If there’s a company that sweats the details, it’s 2009 Honda Hit. When times are good, it’s up two or three percent. When times are bad, it’s down two or three percent. Not bad performance, unless you’re looking for big headlines and the limelight. Other companies will make a bigger splash or know how to market a fortunate opportunity, but Honda just keeps plugging along.

Right now, times are good for Honda as it’s the only major player in the U.S. to show a profit this year, and there’s good reason. Take the new Gen II Honda Fit, for example. Honda brought it into the U.S. in 2006 reluctantly and with low expectations, hinting it would be happy to sell 50,000 units. Then fuel prices jumped, and now Honda’s looking to sell a tick over 90,000 units at the end of this year. And because that original Honda Fit was introduced to the U.S. market during the middle of its model life, an all-new Honda Fit enters for 2009.

The first thing you’ll notice about the new Fit is its more stylish and aero look. It’s as if the nose and tail have been pulled from one another to give it a more forward-leaning, angular stance. The hood and nose are longer, with the front windshield raked with more angle, yet the rear design has more taper and dive to keep the conventional compact shape.

Honda says its biggest challenge was to keep the Fit looking like a minicar but make it bigger in every dimension. The overall length of the vehicle is longer by 2.2 in., wider by 1.4 in., longer in wheelbase by 2.0 in., with more shoulder room and headroom as well. Other key exterior changes include larger front quarter windows, larger, shapelier headlights, and sportier body-kit-like moldings.

The interior gets a host of upgrades as well. All seats on all trim levels are new, but the Sport model cloth seats are huge improvements over those of the previous generation, providing gobs more lateral and seat support. The rear seats, in particular, take advantage of a lower floor and offer a one-touch pivot-down fold-forward control (called Magic Seat) that turns the rear area into a cavernous storage bin with almost 60 cu ft for cargo space.

With that said, don’t be fooled here: This is still a subcompact car storage area with thin floor carpeting and structurally delicate seatbacks. Alternatively, Honda has gone to great lengths to included tons of cupholders (10), storage slots (eight), and even hidden compartments (two) to hide maps, store iPods, or keep other contraband from prying eyes. The gauge cluster and HVAC configuration are completely new and have a more refined, most-definitely non-entry-level feel to them now. In fact, the Fit will offer a new tilt and telescoping steering wheel, as well as a full navigation system and vehicle stability-control system (packaged together) on the highest trim level. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make a loaded Fit a cheap date anymore, listing for a smidge over $19,000 (fully loaded Sport).

We got behind the wheel of a Sport model with the automatic transmission, which includes a set of solid paddle shifters. This is and will be Honda’s most popular model, and for good reason. For something this small and inexpensive, it’s one of the most fun things we’ve driven in a long time. Honda still offers the 1.5L I-4, but due in large part to several key improvements to the engine, most notably the use of a new i-VTEC system, the engine offers better performance and better breathing efficiency, both of which add to improvements in horsepower and torque.

Honda engineers looked at every aspect of the little engine and fought and scraped to make it lighter and more efficient in every way; cooling pathways were redesigned, valve surfaces were increased, intake manifold resonators were improved, and lightweight materials were used wherever possible. The result is higher peak power and a much flatter torque curve — 117 hp at 6600 rpm and 106 lb-ft of torque at 4800 rpm.

Also, in combination with this new power, Honda has slightly modified the manual and automatic transmissions. As mentioned earlier, our Sport model comes with wheel-mounted paddle shifters, which makes running up and down the gears a responsive thrill ride. Shifts are smooth and well-matched with the powertrain, but make sure you get the engine revving. On certain sections of our test drive, where we had several winding road sections, the engine needs to live between 4500 and 5500 rpm as much as possible. Downshifts happen quickly while upshifts are more leisurely. It was during this enthusiastic section of road where we found the most impressive improvements showing themselves.

The Fit’s chassis has been completely redesigned and upgraded in almost every way. In true Honda form, it’s as if Honda has created a 100-point check list and targeted an improvement for every item. First, the body structure is overhauled, incorporating Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering structure, which, with the aid of supercomputers, identifies key stress- and load-bearing areas of the structure, then designs in extra strength to those specific areas with liberal use of high-tensile steel.

Honda engineers looked at every aspect of the little engine and fought and scraped to make it lighter and more efficient in every way; cooling pathways were redesigned, valve surfaces were increased, intake manifold resonators were improved, and lightweight materials were used wherever possible. The result is higher peak power and a much flatter torque curve — 117 hp at 6600 rpm and 106 lb-ft of torque at 4800 rpm.

Also, in combination with this new power, Honda has slightly modified the manual and automatic transmissions. As mentioned earlier, our Sport model comes with wheel-mounted paddle shifters, which makes running up and down the gears a responsive thrill ride. Shifts are smooth and well-matched with the powertrain, but make sure you get the engine revving. On certain sections of our test drive, where we had several winding road sections, the engine needs to live between 4500 and 5500 rpm as much as possible. Downshifts happen quickly while upshifts are more leisurely. It was during this enthusiastic section of road where we found the most impressive improvements showing themselves.

The Fit’s chassis has been completely redesigned and upgraded in almost every way. In true Honda form, it’s as if Honda has created a 100-point check list and targeted an improvement for every item. First, the body structure is overhauled, incorporating Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering structure, which, with the aid of supercomputers, identifies key stress- and load-bearing areas of the structure, then designs in extra strength to those specific areas with liberal use of high-tensile steel.

[source:MotorTrend]

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