Although the HRV has a larger engine, it is heavier and reviews indicate it under performs the Fit. The Civic HB has a poorly shaped hatch and roof and is not as roomy in the luggage department.

If my Fit can handle the heat and humidity of Nashville, your should be able to manage NYC. We just went through a spell of 100 plus heat index. Tint to the max of NYS laws, learn to adjust the AC controls. A frequent passenger takes over the controls and freezes me out ,,, recirculate, temp set at lowest, fan at 1 max 2. She turns fan to 4,

Snow tires … never use them, but if this poor Southern boy can learn to drive in our rare snow lesson in 6 inches … drive slow, what ever you do, do it slowly and avoid stopping on a hill is at all possible. (Unsolicited and unneeded advice) Step father from NJ and it was from him.

 

I found driving in the snow with the fit, ECON mode numbs the throttle and reduces slippage during take off.

I've only driven in a few inches of snow in the Fit and it did just as well as any other FWD car I've owned.

 

There is no point to discussing relative snow performance and excluding snow tires. Most wet performance, most ANY performance, is down to the tires, snow or not.


By all means, upgrade to a new car without hesitation as below, if you want ...
-- More ground clearance (HRV)
-- More power (Civic)
-- More A/C (Camaro)


But if you want it to be "good in the snow", realize any of those three will perform better with snow tires than the HRV without. Even the Camaro. 4WD helps go; tires help stop.

 

If you're one of the many people who have only the money to lease a car, then I acknowledge that the idea of paying for a 2nd set of tires on a car you'll give up in three years is unappealing, to say the least. If that's the case, check out the Subaru Crosstrek Touring. It comes with some boss all-seasons that should do really good in the snow, not quite snow tire levels, but way better than most AS. It will also have great A/C and plenty of ground clearance. It is not in any way fast, unless you are drag racing one of those horse carriages that ferry tourists around Charleston SC.

Don't go for the lower Crosstrek trim levels; they get junk tires. I researched this for my own purposes and was surprised I could effectively get the tires for free if you pay for the Touring instead of Premium. Haven't pulled the trigger yet but it's an option.

 

OP, I lived in Manhattan for 35 years, and I feel your pain about space. Not just for tires, but yourself!

 

I'm slowly changing part of the color of my interior, to a light beige.


Here's a pic of the Jazz in India. I think it's called "the premium". Note, no magic seats.

 

Just food for thought. The Subaru Foresters are nice . Living in the Bay area we used to take my girlfriends Forester when we go out before I got my Fit. Chinatown, San Francisco, Berkeley, Sacramento, parallel parking for me wasn't a big deal even without a backup camera given that hers is a 2011 model . We would even take it up to South Lake Tahoe on the 50 through the mountain both during the dry summers and the snowy winter no problem, we keep the M/S tires with moderate thread on all year around.

I understand wanting to stick with Honda. I had Civic Coupe before I recently got my Fit. Driving around in metropolitan areas my Fit handles like a breeze, the A pillar on the driver side up front and the C pillar in the back is a problem but I constantly scan and move my head around so I work around that blind spot . I haven't experienced anything other than dry days since I've gotten my Fit yet so I can't give any input beyond that .

 

The Forester is magnitudes bigger though. In our crazy world they call it a compact (I think), but it's a cow compared to a Fit.

 

yah, i too was looking at the forester XT a while back to replace. da only thing i dont like about the current forester is the kinda lacking infotainment system and the clear lens on the rear lamp. da rear lens is an easy fix (tint film) but the infotainment is going to be a pita.. regardless leagues better dan the GK but costs $38k or something so its expected to be nicer.

 

I owned an HR-V for a few months and quickly got rid of it after the toxic smell of interior glues and materials made myself and the rest of the family ill. The Mexican build quality was poor and very un-Honda-like. I have owned over a dozen Honda's in my lifetime and the HR-V was a huge disappointment. I now have a 17 Civic Si Coupe and love her a lot. I really like the Fit and once owned a 1st gen. The current Fit is really good but honestly the Civic Hatch makes it obsolete in terms of efficiency and performance. The Fit really needs the new generation of turbo'd engines. My Si easily achieves in the 40 mpgs. The Fit should be better. It is also not that big of a $$ stretch to get into a Civic Hatch. You get a higher quality car for not that much more and the hatch has a ton of room.As much as I love the Fit and would not mind owning one again, I would say go for the Civic.

 

 

If shopping automatics, how about a Hyundai Kona? Has all the things you mentioned, a better warranty, and no CVT transmission.

For all you Kia/Hyundai haters...they are ranked higher in reliability than Honda in every recent report that I've seen.

Of your choices though, I really like the Civic Hatchback. Great car for the money. HR-V will be OK once it gets a powertrain upgrade, but the current offering is just horrible.

 

 

I had a 2010 Fit Sport until the end of last October when someone ran a red light and my poor car was totaled. Loved that car! - had a bit under 60K miles. It was the first car I bought new, too. My previous car had been a Subaru Wagon and I did miss the AWD, but loved the magic seats of the Fit, so I bought a new 2017 HR-V in early November 2017.
A bit disappointed they are made in Mexico, since my Fit had been made in Japan. I thought the 3rd Gen Fits are built in Mexico as well??

However in contrast to fazzster's story, I have had absolutely no issues with odors or build quality. Fit and finish are fine. Love the new technology, back up camera, lane watch, Bluetooth that my old Fit did not have. I miss all the the cup-holders in the Fit. I also like the grey interior much better than the black of the Fit. The fabric seems to stay cleaner and doesn't attract dust and hairs like the Fit did.
I have rolled over 7000 miles and no problems yet. Although I have read of some early CVT failures on the 2016 models. I'm in Colorado, so the higher clearance and AWD are important. The HR-V does do better in snow than my Fit. I also needed the space inside to transport my shorter kayaks, rather than putting on a roof rack since I am a short woman.

 

We have a 2017 Civic HB Sport Touring in the family. Super fun to drive. But just so you know, the AC is just as weak as the Fit so don't assume bigger car = better AC.