Hi Everyone, I am considering the 2015 Fit LX Automatic (with my other choices being the Prius C and Subaru Impreza hatchback). Would any of you help address some questions I have with regards to the new Fit?


1. While most of 2015 Fit internal dimensions are superior, there is one which bothers me? Why is the Rear seat hiproom just 45.1 inches? Most other cars in the same category have close to or over 50 inches.


2. Do most of you all get above EPA average for mileage? I am considering the Prius C, hence wondering (i mostly do semi-urban driving, that is driving at 40 to 50 mph)


3. What has been the average wait time before your Fit was delivered?


4. Is the student discount available, if you are paying upfront in cash (and not financing). If not, is there a good reason for it?
(And/or some other way of getting it?)


5. Does the Fit come with all weather tires installed? If not, what kind of tires? Will it be an issue in area like Pittsburgh (hilly with moderately bad/snowy winters)?


6. Also wanted to know that since there is almost no room for negotiation with dealers on price, what other things has anyone succeeded in negotiating ... free or discounted accessories? free oil changes? any other free service for 2/3 years?

Thank you.

 

Well what's up brother from another mother! Its almost as if I wrote this thread my self! I to have been looking at the Prius C for a long time or a LX CVT Fit! I think I will go with the Fit thou because after calculating the difference in cost to include up front price, gas, insurance, and after about 10 years the cost of replacing that battery pack I will save a little more going with the Fit.
As for your questions I have the same with that interior 5" difference in the back hip room???
Good luck with your purchase!

 

The Prius C does fuel economy very well, and that't about all you can say. The Fit has double the cargo capacity and better standard features IMO, for about $4g's less... but I digress.

I can't really comment on hip room as I haven't had more than one passenger in the back. It seems roomy enough. It seems the more important rear seat dimension is legroom and the Fit wins that one with +4". If you had one or two people in the backseat, which do you think feels more apparent: more hip room or legroom?

I'm getting right at the EPA estimate, but I'm typically on the highway going 75+mph with the A/C on. My best tank was calculated by Fuelly at 41.5mpg which is +3 on the EPA. However, with the driving you described, the Prius would put you in the high 40's.

I waited three weeks (really, since April heh) and then I actually found one a few hours away so I went and bought it. I probably didn't have to wait at all if I had searched better in the first place.

Don't know about student discount.

I believe the Fit comes with all seasons, but from what I've read they aren't the best tires. They handle fine in the Florida rain. Snow was a big consideration when buying this car because even though I live in FL now, I intend on moving myself to a snowy climate. I read a lot about the older gens and the consensus seemed to be that with snow tires, the thing handles just fine. It isn't a 4x4, but it's light. Ground clearance was the main complaint.

You get what you negotiate. Such is life.

Hope this helps.

 

(5) I would suggest Bridgestone Blizzaks on a four corners for winters in Pittsburg

 

Test drive the ones you are interested in. We own a 2015 Fit EX-L with Navi and 2013 Prius C Three. In terms of MPG the overall average we are getting on the Prius C, eco mode on, is 60 mpg so significantly higher than EPA. On the Fit, eco mode on, we are averaging 36.7 with the Fit, so pretty much hitting that EPA highway number with mixed 99% urban driving. Both cars are driven approximately the exact same since we switch off cars almost daily.

We paid much less for our Prius C Three.. you have negotiating power with the pricing on that car wheras with the Fit you obviously do not. With the Prius C if Navigation, better sounding stock speakers, auto A/C, variable wipers, prettier (In my opinion, maybe not yours) fabric seats, and MPGs most of all (like you drive a lot) are very important features to you, these can all be had on lower trims for less money than the Fit, and almost all are not available on the Fit at all.

If a sunroof, real leather, auto headlights, bigger & slightly fancier touch screen, rear leg room, CARGO SPACE are more important, these can be head for less money on the Fit & real leather & more rear space not available at all on the Prius C.

In summary, depends on your needs. With a lot of driving the Prius C is truly amazing in the MPG department which should be why you are considering a hybrid anyway, you must drive enough to make it a savings. You can pay less for a similarly equipped Prius C vs. a Fit right now potentially since you can negotiate significantly below MSRP. Personally I love both cars for their own reasons. The Fit has a bit nicer feel, but we also went for the fully equipped one whereas our Prius C is more mid-range which is not fair to compare. If you have to have a sunroof or leather (or leatherISH) it will be cheaper to go with the Fit. So really all depends!

 

When I did calculations on the Prius C scenario using certain conservative assumptions on gas prices, I found that the savings in fuel was wiped out by the added sticker price of the car. So for the cost of fuel and owning the car I found Prius C to be equal to the Fit. But, if you have a Prius you will be driving a low-powered hybrid with no spunk.

In shopping for a car, above all, I wanted economy in total cost of ownership. That meant I was willing to buy a compact car and put up with the disadvantages that come with the compact class. Among compacts, my research showed no other car with better fuel cost (combined mpg and cost of car) and no other car in it's class get better reviews. Cost of ownership also includes reliability and how many repairs will be necessary. I have had really good experience with Honda's on that score.

Then there are a host of other factors that all make the Fit best in it's class. There are cars with lower sticker prices but not with all the features of the Fit. The lowest level trim, Fit LX, has all the features I really care about, like cruise control, power windows, decent audio system, remote locks, bluetooth. This little car feels really roomy and comfortable to me... in the end I didn't feel like I was compromising for economy but still I get have economy.

 

You're exactly right. A lot of people do not drive enough for a hybrid to make sense. You hit it on the head! But, of course, the more you drive the more cost savings there would be.

 

Not an issue for me (empty nester!). That said, the cargo room with rear seats down was a highly-weighted criteria in my selecting the Fit.

I picked up the car only today, so my sample is not of statistical relevance. The onboard computer is showing a shade over 40mpg so far (CVT, rural commute).

They had to drive the car from another dealer one State over (190 miles). From the time we closed the deal to today was less than a week.

Unknown. Been several decades since I was a student.

Mine has the Bridgestone all weathers. Plan to get an extra set of steel wheels with winter compound tires (central IL).

The dealer would not budge on MSRP, but gave me a very reasonable quote on my trade-in, plus free all-weather floor mats. I then decided to change from a manual to the CVT (based on the low gearing for the manual and the fact I do more highway driving), and they ponied up $300 of the difference in price.

I feel like I got a decent deal, given the fact the car is so new and still in short supply/high demand.

es

 

Thanks all for the inputs.

I ask about 45.1 inches rear hiproom as i do have five passengers once in a while and from 50+ inches to 45 inches seems like a 10% drop. What i dont understand is it so low just for the Fit (did they measure it differently)?

@amy_wilhelmina, m_x & Fat_man: I dont need the extras and hence I am considering the Fit LX Automatic model and Prius C Two. From my initial inquiries I have realized thet Prius C Two can be negotiated down to $19-19.5K (with destination fees), while Fit price cannot be negotiated and hence would cost $17K (with destination fees). I believe the extra $2-2.5K (not $4K) can be recovered in 5 year fuel savings and I believe more could be saved in the long run.
But the extra power and other features in the new Fit are compelling me to buy it. And its bit of struggle especially with the Honda dealers attitude due to high demand & low supply not helping much.

@Popeye: Wouldn't the winter tires kill mileage and if you change them each season, isn't it costly?

Here in Pittsburgh, I am being told the wait could be a few weeks/1 month or even longer for new Fit (which makes me again lean towards the Prius C)

 

41 MPG, calculated from the odometer divided by the gallons of fuel pumped. Unless you drive like a maniac or spend a lot of time idling, you will surely get the listed EPA ratings which are not embellished.

Check my signature for the hard data on MPG.

 

The Fit is fairly narrow, and that does make the back seat quite tight with three across. I think the measurement is low just because the Fit is not a large car...even though it can carry quite a bit and feels deceptively spacious. It's fine if you have kids or skinny adults, but otherwise it's really best to think of it as a four passenger car. If you try to get three heavy-set people in, you may not be able to close both the doors. (If you're really curious, just bring a tape measure to a couple of dealers and make your own measurements.)

The standard tires are all-seasons, and should be OK but not spectacular in someplace like Pittsburgh, where presumably they do maintain the roads some in the winter (e.g. plow and sand/salt them as needed). It worked out acceptably well for me in Vermont. That said, there are definitely better tires out there, and good dedicated winter tires will noticeably outperform any all-season tire in the bad stuff.

 

Thanks all for the info on the tires. Its a bit disappointing to not have good tires suited for the region on this great car and expensive to change them immediately on a new car.


The Fit maybe narrower compared to larger Sedans or cars in other size categories but it is not anymore narrower when compared to hatchbacks like Toyota Yaris, Prius C etc. Rather all other width dimensions such as the track width rear are all very comparable to other similar hatchbacks, hence was curious why is the only rear hiproom 10+% less than the competition (when the car does not taper off also)?

Also, Does anyone have better estimates to how long is it taking to deliver Fits if ordered now (in mid-September) - is there any good online resource for the inventory? As the closest dealer to my home does not have any estimates, and others in the city dont show any inventory online

 

I had a deposit in with a dealer for 3 weeks with no ETA. Just kept telling me they hadn't arrived in the state and he estimated late August (talked to him in the first week of July. Then I went on Cars.com and found the exact car I was looking for at a dealer 70 miles away. I went and bought it that weekend. He said it had been there since the second week of July, so I felt like the first dealer lied when he said there weren't any in the state.

See if you can expand your search on your own. You may just get lucky.

 

+1. scour the net on your own, you will find the car you want. f salesman and their grubby little fingers.

 

Thanks M_x and Rodney for suggesting Cars.com I do see inventory for the color and model interested but it in an adjacent state, I will wait a bit and see if something closer in my city/state is available. But this is a good way to check inventory. Is there any other website besides Cars.com to keep an eye on for inventory?

 

There is a student program for financing with Honda.
VIP Graduate Program and Student offer

Basically, they will give you $500 toward any 2014 or 2015 Honda if you finance it through them. You only need to put 5% down.

They also have a 0.9% financing for 24 to 36 months or 1.9% for 37 to 60 months , which is something all Honda buyers can take part in. (I took advantage of the 0.9% deal.) The offer is valid from 9/3/2014 through 11/3/2014. Good luck!

 

If you are paying cash, you will have to negotiate like the rest of us. However, 2015 Fit's are in short supply, so you may not have a lot of wiggle room. Realize that Honda would rather than you finance through them because they are getting your interest vs. making a cash deal. But if you look under the threads you may find some sage advice.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...-you-paid.html

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...lesperson.html

There have been people who have successfully negotiated under MSRP. One of them sent faxes to different dealers and was able to get a good deal. If you aren't as picky about the color or the trim level you may have better luck. The LX-MT's are harder to find and the blue, yellow and purple colors are more rare.

Also, cars.com is a good source of inventory, it's not the only one. You can also try CarGurus. There are some cars that are "in transit" and show up on these lists, but no one can predict when they will arrive at the dealership. Some cars are arriving at different local dealerships, but don't show on ANY of those lists.

I also found it helps to call around and ask. If you put down a deposit, you will be higher on the list to buy a car.

I found there are a lot of very helpful people in the forums, so don't hesitate to ask more questions! Good luck!

 

I own the new 2015 fit and all I can say is LOVE IT!
If you get heavy snow and want better all weather handling the Impreza with all wheel drive has big perks. That said, i still love my fit.

My best advice for getting a good deal is work on your trade in price. I got them to commit to what i wanted on my trade in and got far more than I would have going to war with my salesman and his manager for a few bucks.

The Prius C is a good car and you will get better mileage with it as it is a highbread The big problem with the C is it lacks cargo space. Its about the same size as a Mazda 2 which can hardly fit a decent road emergency kit and luggage for one if you still want to be able to use the back seats

 

@JFit123 ... For personal reasons I would pay in cash and not finance. It is frustrating that Honda promotes discounts for new graduates only if they finance and does not care if the graduate is ready to pay in cash. This is unlike Toyota who were ready to give a larger discount ($750 vs Honda's $500), with less paperwork (like recommendations) and also if the payment was in cash. It almost feels Honda/Honda dealers think such high of themselves that they will play by only what suits them.

As 2_Design_Is_Human suggested I would try out the new Subaru Impreza hatchback and then decide - i have not test driven it, so doing that at least once before deciding which new car to buy makes sense.

@2_Design_Is_Human, the one glaring thing i also noticed in the Prius C is the lack of cargo floorspace in the Prius C as compared to the Fit (that alone almost seems like a deal-breaker for the Prius C). I still don't understand how the Prius C has 17.1 cu. ft cargo space as compared to Honda Fit's 16.6 cu. ft?? - when on visual appearance Prius C's cargo space seems just half of that Honda Fit!

In any case I plan to wait a bit before making a decision, as i have managed to temporarily fix my old car (which unfortunately is old and has very little value for trade-in, so trading-in is not an option for me). Waiting a bit, will also hopefully help getting over the inventory shortage issue, and maybe give me a better chance in negotiating.

 

Sorry they didn't offer more for all cash transactions. I was debating between the Fit and the Prius C, but it seemed more cramped to me, had less cargo space and no rear camera. Even though the Prius C has better mpg (50 mpg vs. 35 mpg for the Fit), the cost difference payback would 10 years for me because I drive 8K/year. I also don't know about the Prius' cargo space; perhaps they took measurements differently, but it does look smaller to me. Best of luck and let us know what you finally decide.