Those of you who have been reading CC for a while may remember my brief fling with a 2013 VW Beetle TDi Convertible, which was succeeded by a 2015 Honda Fit (seen photobombing the Pantera above), which I purchased in September 2014. I’m happy to report I’m still with the car, nearly 40K miles later. It’s been ‘Honda-reliable,’ has returned a hand-calculated 37.6 MPG since new, and has all the utility of a Swiss Army knife (the car is like the Tardis – bigger on the inside than it is on the outside).
Which brings us up to the title of today’s post. I’d always wanted to get into autocross (“AutoX”) when I was in college, and had begun converting my ’82 Chevrolet Cavalier Type 10 hatchback for that purpose. But then I met and married this girl and got a bit distracted for the next few decades rearing a family. The Cavalier’s long-gone, and now that our sons are, too (empty nesters, rejoice!), it was finally time to revisit my dream, albeit with two additional doors.
The Fit is actually known as the Jazz in markets other than Japan, the Americas and China. While considered a sub-compact here in the US, it comfortably seats four (North American-sized) adults with plenty of rear seat legroom. With the rear seats folded flat, it can easily haul a new ‘in-the-box’ dishwasher home from Lowe’s, or alternately, you can flip the rear seat bottoms up and haul bulky, tall items. Front seat backs can be lowered almost flat to the rear in what Honda calls “Refresh Mode.”
The US-market Fit is powered by Honda’s 1.5l “Earth Dreams” i-VTEC® direct-injection engine that makes 130hp/114lb-ft torque, despite the dorky name. A 6-speed manual transmission is available, but I was really disappointed with the gear ratios when I test drove one – the engine was disturbingly frantic at 70 mph, and 5th gear was usually the best selection for in-town driving, which meant a *lot* of rowing between stoplights. I ended up getting the CVT-equipped EX trim, which was my first automatic DD purchase ever. While I miss the more-engaging manual transmission experience, the CVT (adapted from the Civic) has worked out fine, especially on long road trips, where the engine note is barely noticeable (1,000 RPM slower at 70mph than the 6MT). There’s no ‘rubber-banding’ effect, and in ‘Sport mode,’ the transmission simulates seven “gears,” which can be engaged manually with paddle shifters. The computer automagically shifts for you at redline or if you start bogging the engine to prevent expensive noises from ensuing.
The Fit has a bit of a following among hyper-milers, and I’ve seen folks report hand-calculated long-term averages in the 50+ mpg range. The pic shows my personal best single trip (not tank) mileage – it was mostly downhill and had few stops over about 15-20 minutes driving with an already-warm engine. The computer does tend to be a couple mpg optimistic. My biggest complaint with the car’s fuel economy is the small tank: 10.6 gallons, which effectively makes this about a 350 mile car (300 in Winter). For my use case, I end up topping off at least once a week, where my previous TDI New Beetle and TDi Beetle Volkswagens easily went two-plus weeks between fill-ups.
While I don’t go out of my way to achieve high economy, the car does its best to encourage it, with glowing lights to either side of the speedometer. Green = “Look at you, you’re doing so great, saving the Earth and all!” Blue-green = “Back off a little, there, bub…”, and Blue = “What do you think this is – a dump truck?”
The previous two generations of Fit are reported to have had a more ‘go-cart-like’ ride (I’ve never ridden in either), and the third-gen (GK) Fit was softened up a bit. I personally found the car to have more roll and understeer than I cared for, but this was to be expected for this size- and price-class of vehicle. So after getting used to the car and successfully making it through my first Winter (with no frozen doors or intercoolers), it was time to whip out the checkbook!
New wheels and tires, springs, rear roll bar, camber bolts and rear axle shims were fitted, and after a custom alignment, it now handles crisply with neutral characteristics through the twisties. While I was writing checks, I also fitted a JDM rear bumper cover and LED brake lights, Mugen-style front chin spoiler, an axle-back exhaust, cold air intake and finally, rebadged it as a Jazz.
Now right outside my office window at work is a large parking lot that our local SCCA group uses once or twice a year in their AutoX schedule. When four of my coworkers indicated they were signed up, I figured it was time to join the fun. All five of us are industrial designers, but I’m the odd man out, as three own Mazda Miatas and the fourth owns a Mazda 3. The night before the event, I stripped my car of any potential interior missiles and mounted magnetic gumballs with my number and vehicle class on the hood and doors: I was ready to race.
Track day arrived clear and blue with light winds and coolish temperatures. I pulled into the facility, signed in, and was directed where to park. Imagine my surprise when, amidst the sea of Mustangs, Corvettes, Miatas, BMWs and Nissan 350zs, I caught sight of a very familiar profile – a 1988 Pontiac Fiero, which was about as ‘hoopty’ looking as I think I’ve ever seen (well, maybe not as bad as these). Missing panels, mismatched wheels and tires and (probably rattle can) matte black paint gave the car the appearance of having recently been rescued from the local U-Pull-it yard.
The new-for-1984 Pontiac Fiero made Paul’s “Deadly Sins” list for a number of good reasons, and in typical GM fashion, they pretty much got it right by 1988, then immediately killed it. Part of “getting it right” included a very expensive ($30 million) program to finally put a competent multi-link suspension under the car. While our topic car is powered by a 2.5L 98 hp “Iron Duke” four-cylinder engine, a 2.8L 135 hp V6 was also available.
Four trim levels were offered in 1988; the base Coupe, the Formula, the GT and the very rare, dealer-only Fiero Mera – a Ferrari 308 look-alike that was the result of a conversion by Corporate Concepts in Capac, Michigan. A total of 249 Meras were converted during 1987-88, until a lawsuit from Ferrari put a stop to things. It’s difficult to pin down the trim level of our track car, though. The Iron Duke would indicate a base model Coupe (higher trim levels all received V6 engines), but it sports a Fiero Formula nose (not to mention an aftermarket hood trunk scoop), plus the Formula’s crosslace wheels, at least at two corners. No Formula spoiler on the rear deck, though. It does have a sunroof, but it was permanently caulked shut!
I did get a chance to chat with the driver briefly in-between runs, and he indicated he had done quite a bit of work “under the skin,” so there was more “there” there than appeared at first glance – he was turning in quite decent times for his class, too.
But! (queue the angelic choir music)
Up at the end of the paddock was the complete antithesis of the Fiero (and yet, also mid-engined!), a genuine 1972 De Tomaso Pantera, which turned out to have quite an interesting story behind it. It seems it was purchased as a non-running basket case by an older gentleman who was later diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) that left him unable to do further work on the car. Two friends (who brought the car that day) took over the project, bringing it to completion. The AutoX event was only its second time out on the road since being restored (and you’ll note from the photos there were a few areas still needing touchup).
The Pantera was introduced in 1971 as a replacement for the De Tomaso Mangusta, and was designed by American-born Tom Tjaarda at the Italian design firm of Ghia. The initial European car was powered by a Ford 351 cu. in. (5.8L) V8 rated at 330hp, but more likely made close to 380hp.
1972 brought a number of modifications for US-market cars, including a new 351 Cleveland engine derated to 266 hp (net) to meet US emissions standards.
A review of the Pantera by Car and Driver at the time pointed out that the Pantera was one of those cars where observers on the outside got a much better deal than those on the inside. Evidently, the driving experience wasn’t too great with poor ergonomics and visibility. 1973 cars had a redesigned dash that unified the two separate ‘pods’ seen here.
Starting in late 1971, Ford imported the Pantera into America to be sold through Lincoln Mercury dealers. Initial cars were simply European imports, and like most Italian cars of the day, had minimal rust-proofing and poor fit and finish. Ford intervened and after introducing precision stampings for body panel production, brought overall quality up markedly. The car would go on to enjoy a twenty year production run.
The Pantera not only provides a visual and auditory treat, but also an olfactory one, as, with no catalytic converters, every pass left a delicious perfume of unburned hydrocarbons! They started out going pretty easy on the car, but were laying down some major rubber by the end of the heat!
So getting back to the event, the nearly fifty entrants were divided into two heats, one of which ran in the morning and one in the afternoon. Drivers not driving worked the event; I was in charge of uprighting cones in Turn 1, for example. The benefit of working track in the morning was A) it was cooler, and B) I got to watch other’s techniques for getting through the first half of the track.
Finally, it came time for my heat to run after lunch. Following advice, I positioned my car on the grid so I would be one of the last cars to drive, in order that I could ride with one of the experienced drivers before it was my turn. I ended up in a 1994 Corvette, whose driver finished the day only two seconds off the fastest time of any car. I now know what a bullet feels like at the moment the trigger is pulled – my brain was barely past the first turn when he flashed through the timing lights at the end of the course!
As soon as I had recovered (no-one warned me about the physiological effects of AutoX), it was time to drive. I was the only Fit in attendance, had the only CVT (or automatic of any kind), was the tallest car on the track, and fielded the only vehicle with REAR DRUM BRAKES! I got seven runs in, and my time dropped from around 65.8 down to 62.9 seconds for my best run. One thing I learned from my ride in the ‘Vette was that I had not even begun to plumb the depths of the Fit’s braking capacity (which I now know is surprisingly good). I also learned that with my suspension setup, throttle-off hard braking in a turn makes for a very tail-happy Fit! I forgot to turn off stability control, and felt it doing its job numerous times (which probably cost me a second or two). Folks thought the CVT sounded “strange, but good”. Driving the CVT is like driving a turbo, though – there’s a bit of lag you have to plan for, but the advantage is that once the engine is spooled up, it pretty much stays in the peak HP band until you need to slow down for the next turn.
Bad pic, but I was trying to capture my MPGs while racing: 7.3 on this run! I got about 40 driving home, which I suspect is more than I can say for anyone else on the track.
So how did the Fit acquit itself? Well, after the handicap adjustment each car receives (I was running against Mustangs, a Corvette, etc.), I was surprised to learn I took first place in the Novice class!
Kudos!
Great write-upon a subject that has tugged at me from time to time. Congrats on winning the Novice class.
So I wonder how long it would take my ’66 F100 to get through one of these courses? Or would the brakes give out half-way through?
Have the suspension upgrades affected the ride of your Fit?
Sorry, Paul. They don’t allow trucks and other vehicles with high center of gravity. The SCCA has rules that make sure vehicles that are prone to tipping over are not entering the competition. Take your Scion. Take it as is, no fancy wheels and stuff.
I autocrossed my ’65 Mustang on 195/75R14 whitewalls back in college. It was a hoot, but that car rolled and pushed and smoked the inside rear tire on any corner. Then I tried my equally preposterous ’87 T-Bird with similar results and similar fun.
Give it a try, Paul! 🙂
I think it would be fun to drive an old manual-everything pickup through the course! Arms and legs would certainly be flying…
The springs I went with have minimal drop, and while the ride is stiffer, it’s not kidney-jarring, certainly fine for commuting or road trips. I’m still on my OEM bushings, which are pretty compliant. The car is simply not “mushy” any more.
is it true that they make Honda Fits in China?
I’m not 100% sure. Google will probably tell all. My car was manufactured in Mexico, but most 2016 production for USDM is now coming out of Japan. I think they switched the Mexico plant over to CRV production.
They most likely do. Any car short of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class/ BMW 7-Series/ Audi A8 is usually made in China for their local market (Premium CUVs are a different story). Punitive import fees/taxes make cars that aren’t assembled in China too expensive, so most automakers partner up with a Chinese automaker to open a joint-venture plant to produce cars and avoid the taxes.
Awesome!!
Your number circles made more sense once I realized that STF was your class, I though maybe it was a misspelled message to the Mustang and Camaro drivers who might snicker at the Fit. (Missing the last letter of the acronym which is Up)
Good on you for realizing a dream late, although I must remind you of your VW projects. We could possibly do the 40hp VW head to head AutoX challenge, but I’m afraid of your superior driving skills.
Not to mention that there may be two beetles on their roof by the end of the contest..
By the way, just noticed the lettering on your helmet, nice touch.
Only you would have noticed the “Tang Wu” on the helmet! (c:
And you’re on for a VW head-to-head!
Oh, no comment on my choice of number (or the font)?
Oh, I thought that was so obvious it goes without saying 🙂
“Two EMPI camber compensators to go please!”
Ha – I have camber compensators *and* Sway-away bars on mine!
How was your pulse that day? At my first auto-x I should have had some beta blockers. The guys who set up your track did the novice a huge favor: white lines in addition to cones. I was presented to cones only and lost the course two times. I was treated to a ride in a Mitsubishi Evo that required manually re-seating my eyeballs after the finish line. At a later auto-x an experienced driver was riding shotgun with me and guided my eyes from obstacle to obstacle. This was tremendous help. You are driving in something like a time warp. While you are in feature A you are already looking for the entrance to feature B. I found reading the cones to be the biggest challenge by far. I didn’t win anything. I was never the slowest but I always had the weakest car, a ’98 Mazda Protege.
Auto-x are cool events to spot some unusual CC material. I encountered a FIAT Spyder, Lotus Elan, Lotus 7, a Formula V, Mustang with 2.3 L Turbo fully prepped.
The regular drivers all commented on the striping, too.
I get carsick pretty easy, and came *that close* to losing it after my last run. I was wound up for hours afterwards.
Ha, what fun! I still have my Gen1 Fit, and it is very go-kart like. I have had three different sets of tires on it, and none have matched the factory Dunlops for fun-to-drive on dry pavement. Neither have the subsequent sets (Michelins) matched the Dunlops’ lack of roundness and general poor wear.
It is maddening that they take the manual and give it such awful ratios. I have paddle shifters on my 5 speed auto as well. And wow, still putting drum brakes on the backs of Fits.
I will say that my stock Fit (still running factory shocks and struts) feels like a boulevardier after some seat time in the Miata. And yes, a hearty Bravo on your great finish!
Hey CCers, Ed writes re his Honda Fit that he ” … was really disappointed with the gear ratios when I test drove one – the engine was disturbingly frantic at 70 mph, and 5th gear was usually the best selection for in-town driving.”
Why do car companies do this?
Why can’t the highest gear be higher?
Is it because we might notice that the car loses speed on highway grades and are too lazy to downshift?
Is it to make the automatics more efficient and maybe some day eliminate the costly need to manufacture those annoying manual models with low take rates?
When Miata came out with a 6 speed model I thought that might be nice to have. Then I read that the final drive ratio was the same as my 5 speed. Just more shifting of closer ratios around town.
Why?
Boggles my mind too. I’ve heard it is so folks don’t have to downshift for hills on the highways. I’d rather reduce the revs all the time and have to shift once and a while for myself. I would love a longer 5th gear in my Mazda 2 – its so close to 4th.
Especially when Honda went to a 6-speed with the Fit but kept the overall top gear ratio the same as the old 5-speed – after every manual Fit review ever dinged the frantic revs at speed as the car’s only real flaw, and nobody ever mentioned a “missing” intermediate gear!
I think it comes from the same thought process as those ’70s-90s Ford seats that forced you to slouch whether you wanted to or not and led to awful back pain after 50 miles or so. They sure were comfy for the first couple minutes, though, and that’s how long most test drives last!
I can understand they want to put the engine in the meat of the torque curve at highway speed for the most economical cruising, allowing for a fully loaded condition – trouble is they don’t seem to have adjusted for US highway cruising speed being higher than what they are used to in Japan.
Awesome write-up! But I refuse to have drum brakes on any of my rigs. Hate working on them, and in this day and age no excuse for them. I turned 50 yesterday maybe I’m a bit cranky. I have 4 wheel disc’s on my ’83 Ranger 4×4.
I thought about converting mine to rear discs (the RS trim in Japan has them, so it’s a bolt-on), but it costs $1,000 to do it…
Before anybody asks. In 1997, I had Currie build me a 9″ Ford rear axle for my Ranger (302 powered for those who might be new here) at the same time Ford Motorsport was selling a rear disc brake conversion kit. It was the then new Explorer rear disc setup. I took the bait, all $350 of it and installed them on my $1700 Currie axle. Also installed a V8 Explorer master cylinder and power booster( not a bolt in, anybody interested let me know) I have stock ’83 Ranger front disc brakes. This setup I stumbled upon is amazing; the weight of your big toe will stop the truck so fast (it is 4100 lbs, full of fuel in both tanks) you will lose your chewing gum, but not grabby at all. Everybody who has driven my truck mentions how awesome the brakes are. I even found a “4 wheel disc” pedal pad from one of those Ford Granada’s that were trying to be a Lincoln…. 🙂 And I run 31-10.50 tires. And I will add… I installed Wagner ceramic front pads a year ago. They are awesome, but scream like hell cold, in reverse. Worse than fingernails on a chalkboard, absolutely ear splitting.
I wasn’t going to ask, because I feel cranky in the opposite way:
All my cars have drum brakes on the back, and I’d be perfectly happy to have rear drum brakes for the rest of my life. They last forever, one rebuild at 200,000 km and you’re good to go for the balance of the vehicles life. They don’t jam up with dirt kicked up by the front wheels, and there’s no rube-goldberg parking brake setup, just a cable. My wheels go around, and my car stops. Best of all I get this great system on my car at no extra charge, and there’s no post purchase engineering required. With all the money I’ve saved I can buy a megaphone to tell those damn kids to get off my lawn!
And I’m only 49, who knows how I’ll feel about it next year?
+1 for drum brakes!
I see little point in FWD econoboxes having rear discs. Besides, Hondas corner so well, you don’t need to brake often enough for rear drums to become an issue.
One car where you can “A-B” rear discs vs. rear drums is the first gen RX7. Not much real world difference there, except that the pedal is a bit firmer and the brake response is a bit “quicker” feeling with the discs out back. One disadvantage with the Mazda rear discs is that the rears like to lock up first, a “no-no” in competition. One needs a pressure reducing system for the disc rears in the car, if allowed, for autocrossing or club racing. Drum rears almost never lock up first, under any reasonable conditions, which makes spirited driving easier right out of the box.
My 2013 Tacoma Double Cab Long Bed has rear drum brakes. So also does the revamped 2016 model.
I got the Tacoma because my mechanic, who drives a Ram 1500, recommended it.
It stops nicely, but the pedal feel is “different” than I was used to – not sure why or how.
My 2002 5 speed PT Cruiser had discs all around but later models went to disc/drums. Same with my Ford Taurus company cars. My 2005 Taurus wagon has all discs, the 2006 Sedan had the combo-brake special.
I’ve decided that some closely held automotive truths of my youth, like manual over automatic, all discs only, and big Moon Eye decals, need to be reviewed and maybe updated.
Another autox’er on the FitFreak forum (whose car has had quite a bit more done to it than mine) feels pretty strongly that the CVT is faster than the manual in these events. There’s another guy who’s running low 15s (drag strip) with a CVT-equipped car (plus engine mods).
It’ll never be a Corvette, but the Fit does seem to have a lot of potential for an entry-level car built to a price-point.
I drove a buddy’s Tacoma pickup last year, it felt to me almost like driving a Citroen DS must be like. The pedal seemed to have no travel at all, but the harder you pushed the harder you stopped.
As we age big Moon Eyes decals may no longer be appropriate for vehicles, but they are still appropriate for toolboxes 🙂
My 2013 disk/drum automatic Tacoma has a 140.6 inch wheelbase and rides like a luxury car (with a firm suspension). It’s the most comfortable vehicle I’ve owned since my 1953 fluid drive Chrysler.
It does not have the TRD option.
The bed’s inside length is 73.5 inches long.
Its fuel economy is not too great; the best I ever got on a round trip from NJ to Vermont and back was 21 mpg.
Around town, 16 to 18 tops; rear end is 3.727.
I recently replaced my ’99 F-250 4×4 Powerstroke with a ’15 RAM 2500 4×4 (5.7 gas). Both being standard cab, long bed farm trucks with four-wheel discs.
The RAM rides like an oxcart if there are any imperfections in the road, but on good interstate, it’s quite comfortable. The F-250 rode bad regardless how good the road was.
Fuel economy is about the same at 14-ish, loaded or not.
Nicely done! I have done the auto-x a few times before we lost the venue for the local club. I’ve taken my bone stock Mazda 2 which I’d imagine is pretty similar to your Fit. I’ve also taken my old Mercedes 220D which was a hoot. I actually preferred the diesel Benz as it gave you lots of time to think about the best line.
Ice racing is even more fun depending on your climate. A warm winter wiped out our more recent season unfortunately.
Great write-up and thanks for the video too! I did autocross a couple of times in college with my ’79 Mazda 626 in 1987 and then didn’t do it again until a few years ago, in that case it was on a frozen lake (Georgetown, CO) with the 911. Doing it on ice adds a whole ‘nother dimension to everything. Talk about planning ahead. But I took second in my class! (RWD, non-studded snowtires).
I’ve been meaning to look into it again on dry pavement this time…
There was a 911 driving, and he might-as-well have been on ice. *Very* tail-happy.
I agree this is a great write-up. Oh, and welcome to the autocross fraternity! The secret password is 1-800-TireRack, because if you do 20-odd events a year like I do, you’ll need it.
In the Boston area, SCCA and various car clubs run events every Saturday and Sunday between April 1 and November 1 at the old Moore Army Airfield at Fort Devens. We have two crossing runways, a ramp area, and taxiways to play with, resulting in courses that are just under a mile long. This allows for some serious speed (hitting second-gear red line, which is 55-65 mph for most cars, is not uncommon). Even when the elements are spread out, things are happening really quickly. It definitely gets the heart pumping.
Depending on the weather and the club’s attendance limits, anywhere between 50 and 150 cars might show up. The maximum “throughput” is about 900 runs for the day. I’ve seen a lot of interesting machinery over the years, but I have to say a Pantera would get everyone’s attention. That said, you can have just a lot of fun autocrossing just about any car. I’ve driven a mostly stock gen-1 Fit at Devens and it was a hoot. Congrats on your win!
For the first 6 years I ran my aging Mini-Cooper S, but I’ve switched to something very different, with 100% more power (coming out of the “right” wheels) and 25% more weight and external size.
Great stuff Ed, and congrats on the win!
If you haven’t seen it, google “Hemipanter” for a highly-developed Pantera (2320 lb!) powered by a stroked, injected Hemi
Zounds.