test drove Fit today -- bumpy

[jenhonski]

Today I test drove the Sport and the Base model. Overall I liked them a lot. But there were two things that I'll call negatives. I'm interested to hear what you all think of these "negatives"?

1. the ride felt stiff and hard. Bumps seemed to be especially noticeable, carried through the car to driver. I prefer a soft cushioning drive.

2.) The windshield is so far forward that my vision "45 degrees" from center is blocked by the car frame above the side "small window." It seemed this would be an important angle to have to see for safety while driving in city etc. and it's blocked in the Fit.

Is there a way to soften the ride of the Fit? Maybe with tire choice or a suspension adjustment or something?

[Firebat666]

all cars in this price range are gonna be stiff, without a new suspension system your stuck with stiff... personally i like it... soft cars handle like boats

[kenchan]

you are a good candidate for a buick lucern.

[jenhonski]

Buick Lucern

I had a 90's Civic that had a soft ride. But it didn't handle as good as the Fit.

Is a stiff ride necessary for a good handling car? Is there an inverse correlation between handling and stiffness of ride?

[BlackUp]

yeah, its stiff. but there are plenty of cars in this price range that will ride softer
try the elantra maybe?
all else equal softer ride usually = less handling capability

as for the blind spot up front: i agree. it does get in the way.
i only notice it when going around a tight/blind corner in my neighborhood though. i shift my head to look out the driver side window to look for oncoming traffic on the outside of the curve.

[prufrock]

I've driven our '09 Sport AT for nearly a month now and agree about the stiffness of the ride; however, I know that this is related to the taut, nimble handling on the road. This car does maneuver like a go-kart, in a good sense. I appreciate the lack of body roll or any softness inherent in other cars. So what if the bumps are a little rough? This is the best subcompact car in its class. If you want a softer ride, move up to the Civic....

[feddup]

Originally Posted by jenhonski

Buick Lucern
Is a stiff ride necessary for a good handling car? Is there an inverse correlation between handling and stiffness of ride?

I believe usually a soft ride and excellent handling are usually inversely proportional. If you go for one the other suffers. I was under the impression (and as a fit owner fully believe) that the compromise Honda made in this area was superb. It handles superbly while not being TOO rough riding. It's no Cadillac and I'm happy about that! People who want a Cadillac (or Buick) ride from a car like this are being unrealistic!

[FiveFreshFish]

Stiff? I consider it a firm ride, but not stiff. In my books, firm is good.

[solbrothers]

its a small shitty economy car. if you want that benz ride, get a benz. if you want a fun ride with great fuel economy tons of people/cargo room, get the fit.

[CrystalFiveMT]

I also think the ride is firm, not stiff. In fact it may be the softest riding car I've owned. It actually takes most bumps well.

[cranky18]

Originally Posted by CrystalFiveMT

I also think the ride is firm, not stiff. In fact it may be the softest riding car I've owned. It actually takes most bumps well.

Okay, I never owned one of these, but I had a girlfriend in high school that had one of these. Softest riding thing I ever drove.


Land yacht

[robodude]

Sounds like a VW would be good for you. VW's are stiff but smooth at the same time - plus handles great. But beware of frequent expensive trips to the dealer after the warranty expires. Test drive the Rabbit, GTI and Jetta... you'll see what I mean.

[Kopanda]

Originally Posted by jenhonski

Today I test drove the Sport and the Base model. Overall I liked them a lot. But there were two things that I'll call negatives. I'm interested to hear what you all think of these "negatives"?

1. the ride felt stiff and hard. Bumps seemed to be especially noticeable, carried through the car to driver. I prefer a soft cushioning drive.

You should look into a Citroën 2CV. They have a "soft cushioning drive."

[ski]

Originally Posted by jenhonski

Today I test drove the Sport and the Base model. Overall I liked them a lot. But there were two things that I'll call negatives. I'm interested to hear what you all think of these "negatives"?

1. the ride felt stiff and hard. Bumps seemed to be especially noticeable, carried through the car to driver. I prefer a soft cushioning drive.

2.) The windshield is so far forward that my vision "45 degrees" from center is blocked by the car frame above the side "small window." It seemed this would be an important angle to have to see for safety while driving in city etc. and it's blocked in the Fit.

Is there a way to soften the ride of the Fit? Maybe with tire choice or a suspension adjustment or something?

As others have already mentioned, the Sport's ride is definitely on the firm side. My wife just bought one, and I agree with them. However, compared to my 05 Mustang GT's ride, the Fit's ride is definitely more comfortable. It's all relative.
But the base model's ride should have been somewhat softer due to its more compliant tires and a different suspension configuration(no rear stabilizer bar). One possible item that could have caused its ride to be overly stiff is the overinflation of its tires. That happened to me when I bought a 94 Ford Probe GT. Its tires were specified for 32 psi, and they were at 45 psi when I got it home and checked them. Talk about a stiff ride! If its tires were at the specified pressure, then deflating them by 2-3 psi would make a noticeable difference in the ride comfort without significantly reducing the gas mileage or the adversely affecting the the tires' wear pattern. But it's still not going to "float" like a toyota.