2007 Honda Fit: New Subcompact for America

Challenging the popular new Toyota brand Scion and its spiffy xA model, Honda is bringing a new subcompact to America: the 2007 Honda Fit. Known in some countries as the “Jazz,” the Honda Fit has been a big seller abroad, gaining positive reviews from users in nations as diverse as Argentina and Malaysia. In fact, it has even outsold the Toyota Corolla in Japan. The American version of the 2007 Honda Fit will hit dealerships in the spring of 2006, filling out the bottom end of Honda’s line and offering buyers a subcompact alternative to the tried and true, but admittedly duller, Honda Civic.

With an expected retail price between $12,000 and $14,000 for its base model, the 2007 Honda Fit is poised to steer buyers away from the Scion line and also from the Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent, and Chevrolet Aveo. At first blush, the 2007 Fit looks like a cross between the 5-Door Chevy Aveo and the Scion xA on the outside – like a cute, crunched-up station wagon. But this squat little car is aptly named, and its indispensable versatility will separate it from the pack. The “Fit” is a triple entendre. First, it’s fit because it’s strong for its size: the car is a healthy runner with an efficient engine. Second, the car is designed so that it can fit more cargo with more seating variations than you’d ever expect. And third, the car is meant to fit, or appropriately match, the lifestyle of its owner. Someone at Honda had fun flipping through a dictionary and identifying all the ways in which Fit would be a fitting (pun intended) name for the car.