A1

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

The all-new 2009 Honda Fit is designed to further its leadership in the subcompact segment with top-of-class fuel economy, feature content, safety and interior functionality.

Enlarge Photo

It features an enhanced sporty demeanor to increase its fun-to-drive character through a more powerful engine and improved suspension, steering and body rigidity.

"The new Fit is designed to raise the bar in the Canadian subcompact market by taking what is already great about the Fit and making it even better with an increased fuel efficiency, safety and fun-to-drive character," said Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president of Honda Canada Inc.

"With the recent rise in fuel costs, the fuel-efficient Fit is the ideal vehicle for Canadians looking for lower fuel costs partnered with high value and class-leading functionality."

A new, more powerful 117-horsepower, 1.5-litre i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine enhances the Fit's high-revving, fun-to-drive character while offering improved fuel economy over the previous Fit. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard, and a segment-unique 5-speed automatic transmission is available.

Estimated fuel economy is 7.2 L/100 km (city) and 5.7 L/100 km (highway) with the standard manual transmission.

The estimated fuel economy for Fit with the optional 5-speed automatic transmission is 7.1 L/100 km (city) and 5.5 L/100 km (highway).

The Fit is designed to lead the subcompact segment with a quality feel and a multi-functional interior. It has become more refined for 2009 with a sportier demeanor through improved suspension, steering and body-rigidity enhancements; an improved rear Magic Seat(R); and a high level of standard safety equipment, including the addition of the Advanced Compatibility

Engineering(TM) (ACE(TM)) body structure for enhanced crash protection and front seat active head restraints.

The interior provides surprisingly large passenger volume with

2,572 litres and class-leading cargo space of 1,622 litres to maximize passenger comfort and utility. At the foundation is an improved rear Magic Seat(R), now featuring one-motion dive-down functionality, which allows the rear seat to fold flat with the front seats in the rear-most slide position and without removing the rear head restraints. The seats offer multiple seating and cargo-carrying configurations. A new hidden storage bin under the driver's side rear seat provides a secure place to store small items.

The 2009 Fit comes with standard amenities such as power windows, power mirrors, AM/FM/CD audio system with MP3/WMA playback capability and Radio Data System (RDS). Other standard features include, auxiliary audio input jack, tilt and telescopic steering column, Maintenance Minder and fuel consumption display showing current and average fuel consumption to help drivers drive more economically.

The Fit LX adds standard air conditioning, power door locks, keyless remote entry, heated mirrors, rear roofline spoiler, driver side armrest and cruise control.

In addition to the above features, Fit Sport adds a 6-speaker audio system with 5-mode equalizer, USB audio interface compatible with current generation iPods(R) and numerous USB storage devices, leather-wrapped steering wheel, security system, fog lights, 16" alloy wheels, chrome exhaust finisher and underbody aero kit.

Larger 15-inch wheels (16-inch on Fit Sport) hint at enhancements to the Fit's suspension, steering and body rigidity, which are designed to produce sportier handling without sacrificing comfort. Front MacPherson strut suspension and torsion beam rear suspension settings are tuned to provide a sporty and dynamic driving experience.

The 2009 Fit adds Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE(TM)) body structure technology and front seat active head restraints to a top-of-class list of standard safety features. 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, as well as anti-lock braking (ABS) with electronic brake distribution for increased braking performance. All seating positions have three-point seat belts. Additionally, front and rear visibility has been improved.

Honda is the world's preeminent maker of engines for automobiles, motorcycles and power equipment. With 135 manufacturing facilities in

28 countries worldwide, Honda now attracts more than 23 million customers annually. Honda Canada manufactures the Honda Ridgeline and Civic sedan and coupe, and the Acura CSX and MDX at its two plants in Alliston, Ontario. A new, third plant in Alliston, with the capacity to produce up to 200,000 vehicle engines annually, is scheduled to open in September.

Manufacturer Suggested Retail Pricing (MSRP) for the new 2009 Honda Fit models is:

$14,980 - DX (5-speed manual transmission)

$16,180 - DX (5-speed automatic transmission)

$16,280 - DX-A (5-speed manual transmission)

$17,480 - DX-A (5-speed automatic transmission)

$17,380 - LX (5-speed manual transmission)

$18,580 - LX (5-speed automatic transmission)

$19,280 - Sport (5-speed manual transmission)

$20,480 - Sport (5-speed automatic transmission)