- The 2011 Honda Fit gets standard stability control across all trim lines.
- Cruise control, remote entry and a USB audio interface have also been added to the base Fit.
- 2011 Fit is on sale now, starting at $15,850.
TORRANCE, California — The 2011 Honda Fit has been spruced up with an eye to safety for the new model year, with all trim lines getting standard stability control, the automaker said on Monday.
The Fit also gets several new features on the base model, including cruise control, remote entry and a USB audio interface. The Fit is on sale now, starting at $15,850, including a $750 destination charge. The 2011 Fit price reflects a $200 increase over the 2010 model.
The 2011 Fit Sport and Fit Sport with Navigation get carpeted floor mats as standard. Four new colors are available on the vehicle, including Alabaster Silver Metallic, Polished Metal Metallic, Celestial Blue Metallic and Vortex Blue Pearl.
The carryover engine is a 1.5-liter four-cylinder that produces 117 horsepower. A five-speed manual transmission is standard and a five-speed automatic transmission is optional. The base Fit with a five-speed automatic transmission starts at $16,650, including shipping.
Inside Line says: Safety should never be optional, so it's about time that the Fit got standard stability control. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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tbone85 says:
06:30 PM, 12/02/2010
It's easy enough to set up a switch to turn it off. A lot of inexperienced kids will own this car, and I think it's a good common sense safety measure. No reason it can't be implemented in a flexible way.
hondalvr4life says:
10:10 AM, 12/02/2010
I honestly could care less to have stability or traction control on small vehicles. They often are small and light enough to not need the nannies to step in. Sure larger cars should have it bc they are cumbersome to drive but the Fit and Civic have always been great handlers even in emergency situations. The nannies are just there to kill the fun factor for me, I always turn them off in the snow because they just interfere.
stephen987 says:
04:23 AM, 12/01/2010
@agentorange: understood, and agreed. That's why I don't think TC should be mandatory across the board. It is clear that many manufacturers have used it as a substitute for quality engineering--Toyota, with its ridiculously over-aggressive TC systems, springs immediately to mind.
agentorange says:
10:55 PM, 11/30/2010
@stephen987 who said:
"@agentorange:
As owner and enthusiastic driver of a 2009 Fit Sport without traction control, I can assure you that the Fit "handles properly in the first place." Have you ever driven one? Or are you just shooting off your mouth about something you don't really know?"
I was taking a general swipe at the industry. I am pleased that the Fit has a good basic chassis. However, you may find in the new models with the stability control that your enjoyment is unnecessarily curbed. This will be due to the CYA/risk averse attitude of all corporations.
icemanfro says:
08:43 PM, 11/30/2010
Honda's lack of standard stability control on the Fit AND THE CIVIC has been totally inexcusable. I've bought three small cars for three family members in the last three years, and each time I've looked at the Fit and the Civic but passed on them because of their lack of stability control on lower models.
This is strong evidence that Honda has lost its way in the market when every competitor to the Civic has standard stability control, but you have to buy a $22+ Civic EX-L with leather in order to get stability control -- it's not even an option on the lower models!
tbone85 says:
07:12 PM, 11/30/2010
Given the cost, adding traction control was a no-brainer. Good for future owners.
stephen987 says:
05:15 PM, 11/30/2010
@agentorange:
As owner and enthusiastic driver of a 2009 Fit Sport without traction control, I can assure you that the Fit "handles properly in the first place." Have you ever driven one? Or are you just shooting off your mouth about something you don't really know?
agentorange says:
04:19 PM, 11/30/2010
If the industry built cars that handled properly in the first place, the need for the electronic nannies would be greatly reduced. I suspect the reason that so many cars have non-defeatable nannies is because they are all but undriveable without them. Sorry, that is not progress to me, just the application electronic Band-Aids. I will go out on a limb here and suggest that the fundamental handling of several mass produced European cars of the late 80s and early 90s is better than that of many of the chassis turned out today. You can just hear the conversation in the modern car corporation:
Bean Counter to Suspension Engineer: "Look, Bill, stop trying to make it handle. The software shop will kinda-sorta get that done for less money".
Aside to Junior Bean Counter: "Sheesh! Some of these engineers are absolute dinosaurs. Trying to get something right at the fundamental level? What a weird concept."
northsparrow says:
11:17 AM, 11/30/2010
Amen and hallelujah . Stability control has been around since .........the mid- nineties so it is about time.
The real question is why are safety regulations so slack that it has taken this long to get this lifesaving feature in all cars? I hope IL will do some reporting on how car makers are currently fighting against the next round of proposed safety legislation. These are life and death matters after all so it would be worth
investigating.
neun14 says:
09:56 AM, 11/30/2010
"Long overdue. IL said it well: "safety should never be optional.""
Do you have your plastic bubble on order?