It looks nice on paper, but I just finished an 7 year stint with Ford's last attempt at a fast little hatchback, a 2003 Focus SVT (I just switched to a 2010 Fit Sport w/ Navi). After about 60k miles, lots of stuff went wrong with it, and parts were pricey (and over the last year, harder and harder to find). Sure, it was fun to drive, but I expect that I'll have an enjoyable and far less costly experience with my Fit.

Regards,
Tom

 

I was at a big festival yesterday, and Ford had a huge area set up.

I've got to say, I was pretty blown away by the interior of the Fiesta. When I bought my tC, I noted that the interior quality was a bit better than the Fit. The interior of the Fiesta blew them both out of the water. Most notable:
- soft padding on the armrests. Even the door armrest.
- soft touch materials instead of hard plastic on the dash.
- legroom, glorious legroom. It sits like a conventional car, not the upright quasi-crossover position from the Fit. The rear seat space is almost gone with the seat all the way back, but the seat also goes WAY further back.

All that said, it was a loaded SES with leather, moonroof, etc., so despite its size, it was a half-step up in class from a Fit. It's good that companies are offering these features... people who want to drive something smaller at least have the option of keeping features they've come to expect in a modern car. Even if they don't sell many of the top trim cars, having them out there to show off at events like this will do wonders to show people that a small car isn't necessarily a penalty box.

Hopefully their next generation doesn't add the suck like the Versa. The previous generation is very nice inside. Smooth and quiet, very confidently saying "Hey, I'm a real car!" The new one apparently has been decontented severely.

 

Occam, Dude, you're talking about the Ford Focus not the Fiesta

the 2012 Fit is the best subcompact from many reviews, it easily beat out the Fiesta, Mazda 2, Versa, Sonic, Accent, Rio,
Results and rankings for the 2012 Subcompact Shootout

the fiesta was actually #5, Fit is #1

 

Who are you addressing?

 

depends on whose opinion

2012 Honda Fit, 2012 Toyota Yaris, 2012 Chevrolet Sonic and 2012 Hyundai Accent - Economy Five-Door Hatchback Comparison - Motor Trend

i driven every subcompact in this country and for me the 12 accent came out on top, especially in the manual....and id probably have chosen the sonic next (only in the 1.4 version).

they are all appliances, imo, which is why i ended up in a fiat 500 which doesnt feel so appliance like (but obviously has less ability to carry things).

 

Almost every Honda I've owned has been more of an appliance than something I could bond with like a M-1 Garand or Colt 1911-A1. I do feel good about my GD-3, a couple of road bikes, a dirt bike and one scooter... My son has an Accura TSX that isn't as fun to drive as my Fit..

 

Nope. I know the difference between a Fiesta and a Focus. I also owned a Fit for 18 mos, so I'm very familiar with the interior of a Fit.

You can have multiple opinions from multiple magazines or sources. The Fit is the only car I've ever owned that I absolutely couldn't wait to get out of. It got worse by the month. I don't doubt that the magazine reviewers were honest and thoughtful in their assessments, even a pinnacle of journalism like USA Today. Cars are very personal... The Fiesta's interior, by my metrics, sitting in the driver's seat, was better in every way.

 

But the back of the Fiesta is all around useless compared to the Fit. The fit and fiesta were my finalist and while the fieasta had the much nicer trim up front they completely missed the point in the back.
1. Its smaller period back there
2. Seats do not lay flat
3. The severe downward slope seriously inhibits cargo room.

 

The Fit won in other magazines, motortrend gets paid to wite bias articles.
Consumer reports also rates the 2012 Honda fit as a top pick in the sub compact and one of the top cars for 2012 base on economy, cost of ownership and relliability
Ford, and Hyundai are nowhere near

Passenger Car - New - Cars.com

Everyone has their own personal tastes, the Honda fit is still #1 and the benchmark in the subcompact segment.

 

On paper, I was ready to buy a Fiesta, but when I actually sat in it I changed my mind. I'm 5'10" and in a comfortable seating position I was slightly behind the B-pillar. Getting in and out, my hips wedge between the steering wheel and B-pilar. I autocross my Fit and it is way more fun to drive and toss around than the Fiesta which is significantly heavier.

 

There's a good case to be made that the fit is still #1 (an argument I'd likely agree with fwiw), but its a lot closer now that it was a few years ago. Additionally, I can see a good case to be made as to why someone would choose something other than the fit. Leather and heated seats are nice. If you are buying a commuter car and thus don't care about rear space, then the fit loses some of its big advantages.

 

so your contending that motor trend has biases and consumer reports does not?

malraux has it right. there are quite a few good subcompacts out there now and the fit no longer has a decided advantage for many buyers.

 

I've always trusted Consumer Reports, but their assessments as of late have made me doubt their judgement on some issues.

The fit is terrible at hauling 5 people in comfort. It's an awful tow vehicle. It can't deal with off-road conditions. We buy cars that meet our needs (or if they exceed our needs, that at least meet our wallets.)

The fold-flat seats and massive rear volume are a result of the relocation of the gas tank, which creates other problems, namely, the front seats are high, and cannot be lowered. If these aren't problems for you (i.e. you have short legs or prefer an upright position), you'll not be annoyed in the least by these compromises. If you rarely or never take passengers in the rear, or your don't use your car to haul things, you'll likely not care too much about the rear seat or cargo area.

I'd guess that, aside from the Domino's delivery market (which can't get financed on new cars these days anyway), small hatchbacks will be most common as 2nd cars / runabouts, and cargo space would be a minor concern.

Not saying the Fit is a bad car at all, and the original title to this thread is a bad choice. It's good to see another brand, especially a Detroit corporation which has never been known for small car engineering, raising the bar on the quality and options that one can expect in this field. The Fit is minimalist, and budget materials are half of its charm... it's essentially a 2010's version of a 90's or 80's Honda.

 

Motorweek on Velocity Channel just had a small car comparison, and the Fit kicked butt there too. The Ford didn't even rate a mention in the top 5! I looked at Fords, Fiats, Kia/Hyundai, and after one drive in the Fit, it was an easy choice. I could even get Ford A plan pricing on a Fiesta and that still wasn't enough to sway me.

 

I'm a Ford guy and I did look at both the Fiesta and Focus.I never test drove either of them but did plenty of research.

I ended up getting my 2012 Fit sport A/T and could not be happier with my choice.

The Fit just plain works for my Family.I'm no stranger to Honda after owning a 1990 Civic and a 92 Accord wagon that I put over 200K on before retiring her

 

After owning a Fit and driving a top-line Fiesta with all the bells and a Chevy Sonic with all the bells, I was convinced the Fit was the better car. The Fit has both beat in many ways. Some things I could prefer about the other two, but the overall cars puts the Fit ahead.

 

The fit is not a luxury car, it's a sub compact that's extremely efficient and practical, super cheap to own, operate and maintain. Nothing in its class comes close. I have owned 8 fits and just recently bought a 2012 fit sport, absolutely luv the car!

The Focus is in the class as the Civic and Cruze.
I would buy a Honda anyday over a ford or chevy..

 

8 Fits?!?

Dude, whats up with that?

 

Ford USA had NOTHING to do with the Fiesta and made what was a good car mediocre. The fiesta was all the doing of Fords other side of the pond division, and it was only with the popularity of the cars like the Fit and peoples demand for the Fiesta that they finally brought it over. The downside being that Detroit was ever involved, and when the Fiesta had to gain a few extra hundred pounds to meet USA safety standards it severely hampered the cars performance. The USA Fiesta is the overweight made in mexico bastard cousin of what was a brilliant car. Good ol Americana can only stake claim in the negative attributes of the Fiesta.

 

>>The fit is terrible at hauling 5 people in comfort. It's an awful tow vehicle. It can't deal with off-road conditions.<<
I'll grant you that but name me one of the subcompact hatches that is good at hauling 5 people. Put 5 average people (say 150 lbs) in any 35 mpg + hatch it is gonna be bogged down just due to the cargo load - not to mention the back seat will be very tight. They can haul 5 in a pinch, but you won't have many happy campers after an hour. Likewise towing & off road conditions. They can handle light loads & some lumpy roads but they simply are not designed for that type of action. Closest car would be a Subaru Imprezza - the 2012 model which by the way is quite impressive if you need/want AWD.