Hello everyone,

I am new to the forums but I have been lurking for some time. I am in the market for a new car, and have been doing researching diligently trying to find what would be the best for me. Well after about 2 weeks of research I had come to love the Honda Fit and thought it would be a good match for me. My friend who also liked the fit, seemed to think I would like the civic more and it would be better for me. Some things that he said about the fit...

-He talked about how much more room the civic had and how it would be a more comfortable ride. And because it was bigger that it was safer in a crash.
-He talked about how he knows that the Civic is a reliable car and unsure about the Fit.
-He talked about the height of the civic being smaller and the wheelbase being larger than the Fit, so it would be easier to drive comfortably in a cross wind.
-He talked about the civic getting better gas mileage.
-He said the civic was a bigger car so it was safer.

Now I have never been in a Civic myself, but just from looking at the interior online I can say I don't like it because of the digital gauges. I did sit in a Fit when I went to the dealership and thought it was really nice. I am not sure about the difference in size between the two cars because I have never been in a Civic.

So I guess my point of this thread is to just get some of your feedback on if maybe some of you were in a similar situation, did any of you ever look at the Civic? How do you think the Fit stacks up against the Civic?

Thanks
p.s. this is a really great forum and online community. Almost worth it just to get the Fit so I can become a part of the family

 

First things first, you need to drive a Civic. Go over to a dealer.

The only one of your friend's claims that I take major issue with is the interior space. That is one of the Fit's greatest advantages; I've fit a full patio set in my fit. It has ridiculous room inside.

Ultimately, it's your decision and you need to DRIVE both cars before you decide.

 

I bought mine in July 2006 and have had no reliability issues... I live in Texas where the wind is always blowing and got close enough to a tornado that I had to slow down due to the rain fall but other cars were pulling over... No wind issues here.... The braking and handling are amazing so by taking advantage of that and using good sense, accidents can be avoided.. Only people that don't take responsibility and drive properly are concerned with having a car that is marginally better than another in crash test....

 

For me, I specifically wanted a 5 door hatchback, so never even looked at the civic. That said, what do you plan on doing most with the car? Primarily commuting, road trips, cargo hauling? The civic and the fit are similar in some respects, but radically different in some areas.

I'm a big guy and have no trouble with crew space in the fit, and that's even with an infant carseat in the back. So in terms of driver space, I can't imagine the civic is significantly better. That said, the seats in the fit take some getting used to.

The milage estimates are really close, and the fit has slightly better overall milage than the civic, but the variation in your driving style will matter more than the minor differences in milage.

Both are hondas and have really good reliability. There's not much else to say on that.

Worrying about a crosswind driving seems like major nitpicking to me.

I'm not sure about the safety thing. Both are small cars when you compare to everything else on the road. I'm also not convinced that the smaller is more dangerous connection is still true with more modern designs. Certainly trucks are the most dangerous vehicles out there.

 

Here is the best advice I can give. DO NOT LET YOUR FRIEND BE THE DECIDING FACTOR FOR YOUR CHOICE!!!!! What I mean is, it is going to be your car. Your going to be driving it not him. Don't chose a car just because he thinks it is better. Get what YOU want. If he busts your balls for getting the Fit o well it is your car not his. I can understand him giving his opinion but YOU should decide what you want. The civic is nice don't get me wrong. My dad has a 2010 Honda Pilot, my mom has a 2010 Honda Civic Sedan EX and I have a 2010 Honda Fit Sport. (Obviously we love Honda lol). Both cars are good cars. But look at what YOU want, what YOU like, and what YOU can see yourself driving and enjoying.

 

Civics are a snore.

 

My wife has a 2008 civic, I have a 2010 fit sport. Drove her civic from Indianapolis to Spokane Washington last October and just drove the fit from indy to Denver in September. WAAAYYYY more room in a Fit. Had to put everything on the roof rack on her civic. Civic does have a softer ride than the fit but its not big enough to be a deciding factor. The Fit is still comfortable. MPG's? I cant tell a difference between the two, both are badass on gas. We can fit a rottweiler and Labrador in the Fit and not in the civic. My car was around $17k, hers was $21k. Easy decision. Their both Honda's so you don't have to worry about reliability in either...at all, they'll run awesome for longer than you'll want em to.

 

Without really conservative driving in the Fit, the Civic may see comparable or better mileage, but outside of that my only other disagreement, like an earlier poster is about the interior space, I'm 6'4" and ~285lbs w/ sciatica, the Fit was more comfortable for me than the civic, and I have a good 4" of head room in the Fit.. my only complaint is the footwell is some what tight, leg-room is acceptable but, I can't quite heel-toe in this car because my feet are too large lol

So I have to use my big toe on the brake and the side of my foot to blip the throttle.

And I completely agree with this post:

 

We should probably add there are probably more parts and upgrades available for the Civic than the Fit.

 

..as well as other nice reliable cars out there.

 

i test drove a fit and civic on the same day. the ride felt equally smooth.

but in the long run, i'd assume the civic would have a more comfortable ride.

other than that, i prefer the fit on every level over the civic.

i've now had the fit for 2 years and havent regretted the decision for 1 minute.

 

Something to consider..

For the price of a civic (if you were actually, seriously considering one) with a couple nice options you can get a base mazdaspeed3. Which is like a rabid Fit on steroids and meth, but with 25-30mpg highway instead of 35-40.

But as you get above 25mpg there are diminishing savings returns so it is not as dramatic as it sounds.

 

After having driven our new sports FIT for over 3 months, I love it, considering the fact that I have been driving an Accord for over 10 years.

I echoed the good points that had been brought up by other members. Basically, we decided on the FIT for the following reasons:-

1) someone mentioned "ridiculous" cargo space. I agree
2) Magic back seats.. it is super convenient to place your groceries bags on the floor of your back seats than to constantly open the hatchback or trunk... we have tinted glass for security reasons
3) All 4 doors can open to almost 45 degrees angle wide.. very cargo friendly
4) Great dashboard.. I don't like electronic ones in the civic
5) easy to park
6) the FIT was designed so well that I do not feel cramp in a small space.
7) With Michelin X-ice snow tires, my FIT is unstoppable because of the thinner tires, they cut through snow more easily. My FIT climbed up a compact snow hill during our first snow fall (6 inches) with not even a hint of wheels slippage
8) There only two of us, my wife and I and we hardly carry any passengers

However, we still have to obey the law of physics... a smaller car will always lost if in a collision with a bigger mass but the FIT had lots of airbags. Drive with moderate speed... and reduce the changes of collisions or seriousness of collisions. Keep approx at 60mphs to get optimum fuel mileage.

If you need to drive longer distances often, a bigger car will be more comfortable as I had been driving my Accord for 10 years. However, my lifestyle is such that I seldom drive long distances, so my FIT fits my lifestyle.

Like someone had previously said, it should be your decision that fits your lifestyle. If you always carry passengers, you may want to ask your passengers to try out sitting in the FIT back sit and compare that with the Civic.

Zerg... you may want to check out this excellent FIT vs CIVIC discussion... a ton of good points
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/othe...-vs-civic.html


My 2 cents

 

Sounds like you want a fit, so get a fit.

 

absolutely! I'm always hitting my head in the civic!

 

I too am a new member and long time lurker who just purchased a Fit Sport Automatic in Milano Red this past Friday. I agree with Tomfits: You have to test out both cars at the dealership to see which is best for you. Your friend's claim about the Civic having more interior room will totally be debunked once you sit inside both vehicles. I'm obviously being partial in saying this: go with the Fit.

 

Like a few of the other members are saying, go drive the civic so you can compare. Then you aren't going off the word of your friend. Pick the one you think you will love

 

Honestly, test out both cars. Really divulge(sp?) in the advantages/disadvantages of both cars. You seem to have done this so far with some of the comments, but if you get a feel for both it'll help. I believe Fit really hits the mileage and cargo space though, but it's up to you what will you be using the car for.

 

I would get a new friend or have the old one pay for a Civic.

Drive both and pick the one you like.

I like my Fit because with mods it stands out in a parking lot as different. I don't want to say cute but damn it it is.

 

I have both a 2010 Civic, and a 2010 fit. (I'll spare you the pictures, they are both blue). Coming from a MR2 and Camry the comparisons abound. My car is the fit (Sport AT etc.) The wifes car is the Civic (Coupe, AT LX model). Of the two I would have to say that the engine in the Civic is the more civilized of the two, it does not rev as freely, so spirited driving is more of a push. Around town and on the highway however it is quite competent. It handles better, bigger tires, lower center of gravity and has a more advanced rear suspension. The outward appearance of the car (coupe) is good, and I even have come to like the split combo dash. It has a very solid, well put together feel, much better than cars at this price point. Where it fails a bit are in the interior plastics, that are a bit "utilitarian" compared to cars I have had in the past. Also outward visibility, especially to the rear, is not as good as a Fit. The A pillar is quite thick as well, and I find myself constantly trying to look around it as it is placed right on the angle where everything seems to be when looking to the left a bit. Those issues aside (they go away with a few days of driving, as you get used to it) the car is a very well put together car. But Like the fit, it is FWD, which after a RWD car, with mid engine, makes me wish that Honda had tried this car out as a RWD coupe, and left the FWD for the sedans.

As For the fit, as stated above the interior room is a high point. And unlike the Civic, the outward visibility is better. The car itself has a quirky kind of attitude in it's stance that scores it some points in my book. The engine likes to rev, but don't expect as much power out of it as the Civic, at least for around town driving. When I have driven them in a side by side comparison for acceleration, they both seem to get there at about the same time, but the Civic seems to do it with less drama, while the Fit likes to wind it out. That's the kind of car it is however so you need to expect this. It's a "euro-style" type of car, unlike most American cars where torque in the low rev range is king. The seats are better in the Civic, but ingress and egress is better in the Fit. Also the fit does about 27-28 MPG in city driving, which is good but I expected a bit better. I would assume the Civic is about the same, but aside from breaking out the calculator at the gas pump I can't sy this with accuracy.

Above all is either of them the "perfect car"? That's a hard one to answer. Them both do things well. Them Fit does more things well, due to it's versatility. The Civic is more mainstream nowadays which has it's place as well. I've said it to friends so the best way I can say it is to repeat myself. the Fit is like driving a Swiss Army knife. It does many things, some of them really well, some OK and some it's not so good for. For example, you would not want it in a knife fight. The Civic is more civilized and mainstream. Its a bit long in the tooth, but you really can't go wrong with making that decision either. So it comes down to what you want our of a car, and how you are going to be using it.