In 2009, in response to all the high gas prices just before the crash, I bought a 2009 Fit Sport. I loved everything about that car except it being dog slow. It eventually caused an overreaction on my part and I traded it for a Civic Si, which still wasn't fast enough, then a 2014 Mustang GT (which was!) that my wife made me trade off for something softer and pusher ('15 Lincoln MKC) after having back surgery. Now, God help me, I'm thinking about going full circle. I'll probably wait another year so I'm not so upside down in the Lincoln. But I did enjoy that little car. And it's now got pretty much all the upscale features I like about my Lincoln. I guess it's still slow, though. But kids are getting more expensive and my commute hasn't changed. I put 35,000 miles +/- on my car a year. Anyone got any good comparisons between the previous gen and this one? Should I just wait for the next one? Any ideas when that'll be?

 

If you're putting 35k miles/56,300km/yr i think you should go for a quieter car. The Fit is certainly lacking in sound deadening. Consider a VW Golf, or a Mazda3 if you still want a compact.

You've had a '09 Fit, so what do you think has changed in your situation to want to go back to a small car with a small engine?

 

I agree with toronto boy. It's not changed all that much. I actually preferred my gen 1 fit in many ways. It was an old friend with a bonnet that had never been lifted, and so much room in the back that I could just pull into a campsite and not need a tent.

You've been all over in terms of cars, and you know what the fit is. It's not a mustang GT with a 5.0. It's a little car that gets great gas mileage and can probably carry a baker's dozen passengers if they don't mind sitting cheek to jowl. It's not a cadillac, nor is it a porsche. It's a fit, and for your average guy just trying to make ends meet while still taking his daughter and half her swim team to the next meet, it works.

 

Honestly if I had to do it all over again I would have bought a civic if it had the 1.5T available in it. But it early 2015 when my fiance's (now wife) car was falling apart, and the new civic turbo wasn't around yet. So if I had to buy a new commuter car today, it'd be the civic turbo. Has about 175+ HP, and still gets 40 MPG. More room and the hatchback is about as versatile.

 

Well, I had an '09 Sport, and I've had a '15 EX for two years now. I didn't find either to be "dog slow", but then, I've driven slow cars most of my life, and my expectations of a 92 cubic inch engine may be more realistic. The manual transmission probably helps make the most of the power the car does have.

The GK does have more luxury and safety features, and it's more stable in crosswinds, but it's very similar to the GE Fit. If you didn't care for the GE, I'm not sure you'll find the GK to be a whole lot different.

I've driven "entry level" cars my whole life, so I like both Fits, but my GE was far better in build quality and reliability than my GK has turned out to be. In fact, unless Honda comes up with a longer warranty, this will most likely be my last Honda product.

 

117 hp on the GE8 vs 130 hp for the GK5. That might not seem like much on paper, but I find the GK5 plenty quick for everyday driving.

While I have traditionally been a manual transmission advocate, on my GK5 I went with the CVT. Much wider gearing ratio on the CVT vs the manual so the engine is not screaming as much at highway speeds, and better fuel economy.

I test drove a GE8 with automatic just to see what the difference was between the previous-gen AT and the current CVT. The CVT is much smoother off the line, none of the surging that you get with a traditional automatic.

 

Yeah, the 2012 Si in stock trim that I traded for was Lexus quiet compared to my Fit. Then I went the typical Si owner route and screwed that up by adding all the expensive but not very effective go fast parts.

Eh, I can afford whatever but my inner tightwad just makes me feel like I'm spending too much on my commute. And I kind of miss a smaller, simpler car. I've been too nervous to do anything on either my Mustang or this Lincoln. Plus, I'm kinda regretful that I was a tad embarrassed of my last Fit. I'd moved into a big huge house in a gated neighborhood and kinda felt like "the help" pulling into my driveway.

Or could it just be that I don't keep cars long, lol?!?

 

Yeah, it may be the nostalgia of that time that I'm looking for..Who knows? The other reason I got my first Fit, and not like, say, a Prius, was price. It was our first foray into owning three cars, as we still keep around our 2002 CR-V we bought new. So we wanted to keep the total investment low. We put down $12k on it, lol. But our other Hondas have now been replaced w/ a Yukon XL and a Lincoln MKC so that went out the window. The MKC isn't terrible on gas but it adds up over time. I average 24 mpg in it.

 

I had a Civic as a rental once while I owned my last Fit and that influenced my decision to buy an Si. It seemed like such a better car at the time. But I immediately missed the ability to haul a bunch of stuff around.

 

I knew the Fit wouldn't be fast and at the time I thought I could deal with it. I think I'm a tad more patient, now. I drove nothing but Hondas for 13 yrs and I think I'm finally kinda missing it.

So quality is that bad? I'm usually pretty easy on cars. Even bad cars are usually trouble-free in my use.

I usually am the sucker that buys the Honda Care extended warranty because I drive so much, the base warranty goes out in a blink. I ignored the caution to protect the condenser from road debris in my GE Fit and sure enough, that's the repair that precipitated me ditching that car. They wanted $1k at the dealer so I just said "Gimme that Si, instead."

 

Oh, another reason I had the Fit on my mind was I got a Versa Note as a rental recently and while I didn't really care for it, it made me miss the virtues of the Fit. Simple, lots of space for stuff, fuel efficient.

 

Have you considered the new Civic hatchback? The 10th gen Civic much better car than the 9th gen, and the hatchback has a ton of space to haul stuff (and it won't struggle if you load it down unlike the Fit and its puny little engine). Plus its built in the UK, none of this Mexico built quality worries.

You probably owe it to yourself to test drive one before you decide on the Fit.

 

Did you not see that I mentioned a hatchback? It has as much the carrying capacity as a fit but not the versatility of the magic seat

 

Oh, my sides!

 

I remember full well the horrors of shoddily made British made cars decades ago, and the power of the labor unions there which totally destroyed the British car industry. To the day I die I would never buy any British made car, not even from a Honda factory there. And besides the civic hatchback has a really ugly rear end. Only someone who is blind could love it.

 

Yes, yes I did. After owning an Si, I just don't have much love for the Civic. It's just too boring for me. The new ones are an improvement but... I enjoyed the smallness of the Fit with the added versatility. Only thing I'm not in love with on the new Fit is the rear end. Looks much cheaper than the previous gen, IMHO. If I got another Civic, I'd have to get the Type R. And if I started thinking about Type R's, I'd probably just go buy another Mustang. I have a convoluted thought process.

I didn't start the thread to search for other alternatives. Rather to get impressions on what's changed for the better/worse from the GE to GK. I'm not a huge fan of any other current Honda except for maybe the Pilot, for some reason.

 

ive owned all 3 Fit gens and i can tell u dat between the GE AT (AT is that wat you had?) and GK CVT is a night day difference in performance. GE AT was a huge let down (the transmission) nothing like the GE MT i also had at the time.

the overall package has improved greatly on the current model, but the fit and finish is not that great as mine is from Honda mexico.

but at the end of the day, it isnt dat fast.. if ure looking for a fast hatch best u look elsewhere.

 

You can pick up a used Fiesta ST for less than 15K. Tons of 197HP turbo fun, a rather firm ride but I still get decent highway MPG.

I just bought a clean 2009 GE Sport 5MT today, lots of fun reving it up and very linear power vs the less than predicable turbo surges. This replaces our 2002 Odyssey van that was in need of $4300 leak fixing repairs.

I also have the 2015 GK CVT and it is pretty nice as a relatively quiet cruiser, but less engaging than the manuals for sure. It has been solid car, no issues, no build quality issues other than the splash shield coming loose twice and a little bumper sag gap.

 

From the OP's original post?
I can't tell what the OP's priorities are in a vehicle.
Speed?
Comfort?
Luxury?
Bell and Gadgets?

If you weren't happy with the speed of the 2009 Fit, I would imagine you eventually won't be happy with the speed of a new Fit.

Get and keep...what you want. But figure out first what you want.