I know that seems like a strange comparison but....
We’re looking for a car to replace our 2001 Toyota Echo. Tired of the windthrashing from trucks and the Wx and tin-can road noise but like the 31-32 mpg city/highway mileage.
We’ve settled on either an 09 Fit Sport Navi or a Kia Soul Denim. Ride-wise both cars seem comparable.
This is our analysis so far.
Fit pros:
•Better Mileage 32-34
•GPS (minor advantage)
•Nicer interior w/more useful storage capacity with the Magic seats.
Fit cons:
•Price $19670 before putting the console in
•No 0% financing (no financing deals period!)
•Driver seat seems a little tight for me 6’1”, 200 especially in the foot area.
•No Bluetooth without aftermarket add-on ($250-$350)
•Only one 12v plug. Need 70W for my computer and some more for a radar detector.
•Engine power seems a little off. Transmission had to down shift twice on some hills around here @ 70mph
Soul pros:
•Price $18945 w/0% for 3 years
•Longer warranty and 24/7 roadside assistance included
•More comfortable driving position
•Better power
•Cute (especially the Denim w/racing strip)
•Bluetooth built-in
•USB port easy to get to
•Two 12v power outlets
Soul cons:
•Gas mileage 25-28mpg
•Some engine noise (fixable with $200 aftermarket adds)
•Storage space not quite as useful
•225/45 r18 tires more expesive
•Aftermarket GPS (but then I can use it in my Santa Fe)
Can y’all see anything we’ve missed or should be considering differently?
What kind of price should we expect to pay for the Fit given it's the end of the year for 09's?
Thanks for your input!

 

dont forget cost of maintenance after 5 years. Also resale value. Not to mention the soul is a Kia.

I bet that car in 1 year would be worth about 10k.

 

coming from a toyota echo go with the soul Fit will be too entertaining a drive for a soulless person like yourself

 

look@ kbb.com or comparable sights.


i don't know how honda is with dealer incentives but i have a couple of friends that have gotten good deals on '08 cars b/c they were making room for '09s.

should apply to you as well but i'm not 100% on that.

as far as reliability kia's have improved in this area a lot since they first started but are they comparable yet? and a lemon is a lemon, whatever the badge.

as JDMchris mentioned, resale and true cost to own will be more telling.

as of right now they will only have estimates for the soul, so um

google is your friend.


keep in mind too, go with what YOU want b/c in 1 year whether it's suckass or kickass, it's what YOU want. don't get trapped in something your not 100% behind before you are stuck with it.

me, i'd take my fit over my ion any day. even though my ion had the 5speed just b/c my fit has EVERYTHING else i wanted and i didn't have to settle (well..exception for my bum knee)

cheers and good luck

 

Dude, lighten up! This is a car to go down the road not thrash around. I've been through my '69 Corvette/'63 Austin Healey 3000/Datsun Z-car stage.
BTW 142 hp is somewhat higher than the Fit and 18" wheels/tires w/4 wheel disc brakes will corner.

Sorry, I missed the pun.

 

well i think you should see what you are going to use the car for...

if you are hauling stuff around, drive pretty aggressively, drive a lot of local streets then get the fit.

but from your pros and cons..it seems that for a everyday driver, the soul might fit you better..since it has more conveniences. i.e. bluetooth, longer warranty, two 12v outlets, etc. and even your cons for the soul seems to be stuff you can fix since you mention about the gps, and the engine noise

regarding the tires and "useable" space in the soul..that all depends on your need. you only need the room if you actually use it. and obviously the tires will be more cuz its 18 inchers. but fyi, the 2009 fit's tires currently run at pretty high priced themselves, even though they are only 16 inches...the tire size on the fit is kinda weird and not many places carry it...but i think that will change over time.

just my .02

 

I'm of the opinion that the soul looks pretty stupid, and the fact that the higher end model runs on 17's I think is stupid...just thinking about the cost of tires for an "entry level" car is kind of silly. Of course this is just my opinion.

 

The Soul was on my short list when I was looking for a new car. I actually never even test drove it. It got removed from my list based on resale value. Great warranty on the Kia, but I would rather have the Fit and not have to use my warranty and road side assistance that you will likely need to use with the Kia. The Kia also has timing belt vs a timing chain for the fit. The Kia does have rear disc brakes.

 

Just my opinion, but if I take the time & thought to build a pro/con list and my pro list has 3 items for one option, and the other has 8, and the con's aren't significantly different I think my decision has been made.

Your view is very different from mine, maybe your needs are too, and my list would certainly be different, but it would seem in your list-building you're leaning hard toward the Kia for the reasons stated. If you didn't list Honda's quality on your Fit pro list, not sure anyone here is going to alter your view. Plus if I make a list like this, and go against my own analysis it never ends well. I'm sure you'll enjoy the Kia, the reviews have been pretty good.

Good luck...

 

Just to help. I'm 6'6" and I have no problems "fitting" even on a long trip. Also If you don't get the auto w/nav the car is same price or less. Spend the $200 you were going to spend on sound deadening for a garmin. Enjoy

 

I vote go with the Soul because I hate the new Fit.... j/k

I think most people on here are going to say go with the Fit, you are on a Fit forum. Have you posted this same question on a Kia Soul forum? Is there even such a thing as a Kia enthusiast? lol

Personally, I don't like Kia's because it just seems more obvious where they cut back to keep the price down. And (correct me if I'm wrong) but lower RPMs in the Fit at 70MPH gives you the higher MPG, so in turn you'll have to down shift on hills. Where in the Soul you're probably running about 800RPM higher in top gear so you won't have to down shift on the same hills. To me, a little gear shift is worth ++++MPG.

 

The Soul is kind of ugly. I would lean towards the Nissan Cube over it. (which is also ugly)

 

I don't own a Fit; my gf does. So not as much bias coming from me here...

To alleviate some of your Fit cons:
•No Bluetooth without aftermarket add-on ($250-$350) - Maybe this is more of a necessity to you than to me. I'm absolutely fine with my <$50 BT headset.
•Only one 12v plug. Need 70W for my computer and some more for a radar detector. - They sell splitters for the 12v plug, or you can wire your detector to the fuse box on the driver's side to get power there while saving you some room on the dash with less wires.
•Engine power seems a little off. Transmission had to down shift twice on some hills around here @ 70mph - When I drive her '09 AT, I have no problem going up hills or over-passing slower cars. Sure, sometimes you need to downshift two gears, but that's where you find the engine's sweet spot in the power band.

To add a few more pros to the Fit from my p.o.v.:
- The mileage we got during my driving (city and road trip) were as low as 30mpg (mostly city) and 42mpg (road trip) all calculated. Mixed is about 33 mpg.
- Storage galore and cup holders!
- Fit is cuter.
- HONDA RELIABILITY!


To add to Soul cons:
- Kia reliability...?
- Sure they have longer warranty, but I've heard plenty of owners take in their Kias to get serviced several times all within a few years of ownership. Quite a hassle if you ask me.
- Not as cute. Ok, they have a cuter hamster commercial, but that's it.

 

i thought the 2009 Fit has timing belt?

someone please clarify.

 

What's the point of a radar detector in a Fit?! Scratch that con off the list.

 

Outside of DC while on a road trip, I got pulled over for going under the speed limit. 45 in a 55.

Nevermind the fact that I was following the car in front of me.. ughhhhh.

 

[quote=imsnowman;760477]
•Soul pros:
•More comfortable driving position

Interesting that at 6'1" you prefer the Soul's driving position. I'm similar sized and found the Soul's non-telescoping steering wheel too far away. One of us must be wrong!

 

also dont forget:

Fit : cool
Soul: uncool

 

chain pn#14401-rb1-003 (132 link chain)

 

Any comments on the price of the Fit? Should I be able to get it down a bit?

Also is there an aftermarket for the center console, bluetooth and rear bumper applique? $350, $420 and $58 respectively installed from the dealer seems a little steep.