Honda Fit is the Swiss Army knife of automobiles

The automobile business is all about predicting the future.With development time for a new model of four or five years, decisions are made on the best information available at the time. Still, it can be a crap shoot.When Honda introduced its entry-level Fit in 2006, big pickup trucks and truck-based sport utility vehicles were riding high. The Fit was viewed as a mildly interesting vehicle for a small niche of buyers.Despite that, in typical Honda fashion, the little car -- it already had developed a reputation in foreign markets as the Honda Jazz -- had practical appeal beyond its small size: outstanding fuel economy, good handling and an interior that could be configured in a variety of ways for people and cargo. More than one evaluator called it "the Swiss Army knife of automobiles."With escalating fuel prices, the Fit's niche ballooned and Honda's decision to sell it in the United States looked prescient. Fits rolled off dealer's lots as soon as they rolled in.Never one to rest on its laurels, Honda sends a new, slightly larger and more expensive, more powerful and refined Fit for 2009. Though marketed as an entry-level subcompact, the new Fit has the interior volume of a compact car, and is not far from mid-size in terms of its interior accommodations.Newly styled, with a racier appearance and a more complicated rear end, the Fit is five inches longer than the original. It weighs about 120 pounds more, but does not gain much in interior space -- just one cubic foot.One feature -- the ability to flop the passenger-side seats to make a bed -- is gone because surveys showed owners weren't using it. Nevertheless, the Swiss Army knife analogy continues. The back seats can be easily flipped and flopped into a variety of configurations to carry tall objects as well as long ones.The back seat gets a bit more knee and hip room, and the seatbacks recline to provide more comfortable seating. There's enough room in the outboard positions to keep adults from complaining unduly on longer trips, though the center-rear position is cramped and should be reserved for occasional use.Up front, the bucket seats, covered in a study cloth, are big and comfortable, with good thigh support. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, which makes it easy for people of different sizes to find a comfortable driving position.Safety equipment includes side air bags and side-curtain air bags, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake distribution and tire-pressure monitoring. But it does not include traction control, which Honda calls VSA, or vehicle stability assist.VSA is available, but only if you order the satellite navigation system, an unusual option in this class of car. The combination, available only on the Fit Sport, costs an additional $1,850.Air conditioning is standard, as are power windows, mirrors and door locks, and a stereo system with CD changer, MP3 capability and an audio device input jack. Unfortunately, XM satellite radio is not available. If you want it, you'll have to buy an aftermarket unit.One odd shortcoming is the sun visors. They're small and don't adequately block the sun from the side. Honda solves this problem on other models by simply enabling the visors to slide on their support rods, but not on the Fit's.There are three Fit models: the base car, with a five-speed manual gearbox, starts at $15,220. It has steel wheels with wheel covers and does not have cruise control or map lights. The five-speed automatic transmission costs an additional $800, but does not have the steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters that come with the automatic on the Fit Sport model.The Fit Sport, which Honda expects will account for about seven of 10 Fit sales, starts at $16,730 with the stick shift. The automatic transmission, with the manual-shift mode and the paddle shifters, is $850 extra.If you want the VSA and the navigation system, the sticker price is $18,580. Check the box for the automatic transmission and the suggested delivered price comes to $19,430. You can't spend any more unless you order dealer-installed accessories.On the road, the Fit exhibits a quiet, supple, compliant ride and precise handling. It's no sports sedan but it can carve corners with a lot of more expensive machinery. Acceleration is adequate, accompanied by some engine roar at high engine revolutions.The five-speed manual, in typical Honda fashion, shifts effortlessly, and the Sport model's automatic transmission paddle shifters provide an extra driving dimension, especially to hold a gear on twisting mountain roads.Honda expects to sell about 85,000 Fits annually. If the current trend toward small cars continues, it appears to have a solid future."At Honda, we always recognize times like this as an opportunity for growth," says Dan Bonawitz, the vice president for corporate planning and logistics. "We generally grow two to three percent in both up and down markets. Our business strategy is more like the tortoise than the hare."So far at least, that tactic seems to work better than consulting futurists or soothsayers.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)