Hey all

I've been looking for a new car for a while now and have settled on either the 2009 Fit Sport with Manual Transmission or the 2010 Insight EX. No navi on either.

I love that both have USB--major draw. What I'm having trouble deciding between is the difference in transmissions and climate controls. I really like the Insight's Auto Climate setup and the layout of the climate controls. The Fit's climate controls are not as ergonomic and more cumbersome to adjust/use. But I've always loved Honda's manual transmissions and am reluctant to get an automatic transmission. Although the CVT is impressive and maybe I'd end up liking it. I dislike the "traditional" auto transmissions immensely.

I certainly love the extra headroom (plus backseat headroom) and increased rearview mirror visibility present in the Fit. But the Insight has got the great gas mileage and cruising range. Up front price is not a concern for me, but overall cost is if maintenance costs will be significantly higher for one over the other.

I'm hoping I can hear the experiences and insights that you fit lovers have concerning my decision. Thanks

 

Depends on your priorities.

I for one never used any of my auto climate controls. It's simpler for me to do it the conventional way.

The only reasons I could see someone choosing the Insight over the Fit are:

- FE
- a few extra convenience features
- if they preferred its styling

Otherwise the Fit has it beat in EVERY category. That said, you know which one I would pick.

 

You actually prefer the manual control? Don't you find your able to maintain a more comfortable setting by setting the temp and leaving it? The Fit climate-mode knob does seem kinda awkward to turn--not as simple as pressing buttons (like in a Civic).


What is FE?

Thanks for your feedback.

 

Yes, with the conventional "manual" set up, I just choose temp and fan spd. With the auto climate, I find that it's never the right temp or fan speed and I have to keep adjusting it.

For example. When I sit in the car after it's been heating up from the sun and it's hot inside, I would like to put the fan at high speed with the coldest temp and the recirculate on and AC.

The auto climate will not speed up the fan for a while, if ever, and the temp will seemingly not be cold enough. Or vice versa. I'll find that the fan speed is annoyingly high and will want to turn it down. It's just another example of computers taking over human decision-making, which I am completely against.

FE is fuel economy.

 

I agree with crystal... it takes several several seconds to fiddle with the auto climate controls (and I find myself constantly adjusting it), yet it it only takes half a second to twist the knob on conventional controls.

The Insight is certainly better looking, with a snappier interior, but the Fit is going to be a quite a bit cheaper on maintenance and insurance I would think. Plus, the magic seats and increased interior space make it much more versatile. The Insight has a few more mpg, but this is largely negated by the fact it costs thousands more than the Fit.

Bottom line... the Insight is more stylish and has the hybrid cool factor... but for sheer practicality, the Fit beats it hands down. Not to mention the Fit would arguably be more fun to drive.

 

I dont like auto climate control either, it never quite does what I want.
I really like cvt, the one in our Murano is great to drive and with FE.
But I still like a manual tranny best.
I havent looked but the Insight almost has to weigh 300? lbs more, so some of the nimble feeling will be gone because of that.
On the news today they said Toyota would drop Prius prices to match Insight.
If I had to get a hybrid, hate to say it, but I like the 2010 Prius better and it has better mpg if that is the top priority.

 

maintenance cost on either one would be really low, but the Fit is a proven platform and is known to be a low cost vehicle, but the Insight just came out and compared to the previous Insight, it's a 100% new platform, nothing is reused. so maintenance costs can't be calculated. but it is a Honda and they do make a fantastic product so i would assume other than the regular maintenance, there would be almost none.

if you're looking for cruising range, good gas milage, and only plan on carrying passengers or trunk sized objects get the Insight, if you're planning on carrying anything larger or you want something a little sportier, get the Fit

you can't go wrong either way

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys. It's great to get your input.

How do you guys feel about manual push button climate-mode controls (like in the Civic) versus turning the knob to control climate-mode as is in the Fit. (For example, when one wants air only at the feet, one can push a button in the Civic and turn a knob in the Fit.) I'm accustomed to push button controls and they seem very easy to adjust settings. It seems to me (without extensive use using one) that having to turn a knob to adjust climate mode could be irksome and draw my attention from the road more than simply pushing a button. What's your experience?

 

either way you will have to take your eyes off the road for a brief second when adjusting controls... either to aim your finger to the automatic button or to the knob.
also, with the knob it doesn't take long to memorize where the settings are so you don't have to watch yourself turn it in order to find the setting you want.
I would suggest you take a test drive in each car if possible and use the controls while driving and see whether or not you like the setup.

 

I generally prefer a rotary knob over pushing buttons, but as far as your scenario, it's a toss up. The buttons would be a tad quicker to operate, but they take up more dash space.

As far as the Fit being more fun to drive than the Insight...yes and ABSOLUTELY yes!!! I drove the Insight and there's a big difference. The steering on the Insight was very vague and a bit numb and slow, kind of Toyota-ish. The suspension was softer so its reflexes were no where near as quick as the Fit's and it had roll where the Fit doesn't. No comparison as far as which one is more of a sports set up.

 

I had the same choice. I was planning on the Insight, but driving the Fit made the choice much harder. I chose the Fit and am very happy with it, but I don't think you can go wrong.

For me it came down to:

Fit > Insight
+ more pep (especially w/manual)
+ quicker steering
+ cargo flexibility
+ simple in the way all the best Hondas have been
+ no auto climate control (seriously)
+ lower cost

Insight > Fit
+ better mileage
+ a different kind of fun (econ mode, scoring feedback)
+ wife can drive occasionally due to CVT auto
+ probably better highway car (lower revs, better aero)
+ accessory roller blind cargo cover better than Fit design

I agree with other posters about the climate control. I've never liked auto on any car I've driven with it, because it never seems to get the temp right. And then if you adjust it, there is some lag in the system so that you are always chasing the right temp, whereas with manual you can just change the temp really quickly. To each his own I guess, as long as you've actually tried it.

I like the Insight but was hoping it would be a bit roomier than the Fit, and it isn't. Were I still looking I'd take a hard look at the 2010 Prius and the now heavily discounted Civic Hybrid as well.

What I really like about the Fit having lived with it for a few months are that it is genuinely fun to drive, the huge windows help me wake up in the morning, and when I complain that they don't build simple, fun to drive, affordable cars like the Civics of old, it makes me realize that they do. And yet it has modern safety features and is a better highway car than I expected it to be.

Either way you will end up with a great car, good luck and have fun...

 

very very well said.

in my opinion, the fewer accessories the less there is to go wrong :P which is why i bought a base model Fit, i don't need A/C so why should there be more parasitic draw off the engine :P

 

0.o the base model doesn't come with AC???

 

in canada anyway, i dont know about the states. there's the DX and the DX-A, the DX-A has A/C

 

base has a/c. the new insight is a joke, im mean if you thought the fit had no ballz the insight is horrible

 

Right you are. Canada has several variations that the U.S. doesn't have. And for good reasons. I'm in San Francisco. Many places along the coast don't get baking hot. I did without A/C in my previous car for maybe 10+ years, it wasn't necessary. But a few miles inland, during the summer, 100 degrees is not uncommon. And to have it day after day after day.

I don't recall, when I lived in Canada, it ever getting vaguely close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

I just pulled up a weather site for B.C., and this is what is says about the area I used to live in (a LONG time ago):
The Great Plains: To the east of the northern Rocky Mountains, in the northeastern portion of BC (e.g. Fort St. John and Dawson Creek area), lies an extension of the Great Plains so evident in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This area experiences long, cold winters and short, warm summers, with a relatively high number of sunshine hours, a wide range in seasonal temperatures and a precipitation maximum during the summer months. Dawson Creek, for example, has an average maximum of -9°C (16°F) in January and 22°C (72°F) in July.

A/C is simply not needed. Not in the car. And not in the house. The place I live, no A/C in the apartments at all.

Why put something on cars in a country that on average won't be used or needed by the entire population? It would be as useful as an engine block heater and snow tires in Death Valley.

 

our winter's have got really screwy lately lol, it's fairly mild and then for almost 8 weeks straight it's -40 all the way down to -60 and our summers are getting a little bit hotter, it's not unusual to see +30 or +40 during the summer


oh and redrumm

why would you buy a hybrid and plan on being a speed racer? that isn't what it's engineered for.

 

if you want to have fun with the car, drive the 09 FitS with MT.

if you want to have fun with your money spent elsewhere, drive the 2010 insight with the boring CVT and pretend you're saving money overall on the car while also pretending like
you're doing good for the environment.

hey prices are going up too. last year it was $18K now it's $19K.
by fall it will be $19.9K and with a few options like e-green wheel locks
and organic bamboo mudflaps it will be $25K. hahaha

 

It seems that this isn't so much a what car is better but what interior is best for the driver. This in my opinion is sad. It is a car not a cockpit, judge the car as a whole. If you are comparing an insight to a Fit get the Fit with an automatic trans. I get great gas millage on mine, not as great as the Insight would have but pretty damn good. The Fit has a huge aftermarket community also so when one part goes bad you can find multiple other companies that offer the same product for cheaper than MSRP from Honda.
Do not go off of a button but what you would be happy in. Personally I want to have fun when I drive and like to zip around but the Insight seems to be a bit sluggish.
Go for fun

The Fit is Go!

 

I also can't stand climate control. My wife's prius has it, and I end up using it just like I would the manual controls. If it's cold, I crack it up to 80 something degrees, and if it's hot I drop it down to the lowest setting. I looked at the Insight a few weeks ago, and the only thing I liked better than the Fit was the fact that it has bluetooth with the nav. The gas mileage isn't too much more than the Fit, and the extra cost is not worth it, especially since it has was less visability and cargo room. Fit FTW!!!