I am new to the Forum and currently have a Vivd Blue Fit Sport M/T on order with a delivery of March 1. I have a project in Nashville, TN which will require that I commute from Northern Indiana approximately once a week. I have a 2006 Ford F-350 Dually crew cab that I use to haul equipment and tools to this project. It takes about $ 350.00 of diesel for the round trip to Nashville and back. My thought was that the Fit or Civic would have less than a one year payback in fuel savings and would pevent putting on more miles on the more expensive truck. There are many times when I don't have to haul anything except my laptop, gear bag, and my Labrador.

Have any of you used your Fits for extended frequent trips like this?? Roughly 500 miles each way. I am concerned that it may not be as comfortable as the Civic?? I am really split on this as I like the interior space of the Fit over the Civic(I'm 6'-0" tall) but I love the gadgets on the Civic to keep me entertained while driving. The Civic I spec'd had the Nav system wih XM radio. I have driven both and love them both for different reasons. I'm already on my 10th Honda so I don't need to be sold on the Honda Marque.

I am an old fart and I actually owned a Honda 600 coupe, if you can remember those. I see a lot of similarity in the lines of the Fit and the 600 or is this just the musings of an old fart??

Thanks in advance for any wisdom you can impart or experiences you have had traveling with your Fits.

Mike

 

I live about an hour north of Nashville. I faced a similar situation to what you describe; however, for different reasons. I'm 6'2" and am very comfortable in the Fit. I drive a fair amount for work and personal reasons. I have over 18,000 miles on my Fit. While I don't haul a Lab around, the Lab would be more comfortable in the fit (especially if it is a full-grown one.) The Fit is my 11th Honda automobile in the past 29 years (gee, dating myself??) I've also had two Honda motorcycles, and I have a Honda lawn mower.

The Civic intrigued me, as well. Personally, I don't care about the Nav system, as it seems to be a lot of $ for the value of it. But, if you are in a situation where you are in unfamiliar territory on a regular basis I could see the benefit. MapQuest gets me to where I need to go without any issues.

The Fit has a taller interior, for the dog. It also has a generous and more flexible seating arrangement.

I've had Accords, Civics, CRX's, CR-V's, and the Fit. The Fit is probably the most useful for its functionality of the bunch.

The Civic and Fit will get around the same gas mileage (I'm getting mid 30's at 75 mph on the interstate.)

The Fit Sport has a nice MP3 player stereo that sounds pretty darn good! The Fit is also "different" in that you don't see that many on the roads. Folks are asking me questions about it where ever I go (you could look at that as a plus or minus depending on your situation.)

You know full well that the Civic is a good car, too. I'm just sharing my thoughts.

What are you looking for in a Fit? I could possible locate one in this area!?!

 

in terms of use....the Fit is far more useful than the civic.....cargo space is GREAT! i too am 6' (6'1" to be exact). i dont drive nearly as far as you do (i do about 80 miles daily m-f) and ive taken the Fit to vegas and back few times and have been quite comfortable :)

the Sport is the way to go for creature comforts and gadgets....not much more but the MP3 stereo with mini-jack are cool and steering wheel mounted cruise is nice.

ive also test driven the new civic 4 doors before i bought the Fit. the new civics are a bit bigger inside. yes the ones with Nav are awesome too :)

tough choice....but in all honesty I LOVE MY FIT!!!

 

Thanks for your suggestions and ideas guys. My real concern is whether the Fit would beat you to death on this length of trip or will it ride as well as the Civic?? I have no doubt that this will be an excellent car for around town and it is a ball to drive. To bad I can't justify both???

 

Well, the fit will have a somewhat stiffer ride than the Civic. You can interpret this as either 'more sporty' or 'less plush', depending on your bias. I have taken it on a couple of 3+ hour trips fully loaded with 3 passengers in the car, 2 of whom are Camry owners. No complaints from any of them - the only negative comments were that it would be tough to put 3 passengers in the back because of the narrower width, and that there was a bit more road (NOT engine!) noise vs. the Camrys.

I think you'll be comfortable. My father, who is well past retirement age and also has an Accord, saw and drove my Fit. He liked it so much that he ordered one. As an added bonus, you'll feel a lot less old because the thing is so darned fun to drive!

 

I regularly make 300 miles trips, one-way. No problems. My daily commute is 30 miles one-way, and the road is in bad need of repair (they are doing interstate widening, one section complete, and one in the works) yet the part in between, where I travel is in bad shape. It would be difficult to travel in any vehicle (I-65 in Kentucky, Exit 2 to Exit 20, you'll see what I mean!!) But - the Fit, aside from this one stretch of road, rides quite well.

Good luck!

 

I'm 6'4" and I didnt fit comfortable into the civic so I couldn't even test drive one to know the ride difference :D

I fit near perfect in my Fit and I drive it a minimum of 100 miles, m-f. Usually more (my roundtrip work commute is 100 +/-). The ride on nasty roads isnt as bad as my last vehicle (92 dakota w/ 4 gas shocks and thats about it) so it was a deffinate improvement in my view.

And for the Lab... I'm sure he will love the interior of the Fit over the Civic, just cause he'll... dare I say it... fit better? :D

 

I have a 2007 Fit Sport AT & a 2007 Civic LX auto. I love them both. I have driven the Fit on 650 mile trips with no problem. The Civic is new with 1600 miles, but I'm headed on that same 650 mile trip next weekend. The Fit does have great functionality with the seats folded flat, but the Civic will probably be better on a long trip.

 

i would go for the fit, the ability to fold the rear seats up is perfect for dogs. since there's no transmission hump in the center, the dog can lay down comfortably and won't disturb any cargo you would want to stow in the hatch.

also, if you have a dog, get the all weather mats too... saves a bunch of time vacuuming... trust me ;)

 

me personally i would go with the civic in your situation.... I have a Fit Sport AT and my partner has an accord v6...when we go on longer trips we take the accord... Dont get me wrong I love my fit, more nimble handling more fun to drive... But on the highway it gets blown around a bit more and is less comfortable on long trips... I know the Civic is still one class down from the accord but you get the idea...

When I shopped for my fit, I test drove a civic as well and loved it, felt more substantial and I liked the interior better personally especially the sunroof... But my everyday roundtrip to and from work is less than 9 miles, the fit was more fun to drive, smaller which i like for easier parking, plus I got the Fit for around MSRP, which the Civic EX would costs a few grand more... I didnt finance the car so that chunk of change meant a lot... But If i had to regularly drive long distances I would have gotten the civic

 

I am 6' 2" and about 245 these days (need to shed some of that) and I am comfortable in the Fit. Honestly, I bought it site unseen and after signing the papers, I sat in it and my left leg felt a bit cramped and I thought "What the hell did I just do?" I even mentioned it to my salesman and he said they'd tear up the paperwork, but I loved the car so much I figured I'd give it a try. Other than not being able to straighten my legs, it is fine.

I bought mine for the same exact reason you want to. Well, close anyway. I drive about 40,000 miles a year now (The Fit just passed 24,000) and I was using my Element as my daily driver. Even at 20.5 mpg average, that was killing me (well, the business really) in fuel costs. I did a quick Excel spreadsheet and then plunked down a deposit the next day.

I don't drive long distance...I drive a lot of miles in a day and end up at home, right where I started. Many days that can be 230 miles or so, sometimes even more. It is no concern at all...I am completely comfortable. I added a Garmin and Sirius and I am good to go.

I have to say, if the Civic Si sedan had been out (or if I had known it was coming) there is a chance I would have gone that route. I'd love to have a Civic Si coupe, but with a 14 month old, that wasn't an option.

At the end of the day though, I am thrilled with my Fit. It only cost $15k, gets 34 mpg even with my lead foot and for its own reasons, may be my favorite Honda I have ever owned. Being that I still have my 97 del Sol VTEC and I have owned an S2000, a 2002 Civic Si and a couple other good Hondas, that is saying something!

 

[quote=wyy183;117068]I live about an hour north of Nashville. I faced a similar situation to what you describe; however, for different reasons. I'm 6'2" and am very comfortable in the Fit. I drive a fair amount for work and personal reasons. I have over 18,000 miles on my Fit. While I don't haul a Lab around, the Lab would be more comfortable in the fit (especially if it is a full-grown one.) The Fit is my 11th Honda automobile in the past 29 years (gee, dating myself??) I've also had two Honda motorcycles, and I have a Honda lawn mower.
[quote]

Warning - thread hijack. :eek:

I only have a little catching up to do! :D

In the last 16 years, I have owned 8 Honda cars, 3 bikes and yes, a lawnmower too.

My daily driver is the Fit (Sport 5 speed). I also still own my 2003 Element EX 4WD 5 speed (business delivery van), my 97 del Sol VTEC and a 98 Odyssey LX (bought that one for the business).

The retired include: 87 Civic Sedan (passed on to me by Grandmom, therefore it was the only other auto besides the Ody), 97 Civic EX (9 months, traded on the del Sol), 01 S2000 (best 4 wheeled toy ever), 02 Civic Si (practical, but needed bigger for the business so traded on the Element).

It's funny to think that I still have 50% of the Hondas I have ever owned. :)

The bikes were: 89 VTR 250 (Barbie Dream Bike), 94 CBR600 (my introduction to real bikes), and the only bike I ever bought new, a 98 VFR800.

Man...I miss my bikes. If business goes well this year, there will be a new one in the garage.

 

I would think driving on the highway it would be quieter in the Civic than the Fit.

 

i test drove both cars.. i think Fit handles better than Civic EX then Civic gives more quiet ride. Civics go faster than Fit,, then Fit feels spoitier.
civic is bigger car but Fit is more spacious than Civic exp cargo space.

And main reason i chose Fit ........ it looks darn "cute".. :p

 

Several of you have mentioned road noise with the Fit, is it very pronounced at highway speed?? Is it a function of tires or a lack of sound deadening materials?? Maybe that's why they put a 200 watt stereo in them?? LOL:)

Thanks for all of your suggestions and ideas so far, I really appreciate the input and the benifit of your experience.

Mike

 

I consistantly drive my Fit at 85 mph on the highway and road noise doesn't bother me.

I suppose my last few cars have had road noise issues. ;) I drove the Element all day today on Blizzaks...now there is road noise!

 

Mike,
I'm a newb to the site as well. So, welcome. :) It also seems like most of these people have answered some good questions. But, I figure I'll throw in my 2 cents.

I currently own a Civic EX Sedan, but I'm looking to get a Fit for my fiancee. I've test driven a sport and base model. I have to say, for longer trips, the Civic is a much smoother, quieter ride. The Fit definitely has some creative space though, so for your dog, that may be the better way to go.

I also have Navi, which is nice, but for the extra money you would save from buying a Fit, you could easily afford an after market system.

Since this is a Fit forum, I'm not going to try to sell you one way or the other. They both have their quirks, but for a longer trip, personally, I'd take the Civic. I'm sure there are some small enhancements you could do to the fit (better wheels, sound deadening) that may help road noise and ride quality. I'm sure these fine folks can help you out there.

Good luck in your choice!

 

No, it is not very pronounced. It is less than most, if not all, cars of its competiitors, except possibly the Versa, but it a bit more than the Civic. It certainly is much less than older hatchbacks in general (my first Honda was a 1980 Accord hatchback).

It's mostly road noise/tires, not engine noise. The engine is quieter than others in its class, especially when revved up, though again the Civic will probably be a bit quieter. Also, in general, a hatchback will have a bit more road noise than a sedan because the rear wheels are below the main compartment, rather than below the trunk where they are isolated from the passengers.

Most Honda's seem to have more road noise than their competitors, e.g. Accord vs. Camry, but the difference isn't much, and for me, the better Honda handling more than makes up for it. Not sure why, but I don't find it intrusive at all.

I think either one will make you happy. I needed a hatchback, so the Civic was out. I also found the Fit interior a better match (avoided the pun:rolleyes: ) for my body, especially the extra headroom.

The only thing I really miss is not having is a sunroof........

 

I too am considering both, even though I don't consider them to be equivalent cars (the Civic EX is obviously significantly more expensive). As an Element owner, I'm attracted to the utility of a Fit. But, as an Element owner who has given up creature comforts, the sunroof, nav, and relative quiet and comfort of the Civic attracts me as well.

After spending several weeks in New Zealand and seeing the Jazz everywhere, I was ready to order a Fit. But if you ask me today, I'd go for the Civic EX sedan, if for no other reason than the Civic's technology and design is 5 years newer than the Fit's, which is significant given Honda's pace of innovation. The fact that the Civic actually is rated for better highway MPG and roughly equivalent city MPG despite being larger and more powerful than the Fit is a pretty good demonstration of Honda's pace of technical evolution. The Civic also has lower emissions, if it makes any difference (ULEV-2 for Civic vs LEV-2 for the Fit).

While I love my Element, it was a parts bin exercise, and the drive-train was a very old one, which goes a long way to explain its atrocious MPG (~20). So living with the relatively antiquated technology of the Element's drive-train has pushed me towards the more modern Civic. Of course, whenever the re-designed Fit comes out, presumably in a couple years, the tables will certainly be turned. Timing obviously matters.

My $.02, but both are obviously superb choices.