2007 Honda Fit LX Long-Term Update No. 1

Small Wonder

If Christmas came last week, with Santa delivering a new

Cheeky, and cheerful, the Fit is a very happy looking automobile, thanks to these large headlamps. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

Yaris three-door, then, this latest automobile must be the work of the Easter Bunny. As luck might have it, after his rounds on dropping colourful foil-wrapped chocolate eggs, and other egg-shaped confectionaries, the big, fluffy long-eared one brought us a brand new Honda Fit for a long term evaluation, which we received on Easter Monday.

OK, truth be told, the story doesn't go exactly like that - we did receive the car on Easter Monday - nevertheless, the prospect of having another long term car added to our fleet makes us deeply pleased. After all, around these parts, it's a known fact that we much prefer cleverly engineered automobiles to sweets.

The

With power windows, power locks, and air conditioning, the Fit's got all the goodies we're used to having. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

newest member of our long-term family is a Milano Red Honda Fit LX, and like our Yaris, we will be running it for approximately three months. In layman's, rather than product developer's terms, our car is smack in the middle of the Fit portfolio, residing above the minimalist DX, but below the top of the line, and delicious-looking Sport. While it may look the same as the DX, with the plastic-clad fourteen-inch wheels, and simple, unadorned body, it comes jam-packed with features like power windows, power door locks (but not keyless entry), power mirrors, air conditioning, four speakers for the AM/FM/CD MP3-aux compatible stereo system. Compared to our other subcompact long-termer, the very basic (roll down your own windows) Yaris CE, the mid-range Fit looks like a Rolls Royce.

Mind you, the LX already builds on top of the Fit's generous standard

Optional five-speed auto is a class first. It provides smooth shifts and improves performance. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

equipment list, which includes the amazingly clever Magic Seat (of which we're already using), and a ton of interior and cargo space; features that are more or less class-exclusive.

The most basic Fits abide by Honda's "Safety for Everybody" policy, which means that all vehicles to leave the factory come jam-packed with standard ABS brakes and electronic brakeforce distribution, not to mention the standard front, side and side curtain airbags.

All Fits come with a single, compact, 1.5-litre inline-four wedged between gigantic headlamps, and with

Even the Fit's badge looks well engineered, and perfectly thought out. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

a horsepower rating of 109, and a torque figure of 106 lb-ft, the Fit's four-cylinder mill nudges up against the 110 hp, 107 lb-ft of torque duo from Korea (Hyundai Accent/Kia Rio), putting it in close contention for most powerful engine in class status. Our tester came equipped with a five-speed automatic, a $1,200 option that replaces the slick five-speed manual, that former of which, interestingly enough, is a class exclusive, and an industry first to boot.

In total, prior to taxes, our Fit had a price tag of $18,380, although, beginner's entry to the wonderful world of Fit starts at just $14,980. That's a whole lot of car, for a surprisingly small amount of money.

To us, the Honda Fit is an atypical subcompact vehicle. While on the outside it may look like a typical, cutesy, gasoline-miser, it takes just a fraction of a second inside, or on the road, to appreciate how much more it has to offer. The Fit is proof that not all subcompacts are created equal, and is a solid message to other automobile manufacturers that when products in this end of the market are designed with thought processes that are truly outside of the box, wonderful things can happen.

And now, to the logbook: