I bought an 87 Acura Integra "beater" for $650 with 160K on it. It SO impressed me over the next four years (and 40K miles) that I was converted for life. It was EXTREMELY versatile and well rounded! The Fit was a natural progression.

 

Previous "car" was a 2004 Subaru STI. Wanted to do more traveling so traded for Honda Odyssey. Keeping the Odyssey.

Wanted another fun to drive car so just bought a 2010 TW Fit Sport. Missing the quick shifter I had in previous car so Mugen is scheduled for delivery tomorrow.

 

I park in a covered space with my motorcycle parked perpendicular across the end of the space. I always hear passengers suck in the breath when I pull into the space, not realizing just how short the Fit's "snout" is. I switched cars with a friend while moving some stuff. I was having to see-saw into parking spaces because my sense of size was so far off driving his Tundra Crew-cab. He had to get back in and pull the car in some more after leaving approx. 6 feet of space in front of it in a parking space.

Your comment about rearward visibility surprises me. It's mostly wide-open to the back, and when you see the bottom edge of the rear window, you're within a few inches of the absolute rear of the car. In a sedan, you have a trunk that sticks out below the rear window, and you usually can't see quite where the car 'ends.'

 

My previous car: 1998 Mazda B2500 Cab Plus 4-Cyl w/upgraded wheels and chrome features.

- Visibility - My truck had an effective 360 visual degrees and I could part it fast, aggresively, and accurately in reverse. I am slower in the Fit slower because of the sunken driver's position and compromised rear visibility.
- Carpet/materials - Both have comparably cheap carpets. The dash cluster and plastics in the FIt are superior.
- Comfort - I found the truck fit my 6'1 frame (160lbs) very nicely. It's headrests were better (the Fits are horrible on my neck), but the Fit's lumbar is better. A wash, almost.
- Power - Both are wheezers. The truck's final drive was annoyingly low which affected MPG. The Fit's engine is sufficient for its needs, I think. It's not underpowered but it's close.
- Noise - Both have road noise, but the Fit seems to very loud at highway speeds.
- Presence on the road. I don't really know about this one. I don't have the "I'm so small" complex that lots of people do. I feel safe and nimble in the Fit. I rode a motorcycle once and THAT had a terrifying presence (absence) because of its cross-section. On a bike people notice you either a lot more, or not at all swerve into you.
- Cargo hauling. The Fit carries a ridiculous amount of stuff. The truck did too. A wash.
- Rear legroom. The jump seats in the Mazda were not meant for people over 5'1 & 100 lbs. The Fit's are acceptable. Both can legally seat 5.

- Fuel economy. My Fit is at 35.6mpg (based on fill ups and ODO) over 19,000M v. 24.7 mpg (based on 10 years of driving the B2500 over 100K). Both are great mpgs. The Fit is better, obviously. I drove that manual truck with a hypermiler's foot.

- Emergency handling. The Fit's twitchy steering saved the car's front end. Some moron cut me off at high speed (he must have not seen us at all) in a three-lane cross move. I spiked the wheel as a knee-jerk reaction to the motion coming into my peripheral vision. My car swerved almost out of my lane and he missed our front right bumper by less than 6" with his back left. A maniac. No joke. That being said, the Fit quivers when large trucks go by it and that makes me feel uncomfortable. My old truck was very consistent, save the terrible shock feedback on the rear end.

- All in all - I liked my truck a lot but when I got married we decided to use one car between us. So I got rid of my little truck and my wife got rid of her 2001 Isuzu "12mpg average" Trooper. We bought the Fit together and compromised; she doesn't get heated leather seats anymore and I don't have to groan when we go to the gas station. More than a wash!

 

My list of previous cars include:

97 Civic, 92 Mazda MPV, 01 Audi A4, 89 Sentra, 92 Tercel, 04 350z, 92 Miata, 99 Acura TL, 05 S2000, 97 Civic, 00 E430, 03 G35, 93 G20, 01 QX4, 01 530, 90 Miata

I think I covered the spectrum pretty good, only think missing is a domestic car and a korean car.

Practicality: When it comes to Size vs practicality the fit wins hands down. What surprises me is the rear leg room on the fit, there is much more room back there than my A4.

Handling: It wont match the handling of my 350z, s2000, miata or 530, but it was never meant to. However compare it to the civic and other econo box and honda did a pretty good box. I havent driven it hard yet but once i get some better tires and suspension on the car I think it will be a very mimble car much like the miata.


Performance: Obviously I cant compare the fit to the s2000 or 350z, but when comparing to cars that obtain similar gas mileage the tercel and sentra is no match. The civic is close but the fit's engine is much more responsive and smoother.

 

Our Fit replaced a Toyota 4Runner. There is only one place the Fit excells over the 4Runner and that is in fuel economy. As much as we like and enjoy the Fit it is still pretty near the bottom of the food chain.

 

Previous car was a 1995 Infiniti G-20, now have 2010 Fit Sport AT.

Size- Fit's about 20 inches shorter, which is a main reason I bought it. I drive into NYC a few times a week and I'm pretty sure this will cut down on the time it takes me to find a parking space. The G-20 was pretty short and was still a benefit when it came to parking but the Fit's better.

Interior space- I'm 5'8" and drive with the seat pretty far back (long legs, short body for my height). When I did that in the Infiniti the back seat driver's side passenger had a tight squeeze. Not so for the Fit.

Trunk/hatch- the Infiniti had a pretty small trunk. I'm guessing the Fit's is a bit smaller but then of course if nobody's in the back you can fold down the back seats. Unless you're parking somewhere and don't want people to see what you're carrying...

Interior storage- the Infiniti didn't have cup-holders. Can you believe that? The dealer said to put my soda in the center armrest (it opens) but then driving with an open arm-rest? And where would I have put my CDs? After buying three or four attempts at aftermarket cupholders I found one that worked but it clipped into the window well so if you opened the window it fell down...

By comparison the Fit IS a cupholder.

Driving- one thing I loved about the Infiniti was visibility. The Fit does have more blind spots. Although the side mirrors seem to be wide-angle and that helps.

The Infiniti was silver and people didn't see it, I was constantly almost run into, perhaps because nothing stood out about it and it was roughly the color of pavement (at least that's my theory). So far the Fit (blue) doesn't have that problem.

I haven't hit 600 miles yet so I can't speak about acceleration (still breaking it in) but it seems to handle pretty well. So did the Infiniti.

Lot more places to put stuff in the Fit and my huge (old) GPS fits in the glove box.

Radio sounds about the same but I love that I put 300 CDs on a thumb drive! (of course that's not really a car comparison- that's a tech change over 15 years). Cars cost about the same (G-20 was $17,233, Fit was $16,000, 15 years later). Carpet in the Infiniti way better and was easier to find floormats that were at least close to fitting.

Fuel economy- if I can believe the dashboard, better in the Fit (Infiniti had a 2 liter engine) but not by a huge amount.

The important factor... can't compare, haven't gotten laid in either one yet.

Final tally-- I wish I were 15 years younger and driving the Infiniti. But if I can't de-age I'll keep the Fit.

 

Here's my last car and it was even highlighted on Top Gear! It was even the same color. But I'll let you decide why I opted for the Fit.

YouTube - Funny! 1970s American cars - damning review: Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld - BBC autos

 

Great minds think alike? I too had an 04 STI and bought a 2010 TW Sport. I have also been missing my short shifter and the boxer exhaust note.

 

My last car was a Honda Accord 2001, 4 cylinder... sluggish but quite stable when driving at 110mphs.. but have some automatic transmission problems

Bought New FIT, 2010 AT sports in Aug 2010, currently outfitted with snow tires, Michelin X-ice I2... never regret my upgrade to FIT, never regret the snow tires

FIT has enomorous cargo capacity. Just realized today that I can bring my wheel chair bound mother-in-law for a ride and while she was sitting in her back seat, I can store her folded wheel chair besides her back seat with the magic seat next to her folded up. My wife was sitting in front. There's still unused space in the FIT cargo bay at the back to store luggage etc

The FIT door (I think the only car in its class) that allows the door to swing wide open to almost 90 degrees to the car to store wheel chairs, bikes (with front wheels removed etc)

The fastest I ever gone on the FIT was 60mph. Have not had a chance to drive the highway yet at 100mphs or beyond and cannot commend on the quivering experience yet

 

had two... 99 accord & 08 crv

now... 10 accord crosstour & 10 fit

 

I used to drive a NA 2005 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V that pushed upwards of 230 hp after everything that I had done to it.

But the car was just too fast and kept getting me into trouble.

The Fit has been a great replacement, I appreciate the gas mileage more than anything else. But I sometimes find myself missing the neck snapping torque of the Nissan. That car would chirp the tires going into 3rd!

Over time I have grown to appreciate owning a "slow" car and it has been fun to modify the Fit for the sole purpose of improving its looks. I hope to turn my GE8 into nothing more than a sexy looking commuter car.

 

I've had 1992 Prelude S, 1996 Prelude Si VTEC, 1996 Accord EX, 1997 Accord LX..most compareable cars.

Besides them being paid-off that is about it.

 

At the risk of me running off topic, how do you like your crosstour... perhaps, 3 main likes and 3 main dislikes of crosstour that came to your mind??
After using my 2010 FIT over the next several years, I am not sure if I should change to another new hybrid FIT or look at a crosstour.

You may be the best person to compare as you will have hands on experience on both vehicles :-)

Thanks in advance
Ric

 

Talked my wife into a 2008 Fit.....she absolutely LOVED it. She is only 4'8", and it Fit her perfectly. She started liking it to a tent in Harry Potter because it had so much room in it when you put down the seats. So, a couple of weeks ago she got a new 2010 for a great price and with the little "fixes" she loves her new one even more.

 

My last car, that I owned for ~7 years and 162K miles was a Subaru Outback Sport.




The above pics gives an idea why I loved it. I used it as a parts hauler, kid hauler, camping hauler, trailer hauler, snow car, recovery vehicle (I have had to tow my 914 with it), and daily driver. To put it mildly, this car did not have an easy life.

I replaced it as it did not like ethanol, and the gas mileage had dropped from ~27 mpg 5 years ago to 25 mpg this past year. And when you drive the miles I drive, thats a lot of extra money to pay in gas. Final nail was looking under the car during its inspection this year and seing gasket leaks from both head gaskets, and it was due for brakes, rotors, belts and water pump. I build cars for fun, but as I rule I do not like wrenching on my daily driver, and the fix it bill was going to be in the 3K to 4K range.

The Scoob was perfect for when I bought it - as I was not commuting like I do now. Now I wanted a cheap to own, cheap to drive, yet fun to drive car to tag me from work and back. The hauling duties will ahve to be taken over by my Jeep, when I am finished with it.

By the way, tin the pic above, my scoob had 4 normal size tires in it, and 4 38inch diameter mud tires in it for my truck.

Zach

 

my 2 previous cars were both civics. my baby was a 1993 civic hatchback cx. i loved that car. bought it from a guy that had it riced up, and i gave it life again. wish i never sold it now. heres a few pics





can you spot something wrong in this pic? lol



my second car i bought as winter beater. a 95 civic coupe dx. ended up keeping it for only a few months. sold it to get the hatch up and running again.





i think i'll always own a honda. i picked the fit for its looks, but mainly cuz i found it really reminded me of my hatch. my project car that i plan on starting in a few years, will be another 5th gen hatch. i can't wait.

 

My previous car: 1998 Audi A6 Quattro

- ease of parking/visibility: I miss my side mirrors that would tilt down when I put the car in reverse...but other than that, there is much more visibility in the fit...and it certainly can be parked in small spaces

- carpet/materials - I actually like the fabric better than i liked my worn in leather. It looks much better, cleans up easily, and it comfortable. I have, however, had issues with the carpet coming out and having to be tucked back in under the plastic trim

- comfort - In terms of seating, this is my one downfall with the fit. The seat becomes very uncomfortable to me on long drives, I miss my lumbar support. I like that I can feel the road more throughout my journeys however.

- power - I love that the car is surprisingly quick for the horsepower. It is perfect for what I need. The audi may have had better horsepower but it was so heavy, you wouldn't even know.

- Noise - the fit is certainly noisier but I'm fine with it.

- Cargo hauling. isn't even a competition. it is so much easier to put things in the fit.

- Rear legroom. smaller, but who cares? I'm not in the back.

- Fuel economy.18-20 to 33-40? Much better. and I don't need premium

- Handling. with tires and springs, I'm very happy with the fit. we'll see what happens with coilovers next year


Overall, I went from a luxury car to an economy car and I wouldn't have it any other way. The fit is much more fun to drive, and practical. It is easier to work on and maintain without having to go to a dealership and so far, much more reliable. I drive about 100-125 miles a day, so gas mileage is key for me. For where I am in life, the fit is truly the perfect car for me.

 

My last cars?
Rotor Glow '10 EVO MR
First 10 Seconds EVO X
Turbo Magazine featured EVO 9

How they stand up against my FIT? To be honest in terms of performance, not a chance, but the Fit does well the job I bought it for, be fun, cheap to live with and good short track road racer.