Getting Fit for the future

HYBRID DERIVATIVE HAS EVERYTHING YOU’D NEED IN A SMALL CITY HATCHBACK Self-charging and with excellent fuel consumption figures.

We were impressed, the first time we got to drive the Honda Fit after the little hatchback replaced the Jazz in the Japanese carmaker’s local line-up in 2021.

After a week in the flagship hybrid derivative, we waxed lyrical about the Fit’s solid handling, punchy acceleration, fuel consumption of 5.2 litres per 100 kilometres, safety specifications and futuristic interior styling.

But, the elephant in the room was its lofty price tag.

As hybrid cars are charged higher taxes by SA’s slow-toadapt-to-greener-technology government, their potential saving in fuel bills does not always outweigh their initial price tags.

At the time, the hybrid Honda Fit cost R80 000 more than the range’s most expensive petrol derivative.

Fast-forward 2½ years, and the scenario is remarkably similar, if not worse. After undergoing a facelift, we got to spend another week in the hybrid Honda Fit.

Guess what? It has hardly aged: it still handles well, is still punchy, delivered an even better fuel economy of 4.4l/100km, it’s still as safe as houses and the panoramic view through the windscreen due to sweeping A-pillars is still eerily futuristic.

Sadly, the elephant is still there – and eating well, too.

At R544 900, the hybrid is now R129 000 more expensive than the top petrol model, the Elegance after the Executive was dropped.

If we lived in Europe, the hybrid Honda Fit would be a musthave on every little city hatchback list. There, not only the price tag would be subsidised, it would warrant rebates on insurance, licence fees, toll fees and even parking tariffs.

Here, things are different. That is why certain manufacturers are still holding out on bringing in new energy vehicles. But others, like Honda, feel it’s less beneficial to hold out for too long.

The carmaker knows the hybrid Fit won’t sell in major quantities, but putting its technology out there is still a good exhibition for the time when the tax tide does turn – eventually.

And in that regard, the Fit does a great job of showing how efficient a new energy vehicle can be.

The e:HEV system is a self-charging hybrid powertrain which requires no external charging from a plug.

It consists of a 1.5-litre petrol engine, two electric motors and a lithium-ion battery.

The systems work together automatically and seamlessly to send the twist to the front via fixed-gear transmission.

We achieved a fuel consumption of 4.4l/100km over the course of 400km, with one 100km return trip between Randburg and Centurion with the cruise control set at 120km/h delivering outstanding economy of 4.0l/100km. On the outside, the facelift model benefits from restyled, darkened LED headlight clusters, a new front bumper and lower air intake, a revised blacked-out grille and new 16-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, materials have been upgraded, while a wireless phone charger has been added. In the current climate, the hybrid Honda Fit will never get the recognition it deserves. But that is through no fault of its own.