I'm trying to decide between 2 fits, or a Crosstour.

ONE of the fits, as well as the Crosstour claim to have a "rear anti-roll bar" installed (an option on both models) in addition to the front anti-roll bar (which I believe is standard).

But as far as I can tell, the two Fits look the same underneath the rear end around the suspension.

I also see a couple bars on the CT but can't tell if it's indeed the anti-roll bar which is said to have been installed as an option.

I don't really feel like relying on the dealer, and my current mechanic is not a honda guy (I have an 88 Caprice lol most reliable car I've ever owned and safest).

Also don't know how to verify whether it's the "premium sound system" in the Crosstour which is another option important to me and the sound system does not sound that great to me (but I guess that is for another thread lol).

It sucks buying a car when you're broke and ignorant (about cars) these people at dealerships are so shady, this used car guy tried his hardest to push me into a smoke stained p.o.s. highlander hybrid with no response from gas pedal, the new car dealerships are pushing these new cvt tranny 2015 models on me no thanks.

 

The rear roll bar on the Fit is just a welded beam that connects the two sides of the beam together. You probably wouldn't notice it between two cars unless you were looking for it.

Honestly, I wouldn't use that to decide on one car or another. It's not really an "add on" option, lower trim levels don't have one, higher trim levels do (LX vs EX, etc). You can always add an aftermarket one later if it's a big deal to you, but driving around town you won't care much either way.

I have no idea about the Crosstour except it's terribly ugly. But much less ugly than the earlier generations, so it has that going for it.

 

I'm sorry you're mistaken. Sway bars are extremely important in the handling of the vehicle around curves. You probably drive really slow like an old lady so you never noticed, that's all.

You call the Crosstour ugly, but what do you drive?

Might you have a picture of yourself for comparison purposes.

 

Maybe you shouldn't be buying a new car then.

Also, welp at an 88 Caprice being the safest in any comparison.

 

Don't buy a Fit please.

Anti-roll bars don't hugely change the feeling of a vehicle at normal daily driving speeds. If you're pushing an '88 Caprice beyond that, you have a death wish for yourself and those around you.

And the crosstour is ugly. If you don't believe so....you're the only one.

 

Oh, you definitely belong in the Crosstour.

 

Crosstours are ugly, but Honda makes them because they sell. Just like the Pontiac Aztec sold a bunch of units. Though a few of us think they're ugly and would not be caught dead in one, we're not you and we don't have to drive your car. I like the Fit because it is small on the outside but big on the outside. Those help while making u-turns while carrying a bunch of stuff in the back. But what the Crosstour lacks in compactness, it makes up for with power. I don't know how much power it has, but it better be more than the Fit. Parts can always be bought after the car is bought. If you want a high performance car buy a (enter name of high performance car here).

 

An "anti-roll bar" is the same as the "anti-sway bar" on srteet cars. on race cars the anti-roll bar is the hoop of steel tubing that protects the driver when the car rolls over. there is a fed regulation on safety but not the intent of ASB's..
AN asB, anti-sway bar, is a horizontal U shaped bent bar that extends from one side of the car attached to the suspension or shock to the other side attached the same and fastened to the chassis in the middle. Its function is to limit the swaying of the vehicle by increasing the spring resistance on the outside of a vehicle that sways as it bends around a corner. the sway or lean is the result of centrifugal force on the weight of the vehicle. you have no trouble finding an ASB if its there.
the bar is bent in a U so that there is a spring load itself that lets the outside wheel resist compressing by adding a portion of the inside wheel spring to the outside wheel spring so the lean isn't as much. the size and shape of the anti sway bar governs just how much the sway is countered.
the real function of antisway bars is to let the suspension engineers control the handling between understeer, the tendency to go straight when turning, and oversteer, the tendency to have the back end swing around. Ideal vehicles have neither oversteer nor undesteer and advanced sports and race cars even have adjustable antisway bars. there are other means but antisway bars are the easiest. typically ASB's on the front increase understeer and in today's cars there seems to be a safety feature to increase understeer so the airbags operate when needed more directly against occupants. ASB's on the rear wheels tend to increase oversteer. Cars with more weight on the front, like front wheel driven cars such as the Fit, tend to understeer.
In an ideally suspended car neither end has an ASB simply because the ASB tends to lift the inside tire off the ground quicker as the outside wheel is compressed into the car; that action naturally tries to lift the inside tire too so the traction of two tires are reduced to one tire.
its nice to turn corners with less sway but it can be a handicap when trying at maximum speed. so its generally the case that the ASB's are minimized just to provide neutral handling.
adding a rear ASB or disconnecting the front ASB on a Fit will improve handling. A fit will turn in quicker and corner faster even though they lean more. Most drivers prefer less lean because they wren't racing and at less than race speeds flatter is more comfortable.
that complicated enough? we can get real specific.
ps a highlander, or hybrid highlander, is not meant to be a driver's vehicle, just transportation. still get what you loke.
and if there's one on the CT its likely added by the dealer.