2015 Honda Fit Long-Term Update: Interior design

Another month, another cycle of trouble-free travels in our Honda Fit EX-L with Navi. Fuel economy continues to be as solid as the rest of the package and has settled into a 32-33 combined mpg with the occasional full freeway cruise interval nailing or slightly exceeding its official 38-mpg EPA highway mark. As the numbers on its odometer continue to roll up, we’ve had an even better chance to assess the relative design merits of our Fit’s passenger compartment. 

A cabin filled (mostly) with charm

There’s no question that the new Fit’s basic black and brushed aluminum interior trim has a contemporary and well-finished appearance that complements its remarkable space efficiency. And the look plays particularly well in the car’s leather-lined, top-trim iteration. That said, we did find a few items that merit a rethink. On the upside, the Fit’s instrument layout gets unqualified high marks, matching large, legible main displays with an easily reconfigurable secondary readout that presents ancillary information from speed and average/instant economy to remaining range and oil life. Although the phone controls on its nicely-padded multifunction steering wheel are a bit awkward to reach, the remaining buttons/rockers as well as the two column-mounted stalks and power window/mirror switches are finger friendly. The Fit’s mulfunction touch screen also is easy to access and the HVAC switchgear brilliant in its simplicity and location. 

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As for the less laudable design aspects, save for some random soft-touch surfaces on the midsection of its dash, the Fit sports an abundance of hard plastic elements, not the least of which are found on its outboard armrests. And the lightly padded center armrest is positioned so low that its prime function appears to be keeping dust out of the  rather modest bin that houses a 12V powerpoint and a USB port. Placement of the cupholders and forward 12V powerpoint/HDMI/USB ports also appear to have been dropped into the console on a space-available basis. 

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While the Fit’s front buckets offer good overall support – and a welcome driver’s-side height adjuster – several staffers have found their firm lower cushions a bit lacking when it comes to long-term comfort levels. The 60/40 split-folding rear "Magic Seat" features a similar design on its clever flip-up lower squab. But with the 2015 makeover adding a stunning 4.8 inches of legroom to what had already been a near-midsize dimension, the Fit’s aft quarters offer true adult-size space for two plus a smaller child and can be easily configured to tote people or cargo at a moment’s notice. More detail on that aspect of the Fit’s personality next month. For now, we’ll simply note that it can swallow up a boxed 55-inch flat-screen TV.