2009 Vibe vs Honda Fit

vintagegz · Post by **vintagegz** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 8:57 pm

Took a look at the 2009 Honda Fit last night, an automatic Sport version. Parked side by side at the dealer I was surprised how close in overall size the two vehicles were, the Vibe having a taller nose that made it appear bigger. Overall we seem to have more interior room in the Vibe, the Fit has a better 'feel' in the steering that makes it seem more responsive, but the Fit is much lighter, noisier and cheaper inside. Ride quality is much better in the Vibe. The biggest plus for the Fit is the 'panoramic' front and side windows, you feel like you have a wide screen TV in front of you. The Vibe feels more solid and safe, the low side windows on the Fit make you wonder what would happen if someone crashed in the side of you, the Vibe seems safer with its higher doors. The rear folding seat is a nice touch in the Fit, but not that much better than the Vibe. Build quality was a major disappointment with the Fit, there were places in the wheel wells where the sealer had been left out of the seams on both sides at the back, water could get in to box sections and rust could form down the road. Doors seemed ( well, they were) very tiny on the Fit. Power wise there was not much once you were up to highway speed, would not want to try a passing manoeuver on a 2 lane highway. Overall I think we have made a better choice with the Vibe, though Pontiac closing down has been a blow. Just when they had a good product.... Oh and did I mention that at least at the domestic dealer you can get a deal, the Honda guys did not want to budge on price even on left over 2009 cars. Just my 2 cents worth

jammies · Post by **jammies** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 10:13 pm

My wife drove the Fit as well. I did not. When she returned from the test drive, I asked, " So how would you rate the Fit on a scale from one to ten." She said," a six." I replied, " So what would make it a ten?" She said, " It needs to be much quieter and much quicker." She was use to driving a V-6. Half joking I replied, "So what you need is a V-8 that get s 50 miles per gallon..." She said, " Exactly, where can we get one?" Indeed.The Fit is a bit of a mystery to me. It is relatively slow, and noisy. Like most sohc Hondas, they rev high, but lack the torque to get underway ( Although I have always been impressed in Honda's ability to extract ~ 100 hp/liter and sometimes more. ). Even the highway mpg falls below the Civic. I guess if you lived in a city, it would be an ideal choice for congested driving and limited parking. But then again, a Prius would 'fit' this niche too.I will take you word on build quality. After the test drive, the kibosh was on so we never persued the matter further.

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:18 pm

On pricing:1. Honda tends to get a premium for their reputation.2. Honda has not had to resort to the discounting and rebates typical of GM etc.3. We have been a little spoiled with the fire sales on most domestic makes. At full msrp I think the prices of the Honda Fit and the Vibe are in line with what you get. 4. Historically Honda's low maintenance costs and resale values have kept their total cost of ownership in line with domestics.

ou.grizzly · Post by **ou.grizzly** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:20 pm

Honda Fit is a tuna can and way underpowered. At least 4 average size adults 6'1" or so can fit comfortably in the Vibe and still have enough cargo room. Respectably, a FWD Nissan Rogue has more room/nicer interior, but MPG area little less that a Vibe or Honda Fit.

Harsh · Post by **Harsh** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:09 am

I think the vibe is a much nicer car for the money. You may get a little more for the Honda on resale, but if you are keeping it for the long haul go for the Vibe.

safooma · Post by **safooma** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 2:33 am

We test drove a fit too when shopping for new cars. We thought it was too small inside. The sales reps/dealer were aholes too, and wouldn't budge on price. In fact, we they didnt have any fits on the lot at the advertised base price. All the cars on the lot had options added that increased the price significantly. To get a base Fit they told us we would need to order it from the factory and wait 4- 8 weeks.We had a similar experience at the toyota dealer, only worse. They were literally saying that toyotas were the best and they didnt have to make deals. They wanted MSRP + a regional cost adjustment.We wound up telling both honda and toyota to kiss our arses and got a vibe from our local pontiac dealer. They bent over backwards for us and we wound up with a toyota that has a better than toyota warranty, cost about $5k less and was tons less headache and abuse at the dealer.

vintagegz · Post by **vintagegz** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 4:58 am

It sort of makes you wonder what car shopping is going to be like in the future when there are more import dealers, it will be 'this is the price, take it or leave it', that is the attitude I got at the Honda dealer last night, naturally I left it.

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:23 am

All of the people at Walthers GM in vernon were very nice... they wanted you to buy a car. One of the reasons I didn't even bother going to the honda dealer!

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:34 am

Absent an accident that destroys one, or a deal too good to pass up, I have at least 6 years before I will have any inclination to buy a new car. Wonder what the 2015 models will be like!

epcIII · Post by **epcIII** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:43 am

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly Â»At least 4 average size adults 6'1" or so can lol... that's a pretty tall average.

2009 Vibe vs Honda Fit

2009 Vibe vs Honda Fit

Re: 2009 Vibe vs Honda Fit (vintagegz)

Re: 2009 Vibe vs Honda Fit (jammies)

Re: (safooma)

Re: (star_deceiver)

Re: (ou.grizzly)