Only one more tidbit in addition to what others have said. My Fit can hold THREE bikes in the back. No roof rack or bumper rack needed.....all 3 bikes are totally weather protected. I considered the Mazda also. No way that's possible in the Mazda.

geo

 

the maxda 2 is a ford fiesta with a cheaper price tag but when car and driver tested all 3 they liked the fit the most then the 2 over its family counterpart(to which i found this very odd) all of the number suggest the fiesta or mazda 2 to be better thne the fit but those who test them all said the fit was better.

when i leased my 11 sport mt back in febuary i test drove the fiesta as well. it was very nice but the leather seats looked like leather seat covers and with the seat back (im 6' tall) i still couldnt fit under the steering wheel. With the seat all the way back i couldnt even fit my hand in between the rear seat and the back of the front seat,i moved the seat forward again and there was no hope for me fitting into the back seat. then the hatch space was even more rubbish. Plus the rear seats dont even fold flat so that was just a wast of time. the mazda2 being the exact samecar i didnt even bother.

I took my dad (also 6') to check out the fit with me and he sat in the back while i was in front of him (seat all the way back) we both fit fine with plenty of room. Also having the versitile rear seats is a blessing as I can fit my 7.5' long surfboard inside with out any issues

 

Yeah, the Fiesta is a blatant rip off of the Fit. I think it's pretty nice and well done to be sure. But the Fit is the original and still the best bet. The Fiesta doesn't really improve much beyond the Fit in features it aims for and still falls flat with interior issues in comparison. I think the only thing that could put it over the top is if they decide to spec Eco-boost turbo design into them - which would put it over the top as a sport option!

 

cant go wrong with a Honda, performace is good for what it is.
plus the aftermarket will mostlikly make more for the honda.

 

You should buy a Fit because the people on "Top Gear" say they are the best. Also, Mazda is the Japanese word for poop. I made up the second part.

Get the one that works best for what you want and need. I was going to buy a Civic, but the interior head room of the Civic was less than where my head was so the enormous interior space of the Fit was the selling point, as well as the Honda nameplate's reliability.

 

This

If Jeremy clarkson and the gang with their mums say so... Then it must be a great car! Haha!
Get the fit! I traded in my 05 STi for one, and I must say that the fits room and fun driving aspect makes it all worth it and can't forget the emmmm peeee geeeez too!

 

Surely you jest, as the Fit is in its 11th year of production, and the Fiesta in its 36th. And the current generations hit production concurrently in 2008.

A ripoff of the Civic, maybe... but more accurately both were a ripoff of the Austin/Morris Mini.

 

To be fair, their review of the fiesta was even more positive.

 

And you get to out run baddies in a mall!! I forgot about that!

 

For me, a car has to have some personality- and I've driven weird cars over the years; not the least of which were two consecutive Renault R5 LeCars. I traded a Mazda Tribute in on the Fit. I had so many odd problems related to cheap oem parts like tie rod ends, stabilizer bar link pins, four brake master cylinder replacements, a manual transmission failure, out and out brake failure, things I've never had go wrong in a zillion years on other cars that I swore I'd never buy another Mazda or Ford. Now I have a Fit and a good friend of mine has a Fiesta. Having ridden in both, I like the extra room of the Fit and don't see a significance handling difference. There's just so much clever engineering that I chuckle from time to time when I discover something new. Love the rear magic seats, central location of the fuel tank, etc. etc.

I look at Car and Driver and Consumer Reports for expert opinion, and the Fit and Honda generally kicks butt over Ford/Mazda.

 

Ford trannys are JUNK.

drove my ex-wifes focus for 4? years... what a turd. The fuel pump would cut in and out, and when it finally died on the interstate and was replaced at the dealer... It did the same exact crap the next day.

I dumped my 56,000$ F250 on the Fit. Ford blows. And when they tell you the next time your truck breaks down, to bring it in and they'll have a look at it... holy crap!!

I really want to be a believer, but NA... it just cost me too damn much money.

 

My only serious complaint with the Fit was related to the seats, and the lack of adjustability int he driving position (no seat height adjuster, so they just set it extra high, and limited rearward travel). If it fits you, I can't see any real downside. It's a terrific little runabout, and the space inside is pretty amazing, almost as spacious as a compact SUV. Like all cars it has its little annoyances, but no deal breakers other than the above mentioned issue (and FWIW, I'm kinda lanky and like to stretch my legs... a low coupe just works better for me.)

The interior is a bit low-rent, but no worse than you expect in a sub $20K car.

 

Thanks for your statement on Ford Trannys; I've driven stick for 40 years and never had the kind of tranny problems that I had with the Tribute! That car made me say Never American Again. And made me darn sad at the same time. Even the parts guy at the Mazda dealer said, the more Ford content in a Mazda, the worse they were.

 

I test drove quite a few cars before purchasing, including the Fiesta which I read excellent reviews on. Once actually getting into the Fiesta though, I found myself to feel cramped, even being a short guy myself. It just seemed like a compact car that felt compact. The Fit is a totally different story. Small car, easy to navigate in and out of traffic, parking spaces, etc...but inside it feels like more open space than some small SUV's. It was really an easy decision after getting behind the wheel of a Fit and test driving it just 1 time...I knew it was the car I had to have.

 

I considered the Scion xd and the Toyota Matrix. I couldn't live with the styling of the Scion, and the Matrix was more expensive. The Fit was just right.

 

We actually test drove the Scion too, but my wife hated the trunk space and didn't think it was a smooth ride.

 

-35 to 37 MPG (twice...and continually confirmed with miles per tank of gas, not just reading the MPG meter on the dash) no modifications
-real world cargo area
-honda drivetrain



nuff said

 

I love The Fit. But reading your post? I'm going to say, for YOU...get the Mazda2. I would never recommend to anyone that they purchase a vehicle inwhich they "personally" feel the styling is bad, and don't like the engine noise.

When I was comparing vehicles, a big part of my decision to go with The Fit vs. the competition was the Cargo Space, and Magic Seats...

I absolutely NEED the cargo space. So The Fit was easily the best choice within it's class. Had Cargo Space NOT been a priority? I may of gone with a competitor. I think Mazda, Ford, and Volkswagen offer good competiton within this segment...even the Hyundai Elantra Touring is an interesting alternative...

For me? I love the design of The Fit. I think it is fun to drive, and I love the adaptable utilitarian nature.

The Fit is just an hugely useable vehicle. I laughed when I purchased it, when the Salesman was telling me about the 10 cup holders...but since owning it? I love the cupholders...

Going through drive thru's, I watch people with more expensive vehicles, ask for drink holders and/or struggle to find someplace to put their drinks...and I love that it's not a problem with The Fit...

I love that I can fold down the hatch and have huge cargo capacity. I love that I can fold up the seats and have huge upright capacity...

I love the roominess "feel" of this small economical vehicle.

However, if these aren't priorities with you...Yes...the styling is polarizing and Yes, IMO The Fit is NOT the quietest engine...then I would go with The Mazda..."personally" for you...

 

The styling is polarizing in the Fit? It looks basically like every other little hatch on the highway except for the fixed vent windows between the doors and A-pillars.

The "roominess 'feel'" is an interesting point. The Fit isn't all that large on the inside. The passenger volume is quite modest, but Honda uses a bit of Honda Magic to make it feel vast. Lots of glass, dash design using forced perspective, long dash-top. The seats are about 9/10 scale so they look larger in the car, and pushed farther inward than usual. It's less than the typical C-class car (94-98 cu-ft seems to be the norm), and pales compared to a compact SUV (104 cubic feet these days, 98 in the first generation). The Kia Soul comes close, with 102 cu-ft.

"Perception is reality" though, and psychologically, it works.

The cargo volume is astounding though, for such a tiny vehicle! It's almost as much as some compact SUVs, and believe it or not, about 4/5ths as much as the Element, which looks like a custom shipping crate for a Fit.

 

Yes, come to think of it, the "roominess 'feel'" of the FIT was one of the main points that help me lean towards selecting the FIT.

One day, two years ago, I sent my old accord for a fix and the dealership used a FIT to shuttle me to my office. At first I felt quite upset that the dealership was trying to be cheap, accusing them of being a cheapo using an tiny weeny economy car to shuttle me but when I got into the FIT for the first time.....to my amazement... WOW!!! I could not believe the roominess feeling... the FIT cabin space perception to me at that time was comparable to that of the civic or accord

When driving in the FIT, its roominess feeling is so profound for me to the point that I sometimes forget I am driving a sub-compact vehicle. This is in contrast to some posters who had tested other sub compacts like Mazda2, Fiesta and they commented that their cabin layout may constantly remind them that they are indeed is in a small car, crammed in a small space... but definitely not the FIT !

Two years later, when come time to trade in my accord, I selected the FIT.