Help me choose between Fit Sport or Civic LX
 

Hey everyone!

I am shopping around for a new car, and I have decided that cars that I enjoyed driving the most are Civic and Fit. I'm going to get it with standard transmission. I really liked driving both the new Civic and the Fit. I really enjoyed both car's driving dynamic as well as felt very comfortable on the highway as well as stop and go traffic. Civic LX and Fit Sport cost pretty similar, maybe like $800 difference.
What I like about the Fit: It's not as common as a Civic and more versatile
What I like about Civic: I drive lots of highway as my commute is 85mile round trip about 70miles on the highway.

It may just come down to cost. I am thinking that I may be able to get a bigger discount on the Civic since all of the dealers around me carries like 20 Civics to like 3 Fit.

I know that I'm on a Fit forum, so I may get lots of pro-Fit compared to the Civic, but if anyone has any suggestions for me, I'd greatly appreciate it!

38 views - I'm surprised you do not have 38 Fit Freaks yelling "Fit Fit Fit."
I drove an Accord for 15 years. Now I love love love my Fit.
Highway? why not have 35+ mph?
Seat is comfy. Visibility is great. Feeling is ... superb.

civics are a dime a dozen....plus in 2011 the civic will be restyled. So you will lose more to depreciation.

I wouldn't get the FIT 5MT if you drive on the highway...the FIT 5 speed auto gets better gas mileage on the highway as it rev's at lower RPM;s then then 5spd manual.
you may also want to order a 2011 fit, they come standard with Vehicle Stability Assist, and floor mats, which again will add to the value of your vehicle.

I'm stuck on wanting a manual for my next vehicle. I need more fun factor! Howcome 5speed manual revs higher than automatic? I noticed that for Civic as well, gas mileage on the highway is worse for manual than the automatic

Just on a side note, I just test drove the Yaris, and it was awful! Seat was not confortable and the driving dynamic was really awful!

sure, if you want the manual...go for it, but it has lower resale value, and the gas mileage is a touch below the automatic, it is all personal preference.
yeah...the fit is 1000X better then the yaris...lol

you won't be disappointed in the fit..i can tell you that...all people that own them luv them.
me as well

Yep, we are all Fit Owners...

But I looked at The Civic and The Fit when I purchased. Honestly, I like the Civic, it's a great car. Love the interior, the seats are adjustable. To me it's a great size.

The tipping point for me was versatility. With the Fit hatchback and configurable seats, I actually have more potential hauling and cargo capacity.

But IF versatility and cargo capacity weren't as important factors...I think I'd be driving a Civic...it's a great vehicle...with nicer factory ammenities available.

Auto vs Manual MPG difference is negligible. And the resale value will likely turn for the better for the M/Ts over time, less of them, limited in supply even for the brand new ones. But that doesn't matter either, because its a Honda, you won't have much of an issue of resale value or MPG, and since you're planning to buy the car right now and not sell it, I'd focus more on what the car is good for for the prospective owner, than whether the auto gets 0.9 more mpg or will sell for $458 more 6 and a half years later.

I have a manual trans Fit, insane amount of highway mileage driven regularly (30,000 miles a year), great gas mileage, and I wouldn't have bought a Fit if I couldn't find the color, transmission (manual), and model (sport) that I wanted. Couldn't be happier.

I regret not buying a manual the only time I have really good gas mileage is driving on freeways. For some reason Union 76 gas gives me the best mileage. I bought Costco Supreme yesterday and I am getting 3 gallons less a mile. I am getting 30.5 on Costco gas around town. Last week I got 33 on Union 76. I rarely see manual Fit Sports around here but that would have been the perfect car for me since I care so much about saving gas. I drive hubby to the ferry and back home twice a day and my sons to school and back. I drive across town to soccer practice almost every night with two kids on different teams. My husband didn't like the hybrid idea because of the battery. What I have heard on here the Fit manual gets as good as mileage as VW diesels and they are a few thousand less than a VW diesel.

if i got a civic it would have to be the SI... sorta like why have a Mustang or a Challenger if you can't get a v8? if you can't get the DOHC engine you might as well stick with the fit IMO.

Fit for Me
 

If you really want a manual get a Fit in manual--the difference in mpg is negligible. The paddle shifters on the sport & Navi AT models add a bit more fun to the equation, so if you decide to go AT, get at least a Sport model.
I like the Civic too, but was replacing a Subaru Wagon and needed the storage and versatility of the Fit.

If you can, wait for the 2011 model--however you might be able to get a good deal on the 2010. My dealer was the same 4 Fits on the lot-- 1 base (Vivid blue) & 3 Sport (2 silver, 1 Orange)-- around 25 or so Civics and Accords.

The fit is a more nimble car when it comes to handling and that realllllly appealed to me when i drove it for the first time. Long drives on the freeway are not too bad, but i'm on lowering springs now so its def not as comfortable as it used to be haha.

When i look at the civic, i just think of the generic car, even though its a really comfortable car, i would rather choose the fit. Just fits my personality better i guess.

Do you have an account with Consumer Reports? They write probably the best test-drive track reports, going into very fine detail, doing their own measurements, and allowing you to easily compare cars.

The performance differences between the two are negligible, though the Fit FEELS sportier - Honda did a fantastic job of making a horribly imbalanced wrong-wheel drive econobox on McPherson struts and a suck-beam rear feel really, REALLY well balanced. They even moved one of the largest balasts (the fuel tank) forward and STILL pulled it off. That is what separates the men and the boys in the engineering business!

The Civic has a nicer interior, and more useful trunk space with the seats in place (the Fit has far more on paper, but a lot of it is vertical space above the rear seatback.) The Fit wins for easy parallel parking, ability to haul larger objects with all the seats down, headroom. Neither is a poor choice by any means. Fuel economy differences should be minimal. Heck, the difference in fuel economy between a Fit and an Accord is only about 5 mpg overall (and 2 mpg highway).

Intellichoice puts the 5 year cost of ownership at $25,004.00 for the Civic (LX sedan MT), $26,824.00 for the Fit (Sport MT). The Fit starts out a bit more expensive, loses a bit more to depreciation... Note that this assumes that in 5 years the Fit will be slightly less desirable than the Civic. 5 years ago, gas was just hitting the 3/gal mark for the first time, and had not made it's stratospheric peak to almost $5 and subsequent fall. 5 years ago, the Fit wasn't sold here, and there weren't any rumors about it coming over yet.

I'm going to go against the norm here and say civic for your needs. The civic will be more comfortable, be quieter, and be more fuel efficient for better economy due to it's more aerodynamic shape ( & higher economy numbers - albeit not by much). Also, if Performance is potentially of interest, the R18 & the civic platform in general does/will have more aftermarket support. Out of the box, the Civic LX is faster to 60 with a 7.7 second run (C&D - vs 8.5 for the Fit sport) and has a better skidpad (albeit not by much .81 for the Civic, .80 for the Fit.). Add some Si Swaybars or go aftermarket aftermarket and there's no competition that the civic will outperform the fit even more.

If you need or want the versatility of a 4dr hatch, the fit is your only option (unless you move to Europe). If it's purely going to be a commuter car, the Civic will likely be a smarter choice.

I love my fit and it's fun to toss around but if I was commuting that much on a highway, I'd go for the better seats (longer seat pad with height adjust), standard center console/armrest, quieter cabin, more torque, and less chance of being blown around by trucks. (I'd miss the USB input though). The civic is simply more refined from an interior cabin standpoint and would most likely be the more comfortable car for commuting.

i'd have to disagree here. For me, my hondas (except for my GS-R) have more been about the drive and less about the acceleration. upgrade the suspension on a civic a little bit with some Sway bars (maybe from the Si) and the car would be a blast to drive. If the fit has taught me anything, it really has solidified the fact that you don't need power to have a fun car. The fit is fun to drive with minimal power and I think the Civic (in LX or EX form) is likely to be as fun if not more than the Fit with just some minor tweaks. I think my first upgrade would be the sway bars - ones from the Si aren't expensive - $150 for the set shipped? I would however enjoy the Si. It's most like my GS-R with the high revving Redline and the sweet exhaust note. sigh.

~SB

I own both 09 Honda FIT Sport AT/NAV and 07 Civic Si/NAV. I love them both. If I drive on highway, I will choose Civic. My Civic Si gets 36-41 mpg on the highway. My FIT gets up to 56 mpg. It is fun to drive and it is uncommon with MUGEN body kits.

Bummbull is performance a factor for you??

No, as long as it's fun to drive. I found both Fit and Civic to be very engaging.

Ok here's a opinion that I feel qualified to offer. I happen to have a 2010 civic LX and a 2010 Fit Sport.
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About the only difference between what you are looking for and what I have is both are the automatic transmission. Now not saying I know anything about your life I can tell you what the strengths and weaknesses of both are.

The Fit First. I consider the Fit "my car" as we originally went to buy the Civic for my wife, although she rarely drives. The Positives: As stated above the Fit is versatile, and can be made to do many things. Highway mileage is excellent. Visibility and interior room in the Fit are above class for a car this size. The car has Spirit, or soul, in my opinion, with a look that catches your eye when you loot at it. The interior dashboard design, while jumbled grows on you. Negatives are: City driving feels like it could use more power. As Honda engines usually make most of their power at the top of the rpm range the city mileage suffers. A car of this size and weight could do better. Also, the engine seems to be a "power on" / "power off" kind of affair when city driving. It takes some getting used to if you are used to a more torque y engine.

The Civic. Positives: More solidly built. Better seats than the fit. Better overall ride and handling, with a better suspension. Overall the feel of a much more expensive car than the Fit, Sportier too, considering it's shape being a coupe'. Negatives are outward visibility, especially to the rear. There is a lack of soul to this car as well with a "generic" feel to it. It would almost be as if Honda wanted to make a "generic car" and this is what over the years the Civic evolved into. Don't take it wrong it's a very good car, and in my opinion has the better engine as well, but it lacks the "i want to get in and drive it " feeling that the Fit gives me. Oh, and the dash is a but strange, but I have come to like the design.

Both cars are overall good cars, and you will find that if you are a fan of Honda's this will seem to you, to be especially true. I came into these cars from Toyota's A Camry replaced by the Civic (an improvement) and a MR2 replaced by the Fit (which is a rather big change) so I guess the answer will depend on what you drive now, and how much of a change are you willing to get when you purchase a new car.

I'd say get the Civic. The gauges and interior is what I would base my decision on. Just don't fall into the "shoulda got an Si" crowd.

I also have A 06 Civic Ex/Navi Sedan and a 2010 Fit. I honestly can't tell you which car I like more, they are both great cars. In a couple of years I'll be trading in my 06 Civic for A 2012 Civic. I would say it comes down to versatility, if it means alot to you I would get the Fit, if it doesn't mean that much to you, then I would definitely get the Civic. I wish Honda still made the Civic hatchback or a little more refined more upscale Hatch than the Fit. I believe there is a market for it, and Honda would gain more of the Hatchback marketshare overall.