2009 Honda Fit Sport: No-Brainer

I drew pretty much the same conclusions, Josh. The Soul is really nice--the interior quality is a lot better than the Fit's--but the Fit handles a bit better and makes the most out of its cargo space.
The Mazda3 was much nicer to drive than either one, but it would've cost me about $2500 more and couldn't touch the fuel economy of the Fit.

I'd probably have the Fiesta if we're talking about new cars, but given the choice, I would simply take my $15-18k to the used market. There are a lot of GTI's, Civic Si's, MS3's, and Mini's in that price range if you're willing to look for them.

There's a lot of examples of the magic seat in action on youtube; here's one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI0MOtbFAGI

Aren't the Yaris and Cube both cheaper than the Fit? The Yaris starts $3k cheaper. You can't play the cheaper card against the Mazda 3 and then not mention it against the Yaris.

I have to agree with sabastian here. During the whole CARS program i found myself with $15,000 grand or so and a need for a new car. The first car I looked at an drove was a Fit because I had hopes of leveraging a trade in and saving some money etc.. I ended up picking up a used 2009 MS3 for around $20,000. The problem is actually finding a Fit that you can get into for 15K. Most of the one I saw had NAV and other crap that brought them up closer to 17K or 18K.

@ compliance

The last time I sat in the back of a Yaris 5 door hatch, my skull was firmly butted against the roof. The Fit offended me in no such way. That and the Toyota's archaic 4 speed auto as the only available transmission, versus Honda's 5 speed auto or manual, are deal breakers for me. Nissan Cube is just a styling exercise. It gets worse mileage but doesn't carry more stuff. That sideswing rear door limits versatility.

I'm curious why the Hyundai Elantra Touring isn't mentioned.

Regarding the Fit vs. Soul, in Canada anyways the Soul is much cheaper then a comparably equipped Fit. Honda, like Nissan, Chevy and many others, advertises their vehicles starting at a really low price (ie $15k) but when you look to get options many would consider standard (ie AC) suddenly you're jumping into a higher price bracket. A few thousand may not look like much on paper, but for those of us who are in the market for a small vehicle that money is a huge deal - a deal breaker or maker in fact. I found that my Soul was the better value given the standard AC, bluetooth, USB/Aux, heated seats, heated mirrors, roof rack, steering wheel audio and cruise control, etc. I lose the gas mileage war, but I saved a lot on the vehicle. Kia's warranty is also better and the Soul doesn't have such a ghastly interior.

Anyways, thats just my 0.02. I know there are a lot of Fit maniacs who are out there who likely disagree. Honda has the brand name over Kia, after all.

I'm not saying the Yaris is as good as the Fit. I'm saying the Yaris is so much cheaper that no one should expect it to be as good as the Fit.

It's the same reasoning Josh is using when he compares the Fit to the Mazda 3. In that case price is an excuse for the Fit to not be as good. I think this also applies to the Yaris, but he makes no mention of the 20% difference in price. I looked up the price for the Cube too, and it splits the difference between the Fit and Yaris.

WHOA, the Fit for 15K is a piece of garbage. No cruise control, no map lights, etc. You're better off buying a second hand mid-size sedan. By the time you upgrade to the Fit Sport, you're in Mazda3 Territory.

If you're paying cash, that's one thing, but when I was looking to buy a new car (and my credit is excellent) , it was costlier to own a Fit than Mazda3 due to the financing. And simply put, the extra $1,000.00 you'd theoretically spend for a Mazda3 gets you a way, way, way, way, way nicer car.

The Fiesta is a much nicer car than the Fit- it lacks the magic seats but otherwise it's not even close.

The Yaris is a POS in every way.

The Cube is much nicer on the highway than the Fit, and has a much nicer interior.

WHOA, the Fit for 15K is a piece of garbage. No cruise control, no map lights, etc. You're better off buying a second hand mid-size sedan. By the time you upgrade to the Fit Sport, you're in Mazda3 Territory.

If you're paying cash, that's one thing, but when I was looking to buy a new car (and my credit is excellent) , it was costlier to own a Fit than Mazda3 due to the financing. And simply put, the extra $1,000.00 you'd theoretically spend for a Mazda3 gets you a way, way, way, way, way nicer car.

The Fiesta is a much nicer car than the Fit- it lacks the magic seats but otherwise it's not even close.

The Yaris is a POS in every way.

The Cube is much nicer on the highway than the Fit, and has a much nicer interior.

Thanks, Clicq.

SX4 for me, even the old one. And the new SX4 will be even better (based on our drive of the Kobayashi).

Suzuki is seems to be putting out some impressive stuff, and the 2010 SX4 would probably be my choice. However, what about the upcoming new Volkswagen Polo?

@SnakeDoctor

"(based on our drive of the Kobayashi)."

Wasn't Kobayaski something in Star Trek?

mike 7 -

It was on the bottom of the coffe mug in "The Usual Suspects".

Here's the Kobayashi I was thinking of.

http://www.startrek.com/imageuploads/200510/mov-002-koby-maru/320x240.jpg

I wasn't talking about a stripper 3 door Yaris. A comparable 5 door Fit costs about the same as a Fit. And it is not where near as comfortable.

edit: comparable 5 door yaris

I got to disagree with you Josh.

The Nissan Versa HB with a CVT transmission is quite a good competitor to the Fit. While the seats don't fold flat, the volume offered is still quite large. In addition, the Versa is quite a bit better on the highway.

Honestly I thought the Edmunds Long-Term test really dropped the ball a few years ago when they got the manual tranmission instead of the CVT.

Not that I'm a CR fanboy, but wasn't the Versa rated #1 on the "Least Reliable" chart today?

I've heard that the Versa's reliability is sketchy elsewhere, but I've never been able to pin down what the problems are. Did it get dinged in CR for actual mechanical problems, or are we talking about bad radio buttons here?

Oddly enough, IL's long-term Versa had no mechanical problems that I can remember, but their (original) long-term Fit's transmission committed seppuku.

On topic, I'd definitely take the Fit if I could get it decently equipped for around $15k. Which means that I'd be getting the Soul or SX4 instead. Although I also agree with the person who suggested the Elantra Touring -- it's big & roomy, and VERY well-equipped. With incentives, you could probably get the price close to that $15k mark...

The wife wants either the SX4 or a Soul.....I am leaning twords the SX4 but she likes the Soul......I keep telling her that no hamsters come with the car..............

I gotta say, even in the pre-owned and used markets (where I do my shopping), the Fit is still the best deal, even though it becomes the priciest option (thank you lack-of-depreciation). The Fit is a phenomenal product.

"Did it get dinged in CR for actual mechanical problems, or are we talking about bad radio buttons here?"

Exactly why I am not a CR fanboy.

@MikeO

We picked up our fit Sport for only a little over the FIT Base price so he's not far off the mark. you're not going to find a Mazda 3 for that price range with anywhere close to the features of the fit... and the Mazda3 won't retain it's value either. The $1000 difference you talk about will be made up in resale as the Mz3 will drop much quicker than the fit.

@Acbay

The Versa is a decent car but definitely not near the quality of the Fit. I traded a 3.5 Altima for the FIT. The CVT zaps power more than an auto and Nissan's manual trans has nothing on honda. Nissan Finance might get you a good rate but they are by far the WORST Auto finance company I have ever seen. It takes them 7-10 days Literally to stop Auto Withdrawal from an account. Honda financial takes about 30 seconds.

As for the yaris. good reliable car but less cargo room and, like every other toyota, much less fun to drive.

For the record, with over 3K mi. on the odo and less than 50 of it being highway, I'm averaging between 38 & 39mpg in the FIT.

I'd also recommend the Versa to someone who isn't interested in the Fit's sportiness -- a much higher level of overall refinement. It's definitely an underrated car, as the people who do the ratings don't like that it isn't fun.

And the poor Consumer Reports reliability rating applies only to the sedan (don't know what the difference is, but there has been a wide spread each year); the hatchback has been rated average. And there's no reason to get the sedan anyway -- less practicality for the same money.

@specboy: I agree that the Versa's 6 speed manual is rubbish, although I'm not sure what you mean by "The CVT zaps power more than an auto." I've driven the Versa HB in the manual, the 4sp auto, and the CVT variant. Despite weighing the heaviest, the CVT variant was by far the more preppy of the three, and I'm fairly certain its 0-60 time was better, maintained lower rpms at speed, and also harnessed the MR18DE's torque band much better than the 4sp auto or the manual... the impression I got was that Nissan probably developed the CVT & MR18DE with each other in mind, and then sort of found the 4sp auto & manual tranny from a supplier's catalog to keep costs low.

The Fit is a very good car - but in my experience, the rear seats are like wooden benches, and the "sportiness" is really a perception caused by the stiffer ride (bigger rims), and the tendency of certain Honda cars to let more road noise in the car. For actual econobox uses? The Fit & Versa are pretty much indistinguishable.

"the Soul doesn't have such a ghastly interior."

That interior for the Soul Sport version is an eyesore, with that cheapo looking bright red plastic everywhere. Give me the all black interior of the Fit Sport any day over the Soul. The Soul is also funky looking from the back of the car, something about it just doesn't seem right. It's a good first effort from Kia in the sub compact market, I'll give them that. Better than the Fit though, no way.

The soul feels and looks much better inside than the Fit. I don't care what anyone else says, everything right down to how the outside door handles are dampened, the Soul just feels better and more premium. Sliding into a Fit and you just KNOW how sparse it feels and how and "Inexpensive" it really is.

For once, I have to agree with cx7lover. Let's try not to let that happen again. . . (/irony)

"The soul feels and looks much better inside than the Fit. I don't care what anyone else says, everything right down to how the outside door handles are dampened, the Soul just feels better and more premium. Sliding into a Fit and you just KNOW how sparse it feels and how and "Inexpensive" it really is."

I agree. The Soul is also roomier inside. The Fit gets its space through gimmicks (ie folding bench seat) but the Soul is a larger vehicle to start with, so I find it overall more comfortable. You're further from your passenger at the shouders, and I can quite easily sit behind myself.

Regarding the Versa, I definitely don't feel the love for that car. I was pretty disappointed when I sat in it, as I didn't care for the layout/materials/feel of the cabin at all. Same with the Cube.

I'll add a point for the Versa, especially with the CVT. It's sold priced as a subcompact, but really it's more of a match for a compact. It's very good on the highway, has a bigger and stronger engine and it offers excellent passenger room (I'm 6-3 and I can sit behind myself in that car, something I can't even say for some midsize cars). If you want a cheap one, you can just opt for the 1.6L with the 5-speed manual, decent fuel economy but not much power... then again, the Fit also doesn't have much in the kind of power anyway (just because it's loud doesn't mean it's fast). In 2010, the CVT is also rated 28 MPG City and 34 MPG Highway, that's a match for the Fit, even better than the manual Fit. Only problem is that you have to take the higher trim of the Versa to get the CVT.

As for accusations that CVTs zap power... From everything I've seen and read, that is incorrect, CVTs, good CVTs mind you like the majority of the more recent ones, are much faster than traditional automatics. For example, Edmunds tested two Lancers 2008, one a manual (long-term) and the other a CVT, the manual did 0-60 in 8.8 seconds and the CVT did it in 9.1 seconds, while in those types of car a 1.0 second gap between manual and automatic is much more common, and the CVT had the same speed at the end of the quarter mile than the manual. The problem is that CVTs give the IMPRESSION that you aren't going fast due to the lack of a rising engine note, but that doesn't mean that the impression is true.

"The cabin materials are dime-store cheap, however, and Soul loses the fuel-economy fight too. "

As if the Fit's interior reminds one of a Lexus. Most vehicles under $20k have hard plasticky interiors. Fit is no exception. The Kia's interior certainly LOOKS better than that of the Fit but Sadlier is a Honda/BMW fan so objectivity is out the window. Those two can do no wrong in his eyes.

Regarding the Fit Sports "high price", Ive seen quite a few Kia Souls sticker over $20K and have yet to see any Fit Sport w/navi near $20k.

In terms of the interior design the Soul is obviously ahead of the Fit as it's design is more natural looking. Although I like the Fit Sport its interior design comes off very odd. In terms of materials they're pretty similar.

Then perhaps you've never seen a Fit Sport with navi at all. According to www.honda.com, base MSRP for the Fit Sport Navi with automatic is $19,820.

"Best econobox for around $15k? Honda Fit. No-brainer."

Agree completely. A pretty much unbeatable combination of fun, practicality and value.

Unless you drive on the freeway and enjoy being buzzzzzed to death.

I have had my Fit for 8 months, and bought it to be a grocery getter, nothing more. The more I drive it, (and average 38 + mpg in town), the more convinced I am that it is the best car I have ever owned, and that is a lot of them. Good handling, more than adequate power, roomy, comfortable and absolutely reliable.