What do you guys think of the Civic and Corolla Hatchbacks as replacements for the Fit?

They are very comparable to the fit in terms of size and fuel economy. They can both be bought as non-hybrids as well.

 

The hybrid should be sporty as power and torque go (200 HP electric-drive Civic vs. 130 HP CVT Fit), and get significantly better fuel economy. The Civic is 18" longer, 4" wider and 4" flatter than the GK Fit. That's plenty enough to feel like you're sitting closer to the ground and make parking spaces feel tighter. The Civic is 600-750 lbs heavier than the Fit, depending on which trims you're comparing. Worst case (lightest Fit vs. heaviest Civic), the Civic has an 18% advantage in power-to-weight ratio. Power doesn't fix handling, so the Fit will still be lighter in the corners.

 

Civic hatch is basically a five-door sedan with a big trunk lid, not like the boxy Fit. It also is, as bobski pointed out, much larger (it's now the size of the old Accord). I don't see them as comparable, really.

The Corolla hatch is a foot longer, three inches wider, and a quarter ton heavier than the GK Fit. More the same box shape but I would not expect the ordinary versions to be exciting drives based on the size and the engine. Well, the hybrid probably is more exciting and Toyota does not seem to have stepped on the rake with its hybrids, but one thing I like about my Fit is that it's so (relatively) simple. An engine and an electric motor != simple afaic.

 

If you get Civics with turbo-ed engines, then you better upgrade the head gasket to Cometic and the head studs to ARP to avoid head lift during boost. Head gaskets on the 10th gen Civic and 10th gen 1.5T Accords have been failing left and right.

 

The eCVT transmissions eliminate so many moving/wear parts that I think it's worth it. The current Civic Hybrids (and Civic-Coupe-I-Mean-Prelude) are one clutch pack away from being an electric car with a large range-extending generator on board. That clutch engages what is more or less a "5th gear" between the engine and wheels, used for cruising.

 

Fair point about CVTs. I'm so unused to thinking of manual transmissions as an option for most cars that I didn't think about the complexity of automatic transmissions and CVTs.

 

A Honda Ruckus.
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