Ask the Car People.SM


Honda Fit v. Hyundai Accent

257 messages,  Last post on Apr 28, 2012 at 12:14 PM

You are in the Honda Fit Forum.

What is this discussion about? Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Hatchback

Messages Page 4 of 26

#28 of 257 ... by plekto

Apr 23, 2006 (11:23 am)

The Hyundai has good looking(if still not any more durable) interiors - as do all small cars. Nice amenities.
 
Yet the lack of standard safety features and the dreadful maunal transmission are deal-killers to me. I looked - I drove. It wasn't as good as my very old(13 years) Volvo 240 - which has since passed on due to an accident.
 
I wanted a low-cost more modern car and it was clear - not as good. And that's considering the age not being factored in - 13 years old, with a half-dead clutch, it still was easier to drive the 240 than a new Hyundai.
 
I rated the shifter a 0. VW Bug bad. Old 1960s GM truck bad. Felt like there was an inch of metal flexing the wrong way on every shift. Like someone had filled the gearbox with half-chewed gum. I've been driving stickshift for over a decade now and it's the first new car that I actually missed repeated shifts in.
 
A Fit by comparison - acceptable. Useable as a proper transmission, which is actually a bit rare in this class of car - you usually have to get something like a Celica.
 
*edit - actually, a Ford Aspire(KIA) had the same mushy gearbox. You may think it's acceptable, but it's junk compared to anything from Europe or Japan.
***
response the other post.
* The Accent's 5-year, 60k mile bumper-to-bumper warranty transfers in full to subsequent owners. You like to forget that fact. You also like to forget that the Fit's bumper-to-bumper warranty is two years and 24k miles shorter than the Accent's, and that its powertrain warranty for the original owner is 5 years and 40k miles shorter.
 
What gets me is that they cut it in half like no other manufacturer does. KIA is right out - no certified program. Where the Fit will shine is as a certified vehicle. 7 years/70K miles on the drivetrain. That suddenly makes it leap forward - and honestly, which manual gearbox do you think will need repairs sooner? Honda engines are reliable to the point of almost matching Volvo and Mercedes - so it'll be 100K+ before you need repairs, barring anything that is a real factory defect and will show up quickly.
 
Compare a 1 year old Fit and a 1 year old Accent, both certified.
 
***
* How do you know that the Accent is "built like the Yaris/ECHO"? Do you have intimate knowledge of the Accent's, Yaris', and ECHO's manufacturing processes? Have you driven a 2006 Accent, head-to-head with a Yaris or a Fit?
 
Actually, did just this as well. They are both very small, very budget cars once you poke around past the interior. The thing is - the Fit is more like a small Civic than a typical econobox with features added to try to pass it off as a real car.
 
Car and Driver agrees - they gave the Hyundai a miserable(last place) rating in a 7 car comparison and the fit won by 25 points over 2nd place - a huge margin.
 
Lastly:
I just sold my '01 Elantra GLS and got $5800 less than its original purchase price
Ouch. I'll take half the depreciation, even if it is $1000 more for the Honda.

#29 of 257 Re: ... [plekto] by joe97

Apr 23, 2006 (11:36 am)

Replying to: plekto (Apr 23, 2006 11:23 am)
When was the last time Honda lost in a C&D comparison? You might well call it Honda & Driver

#30 of 257 Re: ... [plekto] by backy

Apr 23, 2006 (11:38 am)

Replying to: plekto (Apr 23, 2006 11:23 am)
Which year Accent did you drive? A 2006 GLS sedan, right? If so, you should have noticed it has 6 airbags and ABS with EBD standard, just like the Fit. So your comment about "lack of standard safety features" is very perplexing to me.
 
If you must have a stick shift, I can see how you could eliminate the Accent just based on that. The Fit is superior there according to the experts. But why make all the other inaccurate statements about the Accent? Just knock it off your list and move on.
 
What gets me is that they cut it in half like no other manufacturer does.
 
OK, now you are losing all credibility with me. I just told you in my last post that Mitsubishi has the same kind of warranty program as does Hyundai. Meaning that the 10-year, 100k mile powertrain warranty applies only to the original owner--just like with Hyundai. So I figure you are either being intentionally rude or just don't bother to read what other people post before replying. You are also mis-stating fact when you say Hyundai's warranty is "cut in half" if the car is sold. That is not what happens. What happens is the 10-year/100k mile powertrain warranty does not transfer to the new owner. Nothing is cut in half. The remainder of the 5-year, 60k mile bumper-to-bumper warranty (which btw includes the powertrain) transfers. Do the math: 60k is not half of 100k.
 
http://www.mitsubishicars.com/pdf/owners/2007_Pass%20Car%20and%20SUV%20Warranty%- - 20Booklet.pdf

#31 of 257 Re: ... [joe97] by plekto

Apr 23, 2006 (11:39 am)

Replying to: joe97 (Apr 23, 2006 11:36 am)
True, but the thing has crazy Mini-like handling and a good gearbox, plus decent suspension(they noted how ALL of the others had suspension problems).
 
That all adds up. Go test-drive a Fit - it handles like a Mini and not a subcompact. To me, that's well worth any price-difference right there.
 
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/10925/15000-cheap-skates.html
 
Okay, so Mitsubishi has a simmilar program. My bad. Scratch them off my list, too. Either they are willing to stand by their warranty or it's just marketing B.S. Toyota has a miserably short warranty, yet nobody has a problem buying them - they are built incredibly well.

#32 of 257 Re: ... [plekto] by backy

Apr 23, 2006 (11:46 am)

Replying to: plekto (Apr 23, 2006 11:23 am)
Car and Driver agrees - they gave the Hyundai a miserable(last place) rating in a 7 car comparison and the fit won by 25 points over 2nd place - a huge margin.
 
Totally untrue--the Accent came in 5th out of 7. (The Rio5 that you savaged earlier came in 3rd.) And C/D said in its review (paraphrase), if you haven't driven the Accent yet, you should. It looks to me that C/D thought pretty highly of the Accent, to tell its readers that they should go out and try it.
  
Ouch. I'll take half the depreciation, even if it is $1000 more for the Honda.
 
LOL!! This is just too much. Tell me how I could get anywhere close to $15,000 in a private-party sale for a '01 Civic EX stick. That is what I would need to get for it to "take half the depreciation."
 
And the Honda would have cost about $6000 more than the Elantra, not $1000 more.
 
Toyota has a miserably short warranty,...
 
Yes, as miserably short as the warranty on the Fit.

#33 of 257 Re: ... [plekto] by joe97

Apr 23, 2006 (11:48 am)

Replying to: plekto (Apr 23, 2006 11:39 am)
I am more interested to see a comparison between the Accent SE vs. Fit Sport and other similiarly priced hatchbacks.
 
By the way, you talk more BS than my next-door neighbor - maybe I'm talking with my neighbor.
 
Please check facts first. Thank you!!

#34 of 257 Re: ... [joe97] by backy

Apr 23, 2006 (11:50 am)

Replying to: joe97 (Apr 23, 2006 11:48 am)
Yes, I am looking forward to that also. With the SE's sport handling, I think it will be a much closer comparison.

#35 of 257 Re: ... [joe97] by thegraduate

Apr 23, 2006 (12:32 pm)

Replying to: joe97 (Apr 23, 2006 11:36 am)
Honda focuses on handling, more so than most car companies; something that car enthusiasts particularly like. The Fit is more nimble than its competitors on a track and zipping around town. A big reason why Honda wins out a lot is because of its "fun to drive" factor. The same test gave Hyundai (Accent GLS) credit for having a smooth ride, but faulted it for uncivilized handling.
 
And, BTW, Honda recently went 0 for 2 in a comparo involving sports sedans under $30k. The Honda Accord EXV6 6-speed came in 2nd (behind a Jetta GLI) and an Acura TSX came in third (out of five altogether, beating a 274 hp Mazda and the Pontiac G6 GTP).

#36 of 257 Re: ... [thegraduate] by joe97

Apr 23, 2006 (1:10 pm)

Replying to: thegraduate (Apr 23, 2006 12:32 pm)
I am fairly sure the Accent SE (hatchback) would have the fun-to-drive factor, given the firmer suspension (tuned from the front to the back - 70% firmer than the sedan version, on par with the Tib), 16" and the ultralight weigh (less than 2,400 lbs if I recall). I would not be surprised if it manages the best handling in the class.

#37 of 257 re: Hyundai [plekto] by w9cw

Apr 23, 2006 (2:11 pm)

Replying to: plekto (Apr 22, 2006 10:18 am)
I've owned several Honda Civics, Accords, and a couple of Nissans and Toyotas. Plus, SAABs and Volvos. My wife has an '06 Hyundai Elantra, and I'm impressed. The switchgear in this car feels as good as any Civic I've owned, but only time will tell how it holds up over 200K miles of course.
 
One thing that unquestionably impresses me about Hyundai is the reponsiveness and caring attitude of the dealer, and the company itself. Since the purchase of the Elantra on Christmas Eve (2005), a company rep has called us at least 4 times to ensure our satisfaction with the car. I never had any of the Japanese manfuacturer's call me - for anything, even when we were having long-term computer problems with the last Civic. Hyundai's attitude reminds me how Datsun used to be back in the late '60s through the mid '70s.
 
I don't know, I'm sure some of your observations are valid, but I don't get any feeling of cheapness driving this Elantra. The HVAC controls have a smooth feel to them, as do the other controls. And, it rides better than an Accord EX. Note, I didn't say "handled better," but it "rides better," plus it has less road noise.
 
The Fit is really a neat and nice car for the money, but I think the Elantra for $13,500 delivered, including TTL, is no slouch either. Drive a current model Hyundai, such as the current generation Accent, you may be plesantly surprised - my wife and I were.

Messages Page 4 of 26

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement