New Honda Fit Hybrid launched in South Africa – Pricing and features

Honda has updated the Fit Hybrid for the South African market with sportier styling, enhanced standard equipment, and a more powerful drivetrain.

The hatchback is now available at a starting price of R544,900 – R15,000 more than before – which includes a 5-year/200,000km warranty, a 4-year/60,000km service plan, and an 8-year/200,000km hybrid battery warranty.

What’s new

The facelifted Fit Hybrid strikes a more dynamic pose thanks to the addition of a revised grille and front and rear bumpers that retain the signature horizontal lines of the standard models but feature a “more cohesive, characterful aesthetic,” said Honda.

These additions lend the semi-electric Fit an overall more athletic appearance and firmly set it apart as the flagship version of the line-up.

The enhanced looks complement the uprated power unit, which consists of a 1.5-litre petrol engine combined with a small electric motor that together produces 90kW and 253Nm, an increase of 10kW over the old system, which is directed to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission.

“This increase in the overall system output is achieved through a 10kW increase in power from the traction motor, whilst engine power has also been increased to 78kW (from 72kW) to improve drivability and overall system efficiency,” said Honda.

The more powerful foundation will improve on the 9.4-second acceleration time of the old version while retaining a low fuel economy of 3.7l/100km.

Inside the cabin, the new Fit Hybrid has gained a wireless smartphone charger as standard in addition to its pre-existing kit.

As such, buyers will still get amenities such as keyless entry and start, leather seats with heating in front, a 7-inch multi-info driver’s display, a 9-inch infotainment screen supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and climate control.

Automatic LED lights with high-beam assist and 16-inch alloy wheels are equipped, too, in addition to a reverse camera, front and rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, hill-start assist, a road departure mitigation system, a collision mitigation braking system, and six airbags.

The Hybrid variant is also the only Fit with Honda’s “Magic Seats” that enable owners to configure the five-seater cabin in four different ways to enhance the hatchback’s cargo-carrying capabilities, with anywhere from 298 to 1,199 litres of storage available.