You can fit it : 2015 Honda Jazz (Fit is fun, frugal, and fantastic)

You don’t need to spend more than $20,000 to get a terrific car, and the 2015 Honda Fit is proof. This Honda does just about anything you need it to, anytime you want it to, and with the exception of its single but significant flaw, it represents the perfect transportation solution for a broad cross-section of the American populace.

We’ll discuss that flaw in a moment. First, let’s talk about the vehicle you see in the accompanying photographs. This is a 2015 Honda Fit EX, painted Mystic Yellow Pearl and equipped with a standard 6-speed manual gearbox. The price tag is $18,830 including the $820 destination charge. If you can’t operate a clutch pedal, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) adds $800 to the price.

Ugly but in a cute kind of way, this Easter egg on wheels is redesigned for 2015, and demonstrates a better-balanced look than previous versions of the Fit. Inside, there’s nothing weird about this new version of the car, a welcome change from the old one’s off-kilter and haphazard control layout that bled into the front passenger’s territory.

Indeed, from the design to the materials, this new Fit is grown up and less adolescent. Unfortunately, Honda put the soft-touch interior materials on the dashboard instead of on the upper door panels, where I typically rest an elbow while driving. Generally speaking, though, the Fit’s quality is outstanding for this price class.

Honda’s latest touchscreen infotainment system is terrific, looking and working like someone glued an iPad to the dashboard. The Fit’s other controls are easy to find and use, too, though I thought the deeply recessed tachometer and speedometer could have benefitted from additional illumination for improved clarity.

While I’m a fan of the touchscreen display, I am not a fan of Honda’s LaneWatch technology. Using a camera mounted to the right side mirror, LaneWatch shows the driver what is along the right side of the car, engaging when the turn signal is used or any time the driver decides to manually activate the feature.

In practice, I find LaneWatch distracting and no substitute for a true blind spot monitoring system that works for both sides of the car. Good thing, then, that from the driver’s seat the Fit provides fantastic outward visibility in every single direction.

Too bad the driver’s seat is not more comfortable for taller drivers. I measure six feet from stem to stern, with longer legs and a shorter torso, and I like to sit up nice and high behind the steering wheel. But, in the Fit, when I use the seat height adjuster to elevate my body, my legs splay out under the steering wheel and the seat cushion itself offers zero thigh support.

Honda has clearly botched an opportunity to make the Fit comfortable for tall drivers, and this is the single flaw that might force some people to look elsewhere for an affordable set of wheels. Given the redesigned 2015 model’s larger interior dimensions and limo-like levels of rear seat legroom, it should not have been hard to add front seat track travel to improve comfort for folks with long legs.

If you’re tall, then, it might be better to ask someone else to drive the Fit, because the front passenger’s seat is more comfortable. Or, you can climb into the cavernous back seat and literally stretch out on what Honda calls its Magic Seat.

Thanks to the Magic Seat, the Fit is exceptionally practical. Behind the seat, the trunk provides 16.6 cu.-ft. of cargo space, which is more than most midsize sedans. Fold the Magic Seat down, and maximum cargo volume rivals a crossover SUV at 52.7 cu.-ft. That is only 2.2 cu.-ft. less than a Jeep Cherokee can carry.

You can also flip the rear bottom seat cushion up, much like a crew cab pickup truck, in order to carry taller items on the rear floor. Or, you can fold the seat back down, fold the front passenger’s seat, and slide long items into the Fit as long as they’re not more than 7-feet, 9-inches long.

If you’re tall and forcing someone else to drive, you can also sit in the right rear seat, fold the front seat down, stretch out, and relax while someone else complains about how uncomfortable the driver’s seat is. At least the driver gets to have some genuine fun while squeezed behind the steering wheel.

The Fit is a peppy little car, equipped with a 130-horsepower, 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that revs willingly. My Fit EX test vehicle had the standard 6-speed manual transmission, and it proved excellent compared to the sloppy gearboxes typically common in the subcompact car class. While shift action is positive rather than ropy and vague, the clutch is rather light and requires focus to avoid engine overrun or herky-jerky acceleration.

Thanks to light, quick, sharp, and precise steering, it sure is fun to toss this little guy around. Genuinely agile, nimble, and athletic, I was actually giggling out loud to myself as I hustled the Fit down Southern California’s Mulholland Highway.

When driving in the city and suburbs, I felt like the brake pedal exhibited too much pedal travel at the top of engagement, but when hustling the Fit on mountain roads the brakes worked exactly as desired and without a hint of fade.

No matter where you drive it, the Fit displays a firm and connected ride quality but this car doesn’t beat you up. Lots of road noise makes its way into the cabin, though, and the more severe holes and bumps in the pavement can unsettle the car a bit.

Oh, and one other thing. Despite how much fun I was having flogging the Fit, my 34.7 mpg fuel economy average actually exceeded the EPA’s 32-mpg estimate for combined driving.

Overall, the Fit is a triumph of dynamism and practicality. Plus, it gets a 5-star overall crash-test rating from the NHTSA and a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), critical considerations when choosing a small car like this. Plus, the Fit doesn’t cost much to buy, shouldn’t cost much to own, and is likely to last for a long time.

These qualities, and so many more, make the Honda Fit perfect for a broad segment of car buyers. But if you’re tall, shop elsewhere.