Fit vs. Suzuki SX4 on Edmund's Long Term

[CrystalFiveMT]

They say the Suzuki has a better ride and better on-center highway steering than the Fit:

2009 Honda Fit and Suzuki SX4: Which Is The Better Highway Car? | Long-Term Road Tests Blog on Edmunds' Inside Line

[kenchan]

suzuki should concentrate on making motorcycles and leave us car guys alone.

[keepitpg]

serious! but thats cool that they made a smoother car on the highway.. too bad it looks like an SUV

[Uncle Gary]

Well, to be sure, those probably ARE the Fit's two biggest weaknesses. I'd still rather have the Honda.

Then again, remember these guys are "journalists", and they are paid to find fault, and maintain their objectivity. They're not being paid to be Honda fanboys (girls).

[Virtual]

Originally Posted by kenchan

suzuki should concentrate on making motorcycles and leave us car guys alone.

Oh come on. The same could be said about Honda.

[kenchan]

Originally Posted by Virtual

Oh come on. The same could be said about Honda.

yah, i suppose considering i own other modded cars that are fun to motor in as well.

but then again, i do agree that my 09 FitS is far from being carguy comfy in
stock form.. i always felt the springs are over sprung vs the dampers. after driving
my 09, i drive my 08 with EnduraTechs and damn my 08 is smooooooth.

[kindofblue]

Two words depthcharge the SX4: resale and mileage.

[reako]

Originally Posted by kindofblue

Two words depthcharge the SX4: resale and mileage.

Well said.......end of thread?

[neteng101]

Honestly - I don't think the Fit belong on the highway. I'm thoroughly disgusted overall by the highway behavior of my Fit, and its on the verge of being really dangerous IMO. I'm just waiting for the day we get a crash report of someone running off the highway in a Fit here on the forums.

I've driven 600+ miles currently on a trip and have that much to get back home, and I'm absolutely hating the thought of the drive. Its absolutely ridiculous in winds... and I say this because everyone else has less problems - like I'm seeing a Scion xB, a bunch of Prius, older Civics, etc all wheezing by while I'm almost ready to be blown off the road completely going like 50-55 mph (yes, there were wind advisories one day and 20mph winds, but other cars weren't having nearly the fit that the Fit was throwing up).

Just my two cents - I'm pretty ready to ditch the Fit. I might buy another Honda, its not a Honda thing... but just the Fit being truly unfit for the highways. Yes you can mod it - but OMG, a skinny tired Prius can be more composed. Something is just wrong about the Fit in its aero/suspension/profile that truly makes it so not a highway car.

Aside from the wind problem, it is rather harsh riding, it doesn't track well on grooved or concrete (you need smooth blacktop for the Fit), the streeing is far too light at highway speeds.

I drove a lot of the trip between 55-60 mph on cruise just because the car really feels that unreassuring and even at those speeds, there were times it was almost out of control. Hate the Fit with highways.

[hoss10]

I looked at the Suzuki before buying the Fit. In Canada it's not that much cheaper and felt really dated inside. It felt much like an economy car out of the 90's. I didn't even test drive it. I really like the exterior of it though.

Honestly - I don't think the Fit belong on the highway. I'm thoroughly disgusted overall by the highway behavior of my Fit, and its on the verge of being really dangerous IMO. I'm just waiting for the day we get a crash report of someone running off the highway in a Fit here on the forums

I don't think the Fit is too bad in wind. It's a small light car so wind will effect it. I have drove trucks and vans for years so I guess I'm used to wind blowing vehicals around. The worst thing I ever drove in the wind was a Ford Aerostar my kids used to call it the Aerosail, it would actually change lanes in a stiff breeze.
neteng101 if your Fit feels that bad at those speeds I would get in checked out at the dealer. We've had some strong winds this spring (trees down, building damaged etc.) and the Fit was fine in them.

It's funny today I drove the Fit about 200 km on the highway with about 20 kms in a city, and I thought about how much I was starting to like this car. For the highways I usually drive, (secondary HW's with a speed limit of 80 -90 kms), I set the cruise to just under 100 km (63 mph)and it's great. At that speed great mpg, noise is good, and the car tracks well.

[Josurf808]

Originally Posted by neteng101

Its absolutely ridiculous in winds... and I say this because everyone else has less problems - like I'm seeing a Scion xB, a bunch of Prius, older Civics, etc all wheezing by while I'm almost ready to be blown off the road completely going like 50-55 mph.

i agree with you on that one. the wind noise is pretty annoying as well.

[CrystalFiveMT]

Folks, those of you who are experiencing excessive wind susceptibility on the highway like neteng, it may be something wrong with the suspension/steering.

My 05 RSX had this issue when it was new. I didn't understand it. Other drivers were flying by me as my car was darting left and right even without any apparent wind noise. I forgot how this condition eventually went away. Maybe because I installed a lowered A-Spec suspension with wider wheels and tires. Or maybe it was the alignment settings that were off.

Point is, for some of you, this may be an anomaly. Yes, the Fit, like some other cars has some susceptibility to crosswinds, but it shouldn't be to the degree some of you are describing. Especially now that I have over 10,000 miles on it, I don't notice any crosswind effects on mine at all. When it was new it wasn't as bad as what you're describing.

Don't give up on the Fit. There must be something wrong. Check alignment settings, tire direction, suspension, etc.

What some of you are describing is not what other owners would describe of their Fits.

[DoktorDreem]

My opinion, the 2009 Fit is wiggly in crosswinds but is not unstable. Let go of the steering wheel and it holds the course. My instinct is to "correct" but that leads to more squirming. Just get used to it. The car is rather tall for the weight.

I'm curious if the Sport model is more wiggly than base. I found it to be firmer on cornering but maybe bouncier on expansion joints.

A while back consumer reports had Suzuki down there at the bottom of reliability. Only Dodge and Jaguar were able to ace them out of last place.

2009 Sport AT

[minnemike]

As stated, let's face it... the Fit is not a highway car. It kicks ass over everything else by far in the city.

Suzuki is starting to becoming a quality car maker. I just might get myself a Grand Vitara as a highway roadtripper. They have a great warranty - I think 7yrs/ 100k. That said, the resale value isn't quite there yet compared to Honda and the SX4 can't compete with the Fit in the city.

[huisj]

I haven't gone on any long trips yet in my '09 Sport M/T, but on a few trips to Detroit and Holland (I'm right between the two in Lansing), I've gone through some pretty crazy 30+ mph swirling winds (it's been a strange spring here), and while it's a little squirmy, it really didn't bug me much. I've always had small cars. I'd say the Fit is a little bit more darty than my old Focus hatch was, but it still feels perfectly safe for cruising along the same speed as other traffic.

[kenchan]

huisj- um holland to detroit is a pretty long drive... ive done it boring boring boring. hahaha

the AT's aren't nearly as bad as the MT's on the hwy's that's
for sure. i rarely drive my 08 past 55mph so no issue for me
though. 99% surface road only-use.

as mentioned by huisj- if you've driven small cars before, chances are you are
familiar how to drive it.

[phillip]

dsport did a comparison of the 2 in one of their dvds. i think most of the guys ended up picking the suzuki overall, but the fit beat it in the drag

[tobey457]

... it's a 2500 pound car, if you expected the freeway drive to be on par with a Cadillac... well you already know you were grossly mistaken. The car is a light, subcompact, economy car, and it drives like one.

That being said - I have had very little problem controlling my car is any condition, or on any road, to this point. Maybe I've been lucky, maybe the lowered suspension has something to do with it, or maybe it's the tires (I have stock Dunlops).

My advice would be to have the dealer check it out if it's really that bad. Or maybe levelset what your expectations are. It's a small car... actually it's a very small car, so my gut tells me that the characteristics mentioned above are par for the course, compared to the bigger, heavier cars that you've owned before.

Or maybe not, but that's my first reaction.

[ToFit2Quit]

Originally Posted by neteng101

Honestly - I don't think the Fit belong on the highway. I'm thoroughly disgusted overall by the highway behavior of my Fit, and its on the verge of being really dangerous IMO. I'm just waiting for the day we get a crash report of someone running off the highway in a Fit here on the forums.

I've driven 600+ miles currently on a trip and have that much to get back home, and I'm absolutely hating the thought of the drive. Its absolutely ridiculous in winds... and I say this because everyone else has less problems - like I'm seeing a Scion xB, a bunch of Prius, older Civics, etc all wheezing by while I'm almost ready to be blown off the road completely going like 50-55 mph (yes, there were wind advisories one day and 20mph winds, but other cars weren't having nearly the fit that the Fit was throwing up).

Just my two cents - I'm pretty ready to ditch the Fit. I might buy another Honda, its not a Honda thing... but just the Fit being truly unfit for the highways. Yes you can mod it - but OMG, a skinny tired Prius can be more composed. Something is just wrong about the Fit in its aero/suspension/profile that truly makes it so not a highway car.

Aside from the wind problem, it is rather harsh riding, it doesn't track well on grooved or concrete (you need smooth blacktop for the Fit), the streeing is far too light at highway speeds.

I drove a lot of the trip between 55-60 mph on cruise just because the car really feels that unreassuring and even at those speeds, there were times it was almost out of control. Hate the Fit with highways.

I dunno what you're talking about. I always outrun all those heavy cars on curves without even coming close to straying off my lane. Also, I'm usually the one wizzing past people in the wind while I watch them struggle to stay in their lanes.

The only annoyance I have is uphill slopes. Those are the worst...

[concorde]

i don't ever have a problem with my fit on the highway. even with bikes on the roof rack.

what the hell do you expect for a $17k car?? if you don't like it, get rid of it.