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High MPG Fit alternatives
by mebman
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Mar 05, 2008 (10:48 am)
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I own 2 Fits and they are great cars EXCEPT the gas mileage isn’t what it should be because Honda built the US version to prioritize power over MPG. It doesn’t look as though they will change this for 09 even with gas prices pushing 3.50. Has anyone been researching new, more efficient hatchbacks that might be coming out in competition to the Fit?
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- #2 of 7
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Re: High MPG Fit alternatives [mebman]
by jacksan1
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Mar 05, 2008 (11:12 am)
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Replying to: mebman (Mar 05, 2008 10:48 am)
I am afraid you will not have many to choose from. New hatchbacks are not that plentiful in the U.S. to begin with, and when it comes to one that gets a better mileage than the Fit, I would say the Yaris is about it. But that's a two-door hatch.
What kind of driving do you do? If you drive a lot on the highway, the Civic, for instance, gets an excellent mileage. Unfortunately, you cannot have a Civic in hatchback, unlike in Europe.
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- #3 of 7
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Re: High MPG Fit alternatives [jacksan1]
by mebman
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Mar 05, 2008 (7:07 pm)
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Replying to: jacksan1 (Mar 05, 2008 11:12 am)
Well I used to have a Toyota Prius, but traded it in 2 years ago for a Fit. The Gas mileage (average 45mpg) of the Prius was greatly offset by its sticker price. The Chevy Volt shows a lot of promise. A different type of hybrid- it will go 50 miles just on electric only before the gas motor kicks in. I travel to Europe and am amazed at the selection of truly efficient, and yet way cool cars that we cannot buy here in the US. I was hoping with the new cafe standards that we would soon see some new models coming out with better MPG's
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- #4 of 7
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Re: High MPG Fit alternatives [mebman]
by clewis3
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Mar 22, 2008 (5:49 am)
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Replying to: mebman (Mar 05, 2008 7:07 pm)
I am car shopping and the Fit is top on my list. But in reading various forums, I am gathering that real world mpg might be more consistently better with the Yaris. Does anyone have any experience to validate or invalidate that observation?
Specifically, I am talking automatic .... (hip problem is forcing me to switch from a 2000 manual Saturn SL which actually gets darn good mileage... 31-42 mpg depending on conditions).
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- #5 of 7
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Re: High MPG Fit alternatives [clewis3]
by jacksan1
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Mar 22, 2008 (7:12 am)
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Replying to: clewis3 (Mar 22, 2008 5:49 am)
While not a direct experience, my observation of anecdotal evidence tells me that it is actually the Yaris that gets a consistently better mileage. Or should I say that the Yaris seems to experince a smaller rate of mileage fluctuations than the Fit. Both vehicles are capable of and have achieved excellent numbers such as over 40 MPG in some circumstances. However, my various readings, including some auto review articles, different internet sites including fueleconomy.gov, lead me to believe that the bottom is less likely to fall off of the Yaris. What I mean is that it appears to be tough to get a low mileage in a Yaris, while with the Fit, especially with an AT, it is not that tough to "ruin" your mileage.
We own a Fit Sport with AT, and have noticed that the mileage can really suffer if you let the VTEC have its own way (fun but you pay for it). Also, the Fit seems to have a relatively narrow sweet spot where you can get an excellent mileage. If you are driving in the zone, however, the Fit can deliver some amazing numbers, and we have certainly had many of those.
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- #6 of 7
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Re: High MPG Fit alternatives [jacksan1]
by clewis3
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Mar 23, 2008 (4:23 am)
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Replying to: jacksan1 (Mar 22, 2008 7:12 am)
Thank you, jacksan1, for your clarity in posts (both here and in other threads). Your info really helps both in the overview and the specifics!
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- #7 of 7
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Re: High MPG Fit alternatives [clewis3]
by fitisgo
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Mar 23, 2008 (7:34 am)
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Replying to: clewis3 (Mar 22, 2008 5:49 am)
I own 2 Fit Sport automatics; however they are only 3 months and 2 weeks old, so I can't give you any long-term info but I can report some initial gas mileage readings. Both are automatics. The 3-month old Sport has about 3,000 miles on it and is driven by my 20 yr old son, who is quite a leadfoot and does a lot of in-town driving. His fuel economy readings have ranged anywhere from 22-29 MPG, which probably represents the lower end of the scale for real world results. The 2 wk old sport I drive as a commute to from work on a 12 mile 1-way route that is 10 miles highway and 2 miles city. I am a conservative driver and keep up with traffic but also aim to be very smooth/even on both the accelerator and the brake pedal. My first reading after 300 miles was 33.3 mpg, which is just above both the 2008 city (27 MPG) and highway (32 MPG) EPA ratings for the Sport with the automatic (I don't use the shifter paddles on the steering wheel and let the transmission do its own thing). I would expect that the majority of drivers would get real-world fuel economy results somewhere between these 2 examples. The one exception may be a long highway trip using cruise control at about 65 mph an an Interstate that is mostly flat and straight. I haven't tried this yet, but living in Omaha, NE, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so and report the results here afterword.
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