2012 Honda Fit Sport Review

I jumped into my Fit Sport tester, fired it up, adjusted the mirrors, threw on the headlights and headed out of the darkened parking lot for my trip home. Whoa! The huge sheet of windshield glass combined with the triangular corner windows and door glass had me feeling like I was piloting a fishbowl or perhaps a dome car from The Canadian.

The Fit offers incredibly expansive forward views thanks to its broad use of glass. It feels a bit odd though to be positioned well back of the windshield and the A-pillars, the latter of which bisect the otherwise unimpeded view of the world ahead.

Only the Sport version of the Fit changes for 2012, and those changes are purely cosmetic and apply primarily to the front grille, bumper and lower fascia — subtle as they may be. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com)

Once underway, I made another fairly immediate observation about my tester, and it pertained to the seat. The driver’s perch didn’t slide back far enough to meet my preference and the seat cushion didn’t provide adequate thigh support and wasn’t long enough for my relatively lanky legs to assume completely relaxed, outstretched positioning.

Now I’m no giant by any measure, failing in fact to eclipse the 6’ marker standing straight and tall, yet legroom wasn’t what I would hope for in a perfect setup. Headroom though? That’s a different matter. Plenty of room existed between my follicle-challenged cranium and the headliner.

Now, immediate impressions dispensed with, time to more adequately explore Honda’s immensely practical and popular Fit for 2012.

2012 Fit: what’s new?
Only the Sport version of the Fit changes for 2012, and those changes are purely cosmetic and apply primarily to the front grille, bumper and lower fascia — subtle as they may be. Interior upholstery is new for 2012 in the Fit Sport as are several exterior colours and dark alloy wheels.

While the visual changes for 2012 may require a sharp eye to spot, nothing mechanical changes about this vehicle for this year. It continues to derive motivation from a 1.5L SOHC 4-cylinder engine capable of producing 117 hp @ 6,600 rpm and 106 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800 rpm.

Those performance figures are decent for the economy segment, as are the Fit’s fuel economy ratings: 7.1L/100km city and 5.4L/100km highway. As attractive as these numbers may be, my tester’s onboard information centre displayed an average consumption of 10.2L/100km during my time behind the wheel.

While my driving was entirely city-bound — and achieving maximum economy was not my primary goal — I was a little disheartened to discover double-digit consumption. A contributing factor may be the sheer newness of my tester, which has yet to be properly broken in. My assumption is that fuel economy will improve over the next few thousand clicks, but my time with the Fit won’t extend that far.

The engine continues to derive motivation from a 1.5L SOHC 4-cylinder engine capable of producing 117 hp @ 6,600 rpm. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com)