I have two kids (3 and 1) I am thinking about getting a FIT and I am also thinking about getting a Scion Xb. I know i am going to here that that xb is ugly but i don't care. I like the FIT because all the safety features and the extra cargo room in the back behind the rear seat. But I like the Xb because the great backseat room. The cargo room in the xb is lacking. I am leaning towards the FIT because of the cargo room. I figure that it will be at least a good 5 years or so before i would have to worry about backseat room. So What I want to know is for those that have kids which one is more important to you.

 

The FIT rear seat is more versatile for both people and cargo.

Your two kids are small and need carseats. As long as the rear seat takes the carseats then there is little difference between the two cars but when hauling cargo the FIT would be more flexible in adjusting for more or less space.

While both cars are not that powerful the FIT is much more fun to drive. The xB is more boxy and upright, it's comfortable but slugish.

xBs are really common and hardly unique, FITs are rare so far.

xBs have established car clubs in many areas while FITs hardly have clubs yet but soon more will get established.

While both cars appeal to a wide range of buyers, my friends tell me that the xB clubs are basically lots of younger people, not really much of a mix.

Safety wise I think the FIT is better equipted.

xBs have been out for awhile so demand is not that strong. Dealers in my area sell for MSRP. You don't have to wait long.

FITs are in short supply and prices vary widely. A disadvantage.

 

my brother is 6 feet tall and he sits in the back seat with about 10 inches between his knees and the front seat. but with kids that young you should really consider the size of the car, even though it has all these safety features it's still not as safe as an suv with less safety features

 

Fit has both! I have two kids also, 7 and 9 and there is plenty of back seat room for them (and a friend). The cargo space/MPG of the Fit just can't be beat and it was the big deciding factor with the Fit. Lotsa airbags seal the deal. Pop the back hatch on the Xb and you're underwhelmed (maybe four grocery bags?), pop the hatch on a Fit and your jaw drops in comparison (nearly as much cu.ft. space as the Honda Element). There are some fun 'what fits in your Fit' threads here.
Rear seat room on the fit is great and comfortable for adults. The kids will love it. As they get older those in-door cup holders might need some rules though!

Bottom line is, with the Fit, it is not an either/or question. You'll have both.

 

are you freaking kidding me? not as safe as an SUV with less safety features? will you please post data to support this dumb conclusion.

 

ok think about this: your 2700lbs fit T-boning a 5000lbs SUV compared to an SUV T-boning your fit. You rear-ending an SUV compared to an SUV rear-ending you. Or a head-on with one another.Which car would you want to be in? id want to be in the 5000 pound suv. this is pretty much common sense, the SUV is way bigger than your fit and the bumber is as high as where your head is, the suv has more mass than the fit, it's not going to feel the impact as much as the smaller mass car.
if you and a semi truck got into a collision would you rather be in your 6 airbag, braced door Honda Fit or would you wan to be in the semi truck with nothing more than a seat belt?

 

The xB doesn't have side-torso or side curtain airbags, even as an option. That took it off my list, even though I LOVE the xB. The xA is more similar to the Fit, but is even SMALLER in the back seat and back cargo area... it does offer side-curtain as an option, though.

The space in the back of the Fit is really surprising to folks when you open the hatch. :)

For me, comparing the xA, xB, Yaris, etc. the Fit won in nearly every aspect.

 

Comparing a semi and an SUV in a Fit crash is a bit skewed; whether you're in an SUV or a subcompact, if a semi is involved, we'd all be safter in a collision if we were the one in the semi; most SUV's would sustain damage in this type of crash, as well (damage that could lead to death).

Generally, a heavier SUV would have less damage than a lighter, smaller car if the two collided, but accidents have so many different variants that the safety factor of the two cars involved is relative, compared to the type of accident, the force and speed of the collison, and things of that nature.

I would think that having children in the back seat of a Fit is no less safe than having them in the back seat of a small sedan. Not everyone with children wants (or needs) an SUV.

 

first of all it is not common sense. you are talking about one scenario.

second of all, lets look at scenarios when SUVs are more dangerous. SUVs have higher center of gravity. therefore in a emergency lane change situation, it has a higher tendancy to flip. whereas the fit would probably not.

SUVs usually have longer stopping distances. trying to stop a 5000lb vehicle will take much more complex brakes. lets say the car in front of you slams on its brakes, an SUV will probably need much longer stopping distance. besides high end performance SUVs, most wont stop in time.

SUVs have more mass, hitting a stationary object like a tree or a lamp post, usually results in greater damage and destruction than smaller cars. force = mass x accel.
SUVs will impact with more force. more force will be transferred to the passengers.

yes SUVs may be safer than the Fit in some situations, but there is no doubt that SUVs are not safer in all situations.

its all relative. so therefore your conclusion that a SUV is safer is still dumb and biased.

 

of course SUVs arent always safer than a smaller car, and yes in a Fit you would be able to avoid accidents better than an SUV, but all im saying is what if you cant avoid a collision, would you be in a big suv or your fit? the fit is going to suffer a lot more damage than the suv. and with all the suv's out there on the road, your fit is not as safe as you think.

the force is gonna be transfered to the object not to the passengers, the car is not hitting the passengers so how would force be transfered to them? the only thing acting on the passenger is inertia, and that's where your car's crush zone and airbags come into play; how slow can they stop the passenger. thats where the fit beats the suv, it has a better crush zone and airbags than most suv's

 

oh, the thread jackery! Y'all can start another thread about SUV crash safety. This one's about kids, cargo, and passenger space.

 

sorry, well i think the fit is right for you, it has eveything youre looking for there is tons of room for cargo and lots of room for passengers best in its class

 

That's good news with my two kids!
As for SUVs, I haven't heard if they corrected the safety problem with them for crashing into other vehicles (bumper too high) or if had corrected so the same rules for safety apply to them (much lower safety standards than cars).
Braking and emergency handling are just as important as weight. There are some good safe choices for minivan (e.g. Honda), large cars (e.g. Avalon) or a car based SUVs (e.g. Pilot). But many SUVs are not good choices safety wise (1/3 of highway deaths were due to rollovers and most of them were SUVs). Check suvsafety.info if looking for one. If I lived in an area where everybody else was driving a big pickup, mini-van or a big SUV, then I probably would also get something similar - fortunately that plague has not hit where I live in full force and with the higher gas prices, hopefully never.