Over the years I’ve mostly bought Hondas — and almost always have gravitated toward the brand’s smallest models. Once the Civic got too big I was glad that Honda brought to the United States a new entry-level car called the Fit.
The first-generation Fit, which was sold from 2006 to 2008, was tall, bland and rather bug-eyed (Wikipedia, 2015). A redesign for 2009 gave the Fit a more sharply chiseled but pleasing look. That lasted until the 2015 model year, when a third-generation design was introduced in the U.S.
The new Fit’s dimensions are admirably close to previous generations and only modestly greater than a third-generation Civic three-door hatchback (1983-87). Length is 155.7 inches and width 66.7 inches. What gives the Fit far greater room is a height of 60 inches — a whopping seven inches greater than the Civic hatchback and four inches more than the Civic’s then exceptionally tall wagon (Wikipedia, 2015). That extra height goes a long way toward explaining the Fit’s remarkable roominess.
The Fit is a plausible heir to the Civic wagon in terms of its versatility. Unfortunately, the new generation’s styling is much weaker than its Civic ancestors. Honda’s clean, almost German look has long since been replaced with a gimmicky assortment of random creases. This is most apparent in a rear-quarter view of the Fit. Compare the above picture with the fourth-generation Civic wagon shown below.
One could reasonably argue that the Fit needed a different design approach because side-impact standards ruled out a tall glassy greenhouse similar to the Civic’s. In addition, aerodynamics dictated a more cab-forward windshield. These two factors resulted in a much larger mass of side sheetmetal. More aggressive side sculpting was all but inevitable.
All true, but surely Honda could have done better than this. Upper-body creases come out of nowhere on the front doors and then wrap around the taillights until they . . . abruptly end. Meanwhile, the taillights randomly zig-zag onto the hatchback door and shoot up the C-pillars, shrinking already weak rear visibility.
The most understated part of the Fit is its front end. The black plastic grille looks rather cheap, but at least it doesn’t scare children. Honda presumably felt the need to slavishly copy what has become a standard industry practice of adding huge fish gills to the lower corners of the bumper area. At least Honda didn’t put the turn signals down there, ready to be crunched in a parking-lot accident.
This is not a car whose styling will age nearly as well as the classic third- and fourth-generation Civics. Does this merely reflect a decline in the quality of Honda’s design team or is the automaker trying to create cars that are disposed of more quickly?
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RE:SOURCES
- Wikipedia; 2015. “Honda Civic.” Accessed November 15.
- ——; 2015. “Honda Fit.” Accessed November 15.
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