New 2009 Honda Fit

[Arkaign]

Fit makes sense for some when you look at some practical things :

(1)- Interior space is outstanding on the Fit, even more so on the new one.

(2)- Rear space is better with a hatch than a trunk.

(3)- Civic has moved up from subcompact to compact. Honda needed to make a small car that filled that void.

(4)- The 5-door setup, combined with the lay-flat seats and great adaptability of the storage makes it a snap to load/unload larger things than are possible in a Civic.

etc.

Essentially, the Civic is a classier-looking and nice car for people who don't need the added cargo/setup capabilities of the Fit.

The Fit is actually a great alternative to small SUV Crossovers, offering better fuel economy/reliability/practicality compared to things like Nissan Rogue, etc.

 

[theeedude]

Honda should just have made a Civic 5 door Hatchback like Mazda has done with the 3.
Alternatively, I think Mazda should offer some smaller engine choices on the 3 hatchback, which now only comes with the thirstier 2.3L.

 

[dud]

Originally posted by: senseamp
Honda should just have made a Civic 5 door Hatchback like Mazda has done with the 3.
Alternatively, I think Mazda should offer some smaller engine choices on the 3 hatchback, which now only comes with the thirstier 2.3L.

Ding, Ding, Ding ... we have a winner. The Fit looks like it gets better MPG ... but it doesn't. people are being fooled. The trunk in the Civic is huge. You stated this in a way that I failed to do ...

Thank you ...

 

[raildogg]

Originally posted by: dud

Originally posted by: senseamp
Honda should just have made a Civic 5 door Hatchback like Mazda has done with the 3.
Alternatively, I think Mazda should offer some smaller engine choices on the 3 hatchback, which now only comes with the thirstier 2.3L.

Ding, Ding, Ding ... we have a winner. The Fit looks like it gets better MPG ... but it doesn't. people are being fooled. The trunk in the Civic is huge. You stated this in a way that I failed to do ...

Thank you ...

The Fit is more athletic than the Civic so that may be enough reason for some to buy. Add in its interior space that is well utilized and you have a great car. Good gas mileage helps also. Actually, the Fit does get pretty good mileage.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: senseamp
Honda should just have made a Civic 5 door Hatchback like Mazda has done with the 3.
Alternatively, I think Mazda should offer some smaller engine choices on the 3 hatchback, which now only comes with the thirstier 2.3L.

They do, they just don't sell it in the US.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Honda has some of the worst interior designs at the moment...

 

[MetalMat]

Eh, not too bad but not really my cup of team. Much better than the scion XB, pt cruiser and element.

 

[PingSpike]

Looks like a mini-mini van. It fills the hatch niche, you can't fit shit in a trunk.

 

[theeedude]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: senseamp
Honda should just have made a Civic 5 door Hatchback like Mazda has done with the 3.
Alternatively, I think Mazda should offer some smaller engine choices on the 3 hatchback, which now only comes with the thirstier 2.3L.

They do, they just don't sell it in the US.

And that's a shame. They should definitely have the 2.0L version of the hatchback, because the current gearing is for a smaller engine and is not good for mileage with a 2.3L engine in there. Even the 1.6L would be a good match, because it's a pretty light car that has great handling, so you don't need a big engine to have fun in it.

 

[thomsbrain]

Dud, if all you ever need to carry is people, then the Civic is a great choice for all the reasons you mentioned. If you carry bulky items or live in a crowded city, though, the only word to describe the Fit is "amazing." It seems to bend the laws of physics, and certainly destroys all previous notions about how exterior dimensions translate into interior space. I used to drive an early 90's Accord wagon, which had a significantly larger exterior than the Fit (a bit wider than the current Civic sedan, and a fair bit longer). Yet it is the Fit that has more usable cargo space with the seats folded down, and you have the clever ability to fold the seats UP, to carry tall objects such as a bicycle standing up inside the car. Short of a Yukon, Element, or true minivan, I think you'd be hard pressed to find another car in any size or price class that can carry a bicycle standing up with both wheels on.

I used to play in a band and had gigantic musical equipment to haul around. In the Accord wagon, we used to haul a bass speaker cabinet with nine 10" speakers, a guitar speaker cabinet with 4 12" speakers, two very large guitar and bass amps, three guitars, one bass, two tool boxes, two full backpacks, 2 full duffle bags, 2 mic stands, one 5-guitar stand, and additional rack-mounted recording equipment and laptop computers, depending on our destination. Plus two passengers safely belted in, and the full-size spare tire. The Fit, despite seeming to be half the size on the outside, could easily handle all of that, plus have room to spare. It also has a significantly lower load height, which would have helped our backs. While the Civic could possibly carry the guitar cabinet if you had two people to lift it carefully and slot it into the trunk, there is NO way it would carry the bass cabinet, period, and you'd be hard pressed to carry the other stuff, too. Even the CR-V, which is a Civic-sized tall wagon, could not carry the same load as easily.

So that's why the Fit has a reason to exist. Oh, and this (from Car and Driver):

What truly set the Fit apart was its handling ? not a pretense of handling but the real deal, with springs and struts that allowed one gentle rebound and no more, the only car here that felt happy storming the switchbacks. We later confirmed this when the Fit sailed through our lane-change test 6 mph faster than anything else here ? faster, in fact, than a Corvette Z06.

 

[heymrdj]

Oh so that's what I ran over this morning. I thought it was a turtle..or was it a SMART car?

 

[Throckmorton]

I don't know why some of you keep saying that the Civic gets the same gas mileage

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm 21/29
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm 28/34

Unless the new FIT gets worse gas mileage... that's a huge difference. 25% improvement in the city, 16% on the higway. In fact it's better than fuel economy advantage the Civic has over my Grand Cherokee. I get 15 city/22 highway

Edit: Nevermind, the Grand Cherokee comparison makes no sense percentage-wise

 

[WhipperSnapper]

For those who play the excellent game Sins of a Solar Empire, the new Fit almost looks like the Vasari Mothership (aka "The Egg" or "The Whale", which does a great job of slurping up enemy planets).

 

[theeedude]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
I don't know why some of you keep saying that the Civic gets the same gas mileage

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm 21/29
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm 28/34

Unless the new FIT gets worse gas mileage... that's a huge difference. 25% improvement in the city, 16% on the higway. In fact it's better than fuel economy advantage the Civic has over my Grand Cherokee. I get 15 city/22 highway

Edit: Nevermind, the Grand Cherokee comparison makes no sense percentage-wise

That's Civic Si you are looking at, good job.
Regular Civic gets 26/34 with 5M and 25/36 with 5A.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: senseamp

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
I don't know why some of you keep saying that the Civic gets the same gas mileage

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm 21/29
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm 28/34

Unless the new FIT gets worse gas mileage... that's a huge difference. 25% improvement in the city, 16% on the higway. In fact it's better than fuel economy advantage the Civic has over my Grand Cherokee. I get 15 city/22 highway

Edit: Nevermind, the Grand Cherokee comparison makes no sense percentage-wise

That's Civic Si you are looking at, good job.
Regular Civic gets 26/34 with 5M and 25/36 with 5A.

My bad. I clicked the 6 speed without looking at the engine size

 

[OFFascist]

Replace the back doors with sliding doors and you have a mini-minivan.

Out of all the tiny cars I prefer the look for the 4 door Yaris, the one that looks like a car instead of all of these crappy hatches.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: OFFascist
Replace the back doors with sliding doors and you have a mini-minivan.

Out of all the tiny cars I prefer the look for the 4 door Yaris, the one that looks like a car instead of all of these crappy hatches.

A hatch is the better design in every way. There's more room, and it's more aerodynamic. I don't understand why people haev this irrational bias against hatches.

 

[dud]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: OFFascist
Replace the back doors with sliding doors and you have a mini-minivan.

Out of all the tiny cars I prefer the look for the 4 door Yaris, the one that looks like a car instead of all of these crappy hatches.

A hatch is the better design in every way. There's more room, and it's more aerodynamic. I don't understand why people haev this irrational bias against hatches.

I humbly disagree. To say one design is "better" in every way is dangerous and incorrect. I don't believe that people have "irrational" biases against hatches either.

I have owned hatchbacks in the past ... they have their good points and bad points. One "bad" point to mention is definitely security/privacy. You have no trunk to hide your stuff in. Yes, you can cover your stuff in the back but prying eyes can still see something there.

The bottom line IMHO is that the currect lineup of cars like the Fit, Yaris, Versa, etc have their nitch. Unfortunately they are some of the ugliest vehicles on the road today. I could not stomach driving a Fit or Yaris (even with the slightly better mileage) because of how awful they look. They look almost as bad as the Scion Xb ... and the Pontiac Aztec (yikes).

It is a sign of the times when people start getting excited about such cars as these. I've read where people use the terms "muscle", "bad boy", "athletic" to describe these vehicles. You can thank the developing nations (you know who the big ones are) for the current run-up in gas prices. We will never again see gas prices that we once would ... even if we all started driving these "cars".

 

[OFFascist]

Originally posted by: dud

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
A hatch is the better design in every way. There's more room, and it's more aerodynamic. I don't understand why people haev this irrational bias against hatches.

I humbly disagree. To say one design is "better" in every way is dangerous and incorrect. I don't believe that people have "irrational" biases against hatches either.

I have owned hatchbacks in the past ... they have their good points and bad points. One "bad" point to mention is definitely security/privacy. You have no trunk to hide your stuff in. Yes, you can cover your stuff in the back but prying eyes can still see something there.

Thats pretty much an important one for me. I feel trunks are definitely more secure. Also in the event of a crash the stuff riding around the trunk wont potentially come flying forward into the passenger compartment.