First Drive: 2009 Honda Fit: Kudos from Sam Moses on redesigned Fit

We're witnessing a revolution here, and it'll be a good one. Leave it to Honda to fire the first cannon, although in this case the cannonball called Fit is more like a crossbow arrow. And we're mixing our metaphors already without even mentioning hybrids and the 2001 Toyota Prius - the original act of insurrection.

Change is now buzzing at us full speed, powered by small efficient engines, weaving and darting through the carnage of the train-wrecked big SUVs. Honda has wasted little time in the lead by redesigning the hugely successful Fit for 2009, just two years after its introduction.

The all-new Fit is four inches longer and 50 pounds heavier than before, but that's okay because it's also quicker and gets the same mileage. The rear headroom, legroom and cargo space have all been increased a touch. Cargo capacity is amazing, relatively humongous, 57.3 cubic feet with the rear Magic Seats (their real name) folded totally flat in a flash, almost like sleight of hand at work. The rear liftgate is wide and low, so what you have is a tiny cargo van. Brilliant. Boffo! And both front seats recline flat, creating 90 inches from glovebox to liftgate on the passenger side. My 8’4” sailboard slid right in, with its nose on the dash. Go ahead, find me another 30-mpg windsurfmobile.

The '09 engine delivers eight more horsepower (now 117) with new intake and exhaust manifolds, and 800 more rpm, thanks to lighter and stronger connecting rods. It's still EPA-rated at 27/33 miles per gallon, which precisely matches what I got during one week in a Sport with the paddle-shifting five-speed automatic transmission. The torque doesn't reach its maximum output until 4800 rpm, so sometimes you have to keep the engine buzzing, but the paddle shifters make it easy and fun to downshift. The transmission shifts quick and tight and feels like it belongs in an expensive car, for example as it downshifts downhill to a stopsign.

Besides being roomy inside, the Fit is easy to get in and out of - the rear doors open wide - and the firm cloth seats feel like they would be just fine on long road trips. There's no center console compartment (the e-brake takes that space), but there are enough nooks and cubbies to compensate. Honda has always been smart about that.

The dashboard layout is kind of other-worldly, dominated by the sound system controls. A small digital display tells you when you need an oil change but not how many miles to empty, but now we're nitpicking.

The suspension and ride feel just right, and the handling is light and nimble, something that's not necessarily guaranteed, even in a small car.

What people will notice is that the Fit wears the face of the future, literally, with its wedge-shaped front end. But you can't just slap a wedge onto a car like a pie on a clown, without changes to the chassis, at least not if you want to maintain (or improve) crash integrity, so the Fit's structure was redesigned from the nose back.

Honda calls it ACE (Advanced Compatibility Engineering). The frame rails are polygon-shaped and computer designed to disperse the forces of impact all around the car, upward and downward, instead of allowing them to be jammed at the occupants. The bowed crossmember under the dashboard plays a role. The bumper and sheetmetal forward of the windshield are built to bend and absorb, reducing damage to things you might hit, namely pedestrians.

The flexible face of the Fit is good because of a peculiar little thing - from the cabin you can't see the sloped hood or fenders because the driver’s position is way back, leaving a long dash. So bumps into poles and such are likely. But there are triangular quarter-windows just forward of the mirrors, and similar windows in the rear, that increase visibility out the corners.

The base price is $15,220 with freight, an increase of $600 from '08, but you get your money's worth in safety, including side front airbags, airbag curtains and a tire pressure monitor. But in order to get electronic stability control (VSA) you have to get the Sport model at $16,730 and then add $1850 for the VSA and navigation system together. Throw on another $850 for the paddle-shifting five-speed automatic transmission, and you've still got great value (maybe more). You've got good-looking 16-inch alloy wheels, among other Sport things.

But mainly, no worries, there's enough power. Thrash it if you have to; the car will take it. One bold Fit never skipped a beat in the 25-hour endurance race at Thunderhill, last year. When you can turn a car like this into a racing car, you know it's right.