s a bit of overkill because the Fit has excellent all-around visibility. I’d rather swap that out for an auto-dimming rearview mirror. I’d also love a volume knob instead of the silly touch volume slider.
Is the Fit fun to drive? Depends on your definition of fun. Straight-line performance isn’t its forte.
In all, the Fit incurred $289.98 in maintenance costs spread among three service visits. That essentially matches our 2015 Nissan Versa Note, which also had three services for a total of $288.27 (stay tuned for the Nissan’s verdict review, coming soon). Our 2013 Kia Rio SX long-termer was exceptionally affordable, demanding just $215.55 from our wallets after four service visits. In addition to routine oil changes and tire rotations, our Fit was part of a recall that affected a small batch of early production cars. The recall involved a new and beefier front bumper beam, which helped the Fit earn Top Safety Pick status by the IIHS thanks to its improved performance in the front overlap crash test.
On the upside, the Fit is adequately zippy during everyday driving. I also found it to be a worthy road tripper, taking it on numerous treks to the Bay Area, Las Vegas, and San Diego. At 80 mph, the Fit feels relatively relaxed, though competitors such as the Chevrolet Sonic generate less road noise. The 130-hp, 1.5-liter I-4 had no issues maintaining 80 mph, and the CVT pairs well with the small engine.
With that said, I would gladly chaperone another Honda Fit, especially if the next Fit further improves its Fiesta ST-fighting credentials. Until then, it’s time to say bye to Fiticia one last time.
More on our long-term 2015 Honda Fit:
- Arrival
- Update 1: Stretching Out Its Legs on California Highways
- Update 2: A Day at the Track with a 911 GT3
- Update 3: Slide up the Volume
- Update 4: Looking for that Magic Range
- Update 5: Bicyclist Approved
- Update 6: More Admiration
| Our Car | |
| SERVICE LIFE | 15 mo / 25,436 mi |
| BASE PRICE | $18,225 |
| OPTIONS | Continuously variable transmission ($800) |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $19,025 |
| AVG ECON/CO2 | 32.9 mpg / 0.59 lb/mi |
| PROBLEM AREAS | None |
| MAINTENANCE COST | $289.98 (3-oil change, inspection; 2-tire rotation) |
| NORMAL-WEAR COST | $0 |
| 3-YEAR RESIDUAL VALUE* | $10,654 |
| RECALLS | Transmission software, ignition coil wiring, A-pillar covers |
| *Automotive Lease Guide data | |
| 2015 Honda Fit EX | |
| POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS | |
| DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT | Front-engine, FWD |
| ENGINE TYPE | I-4, aluminum block/head |
| VALVETRAIN | DOHC, 4 valves/cyl |
| DISPLACEMENT | 91.4 cu in/1,498cc |
| COMPRESSION RATIO | 11.5:1 |
| POWER (SAE NET) | 130 hp @ 6,600 rpm |
| TORQUE (SAE NET) | 114 lb-ft @ 4,600 rpm |
| REDLINE | 6,800 rpm |
| WEIGHT TO POWER | 20.0 lb/hp |
| TRANSMISSION | Cont. variable auto |
| AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO | 5.44:1/2.22:1 |
| SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR | Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; torsion beam, coil springs |
| STEERING RATIO | 13.1:1 |
| TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK | 2.5 |
| BRAKES, F;R | 10.3-in vented disc; 7.9-in drum, ABS |
| WHEELS, F;R | 6.0 x 16-in, cast aluminum |
| TIRES, F;R | 185/55R16 83H M+S Bridgestone Turanza EL470 |
| DIMENSIONS | |
| WHEELBASE | 99.6 in |
| TRACK, F/R | 58.1/57.7 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 160.0 x 67.0 x 60.0 in |
| TURNING CIRCLE | 35.1 ft |
| CURB WEIGHT | 2,601 lb |
| WEIGHT DIST., F/R | 62/38% |
| SEATING CAPACITY | 5 |
| HEADROOM, F/R | 38.0/37.6 in |
| LEGROOM, F/R | 41.4/39.3 in |
| SHOULDER ROOM, F/R | 54.8/52.6 in |
| CARGO VOLUME BEH F/R | 52.7/16.6 cu ft |
| TEST DATA | |
| ACCELERATION TO MPH | |
| 0-30 | 3.2 sec |
| 0-40 | 4.9 |
| 0-50 | 6.8 |
| 0-60 | 8.9 |
| 0-70 | 11.5 |
| 0-80 | 14.8 |
| 0-90 | 18.9 |
| PASSING, 45-65 MPH | 4.3 |
| QUARTER MILE | 16.8 sec @ 85.2 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 122 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.82 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 27.9 sec @ 0.63 g (avg) |
| TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH | 2,000 rpm |
| CONSUMER INFO | |
| STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL | Yes/yes |
| AIRBAGS | Dual front, front side, f/r curtain |
| BASIC WARRANTY | 3 yrs/36,000 miles |
| POWERTRAIN WARRANTY | 5 yrs/60,000 miles |
| ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE | 3 yrs/36,000 miles |
| FUEL CAPACITY | 10.6 gal |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON | 32/38/35 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS., CITY/HWY | 105/89 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS | 0.56 lb/mile |
| REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB | 28.4/38.1/32.1 mpg |
| RECOMMENDED FUEL | Unleaded regular |
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