M here, and for 1 week I got to drive the new 2016 Honda Fit EX-L Navi. This car taught me that I’m way older than I thought I was. Although it’s fun to drive, I wanted more features and ultimately a bigger car.
Exterior
The Honda Fit didn’t really change all the much between generations. In fact, in some angles while it may seem sleek and sporty, other angles made it seem too round and soccer mom car-ish. The red definitely screamed domestic, instead of sporty. Unfortunately there is no option to put in stock LED headlights.
I still love the proximity key entry system, which means I don’t have to take out my key fob to open the car while entering!
Interior
The Honda Fit is incredibly spacious inside. There’s plenty of trunk space and space for back seat riders. I was surprised on how the driver seat was even when put in it’s lowest setting. The EX-L Navi is the highest trim of the Fit you can buy, so I was very disappointed by the lack of a power seat. The adjustment of the seat was finicky at best.
There was also a lack of any space to place your smart phone while it’s connected to the USB. The small space next to the gear shift could barely hold my iPhone 6+ in place, and would fall off easily. This gear shift area was my biggest grievance of the Fit’s interior. The heated seat buttons were placed in such way, that I would always accidentally press one when placing my phone down. It was frustrating. Speaking of frustrating, the parking brake was also very finicky. Whenever I released the parking brake, it would catch on one of the bottom clicks, not fully going down without another effort.
The best thing about the interior is the cupholder on the left side of the steering wheel. This cupholder could hold a Venti sized drink comfortably, and I found myself using it a lot more than I initially thought.
The navigation system is the same that is found in the Civic, but lacks Apple Carplay or Android Auto. The system seemed to be slower too. The navigation software found in the 2016 Fit definitely is a lighter and less fleshed out system than what is found in the Civic. I found it annoying to work with overall.
The Fit EX-L Navi does have Honda’s nifty LaneWatch blind spot display, which helps you merge right and parallel park. It also comes with a rear camera, but I did find it slow to start with the Fit’s Navi hardware.
All the seats are foldable into various configurations, so if you need to move any large cargo or make an IKEA trip, it’s possible.
Drive
The highlight of the Honda Fit EX-L Navi is the way it drives! This model is fitted with an all new engine that Honda touts is more powerful, yet more efficient that previous ones. The engine is very zippy and driving it with the paddle shifts was incredibly fun.
This small but powerful engine comes with some drawbacks though. The engine is loud when revving, and even in idle, the engine clicks can be noticeably heard in the car. The Econ mode found in all Hondas is completely useless here, as lowering the revs of the engine makes the engine shift unbearably slow, which causes the driver to push harder (which defeats the purpose of keeping L/100km low). Turning Econ mode off is suggested as the fuel efficient engine does it’s job without it.
The steering of this car is surprisingly light, showing off how much of the power-steering the car gives you.
Final Thoughts
At $22,000, I don’t know why anyone would buy a Fit EX-L Navi, when they can get the 2016 Honda Civic EX for $1,000 more. The Civic EX has all the major features of the Fit, but adds in a more powerful engine and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Fit is a fun car to drive and I think you can justify getting the lower trims if you’re on a budget or if it’s your first car of university. It’s fun and easy to drive and I think car modders can mod the car for impressive results. My wife and I had a Fit in university, but now I can’t imagine myself owning one, as gadgets and space become more of a concern.
Website: http://www.honda.ca/
