Scanning pages of Japanese brochures will no longer be needed. Honda has finally showed the very first official information about Fit’s brand new phase. The expectations for this minivan were so high because the last years turned it into a global success, specially at the second generation. Most of such approval comes from Honda’s ability to satisfy each market’s particular tastes without diverging from its global strategies, while the other part is simply being a very good product. Both are precisely what the new Fit improves once again.
Also called Honda Jazz in some markets, this minivan showed it would be a typical compact Japanese car since its arrival, in 2002. There were up-to-date underpinnings, good construction quality… and questionable styling taste. However, the purpose of so uninspired lines was to maximize the internal space, in order to make better use of its intelligent seat modulation system, which was impressive at that time: except the driver’s, the others could be folded and removed in several combinations, to make room for different types of cargo. Pairing that to efficient engines and reasonable prices explains why Fit became so successful in so many markets, which turns even more interesting when remembering Honda’s strategy of reducing the visual changes to a minimum: the car arrived everywhere with the very same design, and remained the same until the generation change, in 2008. This one followed the automaker’s tradition of evolving the original concept, including huge design improvements. The vehicle became bigger and better-looking but also more charismatic: there were both sporty and ecological variations (both electric and hybrid) for the first time.
Other reasons why this phase became so important were the existance of a “middle-age” facelift, although very discreet, and regional concessions such as limited editions and even exclusive trims, like the Brazilian Fit Twist. Such strategies did nothing but increase Fit’s approval around the world, which ended leaving the public with all the expectations which are now satisfied. The third generation presents all-new construction once again, but the pictures anticipate there were style changes, rather than only evolutions. The car entered Honda’s current design language and looked for a much sportier look, in order to attract more male drivers. It’s still easy to notice it’s a Honda Fit/Jazz, but also that the car has improved a lot. The front fascia brings much more aggressive elements, which lead to discreet sides with up-to-date items like the irregularly-shaped window lower line, which reminds of Citroën C4 Picasso. But even more impressive is the rear section, though: the large lights are still there, but now they were paired to reflective extensions that create a very interesting effect, somewhat inspired on Volvo station wagons’.
When it comes to the inside, Honda increased the wheelbase in two inches while leaving the other dimensions almost untouched, which only increases what was already an excellent internal space. And just like very minivan, there are lots of storage areas of different sizes, the seats can be folded and removed, and the fifth door is very big, to make the trunk easier to access. The car’s modernity is expressed also in the console, which left all those buttons in favor of a big touchscreen like every other car in nowadays. The powertrain carries over the gasoline 1.3L and 1.5L DOHC units, both paired to a CVT transmission and an available six-speed manual for the second. However, the bigger news came for the hybrid version: this version received massive changes, like an exclusive double-clutch seven-speed gearbox and lithium-ion batteries, which converge into 35% better fuel consumption compared to the previous generation’s, reaching 102.8 mpg. This car will make its official debut in Frankfurt, and it’s expected to start hitting Japanese streets and then the other countries.
