The Honda Fit is hardly a surprise. After all, Honda has been building high-quality small cars since the late 1960s, and the Fit just, well, fits into that tradition. However, what the Honda Fit has done is reclaim the small-car territory Honda has lost as its other models have steadily grown larger over the years.
The Honda Fit has its origins in the Honda Jazz that was introduced in Japan back in 2001. Just a fraction over 151 inches long, the five-door Jazz was tall for its length and that made for exceptional space utilization. You sat bolt upright in a Jazz, but you were comfortable and there was still plenty of room for your stuff. But the Jazz was still a ways away from becoming the Honda Fit.
Though it wasn't yet a Honda Fit, the Honda Jazz was popular in its Japanese homeland, where it was offered with a 1.3-liter engine and in either two- or all-wheel-drive configurations. In fact, the word on the Jazz was so good that the rest of the world started to notice. So Honda started sending the front-drive Jazz to Europe and Australia starting in 2002, to South America (where the Fit name is used) and Southeast Asia during 2003, and China in 2004. The Jazz finally made it to North America during 2005 as the Honda Fit with a 1.5-liter four in its nose.
The reviews for the Honda Fit in America were almost universally positive, with particular praise for its ride and handling.
By historical standards, the first Honda Fit wasn't particularly small for a Honda. It was bigger, after all, than anything Honda sold in the United States between 1969 and 1976. But compared to other contemporary Hondas and most of the competition, it seemed dinky. Fortunately, having a dinky car in the portfolio was exactly what Honda needed when fuel prices (and Honda Fit sales) spiked during 2010.
A second-generation Honda Fit appeared in North America for 2009 that was longer, wider and rode on a lengthier wheelbase. Riding better than the previous Honda Fit while expanding its utility, it earned raves, too.
