According to recent news reports, the price of fuel is rising faster than at any time in history, increasing 50 percent since the first of the year and surpassing an average of $3 per gallon, nationally, on June 17. What’s the antidote? The 2009 Honda Fit is one way to remedy what ails your wallet. At a starting price of about $15,000, the Fit is inexpensive to buy. Rated to get as much 35 miles per gallon, the Fit is inexpensive to operate. Plus, it boasts a surprisingly versatile interior and gets impressive crash-test scores. Just remember, however, that crash scores are valid only when compared to other vehicles of roughly the same size and weight, and most cars and trucks on the road are heavier than the 2,500-lb. Honda Fit, which is completely redesigned for 2009.

Here is a summary of the changes to the 2009 Honda Fit:
• Completely redesigned, inside and out
• Larger and more powerful than before
• New Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body architecture
• Improved Magic Seat design
• Standard active head restraints
• Standard tilt and telescopic steering wheel
• Standard fuel consumption indicators
• Standard driver’s foot rest
• Standard driver and front passenger vanity mirrors
• Standard map lights
• Standard Radio Data System display
• Standard USB audio interface on Fit Sport
• Standard driver’s armrest on Fit Sport
• Optional navigation system on Fit Sport
• Available stability control system on Fit Sport
• Four new colors: Taffeta White, Crystal Black Pearl, Blue Sensation Pearl, Orange Revolution Metallic

The 2009 Honda Fit is available in standard or Sport trim. Standard equipment includes a manual transmission, antilock brakes, six airbags including side curtains for front and rear passengers, folding power side mirrors, power windows, power door locks, a rear wiper, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel, air conditioning, 10 cupholders, a 160-watt audio system with an auxiliary input jack for an iPod and MP3/WMA playback capability, a maintenance reminder, and a fuel economy display.

Selecting the Fit Sport adds a rear suspension stabilizer bar, 16-inch alloy wheels, remote keyless entry, a security system, cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with illuminated controls, interior map lights, two additional cargo tie-down hooks, two additional stereo speakers, and a USB audio interface. On the outside, the Fit Sport receives fog lights, tinted chrome headlight bezels, chrome exhaust finisher, a rear roof spoiler, and a subtle body kit. The Fit Sport is also exclusively available with dual-mode paddle shifters when the automatic transmission is selected, and a voice-activated navigation system with a digital audio card reader. Inexplicably, the only way to get a stability and traction control system is to buy a Fit Sport with the navigation system.

The 2009 Honda Fit is equipped with a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels through a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. When the automatic is added to the Fit Sport model, it includes manual paddle shifters on the steering wheel. The four-cylinder engine generates 117 horsepower at 6,600 rpm and 106 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,800 rpm. Fuel economy ratings are 28 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway. Models with a manual transmission and the Honda Fit Sport with the paddle-shifted automatic are rated to get 27 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. Our review vehicle, a Fit Sport with the manual transmission, averaged 31.1 mpg in mixed driving with an emphasis on highway travel.

Standard safety equipment on every 2009 Honda Fit includes dual front airbags, side-impact airbags for the front seating positions, and side-curtain airbags for each outboard seating position. Additionally, the Fit comes standard with four-wheel ABS with electronic brake-force distribution. Like most 2009 models, the Fit also has a tire pressure monitoring system and active front head restraints. A stability and traction control system is optional, included only on the Fit Sport and only when the navigation system is ordered.

J.D. Power and Associates says the 2009 Honda Fit competes against other subcompact cars such as the Chevrolet Aveo, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Nissan Versa, Pontiac G3, Scion xD, and Toyota Yaris.