I've had my '16 Fit LX cvt several months now - my only car and used mainly for short highway commute and local errands. BF has an older Transit Connect cargo, which I only drive when necessary. I love the space, though.

I haven't taken the Fit on multi-hour trips yet. But so far, I love it. My main gripe is wind noise and other noises on the highway.

I still obsess over other models that were on my short-list, though - mainly the Golf Sportwagen base trim.

 

My brother has a Golf R ....really fun car, but wasn't on my radar....considered a manual trans Kia Soul, but none to be found around here - had rented a loaded one when my old Focus self-destructed, was quite nice and funner than it looks....but am oh so glad I found my manual LX Fit....crazy about the car so far 😎

 

Ford Fiesta.

My original plan was to go to the Honda dealership first for the Fit and then across the street to the Ford dealership to check out the Fiesta. I never got across the street. After the test drive, I knew the Fit was the car for me.

A few weeks ago I rented a Fiesta for a 500 Mile road trip. I found the car to be a comfortable, good handling, high mpg (40 MPG) cruiser. I was impressed. The problem with the Fiesta is its lingering auto trans problems. If they ever correct it, and if I found myself looking for another car, I'd seriously consider the Fiesta.

 

I bought mine early, before the Fiesta ST would have been an option. So, my second choice was a Focus hatch Sport/SE, but only if I could get it with a manual.

I have never once regretted getting my Fit, which was one of the earliest in the whole Tampa/Clearwater/St. Petersburg area. Even if I had to get the CVT.

 

i bought the GK for my wife. the other option was a subaru impreza hatch and i was pretty happy going either way. ive owned 3 Fits before the GK so we were pretty happy with the versatility of the Fit and knew what we were getting into.

she likes her car, i took it out today to go to lunch with my wife. nice ride.

 

All the experienced auto journalists put the Fit at the top or nearly at the top so they did the shopping for me. The Hyundai Accent SE hatchback was a remote consideration, but it was a design that came out in 2012, which at that time I bought it for my son. I am happy with the Fit LX CVT. Getting 45-46 mpg on the open highway is a blessing. I expect to do a lot of vacationing in this car.

 

Kia Forte5
Hyundai Veloster manual
Nissan 370Z manual

 

One of my faves, looks-wise. Recently led my ma to a lightly-used '14 EX and she got it without giving me a heads-up to help her check it out first. I've driven it about 30 minutes and was surprisingly impressed by the interior, but need more time to assess its character, etc.

Do you prefer the '17 facelift or the pre-facelift looks?

Big factor for me, too.

 

More money: Mazda3 (smaller interior), VW Golf hatchback (much more expensive)
Same money: Nissan Versa Note (not as good handling)

We rented small cars for a year prior to purchase, so went through a lot of different cars. I found the Fit the best value for money for our family, and have not been disappointed. Nothing is perfect

 

Cars I was considering besides fit were Kia soul, mazda 3 hatch, civic hatch. Fit is cheapest one among them. and has a lot of personality. so I went with fit.

 

I looked at the Mazda 3 and Ford Focus. I took a rented Focus cross-country and found it to be very comfortable, but I felt the Fit was more my kind of car.

 

There is simply no other subcompact car come close to cargo and rear passager space. Even you step up to compact cars. There is still no competition. They say fit has similar rear leg room as midsize cars. There are certainly cars has less noise and less stiff suspention. but you have to give up the amazing cargo and interior space of fit.

 

I had a 2006 Impala. Traded it for the slightly used 2016 Fit EX. I knew I wanted it before I went to the dealer (saw it on their website). Was thinking about a new Nissan versa hatch or a used Ford hatchback or a Prius C. Read MANY reviews of all and decided I wanted the Fit. Didn't bother testing anything else. I have a 2001 Tundra and 2003 Camry so I can drive them in the winter storm months. I love getting 44 MPG in the Fit with a tailwind and still have 130 HP.

 

volkswagen golf (non gti), mazda 3 hatch were my other top choices.

golf was most fun to drive, and i like the interior and exterior styling best.

but the fit was cheaper than both by several thousand similarly equipped, got better gas mileage and more interior space. In most other areas fit was #2, not great but not bad.

although i read about some reliability issues with the fit, overall i still felt the fit would have the best reliability and combined with my general bias toward honda, pretty easily pushed me to the fit.

 

I only tested the 2016. Almost bought it. Don't know about the '17.

 

I briefly considered a Mazda.
But I have never owned a Mazda...and I guess I still have never owned a Mazda. But the product seemed nice.

In passing? The Nissan Versa...the somewhat less sporty looking Honda Fit lost ugly sister. Actually seems like a pretty good value.
You don't have the magic seats or the flat load floor...which actually IS a big deal to me. And most reviews say it doesn't offer the same level of sporty drive feel.
But if a serviceable, economic sub-compact hatch are your priorities? It appears to be a good value. If you squint....they are almost identical looking.
In the end? I just couldn't do it.

 

Great seeing everyone's "stories" - thanks!
I am surprised when i see them in my peripheral vision, and they seem like Fits! But yeah, no thanks...

 

When my GD3 got totaled last year - in the middle of winter, no less - it sent me scrambling looking for a vehicle, as I knew it would be awhile before the insurance kicked in.

First thought was another GD3. Problem is, with the money I had on hand (without insurance reimbursement), the only ones in my area were either really high-mileage or rebuilders. Didn't want a rebuilder, and while a high-mileage one didn't necessarily scare me off, I would at least want a well-maintained high-mileage one (like my old one, at 147K I was already on my 30th oil change), and couldn't find one.

Then I started looking at the Scion xB, the original one, not the bloated remake. I was underwhelmed. Plenty of room, but a different experience than the GD3. Kind of a boat in comparison, handling nowhere near as good, difficult to handle crosswinds, and underpowered, not to mention hard to find a low-mileage one. Pass.

So then I waited for the insurance $ to kick in. Once it did, I expanded my search to two Hondas - a '16 LX or the HR-V. I didn't like the HR-V. Way underpowered (144hp) for the 500 lb. extra weight compared to the Fit (130hp). The CVT seemed noisier and buzzier, and I didn't really need the extra room from the HR-V. So I started an internet search and had all the local Honda dealers bidding against each other for a '16 LX in Aegean Blue, CVT, no other options. And that's what I wound up with.

While all this was going on, I had a rental - Hyundai Veloster. Now that was a strange experience. The interior was really tight, the back seat and cargo area almost non-existent, and rear visibility the worst I've seen on a modern vehicle. The rear hatch had a strange design with kind of a peephole window that was further cut off by the rear seat head restraints. I got a sore neck from looking back so much because I didn't have enough real estate in the rear view mirror to actually see what was going on in back of me. The rest of the car was pleasant enough (if a little heavy-feeling), but one I would never consider owning for any reason.

 

so long story short wat did u end up with?

 

I had been after a Fit all along, but I had been strict about wanting the EX for the MT and moon roof.
Unfortunately, 2016 saw few manuals available. I finally scored one last Sept. 2100 miles only so far.

In 2016, I spent time looking at the Impreza Hatch. Subaru quit making a MT/moon roof combo the year before. Along with mileage that's not as good as the Fits, this fell off the list.

I looked at the Mazda 3. Hmm. I considered a Miata. Not practical whatsoever, as a daily driver. Fate intervened when the 2017 Fits came on to the market.

Looking forward to the first oil change in September.