I'm thinking about trading in my 03 Infiniti FX35 for the Fit but am having a hard time deciding. For those of you that have gone from a luxury vehicle to the fit, do you now regret your decision? I'm anticipating gas prices to go up by spring of next year to $3/gallon or higher so trading down to the fit now may be the way to go. Love my FX but the fuel mileage sucks.

Thanks for any input

 

I'd say it depends on your driving habits. If you're on the open road a lot you might want to consider a bigger car. If it's a city car the Fit is well suited. The Fit's sensitive steering makes it touchy on the highway. It's narrow factory tires cause it to follow grooves, it's a bit twitchy. Not bad, but it's not the sit back and let the car drive you feeling that you might be used to.

 

thnks for the input..

I drive 70% freeway, 30% city and accelerate slowly. Doing my best to conserve fuel, I average around 18-20 mpg. I did test drive the fit sport auto and loved the handling and nimbleness. Although I prefer to shift manually, the auto is very quite at 65mpg..only turning about ~2300 rpms
and the highway noise was what I was concerned about. I Drive 52 miles round trip to work so fuel is a bit of a concern. Right now it's not so bad since it's hovering around 2.60/gallon but it will eventually go up. Another thing I noticed is that the engine can sound rather loud when accelerating and the boominess may get annoying after awhile.

 

I guess it's all relative, all what you're used to, and what you expect..? Because my other car is a smaller '03 Toyota Echo MT, and compared to it my 2010 AT basic Fit handles like a dream on the highways! -It's solid, doesn't get moved around by crosswinds much because of the low streamlining in front, and doesn't ~twitch~(??) on the open road at all; not in the slightest! The tires on my 2010 are definitely not narrow, IMO, and the car feels like it's planted solidly onto the road! I find it extremely easy to drive on highways, and mine can be comfortably driven there even one handed almost all of the time!

Only thing I would suggest is that if you like soft seating and a cushy ride, then the Fit is probably not for you... The seats are firm (and supportive, IMO), and you can feel all four tires on the road thru what can only be best described as a sporting type suspension. (Which I also happen to like..!)
True, compared to a large luxury barge the Fit's engine can be loud at times; but only under strong (and fuel wasting) acceleration... Most of the time, when you're just cruising along, it's a quiet car (with a good radio/CD player), and the occasional engine noise one can choose to accept as a pleasant reminder of what a good, efficient engine sounds like under acceleration. I've gotten used to it's sound now, and I've come to like it!

I find my 2010 AT basic to be an amazingly different kind of an automobile; an interesting blend of a small (and spacious) station wagon with a sports car's handling, and a machine that not only handles well but also just happens to a get great gas mileage too!
-Just what I wanted myself, but again, maybe not for everyone..?

 

Metro Atlanta, about 50/50 city/hwy I get 34mpg I also commute about 50 miles round trip. Nine gallons gets me through the week with a few extra side trips. Engine noise isn't an issue (at least in the auto), but it's not as quiet as a larger car, road noise and the heater-A/C fan contribute.

 

The FX35 is smooth as butter but the ride quality is not that great...it's based on the 350Z/G35 platform so it rides like a sports car and handles like one too...and the sound of that exhaust is just awesome. The Fit is entertaining in its own way but economical to boot. I did enjoy working the paddles on my test drive and kept a constant eye on the MPG. I would miss the power and smoothness in the FX but the savings in fuel alone may justify going with the Fit. I just get irritated when I go to the pump and know that I'm getting manipulated but can't do a thing about it.

 

Seems like the Fit might be a smaller version (and a couple hundred less horsepower) of the FX35. Might be a good, er... fit? It might even hold more.

 

I will give you my .02, for what it is worth. I have a 2007 BMW 328xi, which was my daily driver. I took a promotion, in which, I went from driving 6 miles round trip per day to 100 miles per day. So, we traded in my wife's SUV for the FIT and kept the BMW (wife now drives it daily). The FIT serves it's purpose and is really great at what it was designed to do. However, it doesn't compare to the ride of the BMW. It is unfair to compare a luxury car to the FIT. Like I said, the FIT is great at what it was meant to do. It is a fun little car that will get you from point "A" to point "B" at an inexpensive rate. With that said, I still drive the BMW to work on Friday's and usually during the weekend It is like a love triangle. I love the FIT when I am passing by the gas stations, but I love the BMW every time I sit down in the seat and it just wraps around my body like it was designed for me. It really boils down to utility versus luxury, which do you want more?

I will tell you the biggest difference between the two (besides ride quality) is when you are driving in the FIT at about 55 mph and decide you need to pass someone. The FIT will get you around the other car safely, but it feels like the FIT is giving me all it has to get me there and doesn't have anything left. The BMW will go from 55 to 75 in a heart beat and is begging for me to push it harder. A lot more power in reserve!

 

Thanks for everyone's input...although it has not made my decision any easier to make The truth of the matter is, the Fit is undeniably practical and all the car I really need.

Another option is to keep my FX and put some more money into my beat up prelude to drive back and forth to work....I'm starting to sound like Brett Favre!

 

I went from a Lincoln Towncar to the Fit and LOVE it!

 

I would suggest for you to keep the FX and just fix the prelude.

The Fit is good and handles well, offers a lot of cargo space, fun to drive, not that comfortable in my opinion(Maybe '09 and '10 is comfotable compared to '07-'08, I have not been in the new ones). I travel about 90% highway and I don't have any problems with the handling and strong wind. If you're going to get a Fit, please get the manual Fit. IMO, it's way more fun to drive than the AT's.

 

there's your answer -- it worked for me.

i came from an '07 range rover sport and couldn't be happier pocketing the extra grand each month in lieu of having the latest/greatest/fastest car i can afford.

 

I traded my '98 Acura TL for my new '09 Fit Sport AT. I gained interior space, although I lost some luxury features like heated mirrors, leather, sunroof, automatic climate control, engine power and great handling. I do not miss buying lots of premium gas and I don't miss the too close headroom and inability to carry any bulky cargo. 98% of my driving is in town. If I did a lot of Freeway driving I would probably have gone with a heavier vehicle. I never drove an FX35 but I have driven a Murano and it is a great driving vehicle with tons of power. The items I mention having lost in buying a Fit were no surprise and I do not regret the changes for me and my driving needs. The Fit's insurance cost is pretty attractive too, as well as the fuel savings. I'm old enough (not quite AARP age) that I don't care about impressing people with my car - yes I am jealous of you young people.

 

if you are contemplating about gas prices while owning a car like an infiniti, you should probably sell it and go economy car. (bascially if fuel is a concern for you, you belong in the economy car crowd cause thats wat we're all about. )

i have a G35C and use that as one of my hobby cars and use the FitSport for work. the fit's a very versitle car and it's unbelievable how well it functions as a work horse car. yah, it's not something that will give you any status points or any flashiness, but it's practical and you wont regret having one for the sake of how friendly it is to use. people wont look down at you as if you own a hyundai or saturn, but let's be realistic, a Fit is no car you will be bragging about to your friends other than for its cute looks and versatility...and fuel economy.

if you care about how a car looks on you, then keep the FX.

 

goya-you mentioned about how you liked the paddles on your test drive.... make sure you note that the PADDLES TURN WITH THE STEERING WHEEL on the Fit's... it is not stationary to the steering column as real sports coupes/cars.

that is one area i hate about the AT on this car. they should've just kept the +/- on the shifter so that you dont have to go searcing for that little button while turning out of a parking lot or wat not. hahaha.

 

It seems if they were fixed to the column that you'd have a lot of wheel positions when they aren't accessible at all...

A stick selector would be better (why don't they have both?).

Personally I don't see the point of wanting to control shifting the auto yourself. The accelerator pedal and PCM work perfectly. Must be something that evolved from the game console culture.

 

steve- actually lux cars have paddles like the F1 cars where the paddles are much larger and part of the steering column.

and some of us are avid MT drivers and we want more control from our AT slush boxes when we have to drive them. has nothing to do with game consoles, actually. i dont even play PS.

 

The FX is perhaps the best SUV IMHO. The Nissan VQ motor has won Ward's Engineering Excellence Award for like 14 years in a row.

So I'd keep it unless you are driving over 18K miles a year or your FX is getting long in the tooth (130K ++ miles)

We have a Murano (same engine as your FX although completely different chassis) a Civic and a Fit. If I had to give up one it would be the Civic.

The Fit is a Gem if you do not mind very small cars. You wont quite cut your gas bill in half with an automatic, but with the manual you likely will.

 

I've decided to keep the FX. After multiple test drives and test driving the civic for comparisons sake, I just couldn't make the jump. One thing I could not get over is the loudness of the engine under normal acceleration and the jarring ride on anything other than a smooth surface...and I thought my Prelude was jarring. I still like the Fit as it is a well engineered vehicle in alot of respects and may eventually get one used later down the road. However, getting back into the FX after every test drive, I asked myself why trade it in? I still love driving it and the only downfall is the gas mileage. I'll fix my Prelude SH(still the best handling front drive car in my opinion) as backup.