I am moving soon and am thinking of getting a fit as my comute is going to more the double and it will me mostly stop and go. As of now I have a WRX and I am getting only around 20mpg which is not horrible but ther is room for improvment. My problem is that I am a bit worried of loss of power as the fit has less then half as much power as my WRX. I am not racing people around on the street and in some ways drive like a bit of a grandma as I don't want any tickets. However, I do like to go the the track once and a while and do some autoX.
I had a 93 civic hatch with a d15 in the past that drove me a little crazy. It was an automatic and I felt like it was underpowered when in combo with the auto. To me I just felt like at cruising speeds I could not even get out of my own way. Meaning if I steped on it, it would take a few seconds before I had the acceloration to pass someone.
I am now thinking of waiting until othe 09 fits come out. I like that the auto has the padel shifters so I could down shift to pass and have the convience of the auto in stop in go trafic which I will be spending and hour and a half to two hours a day in.
Basicly I like the fit a lot as it will lower my gas cost substantial as well as insurance. However I have not driven one yet and I want all of you opinos as to how well it does performance wise and how it would do in stop and go trafic. Thanks for your time and sorry for the long post.

 

If you are buying the Fit for anything but fuel economy, then you are buying it for the wrong reason. In that arena it performs well. The brakes are responsive and it handles well for a stock car.

It seems like you are worried about its acceleration performance. It that category it sucks *****. It is VERY slow. Its saving grace is that if you bought it for the reason it was created, as an economic daily driver, then you should not care.

Modifying this car in terms engine performance is pointless unless you go FI or a K swap. Both basically go against the point of the car and cost a huge percentage of its total price. It may do well in autoX, but I think it is a little pointless with this car.

I went from a low 12 high 11 second street car, to the Fit basically over night (after it was stolen) and the transition was fine. A WRX is not that fast in the first place .

I think if you want a fun fast car as well as one that is great on gas you should own two different cars. I have a sick CRX budget build in the works to cure this very same problem.

 

Thanks for your reply Budget. I am going to avoid the urge to be defensive about my WRX and get to the real issue. As far as autoX go I am not consured about it in the fit as I will just be in a lower class and I don't realy care what I am driving as long as there are turns to go around as fast as I can.
What I do want to know more about is if you want to pass can you just downshift and have the power to go around someone in a reasonable amount of time?
Also are there any other pros or cons that I may not be aware of?
I guess part of what I was thinking is the Fit could be is a new CRX. I know it is a bit heaver they they used to be but the chasis is also stiffer and it can seat five. I think the CRX's are great cars to be honest with you and I know tons of guys that track them with tons of enjoyment. Do any of you that own the Fit feel that the compaison is fair.
I am not going to be drag racing anyone, I just don't want to feel like I cant just pass someone without a lot of space. Thanks again for your time.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by twolucky &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am going to avoid the urge to be defensive about my WRX and get to the real issue.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I was just playing around with that comment .

With some light rims, r rated tires, and some springs or coilovers it will handle more than well enough for some fun autoXing.

I guess the comparing the CRX to the Fit is apt in the sense that they are/were smaller and cheaper when they were released relative to the rest of the car market.

A stock Fit is fun to drive, and though it would not be a good drag car unless highly modified, it would not take too much to make it handle like a beast.

It has enough power to downshift and pass other cars, unless that car speeds up and does not want to let you pass.

For what it is, I love my Fit.

 

Thanks that is the justification that I need. Unless something changes I will probably get a 09 fit when they come out. Of course I will have to drive it but there are a lot of things that apeal to me about the fit and it does sound like everyone thinks it has adaquit power which is all I need.
I think that it does look like a fun car and for me. I just don't want a cvt transmission. I have driven them a few times and just hate it for a performance stand point. For me the abilit to have an auto with the padel shifters is ideal as I comute in stop and go which gets old in a manual but I do want the control to chose what gear I am in.
Thanks again Budget I just needed to justify it a little bit.

 

If you get the car and you end up wanting a couple more ponies...
I am sure once kraftwerks finishes up their 07-08 kits they will make one for the 09. It is expensive though.

Friends who have superchargers (on their toyotas) see a neglegible difference in their mpg provided that they stay out of boost. While cruising there is a bypass valve that opens up and it lets the engine breath normally. Some have even reported a slight gain in mileage while cruising at hwy speeds. If you skim through the kraftwerks post's at fitfreak owners have commented on their high and low mpg numbers.

I would opt for a manual transmission. The pros far outweigh the con (driving in traffic). For me the manual is not even a issue. I dunno what your situation is though.

 

is there any particular reason that you are buying an auto over a manual? i drive in stop/go traffic and it's not horrible for me. not enough for me to get an auto. in fact, every car me and my wife own, all 6, are manuals. her 08 fit is nice with a manual. in fifth it still has enough grunt around 65 to get out of its' way if it has to. and i'd love to autocross it stock. it's pretty well balanced.

btw, i've autox'ed a WRX once.. i felt like i was plowing snow. i couldn't get the timing of the turbo down with the corners. it was either boggin on the gas, or plowing through a corner.

 

I don't know if BudgetFitting is driving an auto or a manual, but I've heard that the auto Fit's feel MUCH slower than the manuals.

I personally went from driving a modded b20 civic and an S2000 to the 5 speed Fit and while neither was blazing, they were both much faster than the Fit. I, however, had no problem adjusting to the power (or lack thereof) of the Fit. The Fit has plenty of get up and go, especially in 1st and 2nd gear. I have no problem passing and its vtec engagement still makes me smile.

Also, I am looking forward to having a chance to autoX my Fit. I've heard from multiple sources that the Fit makes an excellent autoX'ing daily driver. It handles well and with just a few simple mods I've heard that its more than a contender on the autoX track. Anyways, thats just my 2 cents. I don't drive like a granny but on my last tank I averaged 37.6 mpg. Not bad for ripping through 1st and 2nd gear every now and then. I love my Fit and love driving it!

 

It is a capable autocrosser due to its light weight and handling. I had one of the top pro autocross drivers use my car on a practice day and he was quite close to the top times in my class. And, the car is not nearly built to the rules which the other civics are.

And, there is never enough power???

 

Severly underpowered (from a test drive). But I will say that it won't have any problems merging onto the highway or passing. And it was REALLY fun, as it felt so nimble.

What you're asking it to do is too much, though. You can't have an economical car that is fast and reliable, and at the same time, comfortable for long commutes. Best is to get the Fit for commuting (and occasional track days) and an S2k or something.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by burningwrek &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I don't know if BudgetFitting is driving an auto or a manual, but I've heard that the auto Fit's feel MUCH slower than the manuals. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I am rocking the manual. It is a fun car to drive, but it is slow as hell.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BudgetFitting &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I am rocking the manual. It is a fun car to drive, but it is slow as hell.</TD></TR></TABLE>
x2.

anyone buying the fit for a drag car, GTFO. it's a slow car that gets epic mileage and handles well

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by p nut &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Best is to get the Fit for commuting (and occasional track days) and an S2k</TD></TR></TABLE>

Winning combination

 

Or get a Fit and a motorcycle. I sold my Audi and upgraded to the Fit for the daily grind and a Yamaha R6 for weekends and the track. If you average the 0-60 times for the two, it's about the same as my Audi was