Well, I am a bit conflicted to report that I have cancelled the order I placed back in late March for a 2015 Fit EX 6MT to replace my 2009 Fit Sport 5MT. I have to admit that, I am surprised by my own choice, because for more than 5 years I have sung the praises of my Fit to anyone who would listen. And for more than a year now, I have waited, with great anticipation, for the new GK version of the Fit to reach my island home here in Hawaii.

When images and details about the new GK Fit were first published online and in the car magazines in June 2013, I was sure that my next car would be a new Fit, or possibly the Honda Urban SUV prototype that was shown at the 2013 Detroit auto show. But when the prototype Urban SUV morphed into the production JDM Vezel and eventually to the planned HR-V, I lost interest in that car and was firmly back in the market for the new Fit, just as soon as it would be available.

When the Fit's initial April 9 release date was missed, I was disappointed, but not deterred in my desire to own the new Fit, just as soon as it would be available. When the first 2015 Fit deliveries started occurring, in early June, I hung on every new owner's review. And continued my wait for my Fit to be built. My dealer called me in early June to tell me that my car would soon be built, and would arrive in mid-July, or at latest August. By this point, I was beginning to lose my patience and started looking more seriously at other vehicles. The Mazda 3 showed itself as worthy contender.

Then, finally the dealer here in Maui got their first 2015 Fit and I requested a test drive. But, by the time my salesperson could arrange it, that car was sold and was not available for test drives. Another couple weeks went by, and finally, the dealer called me with an appointment for a test drive of a CVT Fit EX. While not the 6MT Fit, that I wanted, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to at least get to finally drive the new Fit. The CVT performed better than I expected and that started me considering purchasing a CVT and that choice would allow me to get the leather interior in the form of an EX-L that I preferred to the cloth interior Fits.

But the idea of considering a CVT Fit also opened my mind to considering many other possible cars. As I have always purchased only manual transmission cars, all of my 54 years of life. And while the Fit has been the best choice of manual transmission cars for me, if I was to consider automatic transmissions, then the possible candidates for my next car were wide open.

This is where my story takes an unexpected twist. I looked at what I really most wanted in my next car, and I found that the Fit's execution of some of these new features was not really state of the art. I was disappointed by the armrest issue, the lack of a leather wrapped steering wheel and the general lack of love shown by new owners for the new infotainment system. And I had allot of trouble getting my phone to pair with the system in the new Fit. Somehow, the new Fit was quickly losing its unique appeal for me.

Then, after my test drive, I parked my 2009 Fit next to the new one, and that was when I was most disappointed. While I have found pictures of the new Fit very nice, it is not really one of the most beautiful car's ever designed. And when I looked at it side by side, in comparison to my 2009, I honestly preferred the 2009 as a unique, if slightly awkward design. For me, the new one, in person, did not thrill me in a way that my old Fit really always has. Then I looked at the rosy hue of the modern steel metallic and found this was not an ideal color for a man's car (no offense intended to others who love their modern steel Fits).

So I pursued the new Mazda 3, to see if I could find exactly what I wanted in this car. I really liked its styling, both inside and out, much better than the Fit's. I really liked how I fit inside the Mazda much more than how I fit in the Fit. I liked how the Mazda handled and how the manual transmission shifted, and felt it was a more fun car to drive than the new Fit. I then set out to find my perfect Mazda 3. What I determined was that my perfect Mazda 3 would be an S Touring with a manual transmission. But unfortunately, Mazda, not unlike Honda, has not seen fit to release the higher end Mazda 3 S, with a manual transmission yet. So the automatic transmission was again the only choice that gave me all the features I sought. So again, I opened my consideration to other automatics.

That is when I found a good price on an 8-month old 2014 Mercedes GLK350. While certainly not a typical competitor for the Fit or even for a fully loaded Mazda 3, it filled all of my desires, and then some, for features. As long as I could accept its significantly inferior fuel economy. (My initial interest in the Mercedes GLK started with the BlueTEC 250, that owners are reporting more than 30MPG from.) But considering I drive as few as 6000 miles per year, the additional fuel costs of fuel for the gas version GLK350 was not unacceptable to me. So as of today, my garage is full of a generously optioned Steel Grey 2014 Mercedes GLK 350, as well as my, soon to be for sale, 2009 Fit Sport.

I may return to a Fit someday, as I really like efficient cars, and they don't get much more efficient than the Fit. And I still feel the 2015 Fit is a great car that is a certifiable bargain. But for now, it is no longer the choice for my next car. For now I will coddle myself in the luxury and mind boggling array of features of the Mercedes GLK and I still have my wife's Honda CRZ for 38 MPG efficiency, when that is the order of the day and my 1991 Acura NSX when the day calls for speed thrills. So, the 2015 Fit has failed to earned its spot in my garage for now....

I hope that everyone on this forum enjoys their new Fits as much as I have enjoyed my 2009. And I will check in regularly to see how the issues that I find unacceptable today get addressed, either by owners' ingenuity or by future Honda redesigns.

 

**Pours one for one of his downed homies, TCroly**

I haven't even been on the forum anytime and I feel like I'm going to miss you already. You have a lot of valuable input. Totally understand where you are coming from. Good luck on your purchase. As long as you are happy, that is all that counts. I won't be surprised if Honda loses a lot of customers this way, during the wait. My anticipation is wearing thin as well.

Good luck with your new journey, TCroly.

 

Yeah, I hear ya. Go with where your heart leads. For me, I ordered the Fit 2015 in manual after test driving the CVT. I've been a manual person for about 35 years so why stop. What's weird is I am still getting used to the new manual setups with all the new electronic gadgets that go along with it, but I'm getting the hang of it all.

You got good tastes in cars and we just want to see you happy. That's what counts.

 

Well I'll bite and give you a chance to talk about all the mind boggling features in your new Mercedes! I'm genuinely interested to know. Glad it all worked out for you!

 

Good luck with the Benz…prepare for sticker shock maintenance costs according to a few friends who own MB vehicles its very high.
$100.00 for an oil change will be a much different flavor than your 09 FIT…but you have to be happy and if the MB rocks it for you go for it!

 

Woah! I've got forum whiplash. Fit -> 3s: sure, I was making that same deliberation. Fit -> GLK350. WUT?!
But you do you, man! You know what works best for your wants and needs. Hope you enjoy it! There's always a Fit waiting if it doesn't Sad to see you go, your posts were super helpful.

 

Congratulations on finding a vehicle that best Fits your needs at this point in time. Even though this is a Fit forum, I know I would still love to see a few photos of your new vehicle. So come on, share with us.

And even in the very short time I've been here on FF, I've learned to appreciate the knowledge and information you shared in your posts. Thank you for your contributions, they are much appreciated!

 

In my time here lurking and posting, I just wanted to say that it was the majority of your very well researched and informative posts that helped me to move forward with my purchase of the Fit. So, I just wanted to thank you for that! Enjoy your new car!

 

Yes, if the Fit had been delivered on its schedule, I would now be a happy GK owner, but it really has been the delay that got me looking elsewhere. But as a bonafide car guy,I really just like having to opportunity to own and sample a variety of autos.

The Benz has just so many cool features like:
As you approach the car, push the trunk button and the hatch opens automatically by motor. If it is hot inside the car, hold the unlock button down and all the windows and sunroof open to let the hot air out.

When you get in the memory remembers and sets your 8 way seat position, your steering wheel tilt and telescope settings, you side view mirror settings and other personal preferences set within your key.

Start up the car and it asks me, you have 25 miles of range left, do you want me to show the nearest gas station? I click the button using the command controller that falls right under my right hand as I rest my arm on the center armrest and the car displays a list of 6 gas stations.

If I leave the car in drive or reverse, and then open the door, it automatically shifts itself to park.

When I first pushed the hard button on the center dash that says, "phone", it asks me if I want to pair my phone. With two more button pushes, my phone is paired and it asks if I would like to synch my contacts and messages. One more click and the Bluetooth is working exactly as I want. By comparison, using the same Samsung Galaxy phone, the new Fit frustrated me for 20 minutes after my test drive before I just gave up.

I put a CD into the 6 CD changer and it asks, do I want to rip this CD to the on board HD?

I put a DVD into the changer and it begins playing on the 7" display. When I begin driving the display is blanked out with a safety message, but the DVD sound continues to play.

I am driving down the road, and right in the middle of the speedometer, the car tells me that I am on such and such street. As I approach a traffic signal where the name of the road changes, the display instantly changes to the correct name. Now, I know that a $100 Garmin portable nav device will do the same thing, but it is the elegant way the Benz displayed this information, not in the nav screen, but inside the speedo, that impressed me.

I am sitting in my driveway playing with the navi. It has an option to find lodging. I run a bed and breakfast from my home. I click find bed and breakfast. I thinks for a minute and then comes back showing my place, " Dreams come true on Maui as 0.1 mile away. I click on "show street view" and I am looking at a google maps street view of my property. Very cool!

I am a read the manual type of guy, but I sit down to read the Mercedes manual and find lots of little things like when you tap the cruise acell or decell stalk and it changes your set speed by 1 MPH, but hold it down a bit further and it increases or decreases by 5 MPH. But the manual on th car is 300 pages long and the other manual for the Command system is another 200 pages. Full of little tips on how to make the system give you just the information you seek with little effort.

Well, the former owner of the car, offered to sell me the 30,000 mile prepaid maintenance plan he bought for $1200. So I looked into what it included. It was basically 3 oil changes, a replacement of the cabin air filter, a brake flush and 3 check this, check that, inspections. I passed on the opportunity to pay Mercedes for their overpriced expertise. But you sure are right, no more $100 oil changes try $300+

Cars are cool! The Fit is the head of the class in the under $20,000 class, the Mazda 3 maybe one of the best for under $25,000. The GLK is indeed another class altogether and I don't really know how it sticks up in the $40,000-$50,000 small SUV segment! but at the price I paid, I should be able to sample it and if I don't find it to my taste! sell it without much loss in value.

I am picture posting impaired, but thank you for your kind words.

I am glad that I have contributed to this Forum in a way that others have found useful. I have loved my Fit and am happy to sing its praises to help others find out what a great little car it is. I am surprised to not be a new GK Fit owner, but I may be back someday.

 

. . . my friends all have Porsches, I must make amends.

They say used cars are the best value, but in my market (Manitoba, Canada), for Honda Fits I don't think it is true. A 2007 with typical mileage will still sell for almost $10,000. For that money, I'd rather have new, with warranty.

For me, I am waffling between the new Fit, the outgoing fit, and the Mitsubishi Mirage. The outgoing Fit isn't really a contender being made in China and having poor efficiency.

Pros for the new Honda are a great dealership (vs Mitsubishi's not-so-great one), the Honda name/quality reputation, and much better safety/performance/capacity.

Pros for the Mitsubishi are a much lower price, better fuel efficiency, simplicity (e.g. no direct injection, no touch screen controls - should keep long-term costs down) the 10 year warranty, and "enough" performance/capacity/safety for me.

If Honda had made the 6 speed with an actual 6th gear on top for better highway efficiency (not just stuck a gear in the middle of the range), it would be the clear leader. Now, to get fuel consumption approaching the Mirage manual ($15k price in Canada including all taxes/fees - $9998 sticker), one has to get the LX CVT (pricing not released, but I am guessing about $23k all-in/$18k sticker, based on the 2014 prices). That is a pretty substantial difference.

 

Have owned many many Porches and BMWs, only one Benz in my past.

I have to laugh every time someone brings up the Mitsubishi Mirage. It is perhaps the worst car currently sold in the US. It really competes with the Hyundai's of the 80's or a Yugo. The Fit is among the very best cars made. A used Fit is a much, much better choice than a new Mitsubishi. But to each his own!

 

What do you mean by "worst", and how do you justify that claim. I'm not saying you are wrong, because I am no expert. I have, however, driven a Mirage on a road trip and it was adequate. For reference, I drive a Ford Focus, and there have been a couple Civics in my family. I've owned and driven several other cars as well (though again, not an expert).

The Mirage accelerates well enough, stops well enough, goes through corners fine at reasonable speeds. Wildly swinging the wheel back and forth induces considerable body roll for sure - it could use a rear sway bar. It is a basic car without anything in the way of fancy/state-of-the-art technology. Car reporters seem to hate it because they want a minimum of "x+50" horsepower, when the car being reviewed has "x". The 74HP from the Mirage is double what the old Volkswagen beetle had, and it is capable of 180km/h. It has a 10 year warranty, and Mitsubishi has a decent reputation.

So, I will accept that the Honda is faster, quicker, bigger, heavier, has a more refined feel, has "softer plastics" (not sure why folks care so much for soft plastic), and looks way better. The Mirage, though, uses less gas, is more aerodynamic, uses a tried and true engine design, and is built to be affordable.

"Quality" is what Honda fans often brag about, and I believe it is true, but can anyone tell me specifically what this means (i.e. stronger alloy in wheel bearings? more layers of paint/better galvanized body? pistons machined to smoother surfaces? longer-lasting fuel pump? stronger brake rotors?). To my mind, even with higher "quality", the Honda's $7000 premium over the base Mirage would take a very long time to pay for itself. If there are new model hiccups, direct injection/fuel pump issues, or issues with the infotainment system the Honda may well end up costing far more than the Mirage.

Again, I am not arguing that the Mirage is a "better car", as it clearly isn't. I am saying the Mirage may well be better value.

 

Wow! This one caught me off guard! You have been a great source of info for everyone here, but after , its just a car. We only go round once and having the most fun while here is important. Hope you enjoy the new ride dude, thanks for all the help and hope you don't become a total stranger. Peace brother!

 

RTFM?! That's why we joined forum so we could ask other people crap that is in the manuals!

 

Interesting my 2012/windows phone paired just fine. Not good to hear about pairing problems in the 2015, unless there was something wacky about that day. All cool features in the Mercedes! Enjoy!

 

Well, I think this post puts some finality to my Honda fit ownership. Today I sold my 2009 Storm Silver Fit Sport 5MT for $10,000.

I have owned 53 different cars over the last 38 years and I owned the Honda Fit longer than all but one other and was among the very best. While it was far from the fastest or the most luxurious, nor was it the most beautiful. It was THE most reliable, with virtually nothing going wrong over the entire period I owned it. It was THE most economical with gas averaging exactly 35.0 MPG over the entire 35,651 miles I drove it. (The next closest was a Mini Cooper that averaged 29.8 MPG over its life with me.)

My Fit was a real trouper. It never complained as I stuffed it with everything imaginable. From a couple full sized ovens, and assorted home appliances, to lots of lumber as long as 10 feet. I affectionately called it my "Home Depot Hauler."

It was engaging to drive, if not quite as fun to drive as cars in my past such as the Honda CRXsi, BMW M-Roadster or Toyota MR2 Turbo. But none of those cars could even dream about getting 35MPG and one cost more than 3 times as much as my Fit did.

Compared to all the 14 cars that I purchased new, my Fit depreciated the least of all losing only $7200 in value over the 69 months I owned it. ($104/month depreciation) It also did not cost much in maintenance, requiring only 4 oil changes, one set of tires and a few filters for a total maintenance cost of only $675 over 35,500 miles. In fact when I computed how much less fuel it burned and how much less its maintenance costs, it basically cost me nothing to own over the past 69 months verses had I kept the Ford Focus SVT I traded in on it.

The Honda Fit is perhaps one of the best engineered cars ever made. I feel like I found a little bit of magic in the Fit that others were not quite as wise to see. I may have made a bad choice going for a big Mercedes to replace my Fit instead of another Fit, but it was time for a change and I will never stop recommending the fit as one of the very best values ever made in a car.

 

Sometimes change is needed, certainly doesnt mean you wont come back. we will be here when you do TC. Enjoy your Mercedes!

 

[QUOTE=TCroly;1251340

I have owned 53 different cars over the last 38 years...

to lots of lumber as long as 10 feet. ...

[/QUOTE]

WOW! That's a LOT of cars to own. We're jealous but happy for you. Yeah, this is my first Fit but even though it is only over a week old, it is the best I've had so far.

How did you carry 10 lumber? Did you use a roof rack or put the lumber inside with the rear door slightly open and door tied down?

 

I could fit 10' long moldings and small stuff inside the car running from the drivers sider rear over the passenger seat and into the passenger dashboard area. I also ran some 2x4s out the passenger window as long as 12'.

 

Funny, that's how I carried 10 ft long 2 x 4s and such in my previous cars. But on this Fit I'll be sure to really pad the dash and front windshield even more. The "new" hasn't wore off yet. I must admit though, on a Jetta I just barely went too much on a 10 ft PVC pipe that was a bit longer than most and when I closed the trunk, the windshield cracked. Won't make that mistake again!

Thanks!