As much as i LOVE the new Honda Fit...the new Ford Fiesta that is coming out this year is suppose to be really good when it comes to technology, like it's dual clutch automatic transmission which is suppose to increase it's MPG by at least 10%
does Honda plan on doing something similar? maybe add direct fuel injection, or even better yet, a hybrid Fit, and not one that is similar to the current IMA. Honda needs to start using hybrids that can go on electricity alone up to 30 MPH and that shuts down the engine every time it comes to a complete stop.
because the Auto Stop on the new Insight does not shut down like it is suppose to all the time...
a diesel engine would be great, it's too bad that American's are ignorant when it comes to diesel. better than that, a hybrid that uses a diesel engine.
and also i live in South Florida and it is HOT here year round so i am constantly using my air conditioner which brings my average MPG down about 10%. Honda should also find a way for the air conditioner to run independent of the engine...make it electrically driven using a separate battery pack.
also the instrument panel and the HVAC controls should be updated and digital..
i am just worried that people will be buying the Ford Fiesta instead of the Fit..because i HATE Ford and LOVE my Honda's.
i think it was a mistake for Honda to quit the Formula 1 Racing because that is where a lot of the engineering for their engines came from.
Honda, i know you can do it!!!!!!! i have driven Honda's all my life, well i am 33 and have had 4 Honda's, trading them in for new ones. and i refuse to drive anything else.

 

People will buy what they like.

I saw the Ford Fiesta at the international auto show this year in Toronto. The interior was very cheaply done. They don't even cover up the rear seats with fabric, you see the steel behind them. It just looked very cheap.

The exterior is not bad looking, but the interior was not the greatest. I think that was the only car I did not take pictures of.

Check out the new Focus though. Another redesign ... it looks HUGE.

 

the FORD is made in MEXICO, the FIT in Japan, that should tell you something!

 

Ya I wasn't a fan of the Fiesta up close.

But some will like it and want to buy it.

My car's made in Mexico and so far *knock on wood* there have been no problems.

 

I was excited to see the Fiesta at the car show... but after sitting in it I was less than impressed with the quality of the finish. It just felt cheap both for the materials used and the fitment... even the steering wheel felt flimsy.

I really thought Ford was going to step up to the plate for this one, but the Fit is still such a better car... hell a used GD3 is still a much better car.

 

It will be interesting to see a full-on test of a Fiesta. Someone mentioned that the automotive press just received a US-spec version, but I can't find the review anywhere.

In my experience, the US-version of any car brought from Europe or Japan is often decontented and tuned for "American tastes" to the point where they are significantly different in feel. A European Ford Focus I got as a rental car in the UK felt distinctly German; whereas friends that have the US version have what I feel is not unlike a lot of what Ford has to offer in the way of their other smaller-car efforts.

To the enthusiast, this is disappointing but it has to do with what we, as Americans, tend to do on the whole. As someone else said, we haven't wholly accepted small cars and there is still, to some extent and with rare exception (ie Mini) the perception that a small car is mostly about a limited budget.

In other countries, as we know, due to fuel prices, tax regulations, and other considerations small cars are outfitted the way our luxury and near-luxury cars are - "they are considered 'real cars'". I mean, look at some of our own posts about the automatic climate control and heated leather that is available on the JDM Fit that we won't get.

However, we may...since the Fiesta is about to debut with an optional glass moonroof, the Ford Sync system, pushbutton start, etc...but now that Honda already has a proven American version of the Fit on the road, all they have to do is add components they already have and sit back and watch to see if customers would want to pay for them.

But entry-level car buyers? They get the somewhat anonymous-looking Fiesta sedan with blacked-out panels and empty buttons everywhere there should be an upgrade.

Having owned two smaller Fords (an Escort being one of them), I can't say I'd trash my experience with it but there was nothing about them that I thought was particularly impressive.

But my current Fit? Yeah, it makes me smile a lot more than anything else I've owned.

And a Fit with Nav, a moonroof, automatic climate control, and heated leather? I'm sold.

Just my unqualified, poorly-written opinion.

 

yeah i do LOVE my Fit and wish it came with a sunroof and bluetooth standard...also i wish the A/T came with 6 gears because on the highway, doing more than 60 MPH the RPM's can go higher than 2500 and at 70 it's almost at 3000 RPM...if it had double overdrive, maybe going 70 mph the RPM would be closer to 2200-2300 RPM resulting in a quieter ride and better fuel economy.

ALSO HONDA...REDESIGN THE ACCORD!!!! JUST TAKE THE CLARITY, SLAP AN ACCORD BADGE ON IT AND A GAS ENGINE, A DIESEL ENGINE OPTION WOULD BE GREAT, AND YOU WOULD HAVE THE BEST SELLING FAMILY SEDAN IN AMERICA!

 

with 1.6 gallons left in the tank? Most cars come on at 1 gallon left in the tank and the Fit gets better gas mileage than most cars. It seems ridiculous that I have to stare at the light for 45 miles, or fill up before I actually need gas. If I am on a desolate highway I would rely on the fuel gauge to keep me out of trouble without the low gas light prompting me.

Keith S. :{)>

 

....ditch the L15A and put a R18 Standard in he Fit... The L15A is unneeded around here!! Less potential, less torque, about the same milleage....

My 2¢!

MArko!!

 

no way, keey the 1.5L fit, its rock solid and at 70-75mph i was getting over 410-450 miles on a tank
the car revs around 2400-2500rpms and 75mph close to 3000rpms
thats where the mileage seemed to drop off a
great little car, the FIT is a best value car rated for price, options and fuel consumption.
Personally i luv the fit , its design, economy and options are second to none for the price.

 

i think there are many new features in this

 

The Fiesta should be a great little car, but it can't match the Fit's cargo capacity, not to mention rear passenger room.

 

That Focus looks sharp.

Automobiles evolve.
Right now? I think The Fit is atop the subcompact genre. For overall package. That includes utility, storage space, and mechanics and "fun to drive" factor. I still think The Fit is the best.

With Fiesta and others coming, are there challengers? Certainly.

I'm very happy with my Fit. I wish Honda had included a locking fuel door, higher quality carpeting, and had an available moonroof. But besides that? It's a great vehicle and nothing has come down the pike yet that tempts me to change.

 

Fiesta all pretty on the outside with sweeping lines and all that and faux-luxury on the inside and absolutely no place to sit in the back seats if there's anyone else in the car.

They might be getting close on the engine/power train end of it but need to get a better car to go with it.

 

I didnt Love the looks on my fit (08)spt. I just loved the interior, when sitting in the car is what sold me, mileage was good enough (I ridden in cars that were older that got same mileage).

The focus looks good better then the fit if I compared them when the 08 was new. But ford, and chevy got to the dance halfway though, I took the o8 to a chevy dealership and compared. I almost laugh when no saleman came out. ( I was in front of the dealership) I wasnt there to make fun of their car, I was there to see if they could talk me out of/ FIT.

I wanted to buy a american made car, but after doing some research to my surprize Honda is made by Honda, cant say that about ford or chevy. Parts that is.

I'm glad to see ford getting in there though, chevy well, as usually just cant quite get there.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

If you think the Fiesta is a good car and better than the Fit then you should buy one because you deserve it.

Google the Fiesta problems so far: All kinds of fluid leaks, and weird transmission behavior and failures. Anyone who thinks it is practical obviously never folded down the Fit's magic seats. Having a Fit is like owning a small pickup truck or a wagon in terms of cargo room.

 

Its, back seats fold totally flat, this car does put ugly on a whole new level though.haah, after I pay my fit off, Its all mine then I can get to the freakin that so needs to be done. the ev was close to what I think an EV should be, man if they could just loose the sedan Idea already. If they did a honda CRZ pure EV. I would probably start making plans. I like the honda crz, But I wont be trading in my fit for one, unless I was given a hell of a trade in. I Have ideas
for my fit.hehe

 

Fiesta ST would be interesting if it comes to the USA. Issues will be reliability. Kind of wish Honda would do a Fit SI.

 

A Fit Si would be awesome. (And not the cosmetic package they sell in Europe). Even 20 more hp would make it a hoot.

But ... problem is, the wee engine is already the biggest engine designed for the car, and because the intake is cast there's little room for more air to go in. Quick fix would be to give it DI, the 6-speed from the JDM RS model, and a port polishing/high-flow airbox/higher-flow exhaust and an extra 500rpm on the redline. That would make it quicker, but it'd still only be like a 10hp gain - how much would you pay extra for this? $1k? $2k? I think you'd need at least $3k to justify the manufacturing & design expense, and that's then getting your $18.5k car up toward $21.5. And on top of that, it still has the engine mounted further forward past the struts towers than any other car I've seen. The Civic Si is $22.5, and for that you get 200hp. And my view is, even that's too expensive for a warmed-over Civic. In both cases, you pay quite a premium to make something fundamentally not sporty into something that pretends to be sporty. Part of the reason the Fit Sport is reasonably priced for the amount of sporty content we get is that there's limited mechanical changes and therefore they can turn all of them out at the same time on the same line.

A bigger seller, I would think, would be AWD, a 1-inch lift and some plastic body cladding. Not remotely sporty, but I think it would sell a decent number of $22k, 30-mpg crossovers. Sort of like ye olde Civic wagons.

And if they were going to do THAT I would like a RWD only model. I don't need any additional power - that would be enough for an Si badge in my view.