Introduction:
Looking for a more fuel efficient car, I found out that Honda was bringing over the Honda Jazz to the states. In the US, the Jazz will be named Fit. It's a neat little five door subcompact wagon. Priced and positioned under the redesigned Honda Civic which is moving upscale, the Honda Fit seems to be a great entry level buy.

Trim Levels:
The Fit comes in two trim levels: Fit (base) and Fit Sport. For those two models, you can get manual or automatic transmissions. The Sport model adds the following for only $1320 more than the base:

• 200 watt stereo system with 6 speakers (replaces 169 watt 4 speaker stereo system)
  
• MP3/WMA playback and CD TEXT display capability
  
• MP3/AUX-in jack
  
• fog lights
  
• body colored underbody kit (front, side, and rear
  
• body colored roofline spoiler
  
• 15" alloy wheels (instead of 14" steel)
  
• security system with remote entry (the remote fob is integrated into the key which is a nice touch)
  
• cruise control with illuminated steering wheel mounted controls
  
• peforated leather-wrapped steering wheel
  
• for AT models, the steering wheel has paddle shifters (More on this later in the review.)

Interior:
The Honda Fit about 20 inches shorter than the Civic, but packs a lot of interior volume. The fit and finish of the car is excellent. The inerior and exterior of the car looks of high quality. You are definately getting a lot of car for your money.

Magic Seats!
One of the key features of the Honda Fit is the versatile seats. The rear seats can fold up to give up to 4 feet of vertical clearance. Another configuration is to fold the rear seats all the way down creating a large flat surface from the trunk all the way to the back of the front seats. The rear seat headrests do NOT need to be removed to do this too! They can go underneath the front seats. This is a great design for lazy people like myself. It's pure genius. I was amazed the first time I saw this. Another configuration is to fold the two seats on the passenger side of the car down. They say you can fit a surf board in the car if you do this. The final configuration is the "Relax" configuration. I haven't seen this and wasn't able to figure this one out without reading the manual, but you are supposed to be able to sit in the back and streth your feet all the way across the front seat. Words cannot describe how neat the seats are. Go out and see for your self.

Power:
With a 1.5 liter 109HP engine with VTEC this light weight subcompact moves pretty quickly. Expecting a slow econobox, I was happily surprised by how fast it accelerates. Fits come with 5 speed manuals. Optional equipment for the Base model is a 5 speed automatic. Optional equipment for the Sport model is a 5 speed automatic with paddle shifter. More on the paddle shifter later in the review.

Handling:
From what I hear, this thing handles better than most of the cars in it's class. I wasn't able get an adequate feel of the handling to comment during the short test drive.

Paddle Shifting!
I test drove a Fit Sport with the 5 speed automatic. I was able to try out the paddle shifters briefly. You basically put the car into "S" instead of "D" and are able to shift on your own paddling up and down the gears. The car is fun to drive without it. I'm not used to using paddle shifters, but I found it awkward if you are turning, both of your hand's need to on the wheel to shift while turning because the paddles are on the steering wheel and they move as you turn the wheel. Seems like it's just something one just needs to get use to. I didn't find out till after the test drive that I could have left the car in "D" and downshift when I felt like it. It automatically brings it back to the correct gear after some time. I found that kinda neat if a quick highway lane change was needed.

Safety:
Standard on all Fits, you will find a great set of safety features. STANDARD!

• Dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags (SRS)
  
• Front side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
  
• Side curtain airbags
  Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

MSRP Pricing:
Pricing is very reasonable. It's a lot of value you are getting for what Honda is asking.
Fit: $13,850
Fit w/ 5AT: $14,650.00
Fit Sport: $15,170
Fit Sport w/ 5AT: $15,970.00
*MSRP excluding tax, license, registration, $550.00 destination charge and options. Dealer prices may vary.

Conclusion:
I find the Fit an excellent choice if this is the kind of car you are looking for. I looked at a few other cars in its category such as the Scion xA, Scion xB, and Toyota Yaris sedan. I'd get the Honda. The Yaris had very cheap "you get what you pay for" interior. The Scion interiors are better, but the xA has a tiny trunk. Well someone else can do a VS. I'm getting tired and hungry. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to comment!