2009 Honda Fit

Now, more than ever, the Honda Fit seems appropriate. It's one of the few efficient small cars without excuses, without compromises, and without apologies - it behaves like a real automobile, it's at least a little entertaining to drive, and it doesn't feel as cheap as it is. I like it. So, apparently, does most of America; sales are up more than 50 percent this year.

That said, I wasn't too impressed with the old Fit - it seemed like the un-Honda Honda, a car that fit the mold and filled the numerical bill but was decidedly un-fun once you got behind the wheel. Its suspension was too soft, its shift linkage too mushy, its steering too numb. Happily, Honda seems to have fixed some of these issues with the 2009 Fit. The damper and spring tuning is a little sharper, the shift linkage a little crisper. The whole car seems a little more dialed-in than before.

There's a reason these things sell like crazy. Simply put, the Fit is head and shoulders above most of its competition.

Sam Smith, Associate Editor