It has been ages since I've posted anything here, but I've been lurking on and off here ever since the first Fits reached the American market. I'm a big fan of small efficient cars. I came closest to buying a new Fit when the current generation came out in 2015. The car just struck me as a very logical choice to meet my needs. I'd probably be driving a Fit today except at the last minute a co-worker hooked me up with her dad who was a Ford salesman and he offered me an amazing deal on a Focus SE hatchback. While there are many things I love about my Focus, it has turned out to be a bit of a nightmare in terms of reliability and quality. There have been many fit and finish issues, recalls, and major transmission problems in only 25K miles.

I'd like to correct my mistake and buy a new car sometime in the coming year, and the 2018 Fit is high on my list of options. Two minor things that bothered me about the car back in 2015 - the fake plastic "vents" on the rear bumper, and the lack of a tuning knob on the stereo, have been fixed this year, and I also like the addition of Apple Car Play and the various safety systems. The problem, however, is that the more I read here the more I wonder if the Fit is going to be as much of a headache as my Focus has been. You guys and gals seem to post an awful lot of problems with your cars. I've had Japan-made Hondas and Toyotas in the past, and they've been pretty much bullet proof. I wonder if the same can be said about the Mexico-built Fit? I have a very low tolerance for rattles and buzzes inside my car, and if I'm at the shop with as many (or more?) mechanical problems with a new car as I am with my current car, my significant other is going to go nuts with "I told you to keep what you had!"

So... What do you guys and gals think? Is Fit > Focus?

 

I've sat in the new Focus. My take is that room was tight up front and also not much cargo capacity. Form over function.

The early GK5's suffered from various problems arising at the Celaya, Mexico plant: sagging front bumper, brake rotors that were not properly annealed, and a few others that escape me at the moment. Production was switched to Japan for the US market for 2016, and the Japanese Fits had less QC problems than the Mexican ones.

We're not seeing the transmission problems like Ford did with the Focus & Fiesta, but we're not clear on how reliable they are yet because we don't have that many examples with high miles. The CVT is probably a bigger question mark than the manual. It appears you don't want to overheat the CVT, say by towing a heavy load for extended periods, that will probably kill it. Oddly, the CVT's high gear is much higher than the manual, which means better fuel economy and the engine turning lower RPMs at freeway speeds.

Couple concerns with the GK5: Starters are known to die within warranty and sometimes just after the warranty expires, somewhat unusual for a Honda product. Also, the splash shield rear clips are an issue, with many people (including me) having those clips fall off just after a dealer oil change.

I'm on my second Fit - first one ('08 Sport) totaled by a red light runner at high speed. In my mind, the 3rd gen is a much nicer ride than the first gen, which was kinda harsh as far as ride quality and noise, but had more of that go-kart feel. Less go-kart feel in this gen, which you either love or hate. I do a lot of extended drives so I like this gen more, but that's just me.

 

I've had my 2018 Sport for just 2500K and while it's still new I've had no issues except for a couple of quirks with CarPlay. I'm very happy with how the car drives even compared to my my Civic Si.

I'm on (and have been on) a lot of car forums but I find that this one seems to have a large percentage of posters who only seem to come on here to complain about their Fit or look for solutions to problems. I think that skews things and makes the Fit appear less reliable than it is.

2018 is the 4th year of the 3rd generation Fit and if history is any indication, Honda most likely has any bugs sorted out. At least I hope so.

 

I have a 2008 Fit Sport manual transmission. I'm gearing up to replace it this spring with an automatic and I'm leaning heavily toward the 2018 Fit EX. I have not sat in one, but it is my understanding that it now has a volume knob, not a tuning knob. Can any 2018 owners confirm this? (I'm happy about the volume knob, a tuning knob is not a deal-breaker for me either way.)

Upthread someone mentioned the current Fit has less of a go-cart feel when driving. My 2008 manual transmission really is a fun car to drive. My husband has a 2011 Fit with an automatic transmission and it's not quite as zippy, but it still has plenty of pickup on the highway. At this point I'd like something a little more refined. I had a nasty bout with sciatica on my clutch leg this year. It's on the mend now, but after driving manual transmission most of my adult life, I'm over it.

 

We bought our '15 LX manual with about 44,000 miles on it, and it has proven perfectly reliable in these 11,000 miles or so since we bought it. Of course, can't comment on the previous owner's experience....perhaps they had all the "problems" that cropped up fixed by Honda and was over it and decided to trade it in? We've had 2 Ford's in my lifetime, and would not buy another based on previous experience. I should be open minded, beings as this is years later and the Focus is an entirely different car, but .....selling a car with engines well known to drop a valve seat into the engine and destroy it and not recall/fix/even acknowledge there is a problem is a joke. Google "Ford Focus SPI dropped valve seat" ....granted, it was an older Focus, but I had to scrap a perfectly good car because it dropped a valve seat, and repair/replacement was more than the car was worth (which happens, but this was a fairly unacknowledged problem.....Ford blew it, guess that what happens when you use leftover Escort engines for a newer car.
But ANYway, I'd have no qualms with a brand spanking new Fit, whatsoever. The new Focus hatches do look right nice, though B|

 

The 2018 EX has a volume knob, but not a tuning knob. Unless you're tuning to a pre-set station, you still have to use the touch screen, which means taking your eyes and your concentration off the road, and removing your gloves should you be wearing any.

 

Early 2015, 26k miles, no problems whatsoever.

 

2016 Honda Fit EX.
2 biggest disappointments so far?
Do not like the indirect TPMS system. I get way too many false alerts.
Do not like the wiper blades. Have fought drag and chatter since day one.

I can live with these two rather small problems.

General Comment.
Owned a Gen 2, 2010 Honda Fit, and I feel it was, while not as nicely appointed, tighter, better built.
Just the way it drove, and it did not have the tiny issues that seem to go along with the Gen 3.
Not unhappy with my purchase, but if I had to do it all over again? I might of just looked for a used Gen 2, in the best possible shape I could find. I think it's in many ways a better incarnation of The Honda Fit.

PS.
My 2016 was built in Japan.
I'm hoping that results in better reliability over the long haul.

 

i can say that the mexican GK i have (2016) is not at the level of the previous GD/GE's i had that were made in japan. i had warranty issues on it from day one.. driver side window glass nearly fell out of the door as it separated from the regulator assembly. LOL was a huge surprise for me. dealer fixed it though, replaced the entire assembly including glass. no issue since. but there are other minor issues with the car like poor fit and finish, vtc rattle, steering wheel not perfectly straight, etc.

but it's not a "mexico" thing. it is a honda problem. my autobahn GTI is made in mexico and it is flawless, near japanese car quality.. fit and finish is even better than their germany made Golf-R which i also own. im pleased with the VW's i have.. 10yrs ago i wouldnt have even imagined having a VW in my lineup.. with honda's poor quality trend the last 10yrs, ugly car designs, and no competitive fun cars i wanted (including acura), i just explored other brands. even seriously looked at the FocusRS. since i already had a STI (and since ford could not seem to fix some issue they were having with the RS's engine) decided to go the more sleeper/luxury interior route with the more production-matured R.

as for focus vs fit, i think the fit is a better car if you want to carry stuff.
i think the current civic looks pretty sharp. i recommend you check out the sport hatchback in MT.

 

Unique to this Fit car forum is that we are not "fanboys" or girls. If you have spent any time here you will clearly see that we will freely recommend alternatives to the Fit. Along with this is that many owners have bought other cars, including the Focus, or are coming from other cars, including the Focus. Search through this forum for these posts.

Specifically for the Focus, is Festiboi, who seems transgendered but actually both the husband and wife use the same ID. They moved from an early 2015 Fit with issues to a Focus. There was some hesitation in his/her move. He/she was a regular poster, even after they moved. Send him/her a private message. They are friendly. Numerous car comparisons await your discovery.

Apart from the early 2015 Fits which had teething issues, there have been only a few recalls. The lower splash shield is badly designed and is prone to dislodge while moving. Zip ties will fix the issue. Beware the sloppy Honda dealer oil change and this problem.

I have a 2016 manual Fit, Hecho en Mexico, with no issues other than mice bit into my rear seatbelt. I personally would not touch the CVT due to possible reliability issues, but more because they are boring to drive. I do not hesitate to recommend the Fit.

Before I bought the Fit I rented compact cars for a year, so tried near everything. The Focus is a nice car for electronics and amenities, important for the kids but not myself, but frankly I thought it was a claustrophobic. The Fit is a tardis and can haul some seriously large items. Just because you drive a compact car does not mean it has to feel like one.

 

Thanks for the replies and comments so far - keep them coming. You've all given me lots to think about.

I misspoke when I called it a "tuning" knob, I know it just controls the volume. I also freely admit that part of the reason I bought the Focus was that I was very impressed by it's style. I LOVE the way the car looks - especially with the 17 inch wheels and in Ford's bright Performance Blue color. But as many have pointed out, it is not as roomy or practical as the Fit would be. I have a hobby/side business of making and selling jewelry and fused glass, and I need to be able to haul my work to shows and sales. Currently I can move my work fairly well, but I have to make sure I sign up for sales where the table is included as it is difficult to haul a table and chair as well as my product in the Focus. I don't want to move up to a much bigger car or SUV - I'm just more comfortable driving small cars and I live in the city near a major college campus where big land yachts don't make much sense to me. Plus, most of my driving is just to and from work, to the store, and such, and I want the fuel economy that a small car offers.

I'd be looking at an EX with the CVT. I had a CVT in one of my former Toyotas, so I'm familiar with the pros and cons to them. From what I've read, Honda's CVT seems to be one of the better ones. I'm sure it would be better than the dual clutch automatic in the Focus. That has given most of the grief that I've had with the car.

Thanks!

 

Bargainguy - fellow Milwaukee guy here! I'm over on the east side, right next to UWM.

 

Ford, Quality is no longer Job 1:

International pressure mounts over Ford transmissions - Nova Scotia - CBC News

The Ford Focus is an absolute piece of crap according to many articles I've seen lately. And that's because of problems with the big stuff, double clutch transmissions and engines. The Ford owners only wish they could be like Honda owners, spending their days whining about splash shields, fit and finish (and not so much that any more) and other small stuff. Instead they get to spend their days on the phone asking the service department how much longer it will be before their replacement transmission gets in, or in the waiting room of a law firm waiting to discuss class action law suits.

 

Yup, and I'm near the fair park.

 

Pretty sure Festiboi went with a Sonic.

 

2017 LX MT with 5k miles and no problems. Still solid with no squeaks or rattles.

Mine was made in Mexico but as an other poster said, I wouldn't put too much stock. Back in 2015, the Mexican plant was brand new so I'm sure it had some QA issues to work out. By now, I'm sure those QA issues have been ironed out. And aren't cars built by robots now?

 

2015 6MT with 73k miles:
- recalls done at dealer:
*coil plugs @60k miles
*rusty door handle brackets all around at 60k miles

- also at dealer
*injector & part of fuel pipe replacement due to check engine light at 16k miles [under warranty]

Other than that, this little car never deserted me to the side of the road. The suspension feels more like a beat down corolla since 50k miles but still gets the job done. Clutch still perfect: motor pulls like it's new. I get those crazy rattles at cold startups daily due to a failed pin inside the VTC [many have this issue but not as bad as mine][there's an internal bulletin for that complete with replacement instructions for the VTC part] but I am out of warranty so I learned to tolerate.

I already have a rust spot on the roof close to the windshield, but a touch of cv joint grease keeps that under control. No other issues with paint.

In other words, I don't regret my purchase; will probably drive this car to the ground. But don't expect anything stellar in terms of fit and finish: it's Honda's cheapest Mexican offering.

In terms of maintenance, I do everything myself: oil changes for motor & tranny, brake fluid & wheels. Dealer visits were for recalls/check engine light only. I am still on the factory brakes; looks like I will be doing pads around 85k miles for the 1st time. I probably won't install new rotors since the stock ones have been evenly worn and have plenty of meat on them. I never had issues with front end disk warping; others did have warping issues.

Hope this helps!

 

Actually from what I recall back when, it was mentioned somewhere that because Mexican labor costs are so low the Fit plant would have less automation than Honda would put into say a US or Japanese factory where labor costs are very high in comparison. In my mind, if true, then that helped to explain why there were so many fit and finish problems when production started up.

And yes, there seems to be far fewer such issues now. Of course for that year the Fit was being manufactured in Japan the Mexico plant was turning out the HRV which I would think would have given them the chance to work out any remaining production line quality issues. Last time I looked at an HRV forum I just didn't see much in the way of complaints on assembly quality.

 

I like the way the Focus drives. It has a more European/solid feel than the new GK Fit to me. I don't care for the plastics and don't like the auto transmission in the Focus, but overall I think it's a more sporty/European experience. They have had a fair amount of problems though, so I can understand why your are considering moving on from it. I probably would as well.

At this point, I would bet the GK is a fairly reliable choice and is very economical with great use of space.

I'd recommend checking out the VW Golf. It has an even more sold/European feel than your focus, and seems to be more reliable. It's not as fuel efficient or makes as good of use of space as the Fit, but there's no comparison is driving enjoyment. Especially if you're shopping automatics. It still has a traditional automatic. No dry clutch or CVT junk that is annoying to some of us.

When it was time for the wife to get a new commuter, we shopped around and bought a Golf. Still have our Japanese built GD Fit. Nearing 200,000 trouble free, spirited fun driving miles. Not sure the Golf will do that, but not sure a new Fit would either.

If you're ok with a CVT, consider the Toyota Corolla iM as well. I believe it's one of the few non-Mexican built alternatives.

 

Thats just incredible to hear. Isn't Mexico's average daily wage $20? I understand that the Mexican government artificially keeps the minimum wage low so that it can remain competitive on the macro-economic stage, such as attracting foreign manufacturing investments. I guess their strategy is working.