former 1st gen now 2nd gen owners? Comparison?
 

my first gen got totalled a few weeks ago, looking to replace it. For those of you who know both cars, please share comparisons, changes, maintenance differences, DIY differences. Is the 2nd gen better/worse in any significant respects? thanks.

Haven't owned both, but we have a first gen and my good friend has a 2009 second gen and my Mom has a 2011 second gen. Here's my opinion...

First gen handles significantly better, is lower, meaner, and more of a sports car.

Second gen is more refined, quieter, and is more comfortable daily.

For working on, the first gen is quite a bit easier since the motor is fully exposed. Spark plug changes and valve adjustments on the second gen are made easier by removing the cowl. No need on the first gen.

Which one I picked would depend on use. As a toy, the first gen is far better in my opinion. As a highway/commuter car the second gen is better.

Third gen follows suit with being even less sporty and less easy to work on, but even better as a commuter.

thanks much GAFIT. I checked out that wiper and cowl removal business in the 09. Wow, so an extra half hour to get to the coils. Won't turn it into a deal breaker, but too bad. Better for long distance highway driving would be nice. That was my gripe with my 08, tiring for long highway trips.

the additional sound deadening material was added in model year 2012 so you may want to start your search there to keep the road noise out. And there were no tire pressure monitors on the 2007 models in case you care (no stupid TPMS lights to worry about)

I owned & modified a 2008 Fit base with 5MT, for 3 years and around 30,000 miles.

I currently a stock 2012 Fit Sport with 5MT, for 3.5 years and 45,000 miles, I bought it from my parents who were the original owners. I've seen all the maintenance costs from mile 4 to mile 88,500 that I'm at today.

I don't agree.

I basically agree.

Neither of the cars are quiet, neither of them are comfortable. Neither are especially sporting & generally they drive very, very, very similarly. Shifter feel is the same, pedals feel similar, steering is a little more nicely weighted in the GE but neither car is a Cayman GT4.

Yep.

As a toy, I would not buy either.

As a highway/commuter, pick which ever one you can find a better example of and/or like more. If you like the looks of the GD, the GE is not a better vehicle to where you'd want to buy one anyway. If you like the GE more, find a good one of them.

I agree with this, though I find it to be the least comfortable of the three, for my 6' lanky body.

And that's a high bar for discomfort to clear, the 1st & 2nd gen cars have been absolute torture on me the entire time I've owned them, as far as the seats go.

I agree with this, though I find it to be the least comfortable of the three, for my 6' lanky body.

And that's a high bar for discomfort to clear, the 1st & 2nd gen cars have been absolute torture on me the entire time I've owned them, as far as the seats go.

wow; I guess a person does need to be 5 foot something to fit in a Fit. I can't drive my first gen, which is why it is was a gift to my kid. At 6'1'' I need an additional 5 inches of leg room to sit in any of the seats. I can't imagine that the third generation is even more cramped than the first gen. Yikes; I'll pass.

I'm finding these answers helpful. thank you mike410b and BurntZ.

idk man, I'm 6'1 and i dont have any problem adjusting the seat to be in a comfortable driving position. I havent driven more than an hour in it, but i dont think the seats are that bad either

I guess it's all user by user.

My friend with the '09 is 6'3". He bought the car from his Dad who is 6'7". Both are perfectly comfortable in the car. His Dad bought the '09 after riding in our GD and remarking at how well he "fit" in such a small car. Traded in his Avalanche on the '09.

Handling is also subjective. The GD is a considerably better handling car IMO. You can even look at old autocross results on this board and see how many did great with their GD's. Few with GE's had much success. Granted, that's partially because the field got more competitive. In 2008 the Honda Fit had the highest speed of ANY car tested for the lane change test by Car & Driver and won top ten best cars two years in a row for C&D largely due to it's handling. 2009 came and the top ten accolade disappeared.

I'm not speaking out of my memory about a car either. I regularly drive our '08, my friends '09 (that I just replaced the head on due to spark plug ejection) and my Mom's '11. The GD handles significantly better. The GE's drive better. Two different things.

Mike, you should go back and read this thread from 7 years ago when the GD was still fresher in your memory...

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/gene...es-better.html

I do, however, agree that they aren't wildly different. There are certainly better driving cars than ANY Fit.

Different compositions. I'm 6' with a long torso & long arms, I find it awful. My brother is 6'5" with long everything, he hits his knees on the steering wheel. I'm sure some talk folks love these things, but I'm not even tall and the thing gives my back a fit.

The GE was on C&D 10Best list from 2009-2013. That is the car's entire production run.

Less people in general modified the GE Fit. Probably because it looked more like a miniature minivan.

I drive a GE every day. I talked my grandma into buying a GE.

I owned a GD, I bought my ex-wife a GD, many of my friend's have bought GD on my recommendation. My mom's coworkers have purchased GD, GE & GK on my recommendations.

All that said, between GD & GE, we're splitting hairs. They drive like the same car.

That was in my youth when I thought a Fit handled like anything special.

And I was driving a modified GD3 on sticky summer tires & comparing it to a stock GE8 with 5AT.

Is that what caused the break up? LOL

That's good to know. I trust your memory better than mine. I recall the Fit getting bumped from the list and even getting demoted out of Consumer Reports recommended buys. Was that the GK that "earned" that honor?

From my recollection, the GD has considerably stiffer springs, where as the GE has a more rigid chassis.

FWIW, if I were going to buy another Fit, I'd solely shop 2012 - 2014 models in 6 speed Sport trim. To me, they offer the best overall experience with the added sound deadening, slight bump in power, more rigid chassis, but without going to the blandness of the GK. Plus, I like the front end and black headlights on those.

lol, the least of the issues at hand there

Probably the GK, yeah.

Correct on the last bit.

2012/13 (there is no '14 Fit in the US) still only had the 5MT, but did have added sound deadening & exterior refresh over the 09-11 models.

This is probably right. I enjoyed driving my 1st gen Fit more, but little things like no armrest and no cruise control or steering wheel controls, is huge. 2nd Gen is a better daily driver but the 1st Gen probably the more pleasurable ride. I would probably still have my 1st Gen if it wasn't totaled, but I like the 2nd Gen pretty hard. The rear seat cubbies, the better visibility, the slight upgrade in materials and so on. Never drove the 3rd Gen, not sure. Would love a backup camera, I know that much.

Cruise is standard on the Sport trim.

My point of view is probably skewed by the fact that we have a Sport and have the JDM center console with armrest and a Zeta dead pedal. Those plus a Mugen shifter really do add to driver comfort/enjoyment.

Steering wheel audio controls would be nice. For me, bluetooth hands free calling would be the biggest thing to have. Anyone know what year that became available in the Fit?