Queen of transformation
The new Honda Fit also benefits from a highly-versatile, configurable interior. It actually offers more cargo room than the Pontiac-Toyota duo, whether the rear seatbacks are down (14 percent) or up (5 percent). The Fit's cargo area is even larger than a Mazda5's with the rear seats folded. Go figure!

The Fit has another clear advantage over the Vibe and Matrix: greater fuel economy. In fact, judging by the numbers provided by the manufacturers, the little Honda burns 13 percent less fuel on average. The tests performed in Niagara-on-the-Lake gave us the confirmation.

Under the hood is a revised version of Honda's fuel-thrifty, 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine. It produces 117 horsepower.

Similar performance
With regard to performance, all three cars are in the same class. Acceleration times (0 to 100 km/h) recorded by AJAC test drivers hovered around 10 seconds, with variations of only a few tenths of a second. So it seems that the small displacement of the Fit is not a handicap. Truth is, the power-to-weight ratio is almost identical for each of them.

Braking distances were just as similar. The three hatchbacks took less than 42 meters to stop from 100 to 0 km/h.

Considering all these facts, there's only one way to explain the disappointing result of the 2009 Honda Fit at TestFest: the price. Admittedly, paying more than $20,000 for a Fit is rather unthinkable for consumers (and even auto writers), most of whom prefer to buy their cars by the pound! You know what I mean -- people always expect to pay less for a smaller car.

Would a Fit DX-A have gotten a better score than the new Aveo and smart in the "under $18K" category? Probably so. Then again, this category also included the 2009 Corolla CE, a very conventional and less versatile sedan that carries a more attractive price... and bears a much more familiar name!


Photo Credit : Luc Gagné, Matthieu Lambert