Hi guys. I'm new to the forum, although I've been lurking since before I even purchased my 2013 Fit. I wanted to share my thoughts and ask some questions. I bought it about 3 weeks ago with 21K miles from a Honda dealer. It's a "Certified Used Honda" with an Auto transmission. I drove a 2004 Scion XA w/ MT for 4 years and about a month ago, I woke up one day really wanting to purchase a Fit, although, I had been thinking about it for a while. I looked around and ended up purchasing one the same day.

I was stuck between the Scion XD and a Fit, but went with Honda since I know they're usually built better. I regret purchasing it so quickly. I wish I would have test driven the XD and a Versa hatchback. Anyway, with my Scion XA, I used to punch the gas and drive spirited. It was lowered on Eibach Sportline springs, so it had great handling and it felt just right. I loved how the car drove. My Honda fit feels boring and kinda Grandma-ish. I'm not trying to put the car down, I know it's supposed to be a compact and economical car, but so was my XA. I think the AT, stock height, and longer wheelbase have a lot to do with it. The build quality definitely feels better on the Fit. The whole interior is better built and less creaky.

My average MPG is around 24 (Mostly city) with my Fit and it was about 28 with my XA. I've been driving the Fit moderately, especially the first 2 weeks of ownership. I was driving it like a new car that still needed to be broken in, and the highest I've gotten was 28 MPG (mostly highway). My XA was giving me around 32 MPG on the highway. What bothers me is that I used to punch the gas on my XA and I drive the Fit slower, yet it's still giving me less MPG. According to a lot of posts I read here and other forums, others were getting mid 30's to 40's. How are people achieving this? Are they hooking their car to semi's? Another question is, are there better brake pads for our Fit's? I have to start braking a lot sooner than in my wife's 2011 CRV. I think that's another reason why I drive it slower. It doesn't feel very sporty.

Anyway, that is my rant, review, and questions. I hope the Fit grows on me eventually because I purchased it hoping to have it for at least 10 years.

 

Scion has 2.4l right? even if its 2.0 the fits 1.5 liter has a lot to push threw the wind. Scions havev a lot more bottom end than the fits 109tq. you like a fit for all it gives its owner. descent accel, awesome handling up there with the civic SI, and great more changeability for storage than its cr-v big brother. I hope that helps.

 

Did you purchase a sport or a base fit?

I have a 2013 sport and although its not fast, it is still very peppy in a Sport Mode.

With decent suspension upgrades it will handle a lot better and it will feel more go-kart like.

We all purchased our fits for various reasons, but most would agree its not because of the 1.5L engine.

As for MPG, I drive city and average 32-33. I just don't beat down the accelerator and stomp the brakes every 100 yards. And I still drive in the fast lane. That just has a lot to do with driver input. But after a few weeks you will begin to get the flow of it.

 

Thanks for the replies, guys. Desmond, The XA was actually a 1.5 liter too.

Mr. Hollow, I forgot to mention that I have the Sport model. I agree, it's a peppy car, but the suspension is a bit soft for my taste. I guess it's not fair to compare it with my XA as the XA has pretty stiff Eibach Sportlines. I'd love to lower the Fit a bit, but the streets are horrible in LA, and I kinda promised the wife I wouldn't mod this ca, lol.

I put 40 psi of air in the front tires to see if it'll help with the MPG. I'll update this thread in a week when I refuel.

 

I would like to add that you said your scion was MT and your fit is AT. The way i understand it, the AT weighs more lowering mpg. I don't think it's fair to compare the two. I drive more spirited and get round 32-35 average mixed city highway. I was also only averaging 27 before coilovers, intake and muffler. I included the coilovers because I think reducing squat adds to my mpg (could be wrong though). I have a 13 with about 21k MT.

 

A quick glance at Wikipedia shows that the Fit and the Scion have comparable 1.5 liter engines producing similar hp and torque. In addition, their curb weights are very close.

I haven't driven the Scion, but here is my experience with the Fit.

--Let's not talk about mpg until you have run a tank of gas through it while maintaining a maximum rpm of 3,000. Just try this because, above 3k rpm, you are engaging VTEC and using more fuel.

--Let's not talk about how doggy and unresponsive the Fit is until you have played around between 4,000 rpm and 5,500 rpm. That is where the fun is.

--You are right. OEM Fit suspension pretty much sucks on the 2nd gen. Fit, and totally sucks on the 1st gen. Fit. Can't compare it to an aftermarket set-up.

--I have an MT. I haven't driven a Fit with AT, but that may be the source of a lot of your disappointment. All I know is that the gearbox and shift feel on the MT Fit is sweet indeed.

Lastly, when you buy a used car, you never know what you are getting, i.e., you never know what some chucklehead "genius" has done to it. My comments are based on the assumption that you are running a stock car. My Fit is stock, and the best part of my day is when I take it out and flog the snot out of it.

 

I need to fill in this space to actually be able to post.

 

Hey, I was just trying to help.

You should sell the car. Or, better yet, just drive it into the Pacific and let it drift back to Japan where it belongs.

Good luck.

 

I don't know if you took my response as me being rude, but I definitely didn't intend for it to come out like that. I was just replying to your comments. I welcome any feedback, which is why I posted it here in the first place.

I don't intend to get rid of my Fit any time soon. In fact, I hope it lasts me many years.

 

Mr. Coffee's 1st response was spot on... couldn't have said any better.

Not surprised you miss your MT but at least you chose a very practical car. If you want sportiness, the best thing to do is enjoy the utility and low cost of ownership of the Fit and buy another vehicle when it makes sense.

That being said, it can be fun if twisty roads and handling mods are involved, but I'd want the MT in order to wring every last drop out of the lawnmower engine. If you want to improve the handling, look to what the autocross guys have implemented on this forum. Search for user "TPColgett" as he seems to have it dialed in.

 

I really didn't want to mod this car, but I've decided to lower it with Swift springs. From what I've read, they're the closest thing to a stock ride, for the Fit. I will probably also get Progress rear sway bar.

 

Hey guys. I'm back with an update. I ended up trading it in for a Honda HRV and all I have to say is Wow. The difference is like night and day. The overall quality and handling is a lot better on the HRV. The suspension is great (not too soft like the Fit), the engine has more power, yet gives me better MPG, and the extra space is a plus. The brakes are 10X better and the transmission gear shifter feels tighter (Both are auto). I never noticed how cheap the gear shifter felt until I felt how smooth it is on the HRV. The overall driving is more stable on the HRV. The wheels and tires are wider so turning feels more stable. The better suspension also plays a big part in the overall better handling.

Here are a couple pics of my fit right before I traded it in. Sorry, night pics suck on my phone. I removed the window visors and will soon have them for sale along with the OEM all weather mats and rear trunk tray.




And a Picture of my HR-V. I'll take more pics later today.

 

Not very fair to compare a 13 fit and a 15 hrv. Try comparing a 15 fit & a 15hrv.

 

Photos also say "Access Forbidden", so I see black squares.

 

Pictures have been fixed. Thanks for letting me know.

 

You're right, but I didn't test drive a 2015 Fit to compare them. I was mostly offering my comparison in case anyone was considering purchasing the HR-V. I love that Honda offers it in the states now as there was a big gap between the Fit and the CR-V.

 

Wasn't dogging the HR-V (kinda pissed you can't get 4wd mt), actually was trying to talk a customer into one the other day. I was just stating my opinion.
Wouldn't mind a detailed review.

 

Since my daughter is considering replacing her '07 MT Fit for a car with an automatic (due to some physical problems), I have test-driven both the '16 HR-V and the '15 Fit.

I thought the quality of both was about equal, as was the equipment (both were EX-Ls). The Fit handles more precisely, and is noticeably quicker. The higher seating position of the HR-V might be a plus for some. I'm sure you might pay for the bigger hole in the air with highway MPG.


As a dedicated MT guy, I WAS surprised to find that the paddle shifter CVTs in both cars were tolerable. Both in S mode or just working the paddles in D, the shifts (sorry, "ratio changes") are immediate and crisp. I also tested a Focus with the dual clutch automatic, and the shifting just doesn't compare.