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Hatchbacks Honda Fit Honda Fit v. Hyundai Accent
239 messages, Last post on Aug 22, 2008 at 9:47 AM
You are in the Honda Fit Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
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Replying to: eldaino (Sep 12, 2006 1:01 pm) I don't think that. What you said is that you think the Fit is more comfortable than the Accent. I was just wondering aloud (?) how you could determine relative comfort without driving both cars. But if by comfort you mean just the way the seats feel while sitting in the cars a short time and the interior materials quality, well, so be it, but IMO there is a lot more to comfort in a car than that. I agree that comparing the 3i to the Accent is apples to oranges, and I said as much. That's not what this discussion is about. But I don't know that the 3i can out-handle the Accent SE until I drive the SE. I know the 3i handles pretty darn well. "Sport steering" is how Hyundai describes the tweaked steering that they offer in the Accent hatchback--different steering than in the sedan. I'm not quite sure what the tweaks are though, but I do know the steering felt great--very precise--even in the strippo Accent GS hatch that I drove, which has 14" wheels.
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The worldwide LHD and RHD models have absolutely no differences in design other than the dashboard. It’s not like Honda made the LHD version for Europe (other than UK and Ireland) by making a mirror image of the car, but just gave the US a “switched-dashboard” version of the Japanese car. That may be true, but it's only because they use the same right-hand drive template for every Fit. - The fuel tank is more under the driver's seat thant the passenger seat in the U.S. - but that's the opposite seat in Japan. - The foot areas for the passenger side are larger than the drier's side. Oh - wait - that's because in Japan, the driver gets the bigger foot area. There's plenty of space on that side to rest your feet against the floor right next to the pedals(and they aren't scrunched together, either) - The split in the seat - it's supposed to be larger on the passenger side towards the curb/not behind the driver, yet it's onthe wrong side/unchanged for the U.S. - The center rear seatbelt fastens on the wrong side. - The rear window wiper is reversed. - The vanity mirror, which we only get one of, is reversed. Of course, in Japan and the U.K., that's the passenger side, so all's well and good. It's tons of small things that detract from it. We really need a left-hand drive version of it that's purposely built as such. Sunroof and leather would be nice as well, especially since you can get those in China, of all places. It feels rough and very first generation, and frankly, not really "Honda". At least the version we get in the U.S., that is.
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Replying to: plekto (Sep 12, 2006 8:56 pm) What I meant is that from a design perspective it is the same car throughout the world whether LHD or RHD. Anyway, unlike certain models, the Fit was never intended to be a Japan-only car. It began sales in Europe (almost entirely LHD) just a few months after Japan. I actually think it feels quite "Honda". All of these eccentricities you have mentioned can be gotten used to very easily, if one even notices them at all. Apart from some weird things like no passenger side mirror visor (rarely affects me  ) and no height-adjuster, I find the general ergonomics of the car to be excellent and very Honda-like. Fuel tank: I checked the service manual for a nice, in-depth image of the tank. It's fairly symmetrical, but it looks like there is a small pipe running under the left-front seat. That's about it. However, that is no reason to not give the US a seat-height adjuster. I have been in the height-adjuster equipped LHD European model Jazz and the difference in the shape of the floor (and the fuel tank itself) between the left and right seats is identical to the US model. American Honda just left out the seat adjuster...the fuel tank has nothing to do with its absence. Foot areas: The shape of the foot well is entirely dependent on the location of the wheel well in the Fit and from a seating position the intrusion of the fuel tank is the same on both sides...I just sat in both sides of my car and the fuel tank does not affect your feet placement for driving. One big thing though is that the Japanese consumer will be resting their left foot against the console where there is more room than against the wheel well like a LHD customer. I just spent a minute looking at a picture of the interior of the Japanese Fit. I don't see any size difference between the driver and passenger side. Do you have any measurements to back this up? Split in rear seat: We have a 2002 Civic coupé. Unlike the Fit, the primary market for the Civic coupé is the US. The 2-door Civic isn't even sold in a RHD country like Japan or the UK. It was built in the US, and I'm sure the design was influenced quite a bit, if not entirely for the US market. The split in the rear seat is identical to that of the Fit. Large area on the left and small area on the right. Center rear seatbelt on wrong side: Again, it's the same in our US Civic. Shoulder belt on the left and latch on the right. Same with the Fit. I have been in other Hondas with the exact same setup. Rear window wiper: As I already pointed out in the last post, this is a design quirk for an RHD-designed car. It's just a matter of getting used to though since the cleaning path is still large enough to allow for sufficient visibility during a rainstorm. Vanity mirror: That is just a stupid mistake done by someone at American Honda. It would have been mind-numbingly easy to just stick a mirror on the passenger side. Also, Honda's Japanese Fit page has a picture of a RHD driver's side (US passenger side) rear view mirror. They just left it out, simple as that...it's not an inherent LHD/RHD design flaw. |
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One big thing though is that the Japanese consumer will be resting their left foot against the console where there is more room than against the wheel well like a LHD customer. I just spent a minute looking at a picture of the interior of the Japanese Fit. I don't see any size difference between the driver and passenger side. Do you have any measurements to back this up? I was referring to this. You don't need a dead-pedal on the right-hand models because there's plenty of space to put your left foot on the floor. The wheel-well forces you to put it halfway down... um.. nowhere(so you need something to rest it aginst)
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Replying to: plekto (Sep 12, 2006 10:53 pm) If I am not mistaken, our 1st generation CR-V has a dead pedal, and that is essentially a RHD model that was switched to a LHD format. I think it is just a general lack of space in the Fit that prevents this from happening due to the intrusion of the wheel well. |
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Replying to: backy (Sep 12, 2006 5:37 pm) Don't get me started on the 3i's handling. Please. I wish some mazda guys or any other people familiar with the better handling cars in that segment (3, civic) could witness the weirdness of these comments. 
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Replying to: eldaino (Sep 13, 2006 6:52 am) If you don't hold Hyundai in high regard, fine. I know a lot of people don't. But there are people like me who think the Accent is a decent little car, and believe it or not it's not because we're stupid.
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Replying to: eldaino (Sep 12, 2006 7:52 am) I'm a Honda fan more than a Hyundai fan, so don't feel like I'm a Hyundai person ganging up on you, I'm not. BTW, I'm not just referring to this specific post I replied to.
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Replying to: backy (Sep 13, 2006 10:09 am) The Accent SE with Sun and Sound package is a great small car. 
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Replying to: moparbad (Sep 13, 2006 3:37 pm)
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