Comments about "Fits and Starts" Autoweek Article

how is $18,000. 'cheap' for a little piece of carp? how much is a c? heck, i can get a camry for that.

 

I owned a 2010 Honda Fit prior to my current standard Prius.

For a small subcompact hatch? I have nothing bad to say about The Fit. Really, just about it's only weakness was that I discovered the grooves on the roof had a tendency to fill up if it was raining hard and they sometimes would dump water on you if you opened the door quickly.

I think The Fit, was one of those "cheap" vehicles that surprise you long term with just how good it really was. In other words, yes The Dash was hard plastic, but the layout and design, and IMO the gauges were beautiful.

The seats (at least in mine) were cloth, but comfortable and durable.

As Toyota moves The Prius forward with improved driving dynamics, I'd say that is something that The Fit excelled at. It was the quintessential "60 mph" sports car. The reality might be with the Fit's economical 4 cylinder engine you really might not be going that fast. BUT The Fit felt designed to give you a tossable "sports car" like feel, at "sane" -(and legal) driving speeds.

That all being said, Honda this is a first year redesign for these Fits. I've heard good and bad about them.

I don't know if this is lost in the new design, but something I liked about the Fit was with what seemed like an enormous windshield, and glass that surrounded you it actually had an AMC Pacer like feel. For one of the smallest vehicles on the road at any given time, the illusion that it gave you sitting in it, was that of having plenty of room. Credit Honda's designers for being able to create a "Large Feeling" in a small vehicle.

The design of the flat load floor, coupled with the fold up "Magic Seats" made The Fit one of the most versatile haulers I've ever owned. The Prius being larger, I think offers me as much hauling capacity...but The Fit as as a sub-compact is unparalleled in that regard.

But bottom line? I'm a fan of Honda Fit. I hope the new Fits, are as remarkable a product. But the jury is still out. They started building them in a newly opened plant in Mexico, and had some early Fit and Finish quality issues. I still monitor some of my old "Honda Fit" websites, and some long time Fit owners that "upgraded" to the New Fit, were either disappointed, or would eventually admit they missed their old Fit. So I'm not sure Honda has it as "right" with this generation Fit as they did with the previous. But much like with Prius, the competition had raised the bar in many areas of interior refinement and performance, and Honda had to respond in kind. This generation of Fit, has the ability to be equipped with a whole lot of electronic niceties, and interior refinements that the previous Generation simply did not have, and that the competition had gotten out ahead of Honda.

Even though people are likely to do it, I really don't compare my ownership of a Prius and my ownership of The Fit. It's very much IMO an Apples to Oranges comparison, even though people won't respect the differences.

The Prius easily trumps The Fit in the area The Prius is designed to do so.....fuel economy and emissions. As I get older and my desire to have a "Sports Car" like drive seemingly diminishes, The Prius's IMO quiet and smooth ride has it's own sets of benefits.
On a long road trip, I'd MUCH rather my Prius. A long drive in The Fit, would have you arrive much more tired, and having to stop a lot more for gasoline.

Even though I'm not familar with ownership of the latest incarnation of The Fit, if someone WAS in the market for a non-hybrid, compact hatchback I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the previous generation Fit.

I've always said, that had I not been coming to Prius, from a Honda Fit, I probably would of bought a Prius c, I like small vehicles.
But I also like change. The Prius c, in size and layout is very "Honda Fittish". So it's probably more valid to compare those two models specifically.

But I was afraid if I got the Prius c, that's exactly what I would be doing. And without the magic seats, and all the IMO brilliant and clever design aspects of the Honda Fit, I was kind of afraid over time the comparison between the two would not balance favorably. When I sat in a Prius c, it felt like sitting in a Honda Fit.....but not as good. And I didn't want that feeling or comparison going forward.

 

Was considering the Honda Fit for the longest time before I got my Prius recently at a heavy discount; it's a great little versatile and economic car, with handsome styling for a compact hatch and one of the highest MPG's you'll find in a regular gas engine. I would've been happy driving a Fit, but I'm relieved that I have my Prius, larger, more versatile (that extra length in cargo space helps, especially to sleep in), and superior reliability and gas mileage; I can easily see myself driving my Prius for over a decade, whereas I probably would've wanted to get rid of the smaller Fit as soon as I could...