Space shuttle, I mean, Honda Fit

[pianomansam]

http://www.motorportal.com/Hon...t.htmWhile I'm at it pecking off other cars in the Vibe's class, what does everyone think of the upcoming Honda Fit space shuttle? I think it looks horribly like a car version of the Element breadbox.

[jake75]

I was reading a car magazine the other day - can't remember which one- that had an article comparing 10 or so small sedans. The Honda FIT was rated best. The Caliber was about #7. I don't think the Vibe/Matrix was in that list. Perhaps it focused on new releases.

[MrRich]

Quote, originally posted by pianomansam »http://www.motorportal.com/Hon...t.htmWhile I'm at it pecking off other cars in the Vibe's class, what does everyone think of the upcoming Honda Fit space shuttle? I think it looks horribly like a car version of the Element breadbox. I don't think it is looks like the Element. It's great car, and very stylish. And by the way it is not in the Vibe's class."The Honda Fit, which goes on sale this month, has already received a number of major awards in other parts of the world. In Japan, it was named Car of the Year in 2002. It topped the J.D. Power survey for owner satisfaction in the UK in both 2004 and 2005."

[mcgusto82]

how cute. honda is entering the scale model world. what is that guys? a 1:12 or 1:18? i wonder if it comes with the hotwheels track set...

[GoLowDrew]

Quote, originally posted by pianomansam »http://www.motorportal.com/Hon...t.htmWhile I'm at it pecking off other cars in the Vibe's class, what does everyone think of the upcoming Honda Fit space shuttle? I think it looks horribly like a car version of the Element breadbox. Fit represent a new class and will do very well with gas now at $3.00 a gallon. Everyone is rushing to it. Chevy Aveo, Scion Xa, Nissan XXXX?, Toyota Yaris, Suzuki Aero, Kia, etc. I personally think they are a bit too small. The Fit will do very well with the vast aftermarket support. I think that is the next trend. The pimpin SUV/Trucks days are over.The Vibe/Civic/Corolla/Sentra size is about a what I feel comfortable with in a small car.

[MrRich]

Quote, originally posted by mcgusto82 »how cute. honda is entering the scale model world. what is that guys? a 1:12 or 1:18? i wonder if it comes with the hotwheels track set...Are you sure it is that small? Lets see:(1inch=25mm) VIBE vs. FITFront /Rear Headroom (mm) 1030/1011 vs. 1031/979 Front /Rear Legroom (mm) 1061/923 vs. 1064/856Front /Hiproom (mm) 1312/1214 vs. 1300/1296Cargo Volume(cu. ft./L)rear seats up 19.3/547 vs. 21.3/603Cargo Volume(cu. ft./L)rear seats down 54.1/1532 vs. 41.9/1186And also a video:http://www.edmunds.com/insidel...09810

[Cougar Vibe]

I'm all over this car...I'm hoping to buy a Fit Sport M/T in August/September. Other cars I'll be looking at will include the new Nissan Versa and maybe a Yaris sedan. Right now though, I'm really leaning towards the Fit.

[pianomansam]

Quote, originally posted by MrRich »And by the way it is not in the Vibe's class.I guess I got its class mixed up. Still, It might be stylish in some matters, somehow it doesn't seem to sit well with me. It kinda looks like the new Dodge cargo vans or the old Mitsubishi MPVs. It's too tall and way too narrow. If I'm going to get something smaller than the Vibe (and its class), I'd go REALLY small like the Yaris or Smartcar.

[Cougar Vibe]

I didn't think the Smart was certified yet for sale in N. America. Not to mention the fact that Smart is on the ropes, financially. My brother-in-law got laid off from Smart about a year ago, then was rehired with 1000's of others because Smart violated German worker laws, and then quit because of their financial position and the fact that he doesn't think they can compete now that Daimler and Audi are producing A-Klasse cars. I mean, why buy a Smart car when you can get a better performing, more torquey VW Lupo turbo diesel? Smart was a good idea when it was the original Fortwo , but once they started to develop models in well-estblished classes (Forfour, Roadster), they faced in uphill battle. Hell, the new Solstice-based Opel model is going to kill the Roadster, since both appeal at roughly the same price-point. Oh, now my brother-in-law works for Peugeot. He drives a very nice 607 Sport. Wish they'd come back to this country...

[JoeKat]

I love the Fit. It's like the Civic used to be 20 years ago, fun, reliable, economical, small transportation. I bet the Fit will be a hit.

[Psychobroker]

Cargo Volume(cu. ft./L)rear seats down 54.1/1532 vs. 41.9/1186That's a big difference.

[Sputnik]

Quote, originally posted by Cougar Vibe »I didn't think the Smart was certified yet for sale in N. America. Maybe its just in the US they aren't available because they're all over the place here in Ottawa.

[AZViking]

I thought I saw a "Smart" on the surface streets here in Phoenix about two weeks ago. I did a double-take because I thought it was just a fancy golf cart, but then I recognized it from the pics I've seen online.

[Sputnik]

I saw a Fit here in Ottawa on the Honda Dealer's lot. Its fugly. Funny, I never heard of it before reading a post here on genvibe.

[dmichaelson]

I'm really into the new Fit although I haven't seen one in person, maybe it'd be ugly. When I bought my Vibe the Vibe was physically on the large side of what I was looking for but I really liked (and still love) the Vibe/Matrix's flexibility: not too big or gas-hungry for one person or two people, can also seat 4 or 5 comfortably, is easy to load in lots of cargo, or any mixture of the above. In my opinion there isn't really any other good quality, economical car in the U.S. with those features (although there are lots in other countries).But it seems like the Fit will fit that bill just about as well for a lower price, and maybe even be a better driving experience if you read the Edmunds review. Also being able to fold the rear seats forward as well as down is pretty cool.

[GrayFox]

I saw a Fit today on my way back to work from lunch. It was parked at a resturant so I didn't get a really good look. It was a nice (as in AHHH MY EYES) blue and looked like it had a ground fx kit on or something. Heres the kicker, I thought it was a Aveo/Xa until I saw the front.These companies go "Hey look what (insert car manufactuer here) is doing! Lets do that!" Which is how they work, of course. That's why I like the Vibe so much, it's not like many other cars on the road. This all refers to looks and design which is purely subjective, so .... So long as Pontiac doesent rebage an Aveo and call it sporty, I won't be ashamed to drive a Pontiac. I must admit, out of the three mentioned (Fit/Aveo/Xa), the Fit does look good.... sort of Also at lunch I went to what my town calls a "Car Show" sponsored by a local bank. It's where every dealer and boat/tractor company brings merchandise and give good rates on stuff. I got free hot-dogs and registered for some stuff, oh and guess what.... the local Pontiac dealer didn't bring a Vibe Big Surprise

[Jahntassa]

The cargo area reminds me of a Rav4 or something..pretty spacious.Amusingly enough, you'll see more cars the size of the Fit internationally than not. I guess they're just trying to get their international offers on US Soil.

[GrayFox]

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »Amusingly enough, you'll see more cars the size of the Fit internationally than not. I guess they're just trying to get their international offers on US Soil.Yeah, here in America, we like our gas guzzling SUVs

[pianomansam]

That's changing REAL fast though.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »Amusingly enough, you'll see more cars the size of the Fit internationally than not. I guess they're just trying to get their international offers on US Soil.They don't have a lot of room to stretch out elsewhere in the world, so small is necessary. Plus, if people here want to *bleep* about fuel prices, go to Europe and they'll find they have no right to be complaining. Score another one for the small car. And I've also heard that in many places, you get taxed by engine displacement. You'll find plenty of cars with itty bitty 1.3L engines that Americans would just love to make fun of.Quote, originally posted by pianomansam »That's changing REAL fast though. I hope so. People may eventually come to the realization that they've been driving something that is far too excessive for their needs all these years "just because." Most people can probably be served just as well by a smaller, more efficient vehicle.Next time around, I'm downsizing, I think it makes sense to drive something smaller since I really have no need for anything big, nor can I afford it right now. So, here in a couple weeks when I go to trade, I'll be buying one of the small, rinky dink little cars in this segment. It won't be this car though!

[ColonelPanic]

Na, that won't be necessary.

[george]

I recently checked out a fit and to be honest thought the styling was amazing talked to the sales rep set up a test drive because all 4 sold in 2 days the first one in 4 hours hell the sport is only $15,720 with 40 miles mpg nice and the space inside beleive it or not was quite comfy and roomy " if you can call a compact rommy" lol but they moved the gas tank under the seats at the bottom of the car and it has a super low floor though out car really considered it ! UNTILL i drove it ,I was trying to give the car the benefit of the doubt before i drove that being it was smaller would make up the differnece in 100 hp to my GT but first big hill answered all my ?'s its a car for city commuters not peopel that like speed just not enough dispalcement no torque at all and did get to the 1114 mph top speed but took awhile so i just pulled over and let the salesman drive it back lol great car just not for peope who like to go fast all in all i'd recomend it for this one Besides they be around forever with those honda motors quality seemd real nice aswell

[ColonelPanic]

Get out! You mean they aren't fast, even with the 109 horsepower and the 105 pounds of torque? Man, that's crazy talk! So, the car just looks like a space going vessel? It will never leave earth's soil? Wow, am I ever disappointed. You can't really consider cars like the Fit, Yaris, Versa, Accent, Rio, xA, Aveo, whatever to be "high performance" machines. That isn't what they're there for. I have to say, if someone is considering one of the above because they think they'll be able to win some races, they're going to be in for a pretty big surprise. Kinda like someone going out and buying an Excursion because it will get great gas mileage. It just can't happen. It isn't rocket science, I'm sure the people buying these cars go into it knowing what the deal is with them... Just basic transportation at a reasonable cost. All of the new cars coming out in this segment are giving us some fresh alternatives to the typical econobox. While not fast, they're still far less of a penalty box than we've seen previously. You have to make sacrifices, but thankfully for these cars, you may not suffer as much now as you would have a decade or more ago in an "entry level" car. These cars are livable, even if they aren't going to run a quarter mile in 1.5 seconds at a zillion MPH or whatever.

[MrRich]

Quote, originally posted by george »I recently checked out a fit and to be honest thought the styling was amazing talked to the sales rep set up a test drive because all 4 sold in 2 days the first one in 4 hours hell the sport is only $15,720 with 40 miles mpg nice and the space inside beleive it or not was quite comfy and roomy " if you can call a compact rommy" lol but they moved the gas tank under the seats at the bottom of the car and it has a super low floor though out car really considered it ! UNTILL i drove it ,I was trying to give the car the benefit of the doubt before i drove that being it was smaller would make up the differnece in 100 hp to my GT but first big hill answered all my ?'s its a car for city commuters not peopel that like speed just not enough dispalcement no torque at all and did get to the 1114 mph top speed but took awhile so i just pulled over and let the salesman drive it back lol great car just not for peope who like to go fast all in all i'd recomend it for this one Besides they be around forever with those honda motors quality seemd real nice aswell Of course it is not a Vibe GT But the 0-60 time is the same as a base Vibe's. So I don't think it's that bad. And I'm with CP. These cars are economical and not race cars. But how I know the Honda afterparts, I am pretty sure you can make as fast as a Vibe GT.

[harryyiii]

The car weighs 2500 lbs (Vibe wights 2700#) and gets only 1-2 mpg more than the Vibe. It is a obese tiny car.

[MrRich]

Quote, originally posted by harryyiii »The car weighs 2500 lbs (Vibe wights 2700#) and gets only 1-2 mpg more than the Vibe. It is a obese tiny car.Well the Fit is only 2400lbs. And 300lbs is a lot.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by harryyiii »The car weighs 2500 lbs (Vibe wights 2700#) and gets only 1-2 mpg more than the Vibe. It is a obese tiny car.More than a couple, really. Depends on year and tranny of course, and as always YMMV! My 2003 base/automatic's window sticker I have in front of me shows 28/33, the base Fit/Auto gets 31/38. Getting 5 more out on the highway is a pretty significant improvement over what I have at least. It is interesting to point out about the Fit however, that this car doesn't do as good as its big brother at the pump...

[Mrizzle05]

Just saw my first one in person yesterday... all i can say isU G L Y!!!! they are like an aveo and a echo mixed.dont like at all and it had a funky spoiler and just yuk!

[new05vibeowner]

After I read the Car & Driver article a month or two with the econobox comparison, I thought the Fit was a cool little car. That is, until I saw it on a dealer's lot. Man, that thing is SMALL! It was parked next to an Element, and the Element looked as big as a Suburban in comparison.I do not want to even consider the result when a head-on collision occurs between a Fit and anything bigger. Wait, anything bigger? That would be EVERY other car on the road, save for a Yaris, a Versa, or an Aveo.I drive 30K a year, and like great gas mileage, but I'm not willing to literally put my life into my hands to save a couple of bucks at the pump.