I have an 09 Fit and just had a 12 Civic as a loaner from the dealer. I know the new Civic has been slammed by the press but I was pretty impressed. The Civic ride is SO much smoother than the fit it almost felt luxury in comparison, and the interior feels modern and just plain nicer than the Fit, which seems kind of basic and Crude.

However, if I were shopping right now I would still get the Fit, no questions. All the things that made me get it over a Civic then still apply. Interior room and flexibility, character vs bland, fun to drive vs forgettable to drive. I can see how the Civic would appeal when coming out of the s2k as a commuter car, but it's going too far the other way. I don't drive mine a lot(8000 miles in 2 years) but I still enjoy it, never think 'oh man, gotta take the Fit' where I'm sure the Civic would just be an appliance in the driveway. Don't completely give up your gearheadedness!!

 

There are sooo many cars I would purchase before a Civic EX-L. Focus, Imprezza, Civic Si, etc. are all better in every way. In comparison, there are no cars in the Fit's class better than it. So, given the choice between only the two cars, I'd go for the Fit.

 

As far as interior noise goes, we have an 08' & 2012, both M/T sports. The new car is very quiet, much more so than the 08'. I'm a bit hard of hearing and play my music so loud I really wouldn't mind if they hadn't added insulation.

 

Even if a S2k is not a luxury car, it still has one of the nicest interior of it's time (design and fit and finish), and getting a fit or a last gen Civic will still be such a downgrade, even the Civic is fully loaded...

I drive a Civic '99 and the fit and newer civic interior are crap compared to mine, there is cheap and ugly plastic all over the place, and seats are not as comfortable and in cheaper material (on the fit at least).

I would wait for the next generation Yaris, it will be a class leader and cheaper than the fit.
And I understand the OP's choice, I have a Toyota MR2 Turbo and my Civic, and don't drive the MR2 much, it's just not suited for city driving and the poor condition of Quebec's roads. However, my MR2 turbo is more fuel efficient than a MT fit on the freeway and it was fairly quiet when new (not anymore). The nicest daily driver for fun and economy is a small displacement sports bike (read Ninja250), you can wind it up without going too fast, get better mpg than any car and more performance than most, cheap to buy and maintain, you can lane split (depending of where you live) to save tons of time. And on the side you get a 5-6 years old Civic or Corolla for cold winter days and to haul stuff.

The Honda fit as about the same turning radius than our old '99 Camry (approved by numbers and my own feeling). I drive my mom's fit '09 from time to time and man Yaris hatchback at work, and the yaris is so much better for U-turns and city in general. The only really cool thing with the fit is the short gears, but it also becomes a major problem on the highway since there is no 6th gear. And I get the same mpg when driving around with the fit, yaris, echo hathback and my civic hatchback 99 (21 or so), but the fit's mpg is by far the worst on the highway (29.5mpg at 75mph).

The new focus is nice for sure, but quite expensive and really small inside (back seats and trunk). And it doesn't really come a long way in my opinion. My mom had a 2001 focus zx3 before the fit, and it was already a really nice car, comparable to a Civic SI of the time, but cheaper, better looking, and with a bit more room. At first I was mad when she bought the ford (we had japanese cars before), but it ended up being a fairly reliable car and fun to drive, without compromising comfort (compared to the fit). But for the price they now ask for a focus, I'd rather pay a bit more still and get a nice Golf.

 

I have to say a few things regarding broody's post....

1. The worst fuel mileage we have EVER gotten in the Fit was 32 mpg. That was a full tank with 4 passengers driving around Orlando, FL in traffic.
2. We traded a '95 Civic in on our Fit and there is no comparison between interior quality or city fuel mileage. The Fit is FAR superior in both categories. The only place where the Civic was equal was in highway fuel mileage.
3. I love motorcycles and have one, but they have their place. After commuting with one for a while, you miss the comfort and convenience of a car.
4. U-turn radius on the Fit isn't good, but it can do the turn at twice the speed of a stock Yaris. I have driven a Yaris and it is sloppy!
5. You need to drive a new Focus to appreciate the level of performance and quality. It is superior to a Civic in every way.
6. I have owned a late model VW and it was a lot of fun until the problems started. After 3 years of ownership I felt like the service manager at the VW dealer was a family friend because I saw him so often.

These are just my opinions and broody has his, but they are polar opposites. We have driven and owned some of the same cars, but my experiences were very different than his.

 

Just got home from dinner, took the Si for a spin - was tempted to just drive around for no reason at all, loads of fun. Ended up coming home and putting on new license plate frames instead. Did have a chance to test out the high beam PIAA bulbs I put in recently, those things are bright! Lows and plasma yellow PIAAs came a week ago.

Can't believe someone is suggesting the Yaris > Fit, and a Golf? People forget the OP works at a Honda dealership now and can get a good deal on a Honda, thus was looking at the Fit or Civic EX-L. If I was the OP and considering other makes and wanted the MPG and a nice MT, I'd give the SkyActiv Mazda 3 a look.

OP - just get a stick shift whatever you do and skip that Civic EX-L... you'll get bored sooner or later. I'm kicking myself for not going back to a stick sooner... the last time I owned a stick shift before this year was early 1999 (although I did back out of an Si order back in '07, got tired of waiting). Its been too long!

 

1. I drive the car hard, and I don't complain about city driving mpg (I get almost the exact same with my civic or the yaris), but the highway mpg is disapointing, 29.5MPG at a steady 75mph during summer, I could hardly apply any eco driving there (other than driving slower). At a steady 55mph, I was getting 46mpg (which is fine but not great either), but I never drive at a steady 55mph normally. They should first put a 6th gear in there, and then maybe review the engine or offer us the 1.3 (which still has a longer 5th gear despite the lower power output).

2. I compare my city mpg with the fit and my 99 civic hatchback (the hatchback has longer gears than sedan versions and is lighter), and it's the exact same. And the material quality of the older civic is better im my opinion, they have soft plastics over the dash and the doors, and they have a nice texture and they hold well over time (sun and scratches), the fit plastics are all hard and I don't like the finish/texture, otherwise, the fitment is similar, so is the clothing material (but I like the civic seats more). Also, the older Civic had cloth sun visors, which is really important to me. I hate plastic sun visors.

3. It depends of the type of commuting (distance, traffic or not) and where you live (climate and how lane splitting and such are accepted).

4.Stock yaris takes just slightly more roll in the curves compared to a fit, and it's compensated by the much smoother ride. I drove the fit at an auto-x event and I had a few rides on a track in a yaris (the same one, once with coilovers and once with stock suspension). All in all, handling is similar, and they both have crappy tires from factory. Did you try a hatchback yaris at least? They differ from the sedan I think.

5. I would probably agree, all I'm saying is that the mk1 focus (hatchback with the zetec at least) was already a really good car 10 years ago, so the focus mk3 isn't all that impressive, it's just a logical improvment of the focus mk1 and 2 (which we never got here).

6. I never owned a VW and I probably never will. But you don't buy a car only for it's reliability, otherwise we would all drive beige Corolla CE.

 

Some things we can probably agree on...

1. Fit would be better with a 6-speed.
2. Interior materials in all Honda's are poor. My 20 year old Fords were better and my current Ford F-150 is WAAAY better than even my father in-laws TSX. I also despise plastic visors and headliners.
3. I was in S FL and the heat was too much.
4. I'm sure a Yaris with coilovers would handle good. Our Fit has stickier tires and a progress RSB and is downright impressive. The Yaris I drove was a sedan.
5. The VW was in the shop too often to keep. A Corolla would meet an untimely death in my family...possible by being lit on fire just to elicit some sort of joy in owning it.

To the OP, if you are the kind of person who derives ANY sort of enjoyment from the car you drive, a Civic EXL will not suffice. It's a great car, but lacks any form of enjoyment.

 

2. I disagree, older Hondas had nice materials.
4. I also had a ride in the same with stock suspension, and the guy would out handle my Toyota MR2 turbo (he had better tires and skills obviously). And when I drive hard around town, both cars (fit and yaris) feel about the same in terms of body roll, even if the fit feels a bit more "direct". Still, my favorite driver's car (sub 20k$) is the echo hatchback 04-05 without power steering and a throttle cable.

And you should definitely try a yaris hatchback. It's not special or anything, but it has the best balance in my opinion. I like to have a nice steering feel and all, but the slight improvment of the fit over the yaris is not worth the loss in comfort.

 

sorry broody I dont mean to sound rude but are you F'in Crazy???

best drivers car >20k in your opinion is a ECHO???

get serious I think you are lost, you are in a Fit forum not a shit box toyota forum

 

BINGO!

Before the FIT, we had a Nissan Altima 3.5SE with a 270hp V6 and CVT Transmission. the 6MT was almost impossible to find, the Sales guy was willing to work on price and gave us good trade on both of our cars (integra & Civic) so we ended up with the CVT. smooth Transmission but... NUMB! It was a world of difference going from the Altima to the FIT but even dropping 153hp, the Fit just felt better as it is a 5MT and after two+ years of ownership, I still "DRIVE" everywhere, I don't "ride".

~SB

 

The drive by wire ruins the driving pleasure on the fit (and on the yaris too), and the base echo hatchback didn't have power steering, and the suspension is as stiff as on the fit. And with the lower weight and throttle cable, the engine really feels more awake than on any other modern small car. It's the last affordable driver's car. I would need to try a fit GD however.