Hardware
The 2009 Honda Fit will be more than 2 inches longer and three-quarters of an inch wider than the original, and will ride on a wheelbase that has been lengthened by nearly 2 inches.
The second-generation Fit went on sale late in calendar year 2007 in Japan, where it is offered with a new 1.3-liter engine with 100 hp or as a more upscale "Road Sailing" version with a new 1.5-liter engine with 120 hp. Thus far, Honda has only announced that the 2009 Fit will be offered with a new iVTEC 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine. We suspect that will be the only engine offered in the U.S. Honda has confirmed that 5-speed manual and 5-speed automatic transmissions will be offered, and the automatic transmission will come with steering-wheel shift paddles in the Sport model.
The current Fit’s 109-hp, 1.5-liter engine is rated at 28 mpg city/34 mpg highway in the U.S. Expect the new Fit to meet or exceed those numbers.
