How annoying is the lack of volume and tuning knobs on the 2015 Fit?
 

I am in the market for a Fit and trying to decide what model year to buy. The price is reasonable for a brand new 2015, but I'm worried that the lack of a volume and tuning knob will be really annoying down the road, even if it's only a minor inconvenience now. For instance, if the screen stops working after 10 years, does that mean I won't be able to change the radio station or adjust volume unless I get the screen replaced? Does the screen do anything else that's mandatory where it would need to be replaced no matter what?

Are there any other issues with the 2015?

As a follow up question, not sure if this should go in a different subject, but is there a list anywhere comparing the different model years or generations? If I could save $5k on a 2010 instead of a 2015, that might be worth it. But will I be missing out on a lot of nice features, technology, safety, etc? I know I can go through and read the specs of every model year and compare them for myself, but I'm not very knowledgeable and if a comparison already exists it would be very helpful.

Thanks in advance!

At first I thought it was annoying as well until I got used to them on the steering wheel. Now it doesn't bother me anymore.

I'd much rather have a '15 for styling alone.

OMG, I don't know why I didn't think about them being on the steering wheel. I've been driving a 98 Civic for the past 9 years, my first car, so I've never had them on the steering wheel. I forgot that it's standard on new cars now. That makes a HUGE difference. I was mostly concerned about the screen malfunctioning and then having no access to the radio or volume. Thank you!!!

Still looking for some advice on comparing model years though, if anyone can help me with that.

I traded in a 2010 FIT for my 2015 EX FIT. Go new.


You'll have the peace of mind with the warranty, and it's a much nicer car than the older FITS, IMO. The used ones with low mileage are selling for only a few thousand less than a brand new one.... It's a no-brainer, if you ask me.

I test drove a used Fit and liked it too, but ended up buying the new 2015.

I also use the steering wheel controls for volume control and changing music source while driving. Super easy. I've only missed having a knob in the console one time - at a fast food drive through. But that was mostly due to old habits.

Ride is much smoother in the 2015. Lots of other cool stuff that I've been glad to have too.

That's what I'm thinking. The price difference is really minimal. Plus I just found out that my credit union approved me for a 1.99% loan instead of the 2.99% I was originally pre-approved for, so now the extra amount won't be that much more per month.

:thumbups:

I'm hoping to test drive one today after work. Anything specific I should look out for? One thing I definitely want to do is drive it on the highway to see how bad the noise is.

I have the LX (so with volume knob), but actually use the steering wheel volume controls quite a lot. I never used those in my husband's car - they were oddly positioned, and I always ended up hitting the wrong button, but Honda did a nice job.

I do like having the physical Radio/Source buttons and use those much more often than the steering wheel one (like if I lose cell phone coverage and have to quickly switch from Bluetooth streaming audio to FM radio). Wish there was a proper Scan button too!

Use Thumb
 

My guess is that a very very small percentage of Fit owners use the dash volume control. a very slight movment of your left thumb accomplishes any audio task.

It's really annoying. Doubly so because if your passenger wants to change things, they can't do it either.

But you get used to it. Doesn't mean it's not annoying.

I loved my 2008 and 2012.

My 2015 is a great appliance that I would buy again. I respect it but do not love it like the others.

I find it easy on the wheel, and my usual passenger and I also find it simple on the screen. Lots of people have complained, but I don't know why. And I can barely change a light bulb.

No problem at all. The LX has them on the radio and on the steering wheel.

This is the website I have used to compare cars:

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/compare/

You can compare different years, makes, etc. Have fun!

I have a 2015 LX, and have only used the steering wheel for volume and tuning once - the reason is that the tuner on the steering wheel simply jumps to the next station that is in memory (for a total of six). Is this how it is supposed to work, or is something amiss with my steering wheel tuner??

Amen to that! That's one of several reasons that I went with the LX. There's no beating a real, physical volume and tuning knob.


I've had bad experiences with touchscreens before with them freezing or not acknowledging inputs. They look cool, but answer a question that nobody asked and are just another thing to go wrong.


Go with the LX. If you like the 2010 Fit, then the 2015 LX may be to your liking as well. It has much more standard equipment and is great value for the money

I use the steering wheel, not a problem. My girlfriend however uses the screen and she's amazing, she can make it do anything it needs to. But whenever I touch the screen I can't get it to do a thing. She claims that I am not a human being but a zombie.

I don't use the screen's radio controls. The steering wheel controls are infinitely more convenient. I thought I'd miss the dial too, but don't at all. The left and right arrows on the steering wheel are not for fine tuning (i.e. changing from 94.1 to 94.3 to 94.5 etc). Each time you press one of the arrows, it will change to the next (or preceding) preset station. If you press and hold an arrow, it will seek to the next available tunable station.

The only thing I wish it had on the steering wheel are fast forward and rewind buttons for the CD player (I thought they could have used those arrows for that while in CD mode, but they don't). I listen to CD Books and need to rewind periodically when my attention is take away from the book (you know, to concentrate on driving).

After a week of owning the car and already connecting my iPhone via Bluetooth I don't think I've touched the screen lol I've had it for over 6 months already. You can pretty much do everything from the steering wheel. Phone calls, change am/fm/pandora/ etc.

I'm fine with just using the steering wheel controls for radio. I do wish the on/off button was in a more traditional spot, like on the lower left hand side, and the audio 'source' window is too small on the display screen.

Ya know why? Because every.single.reviewer has whined about the slide/touch controls, and they keep say it has no other way to control anything, completely ignoring that the controls are on the steering wheel.