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2007 Honda Fit Long Term Update No.6

Can the Fit be Jazzed Up? Of course!

Apologies for the above pun: the Fit is sold as the Jazz in Europe and other markets. Awful humour aside, in the previous entry for our Honda Fit long term tester, we posed a question about what could be done to make the tiny Fit popular with the street scene. Well, weve done our research, completed the homework assignments, and have come up with the following:

Honda Fit Sport
This is cheating a little bit because the Sport is a production model thats currently sold in dealerships. It does, however, look very smart, riding on larger, 15-inch alloy wheels instead of the starfish 14-inch wheel covers. Add that to a subtle bodykit that consists of front and rear air dams and a side skirt plus fog lamps, and what you have is a tasteful economy car thats been infused

For a stock, production car, Fit Sport looks quite sporty. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

with a touch of sporting personality. And of course, we cant forget about that rear spoiler. Unfortunately, the Fit Sport lacks any physical changes, aside from the stickier, wider tires that might otherwise make it sportier. The engine, gearbox and brakes are direct carry-overs from our less glitzy model.

Mugen Fit Spec-D
Now this is a little bit more along the lines of what were talking about. The Fit Spec-D was released at the 2006 Tokyo International Motor Show and comes fitted with a supercharger

1.5-liter engine has been boosted by a bolt-on supercharger. (Photo: Mugen)

that takes the place of the current cars plastic valve cover. The addition of the supercharger in combination with a different air intake and exhaust system enables the 1.5-liter engine to produce close to 150 hp. The sole gearbox on this demonstrator vehicle is a five-speed manual, accented with a red-stitched leather boot and alloy shift knob.

Outside things get pretty wild; almost every single body panel has been modified, except the roof. The tail lights are carbon-fiber-look LEDs, the hood features a bigger center bulge, while the fenders, doors, and bumpers have been widened with a widebody kit to accommodate meatier

Spec-D model is a real screamer with that additional power. (Photo: Mugen)

tires. Special touches on this particular Fit include a new set of gauges that feature a digital speedometer, dash-top gauge pod, leather and suede trimmed seats, plus a TFT navigation, digital climate control  system (the latter two are available on the Fit in Japan). Honda should really consider putting together something special like this for demonstration purposes, to show the masses that yes, the Fit is cool, and yes, the Fit is capable of producing some pretty jaw-dropping performance results.

Spoon Sports Fit
It might not be road legal, but the Spoon Sports Fit is no less a tuned Fit. Honda tuning experts Spoon have given a stock Fit some

Who says that tiny cars cant cut it at the race track?? (Photo: Opak Racing)

rather unusual treatments, as theyve prepared it to be an endurance racing car. Out goes all the standard road-going gear like the seats, door panels and air conditioning unit in order to better the cars power to weight ratio. Meanwhile, the 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine has been breathed upon to produce 125 horsepower, up from the stock 109 ponies. Add special dampers and Spoons own super lightweight 15-inch alloy wheels, and what you get is a blue and yellow Fit thats capable of reaching serious speed; around the Motegi race circuit in Japan, this Fit can pull lap times as quick as a stock NSX!
Mugen Fit Dynamite
Although the Fit Dynamite preceded both the Spec-D and the Spoon Sports models (2004 vs.

A bigger heart gives the Fit Dynamite more power than almost anyone could use. (Photo: Mugen)

2006), its probably the pinnacle in terms of Fit performance. Instead of the standard 1.5-liter economy-biased engine, Mugen swapped it out in favour of something with a bit more punch, namely the K20A-series VTEC inline-four out of an Acura RSX Type-S. Tuned with a special exhaust system and manifold, this engine makes 260 horsepower at 8,800 rpm, ensuring that when pedal is put to the floor, itll go off like, well, a stick of dynamite.

Completing the engine swap is the six-speed manual gearbox out of the RSX Type-S, an upgraded brake system that consists of 11.1 inch disc brakes that are clamped on by Brembo calipers. To ensure clearance of the larger brakes, Mugen also upgraded the wheels to 225-width, 17-inch diameter, while a roof-mounted spoiler, diffuser, and smooth underbody ensure that the

Serious work went into the aerodynamics and suspension to cope with the power and speed. (Photo: Mugen)

Fit stays glued to the ground at extra-high speeds. The body kit that was featured on this car is also featured on the Fit Spec-D; its also available as a stand alone option for those wishing to add a bit of extra flair to their city car. Wow!

Weve only gone over a couple of the dozen different performance-modified Fits on the market today; theres plenty more where they came from! With that, its time to move over to the logbook:

Odometer: 4,973 miles

Jonathan: I dont know how he did it, but Justin tricked me into the Fit

Somehow, I think that Jon might prefer the Fit Spec-Ds leather and suede-trimmed seats to the ones fitted to our Fit. (Photo: Mugen)

again. Nothing against the cleverness, but as an advocate of back health, make sure you take a legitimate test drive in any car youre considering, whether its a Fit or an Escalade. Even if its just me in the car and I pat myself on the back for using 4¢ less fuel per mile, I dont think any amount of savings are worth the misery. Even though Ive made previous trips and not been entirely affected, I am unable to find a comfortable seating position on a regular basis. Its a personal thing, so definitely dont dismiss this vehicle or any other based on my reaction to its seats, but do not overlook the long-term commitment you are making to the seats when you purchase a new vehicle.

As I mentioned I only made one long commute from out in the suburbs to my midtown office, and while I was on my own in this car, I had the opportunity to contemplate its performance: it is stellar, more than I would ever hope for from

Nippy and zippy: Fit makes for a fine city runabout. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

a subcompact car with an automatic transmission, but it never failed to provide a smooth ride and good jump, even when already up at highway speeds and looking to get around some big concrete mixers. At ordinary highway speeds its always surprising how solid it feels, and the crisp steering is also reassuring when cruising along, imagining disastrous scenarios--just a fun game I like to play.

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