I'm debating whether I should go for a 2008 Honda Fit, or a 2006-2008 Mazda3, both in manual transmission.
I'm not worried about power very much, but I want the car which will handle the best through the curves.

So my question is does the Fit handle better than the Mazda3?
And also, just as an opinion, which car do you think has better handling potential?

This has been on my mind for a very long time and I'm debating the two cars a lot.
The fuel economy of the Fit is very attractive and so is the size of the car. Help me decide! :confused:

 

Have you driven both? Thats probably the best way to find out which car feels better to you.

The mazda 3 to me, (and i'm saying this because the gti is significantly more expensive) one of the best sporty hatches on the market. Its actually, to the c class of cars (civics sentras and the like) what the fit is to b class cars (like the versa, yaris): the best handling and sporty of the bunch.

The biggest difference that you are going to notice between the two is the grip. The fit has a decent amount, but the thicker tires on the 17's of the 3, even with less than stellar tires, grip much harder. Sure some will argue that you can upgrade the rims/tires on the fit, but the same goes for the mazda.

The fit on the other hand, has better body roll control, and it feels a little more stifly sprung than the mazda. It has a more of a go kart feeling, which to many translates into good handling. It does not feel as stable as the 3 at high speeds, but its still capable.


As far as steering feel goes, the 3 and fit are very similar, they both have electronically asisted systems that have great feel. i think the mazdas helm is bit stiffer, the fits is more low effort. The steering on the fit however is quicker than the mazda, will less turns to go from one side to the other.


They are both great cars, and they excel in different areas.

 

Zoom Zoom vs. Fit Is Go?

From my own experience the stock Fit handles awesome! Even with the crappy stock tires I can take turns pretty quickly and feel relaxed. Steering is very responsive and when you turn you don't feel a heavy weight shift. So far I love the car's handling.

I'm keeping my car stock, but most people on this site tune their suspension, so I can only imagine how much better the Fit would handle.

My old roommate has a Mazda 3 hatch and it's super nice. Leather interior, navi, HID's... Only thing is that it does seem like it's a bit beefy and heavy. The Fit isn't super light either, but it handles like it is.

Check out these reviews:
Mazda 3
Mazda 3 - Road Test/Budget Rides/Car Shopping/Hot Lists/Reviews/Car and Driver - Car And Driver

Honda Fit
2008 Honda Fit Sport - Feature / 2008 Honda Fit / Fit / Honda / Buying Guide / Car and Driver - Car And Driver

 

Why are you comparing a giant FORD Focus to a Honda Fit???

C'mon! Find a real contender to compare it in handling like a Cooper S or a Yaris "TS" (the euro tuned one.) Just get the Fit over the 3! Easy as that...

 

Having just test driven them both in the last two weeks, the Fit wins hands down. The Fit is zippier, turns corners more smoothtly, and shifts like a dream; and there's something about the Mazda's interior cloth and dash design that just isn't as aesthetically pleasing.

 

I also test drive them both back to back before I bought my Fit last week. My official test was taking both of them in the same parking lot and scaring the crap out of the sales guy by playing like I was on an AutoX course. The Fit with the 15" sport alloys ($17K) completely dominated the Mazda 3 higher model (Think its touring, msrp was like $22000). I suspect the MS3 would be better though . I also suspect as the track gets longer and faster the Mazda 3 would catch up and eventually surpass.

 

^^^ That doesn't take the fact that you're buying a Ford Focus.

I'm pretty sure you could stiffen up the Fit and make it better than that cruddy Focus.

 

My mind is pretty much made up that I want to get the Honda Fit, but now I need to convince my dad that this is the right way to go because he doesn't seem to like the look of it, and no one I see daily likes the look of it either except me! My dad wants me to get a used Mazda3 but for the price of a decent one, I can get a brand new Fit with the $1000 eco rebate!

So far my arguments as to why the Fit is better than the Mazda3 are:
- Better mileage
- Smaller car :. easier to drive and park
- Better handling
- Cheaper to maintain and has Honda reliability
- Aftermarket parts are in abundance
- Bigger interior and more cargo room
- Cheaper price brand new
- Lighter curb weight
- Not as many on the road
- Most people who have come onto forums and asked the Fit vs 3 question ended up buying the Fit
- Mazda3 uses a Ford block but everything else is Mazda parts
- Fit is very forgiving and smooth when driving MT

Arguments used against the Fit and for the Mazda3 are:
- Less horsepower and slightly less horsepower per kg
- Fit is ugly? Not to me it ain't! But the 3 looks okay too.

And that's about it. So much more pluses than minuses for the Fit, so my mind is pretty much made up. Now to do the convincing!

Thanks a lot for your replies guys and gals! :vtec:

 

dude, please. if you knew your numbers, or anything about the global platform that its based on, you wouldn't have anything to say. The mazda 3 IS NOT A US SPEC FORD FOCUS, its the euro version which is a totally different car. It shares its underpinnings with the volvo s40, the c30(which interstingly enough, puts up handling and acceleration numbers equal to that of the mini cooper s, a car that you said he should be comparing the fit to) and the mazdaspeed 3(which blows everything in its class away.)

they both do different things well, but from an economy standpoint, the fit does take the cake. (mazdas are more expensive to service.)

The mazda 3 has a great platform, and if you read reviews on both cars, you'll see that they compete very well, and the mazda is slightly more upscale.


but all this 'its just a lame ford focus' crap is lame. Get your crap right, and stop being a honda fan boy and recognize what other automakers have done. I'm a huge honda fan, and i can acknowledge this, why can't you?:confused: its people like you (not the orginal poster, i'm talking to forpinks) who give the big 'h' a bad name, because you tout this ridiculous attitude of superiority of your car, with out any basis or investigation on other vehicles. get a life man.


to the op: if you like the way the fit looks; go for it. i love the way they both look, but if the emphasis is fun to drive, with a good dose of economy the fit is it.

 

Holy dramma. Guys just expressing his opinion. I’m not sure how you can put 3 paragraphs of personal flaming up on the guy for one short sentence. Calm down, this is the internets and its full of stuff that you will disapprove of.

 

none of what i said is personal flaming. the reason the internet is full of crap is because people want to let comments like 'its just a stupid xxxxxx' be treated as something legit to say. its not. if you are not going to back up your reasons for posting what you are posting, keep your un-based opinions to yourself.


those 3 'paragraphs' took like a minute to type, its no biggie. if you really want to get technical, the only 'personal' comments i made are about three sentences long...the rest is FACT.

 

I was going to get a Mazda3 hatchback the day we went to the dealership, but my dad said let's think about it more. On the way home we drove passed a Honda dealer and I threw out the Fit for a suggestion. I test drove it, we checked it out, and now I have one.

I coulda gotten a used Mazdaspeed3 which is probably fun as hell, but we're talkin' handling, not power, right? :b The Fit is way swifter, but trust me, if you go with the Mazda3, it's very good as well. For the size of the car it goes where you want it to go, but the fixture (if you don't know what this means, don't worry about it :p) of the Mazda3 felt weird compared to the Fit.

 

Want to convince your dad?? Let him take the Fit for a test drive! ;)

 

i agree, there is something about the driving position of the 3 that is odd...but then again, the fits is not really better, its just weird in a different way.

even if we are talking handling, the mazdaspeed3 is even more amazing.

that said, the fit holds its own, and the mere fact that it handles as good or better than most c class cars is a big testament for honda.

 

Haha the Fit's fixture isn't all that better either, but I drove an Acura Legend before that, and you know how you can just feel the brands when you sit down in the driver's seat? I felt right at home in the Fit compared to the Mazda3.

But yeah, the Mazda3 is great and if you go with that, no hate, no worries. I'm glad I didn't get one though, everyone in my area drives one now! Fits are still somewhat rare and I get the stares. :D

IF YOU GET THE MAZDASPEED3 EVEN BETTER! :)

Also I was really bummed at how weak the Fit was when I first gave it a whirl but there's plenty of power. I had so fun driving down the I-5 in the middle of the night going 80. :p

 

I have never been inside a 3 but i must say the Honda Fit's handling confuses me. It's true as someone posted earlier that it does lack the high-grip tires, during tight small turns (mess around in parking lot) the car seems to understeer quite regularly. But i've taken the Fit on some freeway transition curves and it seems that high speed cornering is very good.

I think with minor suspension upgrades such as a sway bar or springs the Fit can handle extremely well, the chassis IMO is good but it's the soft suspension that brings it down.

 

easily the fit. ive owned a mazda3 sedan and it just doesnt grip the corners like my fit does.

 

agreed. the suspension is not something i would describe as soft though, but i think its more of the nature of the torsion beam more so than suspension tuning.