Honda is going all out with the all-new 2015 Honda Fit. It’s better than the predecessor in every way, and production facility is now based in Mexico to insure the supply meets the high demand that the company is expecting. Honda is expecting to sell close to 70,000 units in the first year of production. The new car is lighter, a little shorter on the outside, but a lot bigger on the inside. You get 4.8 extra inches of rear legroom and class leading 52.7 cu-ft of cargo volume with rear seat folded.
There is an updated Earth Dreams 1.5L four cylinder engine under the hood. It produces 130 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque, which is a significant increase over the outgoing model. More power does not mean more thirst. The Fit is now EPA rated at 33 MPG city, 41 MPG highway, and 36 MPG combined for the LX model with the CVT. There is more big news. The 2015 Honda Fit also comes with a 6-speed manual transmission in two trim levels. The started LX trim with a manual comes in at $15,525. The manual also comes with additional features of the EX model, which includes the sunroof. This is the model I tried around the streets of New York City.
The manual shifter action did not feel as precise as I expected, and the shifter knob felt a little too plastic, but the clutch is easy. The engine likes to rev and this little-big car zipped happily through and around the big city traffic. Honda, thank you for offering the manual transmission in the Fit. It makes the driving experience more engaging.
You have to sit in this car to really appreciate how big it is on the inside. There is plenty of headroom, legroom, and shoulder room throughout. Clever engineering and packaging means that the rear “magic” seats fold flat (really flat). The seat bottoms can also fold up to allow for tall items to be loaded from the side. The front passenger seat can also fold flat to swallow a 9-foot long surf-board.
HondaLink infotainment system is one of the best. It has HDMI connectivity, which means that you can send movies and music to the 7-inch center screen while parked. It comes with Apple Siri hands-free interface. It can also replicate your smartphone screen. Every 2015 Honda Fit comes standard with a rear view camera.
In the end, the 2015 Honda Fit impresses with huge interior space within small exterior dimensions. It’s also a fun car to drive when paired to the manual transmission. The low starting price and excellent fuel economy are not bad either.
Check out this 2015 Honda Fit reveal video.
