I'm considering the new fit (I owned a 2010 for awhile). I actually bought a brand new Ford Escape, but am not happy with the "suv" style and want to go back to a smaller car.

My question is, has anyone who owns a fit also test driven the new Mazda 3 hatchback? I'm trying to pick between the two and would appreciate anyone's experiences.

I know this is the FIT forums, so I'm not going to ask which is better...just what your thoughts were. I have seen the new FIT in person but haven't driven it yet.

Also while we are on the subject...a HONDA accord Sport is not outside of my price range, so maybe thoughts on that as well. My only problem with the accord is , it's so long!

 

I actually was planning on pulling the trigger on the Mazda3 hatch touring over the weekend, found the Fit on friday night, and didn't buy the Mazda!

The Mazda is sporty as heck. I still think it's one of the best looking hatches on the road. However, even the Sport trim is about $1k more than the Fit, and has NO standard features by comparison. When you get up in the Grand Touring, you start getting some decent stuff standard, but now your $3k-$4k above what the Fit cost and still not getting everything the Fit offers. I've read some buggy things about the Mazda Infortainment blah blah too. People say it crashes and reboots a lot (i should clarify, the INTERNET says that, so take it with a whole salt shaker full of grains).

Also, nowhere near the cargo room of the Fit. It drove nicely, but it wasn't super impressive. In all, I think they are comparable vehicles and the Fit offers substantially more value. The Mazda is sexier by far though...

 

m_x said pretty much what I was going to say. My decision was between the two cars as well. I picked the Fit

Short version is that the Mazda3 is gorgeous and fun to drive. Lacks rear leg room (seriously) and hatch room, even though it's 10" longer than the Fit. Costs a lot more to get the same features ($3-4k more if things like backup camera and proximity key matter to you) and insurance costs were almost double the Fit for me.

The Fit is cheaper, cheaper to insure, has insane amounts of rear legroom and hatch space and tons of standard features. I had a lot more warm fuzzies about the 3, but ultimately the Fit won. I think it's the best value on the road right now, for real.

 

I'll happily give you my opinion on the Accord. I traded in my '13 Accord for my '15 Fit, and could not be happier.

First, if you haven't had a chance yet, I say test drive both the Fit (if you can find a dealership in your area that has one) and the Accord Sport on the same day.

I love the re-style of the '13 Accords, especially the Sport. I do not think that Accords are bad at all. I have owned them for many years. However, some things have happened over the last few generations that have changed the way an Accord feels and drives to me (the main two are suspension change and the addition of Variable Cylinder Management on the V6). I regretted trading in my '07 V6 Accord every day.

I had an EX-L V6 sedan, so I can't comment on the CVT I4 (and it also comes in a manual), but I can tell you my main reason for trading the Accord in after only one year is that it felt numb and disconnected from a driving perspective for me. I just did not enjoy driving it. Plus, the Accord feels huge now. There were also some finish quality issues that were unacceptable for a car that expensive (paint chipping, carpet fraying, anemic audio system for it being "premium").

The Accord drive felt very "floaty" and disconnected from the road. I found that I really had to push firmly on the accelerator to get power (oh, but when I did, hold on!), and gas mileage was decent for a V6. I also live in an urban area, so it's not often that I got to open it up

I've always loved the Fit, so when the '15 came out with the redesign and it included most of the same tech that had prompted me to trade in my '07 Accord for the '13 Accord, I started pursuing the Fit aggressively.

The minute I drove the Fit, I loved it. I bonded instantly with the car (corny, I know, but I drive a lot). I love the noisy little engine (the Accord is QUIET now, no more V6 rumble, thanks to Automatic Noise Canceling module, yet another numbing feature), the interior space is amazing, and it's just fun to drive. It does not feel like a subcompact to me.

I'm very impressed with the CVT. I'm still on my first tank of gas from the dealer, and I'm averaging 33 mpg on this tank with mixed highway/city driving. When I first drove it, I was so used to having to stomp on the Accord's accelerator that I did the same on the Fit. Ha, well, that wasn't necessary, and boy did we take off. I wasn't expecting that.

The leather (or leather trimmed to be more accurate) seats in the Fit are leaps and bounds more comfortable and look nicer to me than the ones in my Accord. Leg room is closely comparable as well as headroom. You are in a smaller car, so your front seat passenger is a bit closer to you, but there is plenty of shoulder room so you're not THAT close.

The Fit has filled the hole in my driving heart that was left by trading in my '07 Accord for the '13 Accord. I am very happy with my decision to switch, and I realize it may not be for everyone. Evaluate your needs of what is most important to you in a car, continue to do your homework, and know that when it's right, it's right, Honda Fit or not

 

cool, thanks a lot guys. I test drove the Mazda, and yes it drove well, but man I HATED that center console that sticks above the dash.

I know this is silly...but I LOVE the inside trim on the accord sport. On the driver side door there is leather/soft touch. It's classy. Does the upgraded model of the fit have that? I've only seen the ex.

I'm debating on ex or lx. I want to change the wheels around at some time, and I hate chrome, so it almost seems the lx is a better choice.

 

Fit vs Fiat 500L Trekker?

 

I'm in the same boat. My main choices right now are a 2015 Fit EX manual, a Civic Si, or an Accord Sport manual. The Fit being pretty much perfect on all counts except just a tad small on the outside but perfectly acceptable. The Civic Si is a great drive, perfect size, acceptably firm demeanor, but not really great mpg ratings. The Accord Sport is great but maybe a bit too big, it's longer than my wife's Highlander. Other choices include Subaru XV Crosstrek or WRX, Nissan Juke, Kia Soul. It's an eclectic list but I'm looking for something that's fun, interesting and practical. It seems the Fit keeps pulling itself to the top of the list.

 

I have been seriously looking at the Mazda 3 as well. and I really like how well I fit into the drivers seat of the Mazda 3. It feels like a cockpit and everything falls right where it should be. I especially like the center arm rest and the touch controller for the infotainment system. I really like how it drives a bit better than the fit. And I prefer the style of the Mazda to the Fit

The negatives of the Mazda 3 are:
1. Very noisy tires.
2. Small back seat and less cargo height than the Fit , with rear seats folded down.
3. Higher cost, but that is not a major factor for me. But the Fit really is such a bargain for what you get in either LX or EX trim

I am actually going out right now to test drive both with my wife, in order to get her thoughts.

I would happily pay $30,000 for an accord sport EX-L 6 MT if it came as a hatchback. But not the CrossTour!

 

You and are very similar. That's the reason for the SI for me as well..the MPG (the same reason why I'm staying away from the ford focus ST...and the fiesta ST is too small). For me, the JUKE is too small, and the WRX is out because they discontinued the hatchback.

My main concern with the Accord sport is the length as well. I wish the civic redesign didn't have such an ugly rear, I might have gone with that.

 

Let me know how it goes. I test drove the top of the line, which was too expensive, but it was nice. The top 2 have a better engine, but it's not manual, only auto.

 

If I was only going to have one car and had no problem affording the extra cost, I would get the Mazda. As it is, the Fit will be my practical yet somewhat fun second car so can't justify the extra money for the Mazda3.

The Fit is a great car, but they are different classes. The Fit is a subcompact which costs less and will have some shortcomings as a result, but it's still great for its segment. The Mazda3 is a compact, has more power, handles better, but also costs more. I think they are both the best options in their respective segments.

 

truecar is putting the 2nd model up of the mazda at 22,000. Doesn't seem too much more than the fit. I love the magic seats though :/

 

Mazda3 is actually a different class of car, a true compact, so probably not a fair comparison at least in terms of price. It's quite a significant difference from Fit which is considered a sub-compact. You need to get a $24K+ trimmed Mazda to match what you can get in the top-of-the-line $21K Fit. Still, I liked driving the Mazda3 better. The seat is more comfortable to me, it rides a little better, and handling is better as well. But you get quite a bit more features for the money and Fit really does make better use of interior space than many cars twice it's size. If I was going strictly on affordability and value, the Fit wins. If money was not an issue, I'd pick the Mazda3 though. Mazda3 has great gas mileage in a fun, sporty package.

 

Didn't test drive the Mazda3, but went in to do so. Saw the $21,000 price tag and turned around. Got my '15 Fit the next day. Saved $5 grand, and got a great car.

 

Congrats on the new Fit and on the serious coin saved.

While the car is new, drive it and be warned not to stick around the FF forum too much. The members here have a way of conspiring to change us newbie's way of thinking. That $5k may one day be transformed into add-ons.

 

One thing to consider.
If comparing pricing based on sticker, there is a big difference, but I have found that Mazdas are more negotiable than Hondas. Therefore, the net price is a lot closer.
I know that was the case when I got my cx-9 sport for $5k under sticker.
Granted it was the outgoing model, but I still think there is more leeway with pricing than Honda.

So that $3k difference might end up being only $1.5k.

That being said, I am in the same boat considering both cars if new. Used, I am looking at some e39 m5's, but that is probably just wishful thinking.

Also, someone mentioned cargo. Fit and 3 have similar capacity, but fit is deep and 3 is long, so some say the the 3 cargo is actually more useful.
Seats folded, it's no contest with the fit ahead.

 

My drive will be a lot of "in town" driving, meaning stoplight to stoplight but not bumper to bumper. I test drove the Si and I think I can get mid to high 20's mpg if I work at it. The Fit on the other hand will probably do high 20's without really trying I think. If the Fit gets good crash ratings and is close to being as fun to drive as the previous Gen... it will probably be the Fit.

 

Around here we can get base Mazda6 for 22k... I test drove one but the lower roofline/slightly higher beltline kind of bothered me. My last new car was from the late 90's and my wife's 2010 Highlander all have lots of big windows.

 

Has anyone compared the Fit to the Hyundai Accent?

The Accent had a longer warranty, bigger engine (1.6 v 1.5), and costs a few thousand less. But I was nervous about longevity and resale so I went with the Honda.

Has anyone owned both and can comment?

 

It depends on what you want. Accent is certainly a top choice in this segment and offers good performance and fuel economy. I test drove one and it's ok. I felt like I got more for the money though with Fit. For what I get all-inclusive in a Fit EX, I'd have to spend extra for options on the Accent and the numbers didn't add up. Hawaii isn't a very good place to shop for cars. We have limited dealership choices, extra costs, and the smaller, fuel-efficient cars are very popular and thus the dealers are less willing to swing great deals. I'd definitely shop around and do test drives if you are interested in the Accent or any other comparable vehicle.