2009 Honda Fit Sport

Miles to date: 20,071

If you're in the market for a Honda Fit like our Four Seasons test car, take our advice: skip the navigation system.

Staffers have had some complaints about the quirky interface and dated graphics, but our biggest issue concerns the price of the system. For 2010, adding the navigation option (which also includes a stability control system) to a Fit Sport tacks on nearly $2700 to the bottom line, pushing the MSRP past the $19,000 mark.

"That's enough to turn a pretty darn good $17,000 car into a completely non-competitive $20,000 car," writes assistant editor David Zenlea. "I don't want to give the impression that I dislike the Fit. It's just well out of its league at this price point, and there's no reason not to spend just a little bit more and get something like a Mazda 3."

Senior online editor Phil Floraday agrees. "I'd happily pay a premium for a well-sorted small car like the Mini Cooper, but the higher-spec Fit Sport still doesn't give you a sixth gear, higher quality plastics, or anything that helps reduce wind and tire noise on the highway."

Although many of the 20,071 miles on the Fit's odometer were accumulated through long stretches of highway travel, our opinion of the little Honda improves when we keep it within urban confines. We're still amazed at the large amounts of cargo the interior can swallow, and its diminutive size allows us to weave through even the most congested traffic with ease.

Still, not everyone needs a car for the city. "I'd probably have a totally different opinion if my driving skewed more toward the urban end of the spectrum," notes Floraday. "I can't dislike the Fit for not meeting my individual needs, but it sure isn't easy to pile praise onto a relatively good car that doesn't fit your lifestyle."