I'm looking at either a 2015 Fit or base 2015 Golf. Here are the pros and cons of the Fit:

Pros:
- Honda reliability (hopefully)
- versatility (in terms of seating configurations)

Cons:
- Underpowered
- Interior quality/materials feels cheaper than the Golf
- does not handle as well as the Golf

In terms of total cargo capacity, both are similar at 52 cuft. It's a matter of risk vs reward. I'm not sure if the Golf will turn out to be as reliable as the Fit. But the Golf definitely will put a bigger smile in my face, as it definitely is more satisfying to drive (much nicer interior, better handling performance). Is it worth the risk of potentially more trips to the mechanic (and possibly higher maintenance costs)?

 

I was going through the TrueDelta reliability ratings on the 2.5 Golf and thought this comment was hilarious:

The GTI looks like a nightmare compared to the basic Golf... you might be fine, or maybe not, seems like a crap shoot.

 

Timing chain broke only 2.5 years? Wow. Aren't the chains supposed to last the life of the engine if maintained properly?

Timing belts are a different story. I've had it broke on me two times on the same car! It was a 1984 Nissan 200 SX. That thing broke so many times it takes three repairs on the same item to fix it.

 

Maybe it was just the GTI golf that I drove but I hated it. Really stiff chassis, terrible rev hang between shifts, and noisy. When I would go over any ground that was uneven, the seals around the doors would start to creak. Not something that I would want in a new car. Didn't have these problems when I test drove the fit.

My driving style sounds much different than yours. You probably accelerate at a quick pace and try to push the car for fun. Fun to me is not having to work on my vehicles, comfortable ride (not stiff), and good fuel mileage. The GTI is pretty bad on fuel mileage when compared to the fit. I like the TDI motors but I hear they have a terrible time with the injectors needing early replacement and the money saved in fuel would never offset the extra cost compared to the base fit.

 

I disagree with "underpowered". I find the Fit has plenty of power to perform within reason. It won't win any races, but I definitely smile driving it.

Comparing the performance of a Fit to a Golf is a bit unfair given the potential difference in price. Compared to a Fiesta/Versa/Sonic/Rio I will take the Fits performance every day.

I personally didn't go for the Golf due to ownership costs.

 

Honda reliability

 

Here's how I looked at it:

Pros:
1) Small on the outside, big on the inside.
2) Loaded with features.
3) Perfectly matched engine.
4) Inexpensive as all get out.
5) It's purple.

Cons:
1) It's not a Pagani Huayra.

 

I looked at both and the main tipping points were reliability, resale and versatility in the Fits favour. Plus the Fit was $3k cheaper OTD.

There is no doubt the Fit is a slow car, but I have never been above 4k RPM and I've made it everywhere I set out to go. It gets on just fine. In fact, I find myself quite obsessed with the trip MPG meter haha.

 

There are car brands that aren't even an option for me. Volkswagen is one of them. There is NOTHING worth more trips to the mechanic.

It certainly isn't my '97 Acura GS-R, but I find the Fit is every bit as fun to drive. Then again, I enjoyed the heck out of my '65 Ford Falcon, '73 Super Beetle, and '90 four-cylinder Toyota 4WD truck.

 

Life doesn't begin until over 4k RPM with the L motors. I don't know how anyone gets anything accomplished putzing around in the bottom half of the "power"band, I couldn't do that even if I wanted to, traffic doesn't allow that around here anyway.

@ high 7 second 0-60 the Golf isn't exactly a screamer either, so I don't think you're missing anything in the power department, and the thing weighs over 3k lbs. Sure it has 40HP on the Fit, but it's also got an extra 500lbs to move around, which hurts everything.

 

I don't consider my 2015 Fit underpowered. I can accelerate uphill, and quickly pass, with impressive handling all while getting 40 MPG.

 

I would disagree with the "underpowered" comment as well. I got a speeding ticket my first week owning the Fit. When you floor it in the high RPM's the Fit will definitely put a smile on your face.

I test drove a 2014 Golf and just don't understand what people see in that car. The interior was bland, hard plastic; I found visibility to be an issue (a complaint I have with other VW I've driven, particularly the Jetta); it wasn't that powerful or fun to drive, I'd say the Mazda 3 was more so; it was significantly more expensive and less equipped; returns lower gas mileage; and despite the similar cargo volume, I can't imagine the space is very practical in real world use. One thing that particularly struck me about the Golf was the lack of usable storage in the interior. There was this compartment to the left of the steering wheel that looked too small for anything and a similarly tiny center console and glove box. Add to that my experience with the two POS VW's that my parents lease ('12 Jetta and '13 Passatt) and I would advise even my worst enemy to not buy anything from that company. Laundry list of problems that all required extended trips to the dealership, all in the first year or two of the cars' lives.

If you test drive the Fit, and sincerely don't like it or find it doesn't put a smile on your face, then don't buy it. But IMO, think twice about that Golf and look at the Mazda 3.

 

My '08 GTI was a far, far nicer car than my Fit. But we're talking quite a price gap. I've driven a 2.5 Golf and it was a good bit of fun. Again, a nicer car than the Fit. That being said, I have a Fit now and I would not trade it for a Golf. I like the superior mileage, lighter weight, and anticipate I won't have to work on it like I did my GTI, all on top of far better retention of value. If you want a Golf, buy used. They are a steal in that regard ... just be prepared to pay it back in repairs and upkeep.

 

As a 2000 Golf TDI owner, I think I can provide some perspective to this thread.

I just took delivery of a '15 Fit EX w/CVT a few days ago (still have my TDI as well). I drove a '15 Golf SEL about 2 months back when shopping. Wow! It's a great car. Typical VW solid road feel and handling. The Golf is built on the VW MQB platform as is some other VW and Audi cars. It is very solid. There is a night and day difference between my Golf and the new one. Of course, some of that is age. :-)

But, a comparably equipped Golf (to the EX or EX-L) would have been another $4k to $6k. The Fit has great space for it's size; not that much less than the Golf. Gas mileage is similar; the Fit gets better city MPG than the gas Golf but highway MPG is comparable.

I just wish that heated mirrors came standard on the EX. I didn't think I would miss them, but it was really rainy yesterday and I did need them. And, I am not in love with the touch screen controls right now. I am hoping I just need more time to get familiar with them. But I love the Lane Assist. And I didn't think I would like the CVT but it isn't too bad. I've only played with Sport/manual mode a little; I'm waiting for it to get more broken in before flogging it! :-)

Ideally, I think I would have preferred another Golf TDI but due to personal circumstances, I couldn't justify the additional $ right now. The Fit fills my needs just fine for now. I may end up passing this on to one of my kids in a couple of years and get something I really want. We'll see. It has only been a couple of days.

In the mean time, I hope to be hanging out here now and then.

 

I've never owned or driven a golf but the Golf TDI seems like a great car. I think any sports type car is gonna have more wear and tear than a regular grocery getter like the Fit. As far as grocery getters go, the Fit is king for sure though.

Definitely the VW is a more refined car. I'm pretty handy with tools so I don't mind having to do more tinkering. If you want something that'll basically never break down, go for the Fit. If you want more power and handling, the Golf.

 

I never have a need for more speed and the handling is very good. I was keeping up with some BMWs on the freeway and they got really tired of my little car popping up in front of them.

It's all about momentum, not engine.

 

I owned a 2010 gti. Loved that car so much, but my wallet did not. Thousands of dollars in post warranty "issues." I agree with the noisy comment above as well. My gti was 12k more than my fit and the fit definitely has less road noise.

The only thing I miss is busting onto the highway in the gti.

 

After owning a Jetta TDI, I'll stay clear of VW. As if all my other issues with that car were not bad enough, at around 100,000 miles, it starting having bad electrical problems with the doors locking at random, the alarm going off if you held the door open a bit too long and display issues.

The mileage was great though. I saved a lot driving to the mechanic.

 

This was my experience with a Golf TDI. I loved the car and the great mpg, but after about 40K miles it just got too expensive. The car left me stranded too many times, and every repair seemed to cost $1000.

As much as I like the looks and the reviews of the new Golf, I don't think I'd trust VW a second time.

 

Well, the good news is, we didn't make the mistake by buying a diesel again. European cars, to me, just have too many electrical problems too. It was the same with my European motorcycle. NEVER again!