Hello everyone. I've been lurking for a few days and decided to join. I see you aIl are very passionate and knowledgeable about your Fits.

I am hoping to buy a new car within a year and am seriously considering the Fit. I'm hoping to get some opinions from you experts. Being a huge Honda fan, it's not the quality that I am concerned about. Instead, It's the size and hatchback that is new for me.

I have never owned a car this small and I can't recall ever even sitting in a hatchback car. Any opinions on making the move to a vehicle like this would be greatly appreciated. Since this will be mainly a daily commuter car, I think the gas mileage and cost range are good.

Any words of wisdom about life in a small hatchback car?

 

I'd suggest going to try sitting in a Fit to get a feel for it. It really seems like a larger car on the inside than it looks on the outside, between the windshield being pretty far forward and the high roof and hatchback space. The biggest change from larger cars IMHO is that it's narrower on the inside, which mostly matters if you want to carry five people.

The Fit has about the best space utilization of any smaller car. It can carry four people in reasonable comfort, and it can swallow a whole lot of cargo with the seats down (much more easily than in a sedan).

One thing I did notice when I got my Fit, after having a Chevy Prizm (which is a rebadged Corolla), was that the visibility out the back was somewhat limited by the longer roof line. You don't get to see anything much beyond the grill and headlights of trucks that follow you, for instance. Visibility in general is pretty good when compared to contemporary cars, but frankly dismal compared to quite a few fifteen or twenty year old cars.

For my needs and wants, at least, I've found the Fit to be an excellent match.

 

Fit is a great city car. That is really where it shines. Easy to park, short turning radius. Like DrewE said, it hold a ton of stuff when back seats are folded down. Back seats fold flat - no other hatches in Fit's class can do that. The rear head rests can be moved down to where they don't obstruct the view thru the rear window. None of the other cars in Fit's class can do that - and they have a really poor view thru rear view mirror.

If you get a Fit with a MT trans, it has more "off the line" power than, say, a Hyundai Accent or Kia Rio with auto trans. Fits do well on the hiway. If you can drive around 65, you'll get over 40 MPG with no problem, especially with cruise control on. You just have to get used to driving the car. Hardest thing for me it that I still can't tell where the front of the car is, so I'm careful parking in front of those concrete parking curbs.

I hope you do get a Fit. You'll have it for a long time.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely check out the Fit closely when there are plenty at the dealerships and the initial rush is over. I briefly considered getting one in 2009 when we bought the wife her 2010 Civic EX-L. I decided against it Since it would also be the main family car and the one we would travel in.

But since mine will be used more for commuting, I am looking for something affordable with great gas mileage and long life. I was figuring this could be the perfect car for that. The Fit looks very promising.I certainly plan on keeping it for a long time.

 

not sure how big you and your family are, but for me, this car literally fits my family of 4 perfectly.
i can afford much more expensive cars, but i decided to get the fit. my '12 is my 3rd one even.

 

I'm about average size and usually have no more than four people in the car. I think the Fit should work for the majority of the time.

 

I, too, was a little apprehensive about the Fit's smaller size.

I'm no newcomer to a hatchback though, since I owned a hatchback back in the late 80's (and loved it), but with three children now (14, 12, 11) I was worried about them all fitting into the back seat together. And to my surprise, they "fit" (haha) just fine.

The test drive is what sold me on the Fit. I'm 6'-0" tall, and I have plenty of headroom while driving. The car is quiet and handles VERY well thanks to the placement of the engine. It's a peppy little car and the smaller size helps you navigate parking spaces with ease.

If you're only going to have 4 people in the car at most, I believe you'll be fine.

And like others have said, the gas mileage is great for a commuter car, and Honda went crazy with maximizing the space and storage in the Fit.

I think you'll be quite happy with it. I know I'm very happy with mine.

 

Dave - thanks for the feedback. I'm feeling better and better about this car becoming a future purchase for me. I have to say that I am very surprised (pleasantly) that you describe the Fit as quiet. I am a huge Honda fan, but my one big knock on their vehicles is that they have lots of road noise. In my opinion it is the area they most needed to improve.

 

You're welcome.

When I say "quiet" I mean in two ways: 1) I was surprised at how quiet the engine runs. While on the test drive, I really had to listen closely for any hint that the car didn't stall at a stop sign since it was running so quietly. 2) Interior noise while driving was very low, especially compared to my previous car ('99 Ford Contour). Even at highway speeds (65), it was a nice peaceful ride with minimal noise. The Fit even handles rougher roads and minor bumps quieter (thanks, I assume, to its suspension).

Not trying to convince you about buying a Fit, but definitely take one out for a test drive. THAT is what sold me and made me fall in love with this little car.

 

I am very happy to hear the positive feedback about the noise in this car. I hope these improvements will be made across their entire product line.

 

I'm not sure what everyone else's opinions are about the road noise in the Fit. I'm only speaking from my experience in my Fit and comparing it to previous cars I've owned or have driven (which include 1998 Mercury Tracer hatchback, the 1999 Ford Contour, 1998 Chrysler T&C minivan, 2000 Subaru Outback, 2004 Ford Explorer, 2010? Cadillac XTS, and a 2012 Ford Fiesta). Of all of those vehicles, I was surprised at how loud the drive was in the Cadillac (ironic since I figured it would be more "luxury" inside as far as noise). The other cars had your average or above average "loudness."

But the Fit, in comparison, is the quietest car I've ever been in. My wife will agree with me since she often falls asleep in the passenger seat while we're doing 55-70 mph down the highway (thanks to the low noise level and comfy seat). She has commented more than once at how quiet it is.

Good luck in your search and let us know how the test drive went!