The Honda Fit has an already established clientele in Japan and Europe where it is sold as the Honda Jazz. It is introduced for the first time for the 2007 model year and caters to the American need to substitute gas guzzling, cumbersome vehicles for an environment friendly, fuel efficient, subcompact with nimble handling characteristics.

This Honda has a sporty character and though a couple of inches shorter than the Civic, is conveniently roomy on the inside with as much passenger capacity as the Accord. Its size and resourcefulness make it the right ‘fit’ for the urban consumer looking for a value-for-money adaptable car.

The four-door Fit hatchback offers a near sensational fuel economy and versatile interiors. Besides which it offers plenty of standard features and an immensely satisfying ride quality and handling. It has a basic warranty of 36 months/ 36,000 miles.

The Fit is equipped with a 1.5-liter In-line 4 engine that serves up a dynamic 109 hp worth of power and 105 pound-feet of torque. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard, while a 5-speed automatic is optional.

Sport versions with the automatic transmission come with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters that allow the driver to manually shift the car.

EPA fuel economy for the manual amounts to 33/38 mpg (city/highway), while the automatic transmission renders 31/38 mpg (city/highway). All Fit models run on regular unleaded gas.

The Fit is a compact little car and sports four doors, and a hatch. The basic trim rides on 14-inch wheels and 15" alloy wheels gear up the Sport version (16-inch wheels are available). A rear roofline spoiler gives the Sport model a funky aerodynamic appeal.

It has a slick body; sleek- compact contours hint at its inner strength and resilience. Body-colored door handles, gently swooping bumpers and folding, multi-reflector halogen headlights with body-colored bezels, and power side mirrors complete the picture.

Standard exterior features include; tinted glass, body-colored door handles, body-colored folding power side mirrors, 2-speed/intermittent windshield wipers, a rear window wiper/washer, impact-absorbing body-colored bumpers and a roof-mounted antenna.

The Fit Sport version offers a body-colored underbody kit, fog lights as well as a security system with a remote entry as standard.

In keeping with Honda’s tradition, the Fit’s interior has a smart, configurable design; a sensible-styling layout for the controls as well as good quality of materials. The sleek cockpit sports dark-blue-backlit gauges and an agile steering wheel (with buttons to set the cruise control) offers a steady and comfortable grip.

It is roomy and comfy despite being a subcompact; the roominess may largely be attributed to the second-row’s 60/40-split ‘Magic Seat’ design that configures to four distinct positions to match various passenger and cargo requirements. Cargo capacity amounts to 41 cubic feet with the rear seat folded flat.

Among its standard features are; a maintenance minder system, air conditioning with an air-filtration system, power windows, power door locks, speed-sensitive volume control, an adjustable steering column, a 160-Watt AM/FM/CD audio system with 4 speakers, a rear window defroster, cargo area tie-down anchors, reclining front seatbacks, adjustable head restraints, fold-flat-capable seating, and a 60/40 split 2nd-row magic seat.

The Fit Sport offers; a 200-Watt AM/FM/CD audio system with 6 speakers, mode equalizer, MP3/windows media audio (WMA) with playback capability, an MP3/auxiliary input jack, CD text display capability, a sport-mode gear indicator, cruise control with illuminated steering wheel-mounted controls, a perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel, and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

The Honda Fit stays true to its name and takes a corner with panache. Its agile performance and quick acceleration are courtesy of its light weight.

The Fit seems well insulated in comparison to other vehicles in its segment, and is in its element at highway speeds, with a trusty engine that matches speed with an impeccable performance.

Fuel economy is impressive too. Cruise control sets easily and both transmissions function efficiently and almost seamlessly.

Standard safety features include; 3-point seat belts at all seating positions, front 3-point seat belts with an automatic tensioning system, adjustable front seat belt anchors, dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags, and front side airbags with a Passenger-Side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS).

Side curtain airbags are standard too along with the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), side-impact door beams, outboard Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH), child-proof rear door locks, and an immobilizer theft-deterrent system.