2015 Honda Fit Preview: 2014 Detroit Auto Show

Honda already has perhaps the best 1-2 punch in the car segments, with the Civic and Accord, but the brand's subcompact contender, despite continued positive reviews from the press, just hasn't been able to keep up. It's true that the current model saw a sharp spike in demand in December, but it still finished in fifth-place in the subcompact segment overall in 2013, behind the Nissan Versa, Ford Fiesta, Chevy Sonic, and Hyundai Accent. A significant part of the problem: Depending on what one thinks of the Toyota Yaris, the 2014 Honda Fit is the only mainstream member of the segment not to have made the leap to a next-generation model.

The 2015 Honda Fit should solve part of that problem, although another significant factor in its sales position—the fact it also is the only entry selling in a single, hatchback, body style—hasn't changed, of course.

The party line from John Mendel, executive vice president of automobile sales for American Honda: "The Honda Fit is a small car with big aspirations. Faster, more fuel-efficient and more fun, it's a subcompact with larger-than-life-capabilities. It's simply the best Fit to date and, we believe, a new benchmark in the small-car category."

What’s New for the 2015 Honda Fit:

• Standard Bluetooth connectivity, multi-angle rearview camera, and Honda’s Expanded View Driver’s Mirror
• Smart entry with push-button start
• LaneWatch driver-assistance technology
• Display Audio with seven-inch touchscreen
• HondaLink smartphone connectivity
• Heated and leather-trimmed seating
• Heated outside mirrors
• Moonroof
• LED taillights
• 16-inch tires on a new five-spoke wheel design

New 2015 Honda Fit: What’s Under the Hood

Finally joining the 40-mpg club for the new model year, the 2015 Honda Fit will

benefit from the automaker's Earth Dreams powertrain technology in the form of an all-new 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with both direct injection and the automaker’s i-VTEC valve-timing system. The powerplant—available with a new six-speed manual or the Fit’s first CVT—is both more powerful and fuel-efficient than the one in the current Fit, with gains as follows:

• Horsepower—+13 hp, for a total of 130 hp
• Torque—+8 lb.-ft., reaching 114 lb.-ft.
• Peak EPA marks (with CVT)—+5 mpg city/6 mpg highway/5 mpg combined, to ring up a new line of up to 33/41/36  

Also, for what it’s worth, Honda promises both powertrains will deliver “superior acceleration and passing performance,” enhanced by a retuned suspension.

New 2015 Honda Fit: Styling and Design

Designers did a nice job updating the look of the 2015 Honda Fit to better match the rest of the lineup, yet without losing traditional touches like a bold side character line that, in the new car, flows dynamically forward all the way from the rear lighting treatment. The cabin has been updated as well, with more premium materials and a particularly nice steering-wheel design, but it also retains the Fit’s famous “Magic Seat” setup to allow a wide variety of seat configurations. As a result, owners can pack up to 52.7 cubic feet of gear into a new 2015 Honda Fit, including items up to 60 inches tall.

Dimensionally speaking, the 2015 Honda Fit is about 1.6 inches shorter in length than the current version, and also .3 inches wider, while riding on a wheelbase that grows by 1.2 inches. Those new proportions should help the Fit maintain its reputation for friendly handling and responsive driving, but the brand also managed to increase both passenger volume (by 4.9 cubic feet) and rear legroom (by 4.8 inches).

What Autobytel Thinks:

The 2015 Honda Fit has been a long time in coming, but it also should be worth the wait, thanks to a peppy driving experience combined with the Fit’s hallmark versatility and, now, modern-day amenities.