However, if you are in the market for a more reliable and proven vehicle, Yaris is the car to get. 1NZFE and the 4 speed auto have been around for over a decade and have proven themselves to be exceptionally reliable around the world.

Fit, on the other hand, uses a new engine and CVT, both of which have a poor reliability record in other brands (e.g. direct injection sludge and carbon build up in BMWs).
Happy to have my 2012 Fit. It's the best of both worlds.

 

Between those two....Yaris please. Better looking, similar fuel economy, cheaper, proven.

Would simply keep my GE though.

Now watching this video, totally agree with the dude's assessment of the Fit's rear seats and you can clearly the magic seats no longer fold flat.

Ugh, that dude's voice is obnoxious.

 

I actually decided against a Yaris because after owning Toyotas and Hondas, the Honda interiors are nicer and last better in my opinion. I had been driving a corolla 4 speed for 12 years and couldn't take the monotony of that auto any more as great as it is. The magic seats were the other reason.

 

I was very disappointed with the Yaris I drove last month. The interior and materials really made me feel like I was driving a car that was from ten years ago.

Granted my GE isn't an Audi in interior refinements but I was really shocked at how bad the interior of the Yaris is. Driving dynamics was fine, nothing exciting.

 

I have a friend with a Yaris hatch that he let me drive. Granted the interior felt real cheap and was ugly to even look at but performance wise, I thought it was pretty decent. I was almost impressed (for what it is).

I can't compare it to my Fit because I don't beat on my cars.

 

So the 'new' Honda Fit with CVT and direct injection has a poor reliability record in other countries that it has been out in for a while?

 

He's saying CVT's/DI have historically had issues in other 'early' adopters' products.

 

Direct injection engine designs are prone to carbon buildup on the backs of the intake valves. It's been a common problem in BMWs, Audis and VWs. Was certainly an issue in my MKV GTi. They still haven't solved the issue.

The problem is that in a normal engine the fuel is injected into the airstream before it enters the cylinder, so additives in the fuel designed to keep the engine clean clear off carbon buildup from the backs of the intake valves.

With a direct injection, no fuel touches the back of the intake valves, so no cleaning products are going through it. This means you get carbon buildup on the backs of the valves, which over time results in reliability issues. Used to happen a lot with diesels. We'd spend forever in the shop cleaning out old diesels. But fuel quality, engine component quality and the way diesels get driven means it's less of an issue with them. Although they're still more prone to carbon buildup everywhere else.

They can be cleaned off. The best way is through a walnut blasting. But they're nowhere near as intrinsically reliable as valve injection.

And CVTs suck. Sorry, but they do. I hate them with a passion. They're awful to drive and the rubber bands are prone to wear and snapping.

 

I have a 1996 Toyota Tacoma pick up, 4 cyl & 4 speed auto trans. 198,000 miles and the trans still works great. Was surprised by this; didn't think it would last that long. Sometimes you wonder, hey, it's only a 4 speed, but less to go wrong than a 5-6-8 speed tranny.

 

It's the lisp. I can't watch it because of that. Too busy trying to listen to the lisp.

 

I take issue with the idea of comparing the reliability of a feature on a German car with a Honda and somehow relating that to this car.

 

I see your point.

But it's nothing to do with the manufacturer. It's an inherent property of direct injection engines. Toyota, Mitsi, Honda - they all have the carbonm buildup problem. The only DI cars I've ever owned have been Euros, so that was the example I gave. But you can Google for "x direct injection problems" and find people with carbon buildup.

I daresay that other DI engines don't have the other design faults the Golf has - cam followers, tensioner failure - but they still haven't solved the problem of carbon buildup.