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Honda Fit vs Honda Civic - READ ONLY

237 messages,  Last post on Oct 29, 2008 at 3:15 PM

You are in the Honda Civic Forum.

What is this discussion about? Honda Fit, Honda Civic, Hatchback, Sedan

Messages Page 23 of 24

#220 of 237 Re: trying to decide btwn a fit or a civic.... [shnail] by fventura

Jun 13, 2007 (10:13 am)

Replying to: shnail (Jun 13, 2007 9:43 am)
I spent hours at the dealership trying to decide between a Civic LX and Fit sport. My commute time is similar to yours but no large hills.
 
For me the cost of the FIT Sport MSRP and the Civic LX after discount was almost equal. I think the Civic might have even been a little cheaper so budget did not come into play.
 
I found the Civic had slightly better comfort in ride and driver positioning with the telescoping steering wheel and seat height adjustments. For me though, that dam emergency brake dug into my leg. It's rated at slightly better fuel economy. I am 6'2" so the leg room behind me was non existant.
 
The Fit has more room in the back seat and cargo carrying capacity and a great view of the road. I did have some blind spots on the Civic. And I like the look of the Fit more so than the spaceship look of the Civic.
 
As you can tell I bought a Fit. I have had it for one day and so far am very happy with the power it has. I don't think you will go wrong with either choice and I think I could have been happy with either.
 
In my mind each car has it's compromises. You just need to figure out which ones mean more to you. As this was going to be my primary vehicle I needed more cargo/people capacity.

#221 of 237 Re: trying to decide btwn a fit or a civic.... [shnail] by bobw3

Jun 14, 2007 (4:48 am)

Replying to: shnail (Jun 13, 2007 9:43 am)
If you're doing a lot of highway commuting and you're NOT needing the extra cargo space of the Fit, then I'd go with the Civic because it will be more stable on the highway and you'll get better MPG.
 
I have a Fit because the high roof makes it easier putting kids in carseats in the back, plus there is a lot of storage space behind the back seat. Plus the high roof allows my wife to reach to the back easier to take care of the kids on the road.
 
The advantage of the Fit is the versatile interior, but if you don't need it, then go for the Civic or Corolla.

#222 of 237 Re: trying to decide btwn a fit or a civic.... [shnail] by greytail

Apr 14, 2008 (7:38 am)

Replying to: shnail (Jun 13, 2007 9:43 am)
My wife and me bought both. Her’s a 2008 Civic DX and me a 2008 Fit Sport Auto. Civic is a more quieter comfortable ride with better MPG. But my fit has awesome room for its size. Both for drive/passangers and cargo.

#223 of 237 Re: trying to decide btwn a fit or a civic.... [greytail] by bobw3

Apr 14, 2008 (12:14 pm)

Replying to: greytail (Apr 14, 2008 7:38 am)
what's the MPG difference between the two?

#224 of 237 Re: trying to decide btwn a fit or a civic.... [bobw3] by greytail

Apr 16, 2008 (12:29 pm)

Replying to: bobw3 (Apr 14, 2008 12:14 pm)
.So far my fit is averaging 29.8 MPG and her Civic is averaging 37.6 MPG..I’m the conservative driver and she is the lead foot.

#225 of 237 Fit Reservations by clewis3

Apr 20, 2008 (2:39 pm)

I was on this forum a month or so ago gathering information to help me in deciding whether or not I would be happy with a Honda Fit. I wanted to summarize my research and purchase experience in case it is of value to anyone else and to thank all the contributors to this forum whose postings helped me directly or indirectly with my decision.
 
I fell in love with the Fit because of its wonderful interior versatility and its small car advantages of good mpg and reasonable purchase price. In the past I have generally bought used cars unless a tremendous new car deal was available. I needed to switch from my current 2000 5 speed Saturn (30-40mpg) to an automatic of some sort because of a hip problem.
 
I thought the Fit was perfect for my needs but had two reservations: 1) I needed cruise control but could only get it in the Sport model which had trim and extras I really didn’t want 2) I thought both Fit models appeared to have low bodies that might be problematic in the mud season driving here in Vermont…deep muddy ruts on the dirt roads and some pretty good sized potholes on all roads
 
In researching on this forum I began to see another potential problem and that was inconsistent mpg that are being reported on the Fit. I knew that the most important factor for me in my new car (besides reasonable comfort and safety) was economy… I want my vehicle to be as inexpensive as possible to maintain and drive.
 
I continued to explore these three questions and got the following impressions: 1) Probably a good aftermarket cruise control can be installed on the base model by Yipes Stripes, etc for about $500-600. Or there is a Toyota dealer in Canada who will do it at the Toyota shop (though they subcontract it out to other mechanics). The cruise control requires an extra stalk on the steering column.
 
2) I found occasional complaints in the forums about scraping bottom going over bumps but most people weren’t overly concerned about it. One Vermont driver I spoke to in a parking lot here said she had actually gotten hung up on some rocks and mud in her Fit on a rutted dirt road.
 
3) Good mpg on the Fit just didn’t seem as likely with the Fit as with a few other vehicles. I know that for me, personally, economy is more important than driving enjoyment and if I spent the relatively large sum (for me) to buy this car, it would be really frustrating if I had to work and research ways of getting my car into the 30-40mpg range.
 
4) On the good side, I found a dealer in Danbury, Connecticut who had a lot of Fits available and good prices. That was nice, because our Vermont dealers get only one or two a month and they are usually pre-sold.
 
Anyway, my final decision was to go for a used Civic. My budget was about $15,000. I found a 2005 Civic LX with 32,000 miles. Lease trade-in from the dealer and all the maintenance had been done there. I bought it for $12,700 ($13650 “out the door”) with 2 warranties; Honda Certified Warranty for 12 months and powertrain warranty for 7 years/100,000 miles. Two weeks into it I am happy with my decision. The first tank of gas gave me about 31 mpg in my around town driving. I haven’t yet done any highway to know how it goes but am hopeful it will be as good as the old Saturn… at around 40mpg.

#226 of 237 Re: trying to decide btwn a fit or a civic.... [greytail] by bobw3

Apr 21, 2008 (9:18 am)

Replying to: greytail (Apr 16, 2008 12:29 pm)
Are the Fit and Civic treated to the same driving conditions, or is one getting more highway time than the other?

#227 of 237 Re: Fit Reservations [clewis3] by bobw3

Apr 21, 2008 (9:19 am)

Replying to: clewis3 (Apr 20, 2008 2:39 pm)
Keep us posted on your MPG.
 
If I didn't need the interior space/versatility of the Fit, I might have gone for the Civic (although I'd probably buy a Corolla over a Civic), but the versatility of the Fit far outweighs the potential better MPG of the Civic. We're a family of 4 (3 yr old and 5 month old) and it's much easier getting the kids in/out of the Fit because it's higher up. The cargo space behind the 2nd row holds a lot, plus there is space under the 2nd row for the diaper bags, toys, paper towels, and all of the other kid stuff. All of this far outweighs the potential MPG improvement of the Civic. Emphasis on the word "potential" since most people seem to be getting mpg in the 30s for both the Fit and the Civic. That's what I'm averaging.
 
But if the car is just to be used by one or two people and you don't need any more interior cargo space that what's offered by the Civic's small trunk, then I'd go for the Civic or Corolla.

#228 of 237 Re: trying to decide btwn a fit or a civic.... [bobw3] by greytail

Apr 21, 2008 (8:08 pm)

Replying to: bobw3 (Apr 21, 2008 9:18 am)
Yes bought them the same day both with less than 4 miles on them. Drove them on the same road home, at the same speed. Since we have gotten them home drive them on same roads and conditions. My wife is a lead foot and I try to cheat for my little fit. But she is getting about 8 MPG better than me on her Civic.

#229 of 237 Re: trying to decide btwn a fit or a civic.... [greytail] by bobw3

Apr 22, 2008 (7:14 am)

Replying to: greytail (Apr 21, 2008 8:08 pm)
Okay, I was just wondering if the Civic was being driven more on the highway since buying it, but it sounds like they're both getting the same amount of highway/city miles. And I guess they're both manual or both autos?

Messages Page 23 of 24

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