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Hatchbacks Honda Fit Honda Fit
4728 messages, Last post on Nov 06, 2009 at 4:57 AM
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Replying to: micweb (Jun 30, 2009 8:49 am) I drove both a Fit and a Civic yesterday, in prep for a possible "cash for clunkers" deal involving both my clunker ('94 Dodge truck) and my wife's somewhat tired '99 Civic EX five-speed. I am hoping to find a vehicle that will be as fun to drive and own as the '99 Civic has been, with comparable economy and reliability and the updated safety features that weren't yet offered when we bought that car new. The ultimate goal: a car we will be as happy with for the next ten years as we have been with that one for the previous ten. First was the new Civic. The dealer had only one in stock with a manual trans, an EX-Navi, so that's the one I drove. Considering the fact that I expected to love it, I was distinctly disappointed. The controls seem to have been mired in tree sap, judging from the unpleasant, jerky/sticky feel of the clutch and shifter action. The throttle seemed to have very little connection to anything happening in the engine compartment. (Yes, I know both the Civic and the Fit are drive-by-wire, but the Civic's implementation of the system was notably poor.) There was sufficient acceleration, but the car felt lifeless. The control layout was attractive at first glance, but I found myself focusing on the speedometer and having to consciously seek out the tach. Bad sign. Overall, the Civic was a less involving car to drive than even a new Accord. Before I even pulled the Civic back onto the lot, I told the salesman it was time to look at the Fit instead. The dealer had one Fit Sport 5MT on the lot (Milano Red, wouldn't you know it). Before I had driven even one block, I was infatuated with the car's feel. The Fit has the liveliness and joie de vivre of the best older Hondas I've driven (two Integras, a 4ws Prelude, and innumerable CRXs and Civics), but with the solidity of a modern car. The Fit probably isn't as quick 0-60 as the '09 Civic, but it felt much more eager and entertaining. I also like the fact that I can see out of it. Outward visibility used to be a hallmark of Honda design; nowadays only the Fit seems to carry that tradition forward. Sure, it might be rather fatiguing on an all-day road trip. But so are most cars. I think that's inherent in the concept of the all-day road trip. I drive briskly, but not recklessly, and I like a car that will communicate with me and provide some entertainment value. Most of my driving is either (a) the daily eleven-mile slog across town to the office, or (b) a couple of hours spent on nearby country roads. For the all-day drive to Houston, St. Louis or DC, we have the Accord. Am I sold on the Fit? Maybe. I still want to look at a couple of other options--the Soul and the Elantra Touring, among others. But yesterday's test drive vaulted the Fit from "not very likely" to "probable first choice."
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Replying to: stephen987 (Jun 30, 2009 9:51 am) I think you would be very happy with it...if you didn't find the Civic a lot quieter (it gets a "6" from Consumer Guide in its noise rating) then you aren't as sensitive to the noise issue as I have become. In all other ways, as you noted, I think the Fit beats the Civic - just plain a lot more fun. I DO stand by my complaint that Honda should have included stability control (although you sound like you don't need it) and I think they should add about 125 pounds of soundproofing...though I don't think they will. Let us know which vehicle you select. I still like the Fit a lot, I'm just pretty irked that Honda didn't deliver on all the promises they were making back in '08. The way the rear seats fold forward and flat is, however, VERY slick. And if I ever owned one - I'd take out the spare tire (but replace it with a compact inflation kit, maybe just a can of inflator/sealer) and use that to stow my backpack or gym bag, keeping the the top area "open" for Trader Joes and Costco runs (when I used a cargo cover, it reduced the capacity too much and got in the way). If you buy one, be sure to get the factory floor mats and have the dealer install them - they have to cut the factory felt mat to install hooks to hold the mats in place, it would drive you nuts to do it yourself. Without the minor surgery on the factory floor, the mats slide around. I thought for sure on this generation Honda would ship the car with the hooks to hold the mats preinstalled, like on ALL their other cars.
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Replying to: micweb (Jun 30, 2009 10:11 am) The new Civic was a bit quieter, yes, but in combination with the other factors it came off not as "refined" but as "isolated"--in a negative way, at least for me. I had hoped that the Civic would combine the fun and economy of the Fit with some of the refinement and comfort of the Accord, but for me it did the opposite, the weakest features of the larger and smaller cars with none of the redeeming qualities. It may well be that the new Civic is more at home with an automatic than with a manual. If I buy a Honda, it will almost certainly be a Fit Sport 5MT. My favorite color is the Blackberry Pearl, followed closely by Milano Red but my wife will probably insist on Blue Sensation instead. Frankly I'd settle for any color but black, which would be impractical thanks to the combination of the Fit's large windshield, Georgia summers and somewhat unimpressive air conditioning. I hope you enjoy your new Cube. Most of the reviews I've seen make it seem like the Cube would be a bit too soft for my tastes--then again, I haven't driven either the Cube or the Versa yet. More hunting to do! Versa, Cube, Soul, Elantra Touring, maybe even the Scion xD. |
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Replying to: micweb (Jun 30, 2009 10:11 am) Ha ha. That's kind of what I suspected in my original "tirade." That if you are coming off a 90's econo car, the Fit will seem fine (most likely better, in terms of noise, vibration, harshness) but compared to some other current cars in its niche, it's on the bottom of the scale - based on my test drives and ratings from Consumer Reports & Consumer Guide (Consumer Guide is available online, free). Yes the Civic is a dull car. Only the hatchback Si broke that mold. In a lot of ways the Fit is like a mild reincarnation of the Si hatchback - except it has four doors and a much better rear seat. After all, the Fit now has more horsepower than my 2003 Civic had - it only had 115hp, the Fit has 118 - and the Fit is closer in weight to the mid 2000's Si. The only thing I would note, is that you probably should take all these cars you are test driving out on the freeway and try them at 65, 70, 80 (if the salesman doesn't object). With the stereo off, the fan turned on low, and no conversation with the salesman. Conversations and stereos are big masks for "ambient noise levels." I am not saying the Fit is bad. I drove the prior generation to LA. But on that drive I did notice I kept my speed down to 75, whereas on other vehicles I am blipping up to or beyond 80 mph (not good, I know, but actually slower than prevailing traffic). The Fit felt fine at 75, but not as comfortable at 80. The new generation Fit is COMPLETELY redesigned with a longer wheel base, it's wider, has bigger wheels and tires, so I suspect - but can't confirm - that now it's probably an able 80 mph freeway flyer. I kinda hope you get the Fit so you can talk me into one too.... |
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Replying to: micweb (Jun 30, 2009 12:42 pm) I've often said the US market needed an updated version of the wonderfully efficient, eager and entertaining mid-eighties Civic Wagon.  I think the Fit fits that description well.
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Replying to: stephen987 (Jun 30, 2009 3:30 pm) And yes I think the Fit is the modern incarnation of the Civic Wagon. Better in SO many ways - I would just like to see Honda hit "perfection" with one more gear on the manual transmission, a little more sounproofing, and better tires on the base model. And of course stability control. BTW I checked Consumer Reports. On their 150 mile simulated road trip (mostly freeway, not stop and go) the manual transmission Fit Sport they drove returned 41 mpg - awesome mileage. So although the Fit this year is rated lower for gas mileage, in reality it is capable of some amazing tricks (their city mileage was 24, highway 37, so don't ask me why the blended long drive did so much better - unless the higher percentage of time spent "warming up" the car on the city and highway tests they run impacts gas mileage that much). |
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Replying to: stephen987 (Jun 30, 2009 3:30 pm) micweb: how's the shifter on that Nissan? On paper I think a 6 speed in this class is a great idea, but I've heard complaints about the clutch and shifter on the Versa. Haven't tried it yet myself. My Miata has a 6 speed and I'm not 100% convinced that's better than a 5 speed, most of the time it's overkill and I just skip 5th gear anyway.
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Replying to: ateixeira (Jul 01, 2009 10:36 am) |
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Replying to: micweb (Jun 30, 2009 10:11 am) I don't necessarily agree with the floor mats comment. I balked at the Honda OEM floormat price and cost of installation. Instead, I bought the top quality heavy carpet choice at Wal-Mart for $20. I then used two 2" by 3" strips of velcro glued to the bottom of the driver floor mat, and to the vinal section behind the pedals. No more problem with slipping and a much heavier quality carpet material. The mats have stayed perfectly in place for several months without problems--although they don't fit perfectly around the "dead pedal" without cutting.
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Replying to: gatortom1 (Jul 02, 2009 11:55 am) I took a different route for floor mats on my '08, also resorting to Wal-Mart - except I visited their auto accessories floor mat aisle. I didn't buy any of the pre-packaged "sets", I looked for the heavy duty rubber mats that are usually on the bottom shelf under the hanging sets. They have small rear seat squares - these are the "all season" black ones - and also front seat ones with the protruding "tongues" designed to run up under the pedals. On the last generation '08 I had, the conventional front seat mats just wouldn't fit in the narrow space between the wheel well and the center stack. But I had seen how Honda positioned their own "all season" mats in their brochure, and took a lesson from them. I just reversed the usual location of the mats, from front to back! The "little" squares from the truck oriented all season mats fit just fine in front, and didn't slip. While not ideal for a muddy-shoed passenger stretching out their legs, for me the square worked fine. The "tongued" all season mats then fit REALLY well in the rear - the tongue fit nicely between the seat frame rack on each seat, and took care of the extra long leg room provided in the rear seat of the Fit. Regardless of what YOU decide for the front seat, I highly recommend using the "front" all season Wal Mart floor mats because they fit so well - and due to the flat rear floor, these "wider" front mats fit well (narrow tongue to extend under the seats, wide back portion to cover as much of the rear floor as possible). Anyway I hope this helps. What you can take from this post and the prior post is that neither of us wanted to use the expensive factory floor mats, or deal with attaching them (the all season rubber mats are heavy and sticky enough not to shift around). |
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