All-New 2009 Honda Fit Big on Style and Refinement, Small on Price and Fuel Consumption

Here is the press release from Honda News, this is for the US, but with the exception of the Navigation, almost all of it applies to us in Canada.

08/19/2008 - TORRANCE, Calif. -

The completely-redesigned 2009 Honda Fit is set to go on sale August 26 with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starting at $14,550, plus a destination and handling charge of $670, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today. The Fit Sport, equipped with additional premium features, is also set to debut with a starting MSRP2 of $16,060, plus destination and handling.

The Fit is designed to lead the subcompact segment with a quality feel and a multi-functional interior. The Fit has become more refined for 2009 with a sportier demeanor through improved suspension, steering and body rigidity enhancements; an improved rear Magic Seat®; and a high level of standard safety equipment, including the addition of the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and front seat active head restraints. A new, more powerful 117-horsepower, 1.5-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine further improves the Fit's high-revving, fun-to-drive character.

"With the all-new Fit, Honda is offering premium features and advanced technology within a high-function, small vehicle package," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. "Customers who choose the Fit are choosing superior refinement and premium quality, along with value and economy."

Dimensionally compact on the outside with an overall length of 161.6 inches, the interior provides a surprisingly spacious passenger volume of 90.8 cubic feet and a rear cargo volume of 20.6 cubic feet. The seats offer multiple seating and cargo-carrying configurations - tall object mode, long object mode and utility mode - in addition to the standard five-passenger mode.

An improved rear Magic Seat provides one-motion dive-down functionality without having to remove the rear seat head restraints to folds flat into the floor, creating a rear cargo volume of 57.3 cubic feet. Dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags, dual front-side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS) and side-curtain airbags are standard equipment on all models.

The engine produces 117 horsepower at 6600 rpm and 106 lb-ft. of torque at 4800 rpm. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard and a 5-speed automatic transmission is available. Steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters allow for manual gear selection on the Fit Sport equipped with the available automatic transmission. The Fit equipped with the available automatic transmission achieves an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) city/highway fuel economy rating1 of 28/35 miles per gallon. The Fit with a manual transmission and Fit Sport with either a manual or the available automatic transmission achieve an EPA city/highway fuel economy rating1 of 27/33 miles per gallon.

The Fit comes with standard amenities such as air conditioning, an AM/FM/CD audio system with four speakers, MP3/WMA playback capability, Radio Data System (RDS), auxiliary audio input jack, power windows, power mirrors and power door locks. The Fit Sport adds alloy wheels, an underbody aero kit, rear roofline spoiler, fog lights, security system with keyless remote entry and cruise control. The Fit Sport audio system provides six speakers, a five-mode equalizer and a USB Audio Interface .

For the first time, the Fit is available with the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with Voice Recognition on the Fit Sport, featuring a 6.5-inch screen and more than 7 million points of interest. Models equipped with the navigation system also include Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®), also known as electronic stability control.

The front MacPherson strut suspension and torsion beam rear suspension settings are tuned to provide a sporty, solid and dynamic driving experience. Upgraded by 1-inch on each model, larger 15- and 16-inch wheels (Fit and Fit Sport respectively) are shod with 175/65 R15 84S (Fit) and 185/55 R16 83H (Fit Sport) tires. The standard anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake distribution (EBD) uses 10.3-inch ventilated discs in the front and 7.9-inch drums in the rear.

Here is the link, look along the right side and you'll see more images;

http://www.hondanews.com/categories/1097/releases/4690

More Info on the 2009 Honda FIT for North America

Random Notes;
-LX and Sport models with have keyless remote entry.
-LX now has 15" lightweight alluminum alloy wheels.
-Armrests will be on the LX and Sport models.
-Front seatback in thinner for increased knee room in the second row.
-Air Conditioning will be an option for the base DX model.
-8X cupholders, 4X in the front, 4X in the rear.
-No manual height adjustment in the driver's seat in any trim levels.
-Gone is the refresh mode for seating positions.
-Automatic Sport models lose the paddle shifters (to make the car lighter).
-Used i-Vtec vs Vtec in older model (more power and better fuel efficiency).
-The side door mirrors are taller for better visability.
-Fuel filler door is now spring loaded, but not lockable.
-Spare tire comes with the manual transmission only, automatics get a tire repair kit (again, weight issues for increased fuel economy numbers).
-Fear not, the tire repair kit is simple to use, faster changed and you don't even need to take the nail (or whatever) out of the tire. (travel up to 100km's?)
-Yes, you can order a spare tire for your automatic transmission if you want.
-Should arrive mid-September.

For more info on the car, check out my previous post below;

http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2008/07/2009-honda-fit.html

2009 Honda FIT

Spec's
-1.5 Litre 4 Cylinder Engine
-118 Horse Power with i-Vtec
-5 Speed Automatic or 5 Speed Manual Transmission
-Paddle Shifters for Automatic Transmission (Sport model)
-Front and Rear Stabilizer Bars
-15" Wheels with Covers or 16" Alluminum Alloy Wheels (Sport model only)
-USB Port located in the Upper Tier Storage Box (Reportedly on All Trims)
-4 Channel Anti-lock Brake System (All Trims)
-Electronic Brake Distribution (All Trims)
-Front, Side, and Curtain Airbags (All Trims)
-Drive by Wire Throttle (All Trims)
-Air Conditioning with Micron Filter (Rumoured to be on ALL Trims)
-Tilt and Telescopic Steering Wheel
-Electronic Cruise Control (not on base model)
-Keyless Remote Entry System (not on base model)
-Voice Activated Navigation System (US only)
-CD Player with Mp3 Playback
-Auxillary Input for i-pod or Mp3 Players
-Power Windows (All Trims)
-Power Door Locks (Rumoured to be on ALL Trims)
-Power Mirrors (All Trims)
-Keyless Remote Entry (not on base?)
-Maintenance Minder System (All Trims)
-Steering Wheel Mounted Audio Controls (Sport model Only?)
-Vehicle Stability Assist (All Trims)
-Traction Control (All Trims)
-Roofline Spoiler, Ground FX (Sport model)
-Underbody Kit (Sport model)
-Rear Driver's Seat Hidden Bin
-Active Head Restraints (All Trims)
-NO Need to Remove 2nd Row Headrests to Fold Seats Flat (Magic Seat)
-Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure

The wheelbase has been increased 2 inches to 98.4 inches, while the overall length goes up 2.2 inches to 153.5 inches. The Fit is also 0.8 inch wider, while the front track is 1.4 inches wider and the rear track is 1.2 inches wider. It's surprising that the overall weight gain is a meager 22 pounds.

the stretched wheelbase of the new Fit primarily improves rear-seat legroom, which has increased 1.6 inches.

Honda FIT Coupe?

Found this on Vince Burlap's The Hollywood Extra, he seems to think it is a Fit coupe. I don't know where he got the photo, but I do know that Honda is in works on a sporty Hybrid, this may be that. Anyway, thought I'd pass it on.

2009 Honda FIT Press Release

03/19/2008 - NEW YORK -

The all-new 2009 Honda Fit, set to go on sale in the U.S. this fall, is making its U.S. debut at the New York International Auto Show, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today. The Fit promises to further its leadership in the subcompact segment with top-of-class feature content, including an available Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™; improved interior functionality, including one-motion dive-down rear seats; enhanced sporty demeanor through improved suspension, steering and body rigidity; and high levels of standard safety equipment, including Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure.

"Critics and customers alike have voted the Fit among the best small vehicles on the road," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. "This new Fit raises the bar even further, taking what was already great about the Fit, making it even better and throwing in a healthy dose of refinement."

Enhanced Comfort and Convenience
Dimensionally compact on the outside, the interior provides surprisingly large passenger and class-leading cargo space to maximize comfort and utility. At the foundation is an improved rear Magic Seat®, now featuring one-motion dive-down functionality, which allows the rear seat to fold flat with the front seats in the rearmost slide position and without removing the rear head restraints. The seats offer multiple seating and cargo-carrying configurations (tall object mode, long object mode and utility mode) in addition to the standard five-passenger mode. Additionally, a new hidden storage bin under the driver's side rear seat provides a place to store small items.
Adding further refinement, Fit Sport offers an available factory-installed Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with Voice Recognition, featuring a 6.5-inch screen. All Fit Sport models feature a USB audio interface1 compatible with current generation iPods® and many USB storage devices.

"The goal is to provide entry-level vehicle customers with functionality and refinement that's a class above," said Colliver. "Buying a Fit is a choice, not a compromise."

Fun to Drive
The Fit features a new 1.5-literi-VTEC™ 4-cylinder engine connected to either a 5-speed manual transmission or an available 5-speed automatic transmission, which includes steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters on the Fit Sport. The new engine is designed to offer the best balance of fuel economy and power. Larger 15-inch and 16-inch (Fit Sport) wheels hint at enhancements to the Fit's suspension, steering and body rigidity, which are intended to produce sportier handling without sacrificing comfort.

Top-of-Class Standard Safety Equipment
The 2009 Fit adds Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure technology, available Vehicle Stability Assist ™ (VSA®) and active head restraints, to a top-of-class list of standard safety features. With Fit's adoption of ACE, more than 94 percent of Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. will include the innovative body structure. When introduced to the 2009 Fit, VSA will be available in the lineup of every model Honda sells in the United States. Dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags, dual front-side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS) and side-curtain airbags are standard equipment on all Fit models. All seating positions have three-point seat belts. Additionally, front and rear visibility is improved.

Standard active safety equipment includes an anti-lock braking system (ABS), with ventilated discs in the front and drums in the back, and electronic brake distribution (EBD).

More detailed information about the 2009 Honda Fit will be released closer to the vehicle launch in the fall.

Source; http://www.hondanews.com/categories/1074/releases/4444

2009 Honda FIT Interior Shots

Here are some nice shots of the FIT that we should be recieving here in North America. This is the European one, I sure hope we get the 'sky roof'.

Here is a link to a previous article of mine on the coming FIT;

http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2007/12/2nd-generation-honda-fit-2009-for-us.html