Slow Cars - Slow Is The New Fast - Automobile Magazine

thoughtful discussion about "slow" cars.

 

It was a good read. Pretty much nailed how I feel about some slow cars.

 

That's why I love my Fit. Pushing a Fit is probably more fun that driving a really fast car slowly.

 

Good column. The Fit is definitely a fun car but sometime I wish for more power.

 

the fit is fun to drive, and some cars can be too fast, but to have power in the fit is much better than not having power. no way to justify its sluggishness

 

not sometimes. always. it's unfortunate there is only one properly developed power adder in the fit market.

 

The Fit never feels slow or underpowered to me. My daily commute starts in the deserted foothills of the mountains and takes me through the suburbs to the outskirts of Washington DC allowing me to experience everything from fast twisty mountain roads to empty highway to stop-go traffic. And in twenty months of driving it, my Fit has never once left me wishing I had spent my money on a "faster" car.

 

It feels slow to me whenever I'm going in a straight line :P As soon as I start turning though, I love the car.

 

I once "raced" a city police officer from stoplight to stoplight in a 4 speed '82 Escort! I would simply slip the clutch a bit and would beat him off the line every time for several blocks. As I didn't exceed the speed limit, I hadn't really done anything to break the law. Discretion being the better part of valor, I allowed him to pass me, where normally, if he'd been a civilian, I would have jumped from right lane to left, in order to make my upcoming turnoff! I also once completely frustrated the owner of a Mercedes-Benz, who couldn't believe that I kept beating him working through traffic, in spite of his vastly superior speeds. Slow cars (With sticks ONLY!) can be a LOT of FUN!!

'07 VBP Sport 5MT w/ minor appearance & comfort mods!!

 

I do believe excessive acceleration can be frown upon by the police even if you don't exceed the speed limit.

 

"I do believe excessive acceleration can be frown upon by the police even if you don't exceed the speed limit."

Trust me..with the Escort, there was NEVER excessive acceleration! :-)
'07 VBP Sport 5MT w/ minor appearance & comfort mods!!

 

for most commuting i dont feel the FitS is slow either. actually it's *just right*. no meaning having lots of power yet only use 10-20% during your commute..yet waste fuel.

 

You guys are complaining when you got 110 HP to play with? You got the wrong car I guess.

I have 82 HP from my Jazz and I think for most street driving duties it's just right. The only time it's overwhelmed is when fully laden and clambering up a steep hill road...or if you're driving beyond sane speeds on highways (the car and its L13A3 engine doesn't enjoy running past 90mph).

My racecar driver friend and instructor told me that the Fit isn't about power. It's about maintaining your momentum on track. He's right. Because the car doesn't make a lot of power, it'll expose how good you are as a driver. It's a great feeling knowing that the stuff you do behind the wheel matters much more than what you spent on the car.

Case in point:
I was just at Batangas Racing Circuit yesterday for the very first time. Technically my car is the slowest and least-powerful there on paper...and my initial time was 2:28.6.
With coaching and practice, by the end of the day I got my personal best of 2:20.8. Nothing changed on the car, just my driving. Best of all it'll only cost me the price of consumables.

 

Great article. I've had my GD for a couple months now and have no refers about buying the car. I knew it wasn't a fast car when I bought it, and there is nothing I can realistically do to run with evos.. I got the car because it's efficient and the 5mt keeps me entertained. I drove to Miami to buy some stereo stuff for my buddies altima because the stuff in the boxes wouldn't fit in his car, and bc I get better MPGs..

I love my Fit.

 

I also believe that the stigma attached to owning a "slow" car has eased considerably since the price of gas has eclipsed the $4.00/gallon mark. That an the fact that even entry level cars come fairly well equipped now. One of the things I love most about the Fit is that it always feels well engineered to me, not built to a price point.

 

i'm not complaining that the fit has 106hp, that was known from the beginning. i am pointing out, though, that the fit is in fact a very slow car. incredibly frustrating at times (like when i look at the garbage mpg i get) and lots of fun at others, like on the rare occasions where i get to drive it like a momentum car.

 

Been there, done that. Having once inherited a Ford Escort wagon, I just about doubled over when I saw Men in Black, and Will Smith referred to the official MIB car as a Ford POS. The Escort was the only car I've ever owned where I had to turn off the A/C to climb a hill.

About 6 months after we traded the Escort, I got a phone call from a LEO, informing me that a Ford Escort, last registered to me, had been stolen and recovered. I politely told him there was no way I wanted to see that turd again, to which he replied, "Damn, this always happens!"

 

I think you've been picking fights with people in the wrong cars is all. JFWY You seem to have had some unfortuneate experience driving in DC with your Fit. I get 40MPG like clockwork winter, spring, summer and fall. And have yet to be left in a situation where my first thought was "dammit this thing is just too damn slow!" What were you driving before the Fit?

 

na, i don't drag race anyone. i am definitely frustrated, though, with the poor mileage relative to how low performing an engine its got. you're fortunate to be getting 40mpg. i've been as low as 22mpg.

i suppose that a positive aspect to its slowness is that it's truly a no-lift sort of car.

 

Since my commute involves stop lights and traffic...the Fit never feels slow. The only time is does feel slow is when I drive to Colorado a couple times a year. Damn those long uphill sections are harsh.