First Test: 2012 Honda Fit

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"This is probably the best car Honda builds." That seems to be the common phrase around our office when discussing the little silver 2012 Honda Fit we've been passing around for the last week and a half. The Fit obviously isn't the fastest or best-appointed Honda, but as far as accomplishing the job it was designed to do, it is hard to beat.

Introduced as a 2007 model, the Honda Fit set the standard for what buyers could expect in the subcompact car market. The first-generation Fit won a comparison right out of the gate against the 2007 Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris. It won again in the summer of 2010, beating the then-brand-new Ford Fiesta. It drew praise for its great handling, near-perfect packaging, and excellent outward vision. All the things you would rank highly in a micro-sized people-mover.

A year and a half later, the small hatch market is still rapidly evolving. Cars from Korean manufacturers Hyundai and Kia have changed buyers' expectations of the level of standard equipment and interior refinement the entry-level segments should provide. Chevy has turned up the subcompact volume by offering the new Sonic with significantly more power in the form of a turbocharged 1.4-liter I-4, and Toyota has given a much-needed refresh to the Yaris. Suddenly, the head of the class might be looking at a seat in the fat part of the bell curve.

Looks are completely subjective in any class, but the subcompact market seems as varied as the supercar realm. While midsize sedans seem to exist in a styling comfort zone, designers can still go nuts on small offerings. Flying wedges, stubby bricks and Jelly Belly shapes all seem to work in a market aimed at younger buyers. The Fit takes on a shape similar to a minivan that spent too long in a clothes dryer. The high, long roof is a big plus for maximizing space, while sharp details and tight corners add a little aggressiveness to what might otherwise look like simple utilitarianism.

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Our First Tests always involve the normal battery of Motor Trend testing -- including 0-60 mph and quarter-mile acceleration, braking, and figure-eight testing. We also did a test that while unofficial might be the most appropriate one for this class of vehicle by far. We took the car to Ikea to buy a desk. While strapping in advanced test gear beside an expert might be the most thorough method of sorting out vehicle dynamics, average subcompact drivers want to know if they are going to be able to fit their new flat-pack furniture in the back and still have space for a Daime Torte. The Fit was used for grocery shopping, a trip to the movies, and for good measure we shuttled around an editor's very pregnant wife. All we are missing is a few quotes from an Airedale.

Let's talk track tech first. Our 2012 Fit arrived with a five-speed manual transmission -- clearly the enthusiast's choice in a car like this. The fun-size 1.5-liter makes do with a single overhead camshaft, but still operates four valves in each of the four cylinders. While not very impressive on paper, the 117 hp and 106 lb-ft of torque make the Fit feel decently quick, thanks to the short, well-spaced gearing. The 8.2-second 0-60 mph time won't set the world ablaze, but it is certainly capable of keeping up with traffic. The downside of that short gearing is less comfort at anything near freeway speeds. The little four-banger just buzzes away and gives the entire car a very sharp high-frequency vibration, like an electrical current running through the unibody constantly tingling and never allowing the car to settle into cruise mode. It's fun during spirited driving, but gets old during longer stints behind the wheel.

On our figure-eight track, that short gearing helped the Fit get from corner to corner in a respectable time. Lap times came in at 28.2 seconds with an average of 0.57 g, although in the cornering sections it did manage to pull 0.79 g of understeering glory. Again, there is nothing remarkable about these numbers, but the little Fit is big fun. The steering response is crisp and direct; when the steering wheel turns, the chassis follows in lockstep. Our tester weighed in at 2509 pounds but barely felt an ounce heavier than your average go-kart. Around town we might complain about the lack of isolation provided by the chassis, but when pushed it feels alive and active. This sensation recalls the "Old Honda" that common consensus would have you believe died at the turn of the millennium.

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The brakes and shifter work well in conjunction with the steering. Pedal operation is smooth and firm, and while you never need to, you find yourself double-clutching and heel-toeing your downshifts even in traffic. The Standard Fit is good and an Si version would probably cause Honda fans' heads to explode (and perhaps allow them to forget about the current Civic Si). The car could use a bit more roll control in the rear, as it happily spins its inside front wheel during hard cornering, but we imagine that might also endow the car with the neutral handling that auto-company defense lawyers have made virtually unthinkable on anything nearing a mass production volume.

We know 99 out of 100 people buying a Fit will never approach the limits of the car's handling, at least intentionally, so our shopping excursion is probably more relevant. If we could come up with an instrumented shopping dynamics test, the Fit would peg the haul-o-meter. The Swedes are masters of fitting an entire living room worth of furniture into a few flat boxes, but I still thought hauling a desk and various odds and ends might be a challenge. The Fit's trick rear seats fold flat, making for a cargo hold the Corellian Engineering Corporation would envy. The 42-inch-long box disappeared into the back with room to spare. If only Honda built apartment complexes.

The rest of the weekend breezed by. I did notice a few downsides to what I thought would be MT's new favorite econo-cruiser. As I scurried around to different cities for different errands, I finally noticed I was avoiding the freeway. During rush hour, it is rare to drive freeway speeds on Southern California freeways. So for weekday commuting duties, the Fit is fine. However, on the weekends, when freeway traffic moves well above 65 mph, its short gearing and overall liveliness got kind of old. My wife called the Fit the Little Engine that Could. She mentioned at first that it seemed like I was always driving the car hard and really working through the gears, but she then noticed that with all the work going on at the helm and all the zinging noises from the little engine, we were still merely keeping up with traffic. So as much fun as the Fit is, for the average driver it might be a letdown, because the market has evolved since the Fit was designed. If you are looking for old-school Honda, you won't be disappointed. If you are looking for the most refined car in this class, you may need to wait for the next refresh.