Hello all-

I am looking to trade in a 2006 330i for a more economical (hopefully fun to drive) car and the 2011 fit sport is at the top of my list. BTW, I am also considering a nissan juke for essentially the same price- ugly as sin but fun as heck.

I do have a couple of concerns:

1. ) I live in Arizona where it is 115 today and I heard various issues regarding the fit's ac system. It seems that the compressor is designed to turn off under load. Do any hot weather freaks have input on this? I test drove a fit but the sales guy had it parked in a air conditioned garage area so I didn't feel this was a real world scenario.

2.) I thought it was fun to drive a slow car fast but does the engine's power get tiresome after a while?

3.) Should I wait to buy a 2012?

4.) What year is the next gen fit out? Sales dude told me 2015.

Thanks

 

1.) Yes I would be wary of this. I am not a fan of the Fit's A/C system, it's definitely not up to par with older Hondas. I've seen 25 year old Civics that blow colder and it's one of my main gripes about the Fit. Lucky for me i'm in Socal by the beach so I rarely need to use it.

2.) I enjoy the motor and don't find it underpowered at all for day to day situations. If I can merge onto the freeway and hit 70 by the end of the onramp that's good enough for me. Still enough power for passing at freeway speed.

3.) I don't think so, but there's a thread on here showcasing the changes, read it and decide if the electronic comfort additions warrant you getting the '12. The body and drivetrain are not changing. New wheels are uglier lol (imo)

4.) Don't know.

 

3. the face is changing a bit. new grill and some different sculpting around the foglights, etc. the article i read stated that the 2012 will have a lot more noise dampening so you may want to wait if noise is an issue for you.

 

Good questions!

I have an 2011 Fit auto and live in SW Florida, it is hot and humid. I'm talking upper 90's with 95% humidity, lots of bright sun and the AC is fine. I have not had one day where I thought, this AC is not quite enough.

Power is adequate. If you are looking for burn outs and adrenilan pumping acceleration you need to look elsewhere. The Fit is a fun to drive economical car. Rarely do you hear someone say they wish they had bought something else or hear a lot of complaints about the Fit.

The Tsunami in Japan has driven up the price of Fit's, the longer you can put off buying the more you can save, so a 2012 would be a good bet!

Poke around this forum, I was surprised how happy people are with this car and how few complaints/problems there were. It influenced my decision to buy one and I'm glad I did. JIm 0311

 

A/C is cold enough for our summers. We seldom switch it on for too long as it is too cold.. our summer is 25 degrees Celsius

In terms of power, i would like to have more power on steep hills.. otherwise, cruising along the highway is a great drive - quiet drive, feeling relax because I could feel my bulging full wallet pressing against by butt as my wallet is full with cash due to the fact that I need only pay $45 for a full FIT tank versus $120 for a SUV

Waiting for 2012 is fine but keep an eye on when they are going to build the FIT in Mexico if made-in-Japan is important to you

I have no idea about next gen and I can't comment sorry

 

The A/C is adequate. But that makes for slow cool down when left in the sun. It seems to be programmed in constant eco-mode with the compressor cycling frequently. I found it worked better when it was 95 this summer than this last week when it's been in the 80s. I have covered parking at work that makes it bearable. If I didn't, here's a thread by polaski on altering its thermistor control (adding resistors) to make it colder...

There are a couple AZ owners here...

 

The main complaint from me was the inadequate A/C in the Fit. Tinting the windows helped tremendously. I wouldn't say the A/C performance was terrible, but not as good as I'd like :P

 

1. ) Air conditioning sucks with higher temperatures, especially if the car's been sitting in the sun (its a great greenhouse). You'll need tint to help some.

2.) I had the auto and yes it got tiresome/boring. Not inadequate though, just not enough fun move/go.

3.) I would... they claim to have fixed the insulation.

4.) I'd venture a guess, 2014.

 

I considered the Juke for awhile too, by all accounts it is very fun to drive. It was tempting. Eventually decided against it for reasons of total cost of ownership, and the proven record and reliability of the Fit. I found a couple threads on here about the Juke.

 

1. ) It's fine...not perfect but it's not bad enough to really make you think about it. (But I have 35% tint)

2.) The car's weight helps with this factor, plus throw on some Swift Springs and the handling is really where the Fit becomes fun.

3.) Yes

4.) idk

 

1. I can't honestly answer that, I don't use the A/C much in this 100 degree Texas weather and have the older GD chassis.

2. You are going to initially miss the low end grunt in stop light traffic and mid range power in passing situations from your 330I, but once you'll get used to that and compensate by either more throttle, rev a little higher in the gear, or just make due which is something I had to after learning to drive in an '04 E60 530I and '08 E60 535I .

With that said, Fits tend to have enough power to get you around and are great little cars in terms of stock handling in their class. Very agile for their class and are quite good in switchbacks and twistys. Pretty comfortable in comparison to ANY BMW with the Sport suspension and/or factory installed runflats (due to stiffer bushings as well as stiffer spring & damper rates BMW uses); however, if you're coming from a non-Sport model the Fit's ride won't be nearly as comfortable but still be suitable.

Again, this is coming from a person that has driven on numerous occasions an 2004 BMW 530I without factory runflats (not Sport), 2008 BMW 535I with Active Steering without factoy runflats (not Sport), as well as made a couple of trips in a 2011 F10 BMW 535I with Integral Active Steering [4-wheel steering with Active in other words] with factory runflats (not Sport).

3. If I recall correctly, the 2012 is the minor model change and will get additional goods such as Bluetooth integration and hand controls on the steering wheel for the non-Navi Sport, additional sound deadening, as well a very mild revision of the front bumper (head lights and fog lights to be exact) and the dash. Outside of that and the factory Sport wheels, they are pretty much the same.

4. If Honda decides to run this current GE chassis the model year range as they did with the GD from 2001 till 2007 everywhere (but the North America 2008), it'll be around the 2014 or 2015 model year when we should see a new generation Fit lurking about.

 

3. the lack of power can be annoying but the fit handles great once you are up to speed. there is a decent amount of engine noise when accelerating hard or going at higher speeds like on the freeway (because of its lack of an extra overdrive gear im guessing) but i have kind of gotten to enjoying the noise (although im sure most people dont) its not too obtrusive and if you put a after-stock muffler or intake you can get a throatier noise that makes it sound like you have more power than you do. despite its power deficits i still prefer it over any other car ive driven in terms of fun-ness to drive (once your up to speed)

 

1.) Tint should help greatly with that. The AC is a bit underpowered, while the glass area is a bit larger than average. Tint helps with the glass area part.

2.) IMO, the fit has been a blast to drive, accepting its limitations. That said, this is subjective. I can live without being able to get from 0-60 in 5 seconds or whatever.

3.) I would. In a normal year, there are deals to be found with previous year models, while the newer cars are just getting to the dealer. But this wasn't a normal year, with very low inventories. Plus the 2012 version does have a few extra doodads (steering wheel audi controls, better sound dampening) that would be nice.

4.) The sales guy is gonna be about as well informed as the Psychic Friends Hotline. 2012 is a minor model change, so they might stick with it a while. But competition in the sub-compact hatch market is heating up, so 2013 could see something new as Honda tries to comeback from some recent issues (lowered ranking, very bad sales for 2011 because of closed factories, Ford and the Korean makers both competing well).

 

The fit has been fine (AC-wise) for us on hot days (mid-high 90's) but that's here in VT. Of note, we have a White Fit which makes a HUGE difference. My prelude A/C couldn't keep up well and that was a tiny cabin BUT... it was Black/Black Lighter colored car with tint and you'll be all set for comfort level with the A/C on.

The new fit (as others have said) will be out in a few years as the MMC is coming up for 2012. Honda usually does 5 or 6 year cycles and with the economy, 6 is becoming more common. I'd wait for the 2012 just for the simple fact that a few months worth of waiting will get you another year's worth of resale value and likely more choices once production is back up to full speed.

~SB

 

This is pretty funny, but I was considering the Juke too! I of course bought the Fit instead and love it. What turned me off about the Juke was that it requires premium unleaded gas, and with gas prices the way they are I decided the Fit was a better choice for me.

 

I think SB has the best answer for an AZ purchase.....white is by far the better choice. Also shows windblown dust the least. I'd say go with white and tint the windows and you'll be fine. Mine's red which I love but have ridden in a white one on occasion. A/C almost froze me to death. I've also found that the big windshield sunshade that's available helps a lot if I'm parked for more than just a few minutes.

geo

 

Would imagine SSM would be a good color choice too, should reflect heat like a foil does. White is more distinctive though.

DO NOT GET A BLACK FIT = OVEN!

 

I wanted a Kia Soul! Love the looks. But after reading the Soul forum and reading what you people were saying about the Fit. I went with the Fit. Glad I did.