Hello! This is my first post on this website, anyways I live in snowy Minnesota and I am getting my first car. I have the choice of getting the fit LX which is 17,000 or the Subaru Impreza Hatch for 20,000. I am honestly having trouble picking one. I will be putting winter tires on the car i'm getting in the winter. I like everything else on the Fit better than the subaru except that it doesn't have awd. I don't know whether i'll need the awd of the subaru since I am getting winter tires. Do you guys know how the Fit does in the snow with winter tires? I live in the twin cities where the roads are plowed pretty well. Suggestion guys?

 

First of all, GO PACK GO!

Secondly, I didn't even put snow tires on mine and it was fine this past winter. With that said, in past winters there were always a few days where I wished I had AWD, but not enough of them that I feel it would be a necessity. Granted, we probably don't get nearly as much snow as you and I will admit that up in your area it would probably be nice to have AWD. You'll have to weigh all the other pros and cons of each vehicle, after doing that you may be able to determine whether the AWD is the deciding factor for you. Good luck with your decision, they're both nice cars.

 

I loved my 2003 impreza (especially for trips to mn). But the newer impreza is much smaller in the back (I am 6'5" and my 7 year old wouldn't fit in a couple of years). So I had to go bigger and get the Fit. The extra mpg helps too

The Subaru is a tank. When you drive anywhere you'll feel safe as can be. If you don't have problems with the space in the back or care about the mpg being worse (though not horrible now a days) you can't go wrong with the Subaru.

 

I live in New York where winters could either hit hard or not at all. Last winter it hit hard. My fit came with the firestone fr740's and I decided to drive a bunch through snow.

Handled perfectly. I was on a completely snow covered highway with cars pulled over waiting for snow removers.... Not me I just plowed right through. Even on my local roads mushed with snow I was able to drive through easily.

I even named my fit "Snow" just because of how well it handled, and shes white

Some snow shots,LX CVT





This was a natural snow formed spoiler...lol

 

Not sure why it's a question, I would go with Subaru all the way.
Putting aside my bias because Honda sold me the shittiest car I've ever owned,
my wife went to the U for four years, and lived in the city. Are you parking on the street or in a garage? Will you use a block heater? The small motorcycle battery in this car probably wont last very long during the winter, nor would I count on the small motor being able to heat itself as well as the interior (via heater) up enough when it drops to -40's.
I'd agree you'd be fine with traction, obviously better with the subie, but I think you'd get stuck in slush and unplowed alleys/parking lots. That, and the horrid HVAC system in this car would probably not be able to handle clearing up the giant windows. Not sure, however, as I am currently suffering from lack of cold air (as I suppose you are right now, plus humidity) because the AC on this thing puts out "Almost Cool" air.
I'll be flying into Minnesota for one of her friend's wedding later this week. How's the weather?

 

You're right, the weather does get pretty cold and the subaru offers all weather capability. The subaru is a safer choice on the road and when it parked. The weather here has been pretty nice, 70-80s with not much humidity.

 

Nice pictures! I have a few questions. How does the A/C clear up the windows? Have you had any quality issues? This years new fit is made in Honda's new Mexico and I have heard of some problems. I can't have this when i'm driving in -30 weather.How's the ride quality? I hear that the fit is a little stiff when it comes to the ride and also how is the cabin noise on the highway? Thanks.

 

No question AWD will handle better in the snow but is there any reason you're comparing a $17K car with a $20K car? Assuming the Fit will handle the snow at least adequately, $20K will buy you a lot more features (leather, navigation maybe). How does that compare with the Subaru? Also, US News & World Report ranks the Fit #1 in "Affordable Small Cars". The Subaru Impreza ranks #20. I do like the Subaru but the Fit may jump to the lead when you compare similar price points and compare several online reviews. Good luck!

 

Obviously the subie is a safer choice, but it's really up to you. One thing to consider is that (in my opinion) snow tires are more important than awd. Awd will help your car get going by providing power to all 4 wheels depending on traction. But every car has 4 wheel braking, and every car has 4 wheel tires, so in terms of safely coming to a stop in an emergency situation, awd will not help like snow tires will. I think stopping ability is more important than starting ability, though if snow is keeping you from getting to work your boss may disagree.

That said, you said you're getting snows anyway, which is wise. The fit wheels are already super skinny so they can cut through snow pretty well. Being fwd, the cars also heaviest on the driven wheels (versus a rwd vehicle for example) so that helps traction too. I think that as long as plows regularly clear the streets around you and the issue doesn't become ground clearance, you'd be fine with snows on the fit. If you live in the boondocks like I do, and you don't have a spare SUV or awd car for an emergency, you might want to consider the Subaru just for peace of mind, even though it's more expensive from the get go and will likely be more expensive to own over the years as well.

 

I will chose saber for several reasons.

I is awe and it will make a noticeable difference with snow tires. snow tries are a must. AWD with bad tires are less safer than from wheel drive with snow tires. Also What are you looking in your car? The fit is a ok interior with a lot of space and in has a small foot print in the city so you can park in many places. Handling it is pretty good and it is nimble.

Both are in the third generation but in the saburu it began in 2012 so by now the problems might be solved whereas in the honda fit will still show up.

So what I will do is to by a saber impresa 2012 the most equipped and still have money extra for all the casualties or problems it might occur and with winter tires. Or if you are not in a hurry wait t next year it will be a mid refresh.

Both cars are top picks of consumer reports, so with either one you will be happy.


BTW i am amazed how cheep saber are in the USA, Here in mexico are like 10 thousands dollars more.

 

Hi, ive never had any issues with clearing up windows. Full blast to get rid serious condensation then 1 for steady maintenance. The only quality issue ive had was the a piller misaligned very slightly. Doesnt bother me nor does it affect my vision when driving.

I drove a 2000 jeep cherokee that bounced all over the road, and a 2012 camaro ss with a track suspension. Both were fun to drive in their respective manners...

...now the fits ride feels like a plush pillow to me. Maybe on the firmer side of a plush pillow, but I never bounce around like I did in the jeep, nor do I grip and feel the road as much as I do in the Camaro. Its honestly quite the relaxing and enjoyable medium in driving for me.

Highway driving with the Firestone fr 740s have been very smooth, even at speeds slightly excess of 100mph. With the cvt, cabin noise is not quiet above 90, but below and with music, the most you will hear is strong winds. ..
...on that note, there is occasional noticeable tram lining at speeds excess of 65 mph. It isnt too much a concern but it means that youll need your full attention to driving at these speeds...as you should already.

 

The subaru is the safe choice.

Previously I have owned a impreza 2.5i (2011) and a WRX (2011) and they both had exceptional build quality and function. The interiors were some of the worst I had ever seen in terms of design and features, but as a car they are very tough to beat. Versatile and practical, it is a rite of passage to own a Subaru around my neck of the woods. AWD + snow tires is a magical experience in winter driving but 90% of people certainly do not need both.

With that said, I have more fun driving my 2015 Fit LX 6MT. I would say it is even more fun than my WRX (though not nearly as fast/capable in that fashion). The fit is goofy, has lots more interior cargo room, boasts a beautifully designed interior in terms of form and function, loves to park in tight spots, and of course enjoys whipping around hard corners with that short wheel base (99.6'' compared to 104.1'' for the impreza).

My biggest complaints are lack of rear cup holders, not bottle holders, and the thing wanders pretty bad on the highway. It is a narrow vehicle so definitely not a deal-breaker but I really have to pay attention to keep it centered in the lane.

As for snow driving, I made it through the last 5 or so big snow storms with the stock FR740's without much issue at all. If the tread starts to show wear I will probably do a winter setup, but at this time I have no plans to.

Happy Shopping!

 

I second 1speedbike's opinions about winter tires vs. AWD.

AWD has one main advantage: better acceleration and hill-climbing ability on slippery roads. If you don't have steep hills that must be dealt with to get to or from the house, the Fit with winter tires will do just fine. Even then, the Fit's winter-tire hillclimbing abilities are quite decent.

Winter tires make a huge difference in traction under all conditions; braking and cornering as well as acceleration. Here's a video from a Canadian TV program that illustrates the difference in braking. The braking comparison runs from about 1:45 to 3:00 in the entire clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooDlVzdjc54

You can buy a lot of gas & winter tires with the $3K purchase-price savings by going for the Fit; not to mention the year-round fuel-economy, handling and braking benefits gained by not lugging around the added weight and friction of the AWD hardware.

 

Talk about a simple choice, the Fit is the easy winner.

First off you save money buying the Fit over the Subaru.

Second, as you drive the Fit you keep saving money over the Subaru which gets worse gas mileage.

If you lived in the hinterlands of Siberia with crap roads sure AWD makes sense. But you live in a civilized area and the Fit will do you nicely.

My guess, either choice you're going to be happy but personally the Fit just makes you smile more. $$$$$