The 2008 Honda Fit Sport looks good, but falls short of its potential. We want really good mileage and low emissions in exchange for a low-power engine, but the Fit doesn't deliver, and it has no interesting cabin tech.
The Honda Fit entered the market with a slew of new, inexpensive small cars, including the Nissan Versa and the Toyota Yaris. With its small engine, it works best as a city car or in dense suburban areas.
With a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 109 horsepower, the Fit doesn't have much push. It does all right below 30 mph, but its power curve decreases rapidly above that speed.
We were impressed with the amount of space in the cargo area. There is ample depth from the rear seats to the back hatch, and the rear seats can be folded down.
The Fit showed responsive handling, although its high roofline gives it a high center of gravity. We would have also liked audio controls on the steering wheel.
With the Sport version and the automatic transmission, you get these paddle shifters. We tried them out, but ultimately concluded they aren't really useful. They are also mounted to the steering wheel, were we prefer column-mounted paddles.
