Hi Everyone,

I am try to figure out which car would fits my needs best. Considering one of the selling points for the Fit is the large trunk space. But when you compare the numbers the Honda Fit trunk space is almost 40% less than Subaru Impreza hatchback's trunk space (Honda Fit: 16.6 cu.ft; Subaru Impreza: 22.5 cu.ft Source: Compare Vehicles - Official Honda Web Site)

That sounds like a significant difference - have any of you had a chance to compare it ? On my visual inspection (on test drives), the difference was not so visible, though a true visual comparison may make sense only when both cars are placed aside each other.

Also does any one know where can I find the actual trunk floor dimensions (for both cars)? As I believe the trunk floor space is more important that total trunk volume.


Note: Both cars allow rear seats to be folded, and have max. trunk/cargo volume of 52 cu. ft. Though I doubt you can fold back the front passenger seat in Subaru Impreza like you can in Honda fit to store long (8ft) objects.

 

The Subaru is 14" longer and also a little wider than the Fit. Also, with the 2015 Fit they moved the rear seats further back, which gives the Fit much more rear leg room (4" more than the Subaru) but at the cost of cargo space. It's pretty amazing that the Fit has the same max cargo capacity considering the large difference in vehicle length. Plus the Fit gets 33% more MPG in the city.

 

The Fit is taller, also the cargo floor is deeper than Impreza. "On-paper numbers" aside, let's say if you had to carry 2 mountain bikes standing up side by side (front wheels off), you could do that in the Fit easily. You won't be able to do that in the Impreza, unless you stack one bike on top of the other. And the "tall-mode" in the Fit is also amazing.

If I had to choose Impreza over the Fit, I'd choose because of its AWD, not the cargo capacity & practicality.

 

Thanks.

@Lane03: The Impreza is indeed 14" longer ... but it does not seem all of those 14" add to the trunk space/length, as on visual inspection the Impreza cargo area did not seem much longer than Fit cargo area.


@economicon ... My wife too noticed that the Fit cargo area bottom was most likely lower than Impreza's ... so yes the cargo does seem tall, besides the option of folding up the rear seats for the Tall mode. While I am leaning towards the Impreza because of its AWD and Eyesight option availability, for some reason we were put off by the lesser visible cargo area. The cargo area is important for us, especially when the seats upright. The Fit cargo is very versatile (as you explained with the 2 mountain bikes carrying scenario). We were hoping the cargo area of Impreza hatchback (with the seats up) is much bigger based on numbers, which would overcome the lack of versatility some what for us - but I am struggling to make sense of the 40% higher cargo volume number, hence was hoping for a breakdown of cargo volume number.

Ideally I would like to have actual dimensions for both cargo area's. I am surprised no car comparison website has such details. (Subaru Impreza's brochure had atleast had some details, unlike Honda Fit's brochure)

 

The Fit's rear trunk space, with all seats up, is not very large. With the angle of the back seats, actual usable space in the rear trunk is not that great. Example, if you were to use the fit to transport 5 people to the airport, I don't think you could fit all the luggage (carry on's only). Maybe 3 at most...

 

any real life comparison pic =)

 

Yes, any real life comparison pics or real trunk dimensions for the Fit and Impreza hatchback would help

(though I have rough dimensions for Impreza in their brochure, but can't really figure out the trunk length which may be the deciding factor)

 

Here's one of the most informative Subaru info websites. Cars101.com

Before I would buy an Impreza, I'd spend a bit more for the Forester.

That said, ever since Subaru introduced cam chain model of the 2.5 engine (2012 IIRC), they've had serious problems with oil consumption (not unlike Honda with the V6). Some owners have no problem at all, others go through several quarts between oil changes. Subaru's current solution is a short block and having dealer techs rebuild the engine. edit to add: there's currently a class action lawsuit over the 2.5 oil consumption problem.

 

If space is what you're after, it seems both are a viable candidate. You need another parameter to help you with your search.
If it were me, I wouldn't bother with the Impreza and go straight for either the STi or WRX just for power. If I wanted fuel economy, then the fit is there. However the Impreza awd from my autox friends say it under steers a lot. The fit is pretty fun to drive and it doesn't under steer as much as I expect it to.

 

Unfortunately, Subaru killed the most practical WRX/STi... the five-door.

 

Thanks Fitmo, that website is very useful for a lot of things and has a very good image giving the Impreza trunk dimensions. Would you or any other Fit Freak member be able to measure the length, width and height of your 2015 Honda Fit's trunk and share that information?

This might sound as too much, but I would like to understand how the trunks sizes/dimensions. Trunk space is an important factor in my decision. But I am actually looking at the overall value. Even though the Fit is maybe the best in overall value, I dont want to easily give up on the Impreza, due to its AWD and Eyesight technology availability. And yes, i don't want to get an SUV just for the trunk space - fuel efficiency is obviously an important factor

 

With the rear seat down, the distance from the rear door jamb to the end of the front seatback is 60 inches in the center and maybe 58-59 inches on the sides (the rear door jamb curves). You can slide the front seats forward and then tilt them forward for more length. The distance between the wheel wells is just a hair under 40" or two ThermaRest pads wide. My wife and I can spoon in the back.

With the rear seat up, the distance at the floor from seat to door jamb is about 23" at the sides, IIRC. Up at the top of the seat, it's about 15 inches from seat to the plastic just below the rear glass.

The afternoon we went to buy our Fit, the salesman watched us drop the tailgate of an 8 foot truck bed and physically try all kinds of various gear in the Fit. We did that for about 1/2 hour before we even sat in it. There's no substitute for doing it right there on the dealer's lot. Hope this helps.

 

Fitmo, when you say "There's no substitute for doing it right there on the dealer's lot", are you referring to your previous statement that "My wife and I can spoon in the back"?

 

Boy, I really set myself up for that one, didn't I? No... 'fraid not.

Have a great weekend!

 

Thanks a lot Fitmo for sharing that info.

From 2015 Impreza Subaru specs, options, dimensions and more the comparable length, width and height of Impreza are 32" x 42" x 30" respectively.
So the 9 inches extra length (32" vs 23") seems to be increase the trunk volume, as I can't believe the width to be much different and i expect the Honda Fit trunk height to be rather more (around 35" to 38"), correct me if I am wrong.

The length with the seats folded is 61 inches which is comparable to Fit's 60", rather I believe with the seats down both have pretty much the same kind of area for cargo. The difference is with the seats up, which also matters for us.

I understand these numbers may not be so useful in the real world, but i do see the extra 9" length useful if it actually truly a difference. I commend your effort of spending time to fit all kinds of stuff in the trunk (wondering how the salesman responded). We were considering carrying empty luggage bags but just did not manage to. Hopefully, we will go better prepared next time.

 

I don't think this has really been mentioned, but if you're on the fence between the two I would think cost would be a major consideration. I haven't checked prices, but I'm thinking a similarly equipped Impreza would be a good $3 or $4K more than the Fit.
I would say the type of driving you do mostly may be a factor as well (city or highway), but the 2015 Fits are supposed to have much better highway manners than the 2013 and older ones, so probably not as much of a factor. If you spend a lot of time in the city the Fit is going to be much easier to whip into small parking spots and navigate around crowded streets.

-Dustin

 

Regarding cargo volume, if you're only going to have up to 3 people in the car you can always drop one side of the rear seats so that you have cargo on one side and a person on other. We have a 5 year old son and do this quite often when we go on vacation.

-Dustin

 

@Dustin .... I do agree the Impreza is more expensive than the Fit (its $2220 more for the base model, which I am targeting). But the AWD will be useful with the kind of hilly terrain and winters we have, though the Fit and the Prius C (which i am also considering) can also survive. Its a luxury/want (and in rare times a 'need') which I would rather like to have, unlike the other luxuries: moonroof, keyless tech, etc.

My driving is generally done on semi-urban roads, and parking in tight spots is mostly not required, but I would welcome a small more fuel efficient car.

When I do need trunk space, I anticipate more than 3 people sitting in the car and hence looking into it seriously. Though it happens lesser times but when it does happen i want to make sure i had thought through it for whichever car I end up choosing.

 

As bad as I hate to say it, it really does sound like the Impreza is going to work better for you. I'm sure you'd be able to get more cargo in the Impreza with the back seats up than in the Fit. The Fit has decent cargo area behind the back seats, but especially in the 2015's the cargo area is more vertical where the Impreza would be more horizontal and more usable for things like luggage. Once you fold down the back seats I think the Fit would win out because of the extra cargo area height, but that only works with 2 people in the car.
The Fit with good all season tires or snow tires is pretty good, but I still don't think it could touch the all wheel drive setup of the Impreza if things get really rough.

-Dustin

 

Yes, in most cases the horizontal (floor) space is more important, hence i was looking for dimensions rather than the volume number. As i mentioned earlier, i dont want an SUV just trying to figure which is best hatchback for us.

The problem with the snow tires is that eventually say over 10~12 years the additional cost having two sets of tires adds up and is maybe comparable to the extra I would pay for the AWD.