Not really it has a lot more to do with the actual design of the car vs. who assembled it! If I recall correctly there's a Honda plant in Canada!

 

Just to be clear Fits are made in Sayama/Suzuka Japan. None are assembled in NA. Which means more in likely it was also designed in Japan.

The original Fiesta design was designed in Europe.
http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive...-design-story/
You know Ford NA will get its hands on it though and cheapen it up since NA never gets the quality that Ford products that Europe does.
The Fiesta for NA will be made in Cuautitlán Mexico.
Along with the other 500,000 vehicles Ford makes down there every year.
http://subscribers.wardsauto.com/ar/...rd_mexico_top/

 

One would hope, but I suspect this reflects J.D. Powers initial quality rankings. Looking at the reliability history charts in the April 2010 issue of Consumer Reports, you can pick out the Japanese vehicles from the others from across the room just on the basis of color: Japanese vehicles generally have almost all red circles (better/much better than average), while the others have vast expanses of black circles. Some Ford models, such as the Focus, Fusion, and Taurus, do well. Predictably, Chrysler is the worst across the board, and GM trucks also do poorly. Nissan is on a par with the Detroit 3. VW has been saying for years that "this year our quality is better," but except for the Golf, the numbers don't reflect it.

All that said, Ford is the only one of the Detroit 3 generating any excitement these days, possibly because ex-Boeing head Mulally is doing a really good job as CEO. I expect GM to pull through, and buy its way free. GM CEO Whitacre (another auto outsider) also seems to be shaking things up. It will take a miracle for Chrysler to survive, but they have been building crap since I was born in 1946.

 

Consumer reports is the main reason I bought the fit

 

I've gotta say Ford's designs have gotten a lot better in the last couple years. Still wouldn't buy one until their reliability verifiably improves.

 

yah, i dont like ford for political reasons so i will never own one, but their newer cars are looking more like regular cars (which is a good thing).

 

That review on Edmunds was a bunch of garbage. It was filled with pure vagueness.... the shifter seemed flimsy in the Fit! ... clinically they were the same but in the real world the Fiesta was more eager!!! I've never heard such review junk. The car is either faster or it isn't... it either goes faster, or it doesn't... the storage is bigger or it isn't. Subjective terms that can't be defined should be left out of reviews. Edmunds failed to convince me of anything in this review.

 

Anybody know the lateral G's threshold on the fiesta with crap tires similar
to the stock fit ones? I don't care how well it 'feels'. I want to know if it sticks to the pavement. I really don't care how a reviewer who has driven the vehicle
for 2 hours thinks about how confident the car 'feels'. that is a skill acquired through miles driven.

 

edmunds these days are bunch of wimps and whiners like consumer reports.

 

Lol duplicate post

 

This was the Euro-spec four-door hatchback in range-topping Titanium trim. Expect same/less from the NA version.

"Although the handling numbers we extracted from these cars don't reveal a huge chasm in performance between them, there's an asterisk — the Fiesta's stability control can't be disengaged, and this puts an artificial cap on its ultimate capabilities. As such, the Fiesta's modest 0.81g grip on our skid pad and 65.5-mph slalom speed could otherwise have been grippier and quicker yet. (Dear Ford: Include a button to switch off ESP for the U.S.-spec Fiesta.)"

2009 Ford Fiesta vs. 2009 Honda Fit Sport Comparison Test - Focus's Car Blog

I liked this picture. I know this is basely my opinion but I like the look of the Fit profile sooo much better.



If Ford made the Fiesta actually cargo friendly then I think they could have had a competitor to the Fit. Without that though its going to be a loss to the Fit.

 

I thought I would hold out for the new Fiesta before buying my Fit this week. Once I test drove the Fit, I was sold. Now that I've got 350 miles on it; I'm really sold. I originally thought I liked the side profile of the Fiesta more than the Fit. Your comparison photo above solidifies my preference for the Fit over the Fiesta. Also, I built a Fiesta to my liking on the Ford site and it cost quite a bit more than the my Fit.

 

What prices did you get for the Fit versus the Fiesta?

 

From what I priced out...its about a $1000 more for a SES AT Fiesta compared to the Fit Sport AT non navi.
Essentually you are paying $1000 more for dual clutch tranny and less cargo.
Edit...you do get ESC with the SES standard though.
I'm still skeptical of this dual clutch tranny and reliability. I hope it does better than VW. I personally hated the feel of the DSG when I test drove a GTI..but thats just my opinion.

 

Okay, my previous statement was an unfair (apples to sprockets) comparison. I wound up buying a used '09 Fit @ 15,400 (sport, navi, MT). So please ignore my comment about the Fit being less expensive.

 

Looks like a Scion tC and a 2010 Suburu STi fused together.

 

Saw a white 5 door hatch at the local autoshow. Looks good but it does look smaller than the fit. I like the LED bumper strip foglight though. Overall all I think it looks better than the Mazda 2.

 

Hanzo,

Fords LED strip is overated imo.



For $10 I've got 6 leds (on each side) too.



And another $10 I've got Led fogs too. (9 each side)




I'm such a smart a$$.

 

I'll disagree. Numbers often don't tell the whole story of a car. Driving and living with a car for a while tells more about it. It's not just about extreme raw numbers, but also about how a car performs and works in the real world on real roads with actual people using it. A trunk could be big, but if it's shaped funny or has a small opening, it might not be that great. An engine could be fast, but if it has no torque at low RPM, it might feel more sluggish around town than its 0-60 time would suggest.

With that said, I like my Fit a ton, and I think it's the best combo of practicality, economy, and fun of anything out there now.

 

Your homemade LED will also fall off when you go over bumps.