Fit is an excellent around town commuter and has decent cargo space to boot. It is WAY better than the Aveo, no comparison really.

The Fit doesn't do interstates very well though, it's pretty darty and requires a lot of attention at 80mph if there's a cross wind or semi trucks on the road. I use my Impala SS or Dodge pickup for long interstate drives.

For around town I'd go with the Fit, if you want to put a lot of interstate miles on it you may want to move up to a Civic, Mazda 3, etc.

 

I agree. Much better than the Aveo. I've looked into the Aveo, VW Golf, Yaris, Accent, Versa, Insight, Cobalt, and the Fiesta. So far the Fiesta and Fit are the best, and the Fit wins for me due to financing offers and cargo capacity.

Thanks for the comment on the interstate driving. I didn't think about that. Does it really get blown around on the highway? Is it sturdy, rigid at highway speeds (65-80)?

 

I have had NO problems with my Fit at highway speeds.

My commute is only 12 miles daily so most of the real miles on my Fit are highway miles--

I do not have to "grip" the wheel, or pay more attention than I would in any other car. It feels stable, rides smooth and tracks curves and on ramps well.

I have had zero issues or worries on the highway.

When you test drive--take one on the highway--you'll see.

If you still have doubts, I think wider tires would help it feel more planted.

I'm still on stockers but have had zero issues on the highway.
Hope that helps!

 

I think it's reasonably stable at 65mph, it's 75+ on windy days and when passing semi's that it becomes a handful. Even at 70 it takes some attention.

I've driven it from NY to western IA twice (2600 mile round trip) and it's the worst interstate car I've owned as far as stability. My 84/85/86/92 4Runners (yeah, I got a thing for 4Runners) were better though they previously held the title of worst interstate vehicles.

Last winter I went through a blizzard in IA and it was a nerve wracking couple of hours fighting to keep the car on the road with the wind trying to blow it off. The wind literally would move the car over from the right lane to the left shoulder at ~60mph on slightly icey roads. I've been through worse conditions in other cars with much less stress.

Even on wet pavement I can feel the tires scrubbing to keep it straight sometimes when coming around the nose of semi's.

But it is a great around town car, reasonably fun to drive on the twisties (make no mistake, it is FWD with worse weight distribution than a pickup truck), versatile interior, good fuel economy. I have no problem driving the car an hour away or so... it just gets tiring on the real long trips.

 

Well--

I'm certainly not saying that any of you are mistaken but I haven't had any of those problems.

I drive to Dallas and around in Dallas (70 miles each way-and then on the interstate around town) almost every weekend. Also--I've driven to my parent's place (300 miles each way), and to Houston (200 miles each way). I previously have owned an 06 Civic, 02 Civic Si Hatch, and 99 Civic...The fit, to me, had no difference on the interstate than those vehicles (the Si went to Chicago and back and to NY and back).

 

I'd have to say that you can't go wrong with either the Mustang or Camaro but from a looks standpoint, the Camaro is a hands-down winner. It is more aggressive looking in my opinion.

What color did you get? Yellow? tell me yellow. I LOVE the yellow Camaros... especially the SS. there's one here at the local dealer that has black/polished wheels and all I have to say is DAMN!!!

Any preference on the Fit color wise? Have it painted yellow with the black stripes to match the Camaro (if that's what you got)


~SB

 

I got black, sorry

For some reason I can't post pictures

 

Upload your picture to Photobucket then copy/paste the IMG code here.

PS...You'll end up selling the Camaro and keeping the Fit!

 

For the crosswind discussion I too noticed the crosswinds tossed the Fit around at highway speeds quite a bit when I first got it. It's not the tires even though tires might help slightly...I found its the uplift that affects this little car the most esp. being that its so light and narrow. That is why I lowered mine to fix this. I lowered mine 1.5" but there are other options to lower it less. Ever since I've lowered mine I've never had a problem with crosswinds even on the windiest days driving at 80 mph.

As for the selling the Camaro...I don't think I personally would. I love the Fit to death but there is no substitution for straight line speed. Coming from a Acura CL-S I miss being able to got 0-60 in ~6 seconds and definitely miss the passing power when there is a douche bag in front of me. Saying all that my next car will probably be a hatchback since the Fit has opened my eyes to the storage capabilities of a hatch but it will have to at least have more hp than what the Fit has. It might not have to be as fast as my CL-S or faster but I would like to be able to pass in less time than it would for me to run past them. Till then I will just enjoy the extra gas money going in my pocket.

 

Sport package is definitely worth it for the cruise and foglights. Gas pedal is too soft for long trips without a spring mod (mine ) hence the cruise control. The lowbeams on the older model anyway are kinda dim but with help from well-aimed fog are definitely adequate. New model also gets a USB interface for iPod/thumb drive for your music as well, which is nice. The old model gained mp3/wma cd playback but I don't know if they're different in that respect on the new one as well.

Manual transmission model is much faster than the auto. Generally nets higher mileage in day-to-day driving too. Just don't do clutch drops like you're at the dragstrip much as there have been a few isolated issues of premature pressure plate failure.

Don't trust the mileage meter in the '09+. It's rarely correct.

The car as it is a microvan is quite tall and due to its light weight is the slave of crosswind. It's pretty disconcerting when the suspension is new but when the rear bushings squish down a bit it's very tolerable. If you think to yourself "hey this car needs an alignment" look at the trees - oh yeah, wind. That explains it.

This is what I like and the biggest reason I bought the car.

 

Great post, thanks for sharing.

 

I test drove a stack of cars before settling on the Fit.. because the Fit.. fits I have yet to purchase, waiting on a few things still..

I drove the Scion xB.. loved the interior space. Suspension felt a little soft and it felt big. It's also a heavy car and might hit 30mpg on a good day. Power was good too.. seats felt a little blah.

Mazda3 drove real nice and was put together real nice. I liked how it handled and how it felt to drive, was a fun car. Interesting since.. the Ford Focus that it's based on that I drove felt softer.

The Focus was similar.. almost ended up with a Ford Focus S 5 speed. I really liked it, however the dealer treated me terribly. Vancouver Ford is a bunch of tools.

Unfortunately Vancouver Ford is also Vancouver Hyundai.. I drove the Accent thought it was just okay. Was a little small but had enough room for me and was okay to drive, if not a little bland. Lots of features for the money. $14,500 got you a lot of car.. but again.. the tool bag factor was high. The Elantra Touring was pretty nice as well, but it was again.. kind of bland. I couldn't get over "It's a Hyundai". $16000 seemed cool for the features at least.

Attempted to drive a Civic.. I say attempted because I'm a tall dude. I couldn't get the seat to sit low enough for my head to clear the roof. Seriously, my head touched the roof. No dice.

The Aveo is a giant terd. It not only is a Korean car(see Hyundai above) but it's a crappy Korean car. The issue I have with Daewoo, Kia, and Hyundai is by the time you add options.. you are at a very similar price to the competition, within $1000 usually.. and you get stuck with the lack of resale value later on.

The Fit beat all the cars I drove. Best value out there for a small commuter. It was roomy.. remember I'm a big dude. I like the sport wagon feel as well. Not to mention it was fun to drive. The Fit had the least amount of power out of the cars I drove, but it got around just fine.

 

I too have had heart racing moments getting blown around on the highway in our Fit. The worst was driving parallel through a storm front, and crossing a bridge over the Kansas river. I think I stayed in my lane, but the sudden gust had my car swerving before I knew what was going on.

5 months now, and that's the only time it really bothered me, even though I do recognize that I spend a bit more attention to the steering wheel when I am on the highway, compared to my much heavier awd subaru.

 

I can feel the wind, but it doesn't bother me. Then again, I drove a lifted Jeep before I got the Fit. Try driving a lifted box with crosswinds then you'll appreciate the Fit! haha

 

Try a VW Bus in crosswinds... The Fit is great. It's not like our Altima was but it's better than many smaller lightweight cars.

~SB

 

I agree with most of the Fitters here, but it wouldn't hurt if you go test drive one.

Its a great car IMO.

 

What cross winds? Seriously I drove my GD3 for about 1000 miles round trip and was doing 80-85mph and did not have any problems. Maybe because I had two passengers and luggage's. Also when I drive the car on highways by myself, I do not feel this cross winds unless it is really a strong blast which a bigger car would feel too.

 

i drove a 09 fit sport 4800 miles, through heavy winds, it handled great, this car is aerodynamic and low to the ground, cuts the wind really well.