We recently purchased a brand new 2007 Honda Fit – and seemed to have inadvertently found ourselves in the middle of an environmental dispute between the Canadian Government and Honda Canada. It seems that the Honda model that we purchased does not qualify for Canada’s new low-emission incentive program because its combined highway/city fuel consumption of 6.6 litres of gasoline for every 100 kilometres driven misses the 6.5/100 km standard set by the government by 1/10th of a litre. This becomes even more absurd when you consider that a SUV may qualify for the incentive with a miserable 8.5/1oo km performance. This is a real slap in the face for people like us who made the decision NOT to buy a 4WD vehicle because of their inherent high fuel consumption. We still win hands down at the gas pumps anyways!

There are other environmental considerations when purchasing a vehicle – the biggest being durability. What’s so environmental about building a disposable car that gets good mileage? There’s quite a few little shitboxes that are qualifying for the Canadian Government’s ‘low emissions’ incentive program that will be sitting in the junkpile in a few years – with all the other ‘fuel efficient’ shitboxes that have cluttered up our landscape for the last 50 years – while most of the new Honda Fits will be purring along, year after year on their tried and tested ‘Civic’ powertains.

And another thing – I won’t be dumping out my engine oil every 4000 km as specified by most new car warranties. The Honda Fit tells the owner when it is time to change the oil. Right now I have over 6000 km on the new motor and the Honda tells me that my engine oil is at 50% of its life – which should give me about 12,000 km per oil change – now that’s environmental!

When shopping for a new car – I was really impressed with the quality and features that were available in an inexpensive car like the Honda Fit. Our car came with air-conditioning, power steering, cruise control, power mirrors (don’t laugh – I spend a lot of time adjusting mirrors on my old Toyota – its a pain in the ass), ABS braking system and side curtain airbags. Then there’s the fabulous roominess for passengers and spacious cargo area when the rear seats are folded down – perfect for musicians like ourselves who often need to pack around keyboards, guitars and amplifiers – it really doesn’t feel like a small vehicle when you’re inside.

The only way that it can get better – Honda says that they are working on a hybrid version of the Fit that they predict will get 85 miles to the gallon – I just may trade this one in.

Here’s the CBC version of the story – and oh yes – Honda says that they’ll give me a $1000 rebate – SHOW ME THE MONEY!

 Honda matches federal rebate with own $1,000 incentive

Last Updated: Friday, May 18, 2007 | 1:31 PM ET

CBC NewsHonda Canada is introducing a low-emissions incentive program for two of its models, in response to the federal government’s ecoAUTO rebate program it says was based on “arbitrary” criteria. The company claims the government program prized fuel efficiency over safety criteria, and said consumers who purchase or lease the 2007 Honda Fit or the 2006-07 Honda Civic with manual transmission will be given a $1,000 rebate. The incentive will be applied retroactively to March 20, 2007, when the program was introduced in the federal budget.

“In response to the government of Canada’s arbitrary definition of fuel efficiency and to ensure that Canadians have an equal opportunity to purchase a vehicle that offers the right balance of environmental stewardship and safety, Honda Canada and its automobile dealers are responding,” the company said in a statement released Thursday.

The ecoAUTO program applies to the purchase of new cars with consumption ratings of less than 6.5 litres of gasoline for every 100 kilometres driven, and minivans or SUVs rated at less than 8.3 litres/100 km (based on 55 per cent city driving and 45 per cent highway). The basic rebate on these vehicles is $1,000 and increases by $500 for every half-litre reduction, to a maximum of $2,000.

In Honda’s fleet, the Civic hybrid was the sole car to qualify for the ecoAUTO program. By comparison, six vehicles made by rival automaker Toyota qualified for the list, including the subcompact Yaris. Sales of the Yaris have increased noticeably, with Toyota reporting 2,511 Yaris models purchased in April, an increase of 67.8 per cent over April 2006.Some of Honda’s vehicles that narrowly missed qualifying for the federal rebate, including the Fit, which uses 6.6 litres/100 km, outperform other cars including the Yaris in crash test.

The Fit received a five-star rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while the Yaris earned four stars. NHTSA bases its ratings on safety criteria including front and side crash results, anti-rollover features.

The Conservatives also introduced a penalty on some of the heaviest polluting non-commercial vehicles, but pickup trucks are exempt from the provisions. Vehicles that burn more than 13 litres/100 km face a penalty of at least $1,000. The penalty rises to a maximum of $4,000, levied on passenger vehicles that use more than 16 litres/100 km.

Increase gas taxes, analyst recommends

Toronto-based industry analyst Dennis Desrosiers said when the measures were rolled out that he welcomed initiatives promoting new technologies, but he said the government should have considered a gasoline tax hike. He said over the past four years, sales have dropped when gas prices have increased.

He also noted that higher gas prices would encourage manufacturers to import more efficient vehicles and adopt advanced diesel technology used in Europe.

Other industry observers criticized the inclusion of vehicles that use E85, a fuel made up of 85 per cent ethanol that emits fewer greenhouse gases. As there are only a couple of stations in Ontario that sell the fuel, situated in Guelph and Ottawa, drivers could qualify for the rebate with a car designed to use E85 or gasoline but still fill their cars exclusively with gasoline.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9badbpsrUc