On the Honda Fit

I believe I've mentioned previously that I am in the midst of considering the purchase of a new vehicle. My 2000 Chevy s-10 has been loyal, dependable and, for a pick-up, continues to produce reasonably decent on fuel consumption (just as a check, I tallied my overall fuel consumption for a 4900 mile road trip that was 80% highway, 20% city driving, with most of those highway miles at speeds of 70MPH and above, and averaged just a hair over 24 mpg, which is only 1mpg below the rated - under the old EPA rubric - highway mileage when new), but at nine years old, 125,000 miles and with the price of gasoline expected to rise back toward $3.00 a gallon over the next 18 months (plus, frankly, the rapidly disappearing residual value of the truck - now down to about $3,500), it is probably time to think about a replacement. I established several parameters early - economic fuel consumption, reasonable price (less than $24,000) and high to excellent reviews from trustworthy sources. I've done a fair amount of research over the past few months on this subject and have narrowed by choices down to two vehicles. The first is the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, and the second, the Honda Fit Sport. I should state from the get-go that prior to the S-10 I had owned only Honda's and VW's so I have some bias, but also a long history with both companies and a frank understanding of their advantages and disadvantages. There is no VW dealership in Laramie, so a TDI test drive will have to wait until I have some time in Fort Collins, or after I move to Georgia in August. There is a Honda/Nissan dealership in Laramie, so I took myself over there this afternoon. I am not a sucker at car dealerships, and have learned that the best way to accomplish what you want with a minimum of chicanery is to be blunt, polite and reserved. I explained I was not buying a car today, but was there to test drive a Honda Fit Sport with a manual transmission. I explained that I had completed a great deal of research on the vehicle, that I knew what I wanted, and that this was designed to get a feel for the car for the purposes of comparison with the TDI. Now I know they are two different vehicles in style, design and price point. In fact, one of the issues I will need to assess with the TDI is whether it is worth and additional $4,000 to $5,000 in price. I also explained that I was uninterested in small talk - in fact I told the salesmen as we walked out to the lot that I was not going to answer his questions (the usual, what do you do, blah, blah, blah - he explained he was trying to establish rapport, and I replied that there was time for that later if I decided to purchase a Fit). One positive mark with this dealership is that they allow potential patrons to test drive vehicles alone, without a salesmen, which I appreciate. They do have an established "test route," which they explained in pains-staking detail, and which I promptly ignored. Their route contained no rough or windy roads, nor any sections of 65 mph+ highway sections. Anyway, down to my impressions. The Fit is fun to drive, responding well to both throttle and steering wheel inputs, but as in most Honda cars in my experience, the braking is uncertain. The ride is acceptable given the small size of the car, but it does not like rough roads, getting very skittish - I'd find it hard to believe the Finns will be rushing to use these for road rallies any time soon. The sun-visors are useless, a problem on the high plains, and the vehicle desperately needs either a taller 5th gear or a 6th gear, as you quickly reach nearly 4000 rpm at speeds over 65 mph. The lack of either is surprising, as they would increase the already impressive highway mileage significantly. The interior layout is nice, and dials are easy to reach - my only complaint was that the steering wheel obstructed my view of the speedometer unless it was placed at its tallest setting, which is far from comfortable for me. This will require a further test drive.