Yeah, it's about as fun to drive as a crx, which isn't any fun at all to drive.
Yeah, it's about as fun to drive as a crx, which isn't any fun at all to drive.
poopshovel wrote: Yeah, it's about as fun to drive as a crx, which isn't any fun at all to drive.
Totally, I never had fun behind the wheel of any of the CRX Sis that I have owned. All a total snore.
My dad has a 2011 base model, auto. He has the worst lead foot in the history of the world. He learned how to drive on a Dodge Coronet with the 440 V8, with the secondarys on the carb stuck open, so I guess from very early on he got used to lots of torque. He only uses the car to go back and forth to work, about 10 miles of stop-and-go. He gets mid- to high-20s. That's terrible, even for him. I was not impressed.
I will be looking for a 1st generation one for my next car, though, whenever the Saturn decided to give up the ghost, which from the look of things won't be soon. The Fit is the smallest car ever built that I can still fit my upright bass into. It only takes up one seat, half the cargo area, and doesn't even interfere with the shifter. Incredible.
Klayfish wrote: It is exciting. If you've spent considerable time behind the wheel of one, it sinks in pretty quick. For the money and the practicality you get, it's a fun economy car. HP and TQ aren't everything. The NA Miata had roughly similar power numbers, and it's "the answer". I haven't driven the Sonic, though I'd be very interested to do it. Even if it has more power, I'm still more interested in the overall driving dynamic. The Fit just has the right feel to it for a twisty road.
The two comments were not related. The HP/TQ was in response to whomever suggested that the Sonic and Fit made similar power. They do not.
It may be fun, but I find exciting hard to believe. That aside, it looks like a shrunk down mini van to me. I am not satisfied with that as an option for a new, small car. I am equally disappointed in the Mazda 2, Fiesta, and Sonic.
Yes, the EPA estimates are rubbish. I had an 07 Sport, auto, regularly got 33-34 mpg in traffic, and 40 highway. I'd snap up another one in a heartbeat if the price was right.
My mom has an '08 Fit Sport Auto. She's had it since new with zero problems. The things I like about it are:
-Room to haul stuff
-Good passenger room front and back
-Fun around town
-Reliability
Things I don't like
-MPGs suck. I took it on a 500 mile road trip going about 75 mph. It returned around 27 mpg. Cruise control couldn't hold a gear and it just didn't have enough power.
-No leg support. I have never been in a more uncomfortable car. The my legs fall asleep after driving this car for 10 minutes. For what it's worth I'm 6'1" and have never had trouble getting comfortable in any vehicle before.
Overall I think it is a good city car and it's very reliable. If I had to drive one on the highway daily I would pick something else. I really wish Honda would make another Civic wagovan. That would be the cat's ass.
Klayfish wrote: I think the reason they didn't add a 6th gear was the cars' lack of power. If you had the engine spinning at 2000rpm in a tall 6th gear, the engine would struggle to keep speed, let alone accelerate.
Huh, the least powerful Saturn ever made (85hp!) seems to cruise down the highway just fine with a much taller 5th gear than the Fit.
I don't like how high up it sits. I've been in a first gen... its not any more practical than a station wagon. Mileage isn't that impressive.
not that i disagree with you but i think the tbi saturn makes a lot more torque at that rpm than the fit motor does, and the fit has a lot more frontal area im guessing.
frenchy wrote: -MPGs suck. I took it on a 500 mile road trip going about 75 mph. It returned around 27 mpg.
I regularly do these kind of trips in my 2011 Accord 5-speed. 75-79mph is the norm on some interstates for me. I always get a solid 30mpg and I am usually pretty comfortable in it.
I usually have issues with these little cars and the plastic consoles. They kill my right leg.
Vigo wrote: not that i disagree with you but i think the tbi saturn makes a lot more torque at that rpm than the fit motor does, and the fit has a lot more frontal area im guessing.
That "T" word is not something small Honda cars or their fanbois are very familiar with. My 90hp accent cruises the highway about 700 rpm slower than my friend's Fit Sport but we both accelerate at those speeds about the same. That's the down side to making an engine that only makes power up top, to cruise the engine has to scream.
In reply to Bobzilla:
Agreed. But the upside is that it's a big part of the reason that a car like a Fit is fun to drive. The rev-a-bility, so to speak.
ProDarwin wrote:Klayfish wrote: I think the reason they didn't add a 6th gear was the cars' lack of power. If you had the engine spinning at 2000rpm in a tall 6th gear, the engine would struggle to keep speed, let alone accelerate.Huh, the least powerful Saturn ever made (85hp!) seems to cruise down the highway just fine with a much taller 5th gear than the Fit. I don't like how high up it sits. I've been in a first gen... its not any more practical than a station wagon. Mileage isn't that impressive.
I dunno why they didn't give it a 6th gear, that was just a guess. I agree it needs a taller gear, that's one of my few gripes about the Fit. Also agree it's not much more practical than a good station wagon. What's impressive is that the car is as small/light/nimble/efficient as it is but still has as much room as a wagon and many SUVs. Wagons that can match it's practicality are bigger/heavier/use more gas, etc... I can't vouch for anyone else's mileage, but I get high 30's without even trying (low 40s when I try) and that's plenty impressive for me.
The Fit definitely isn't the right car for everyone. But for our needs, it's utterly perfect.
Regarding the Sonic vs Fit.
I test drove a Sonic turbo hatch (manual, since they don't have the auto yet), and ended up buying a base automatic Fit.
The Sonic has a lot more "seat of the pants" get up and go, and I am sure will be a lot better car for passing on 2 lane roads.
I thought the base fit handled about as well as the Sonic, but rides a bit rougher. However, it has tons more room in a similarly sized package, and I didn't feel like I was sitting in a tank when driving it. I could actually see out of it, which to me, is kind of important. I also wanted an automatic this time around. Maybe I'm just getting too old.
So much love and hate for such a tiny car!
To me the Fit is and was perfect for our needs. It replaced a Volvo 240 wagon, not a Miata. The Fit is an honest-to-goodness appliance. It's not more fun to drive than everything in its class, it's not more fuel efficient than everything in its class, and it's certainly not a highway cruiser, even compared to other B-cars.
But it does have the most intelligent packaging of the class, and it's more fun to drive than anyone would expect. Four years in, I can't get my wife to even think about replacing it.
I think it's the goodness of this car that encouraged others to bring competition stateside. There was absolutely nothing in its ballpark in 2008 when we shopped. The Toyota Yaris was a joke, Kia and Hyundai's cars were not quite up to the competition, and Scion had moved its xB and xD into the bigger bodies.
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