2007 Honda Fit

The Honda Fit offers five-passenger seating and comes with a sporty, two-tone fabric interior. The rear seatbacks can be flipped down to create a big, flat cargo hold. Most of the other cars in this class don't offer such a big, flat floor, and that's crucially important when trying to transport a big box. Alternatively, the seat bottoms can be flipped up, creating a nice cargo hold behind the front seats, handy for groceries and errand running or for tall items, like framed art. Fold down all the right-hand seats and you can transport a surfboard. Recline the front seats and they form a couch. Plug in your iPod, lay down and relax.

The five-speed automatic is popular and fun. Put it in drive and it does a good job of responding to the driver's wishes. Select the manual mode and the automatic can be shifted manually using paddles behind the steering wheel. Touch the one on the right with your fingers and it shifts up a gear, touch the one on the left and it downshifts. Do this in the normal Drive mode and it shifts up or down temporarily, a great feature when you just want a little boost going up a hill or for passing or when you want to short shift for better economy and smoothness. Put it in the Sport mode and it won't shift again until the driver shifts up or down. It's a nice setup.

2009 Honda Fit

The Honda Fit offers a compelling balance of economy, fun, interior convenience and comfort. It offers engineering excellence and value. From a healthy list of standard safety equipment to multiple seat configurations and ample storage room, the Fit simplifies your life. Drawbacks include a noisy and thrashy ride, slightly numb steering and a small (split) glovebox.

While the Fit's power supply is modest, we found driving a model with either the manual transmission or automatic with paddle shifters upped the fun meter by allowing drivers to dip down into the vehicle's torque band when needed.

2010 Honda Fit

Overall, the Fit feels large inside, thanks to its expansive greenhouse and new seats. Visibility from the driver's seat is excellent. (The side mirrors are 30 percent larger than those on the previous model.) The most noticeable difference is up front, where a broader front windshield and close-up seating improve sightlines and feel for the road. Slender roof pillars front and rear minimize blind spots and create a more airy feel to the cabin.

The Fit Sport has fast looks and slick style. From the rear roofline spoiler to its aero-zealous face and fog lights, this swift metro acrobat is a certified extrovert. The Fit Sport also rocks machine-finished, 16-inch alloy wheels and new headlights, all of which cement its status in the world of high style.