[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckybaer I can only imagine that the market for these cars in America consists of people without kids who do not want or do not like to spend a lot of money on their cars. They probably only use their cars in urban settings, so things like passing power and defense versus speeding SUVs and their inattentive drivers are not strong selling points. If I were in the market for a smaller vehicle that was inexpensive, reliable, and got good gas mileage, I don't know if I'd look at something like the Fit. The smallest I could tolerate (even for only suburban or urban driving) would be a Civic.

My view is the opposite of yours -- the Fit is a much more versatile vehicle than the Civic, and more useful to most people. I can't see any reason to buy the Civic, except for its better looks (but only the coupe, the 4-door Civic sedan is no looker, and IMHO on par visually with the Fit).

In terms of cargo space, there is no comparison, the Fit wins hands down. Easier to load, can carry much larger objects. It's easy to carry the box for a 21 inch TV in a Fit, and impossible to fit it into a Civic. The Fit, with its flat floor and 4 foot vertical cargo space, makes it easier to carry plants, bags of dirt, etc. -- things you don't want to spill. The hatchback area in the Fit is way better for transporting dogs. Where are you going to put a dog with muddy feet in a Civic without messing up the interior? The list goes on an on.

Both vehicles have identical sets of safety features, the full complement of airbags, etc. The interior materials are better in the Fit (feel around the dash in front of the passenger in the Fit, then compare that with the Civic). Even the little touches are better in the Fit, like the rubber-lined penholder on the glovebox. Right now, the Fit happens to be the only Honda vehicle other than the S2000 that's built entirely in Japan, and the chassis and engine have been sold worldwide for five years, all factors pointing to likely high reliability. The Civic is a good vehicle too, but it's in its first year of production and has an entirely new engine.

The current Civic is more powerful, but the need for tremendous power is overrated. The 1998 and earlier model year Civics had less horsepower than the Fit, and somehow people survived driving them on US freeways with no problems. The mindset that we need ever-increasing amounts of vehicle horsepower is silly.

The Fit is a practical vehicle aimed at practical people. It's not flashy, but it wins on practicality.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Does the FIT have cruise control? I might buy it if it does. The Yaris lift-back does not have cruise, so I won't buy it. (Cruise control is very important for those 300 mile freeway jaunts)

 

[Wodgy]

The Sport model/package comes with cruise.

Also worth mentioning, the Fit can carry a 2x6 piece of lumber with nearly two feet to spare.

 

[luckybaer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy My view is the opposite of yours -- the Fit is a much more versatile vehicle than the Civic, and more useful to most people. I can't see any reason to buy the Civic, except for its better looks (but only the coupe, the 4-door Civic sedan is no looker, and IMHO on par visually with the Fit). In terms of cargo space, there is no comparison, the Fit wins hands down. Easier to load, can carry much larger objects. It's easy to carry the box for a 21 inch TV in a Fit, and impossible to fit it into a Civic. The Fit, with its flat floor and 4 foot vertical cargo space, makes it easier to carry plants, bags of dirt, etc. -- things you don't want to spill. The hatchback area in the Fit is way better for transporting dogs. Where are you going to put a dog with muddy feet in a Civic without messing up the interior? The list goes on an on. Both vehicles have identical sets of safety features, the full complement of airbags, etc. The interior materials are better in the Fit (feel around the dash in front of the passenger in the Fit, then compare that with the Civic). Even the little touches are better in the Fit, like the rubber-lined penholder on the glovebox. Right now, the Fit happens to be the only Honda vehicle other than the S2000 that's built entirely in Japan, and the chassis and engine have been sold worldwide for five years, all factors pointing to likely high reliability. The Civic is a good vehicle too, but it's in its first year of production and has an entirely new engine. The current Civic is more powerful, but the need for tremendous power is overrated. The 1998 and earlier model year Civics had less horsepower than the Fit, and somehow people survived driving them on US freeways with no problems. The mindset that we need ever-increasing amounts of vehicle horsepower is silly. The Fit is a practical vehicle aimed at practical people. It's not flashy, but it wins on practicality.

Aha! So it fits more stuff! Well, that's definitely a point in its favor.

Although many survive driving 1998 or earlier Civics, you fail to mention the brown and yellow stains incurred as people pinched loaves while they merged into freeway traffic. LOL.

All joking aside, I wonder if the Fit would make a good car to send my kid off to college in (once he proves he can make good decisions, that is).

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy My view is the opposite of yours -- the Fit is a much more versatile vehicle than the Civic, and more useful to most people. I can't see any reason to buy the Civic, except for its better looks (but only the coupe, the 4-door Civic sedan is no looker, and IMHO on par visually with the Fit).

That's exactly why my wife wants the Fit rather than the Civic.


Quote:

Both vehicles have identical sets of safety features, the full complement of airbags, etc.

They are close, but not completely the same safety wise.
If I were to pick purely on safety, the Civic would win. Because the Fit lacks Active head restraint system (to minimize whiplash) and the chassis is not rated for that new standard for crashes with larger vehicles. But the Fit is very close to the Civic in safety features.
Above all, I look for side and side curtain air bags in a new car. Those pics and video clips of side impact crashes on the IIHS.org site are chilling.


Quote:

The interior materials are better in the Fit (feel around the dash in front of the passenger in the Fit, then compare that with the Civic).

Materials and fabrics are better in the Civic. Styling is personal choice there, but I can't honestly say the Fit has better materials than the '07 Civic. Not to say the Fit's interior materials are crap, far from it. But the '07 Civic has a significant improvement in interior materials from the previous model.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood Materials and fabrics are better in the Civic. Styling is personal choice there, but I can't honestly say the Fit has better materials than the '07 Civic. Not to say the Fit's interior materials are crap, far from it. But the '07 Civic has a significant improvement in interior materials from the previous model.

I disagree here. I've test driven them back to back and the Fit's interior impresses me more. The beef I have with the current model Civic is the hard plastic across the dash which feels cheap IMHO and is a step down from the previous model Civic. (It's also a step down from the current Accord.) The Fit only has hard plastic around the instrument cluster, and the material in front of the passenger is nice, with a fine, lightly spongy quality, like the current Accord. Also, the shift knob in the manual transmission Civic is hard plastic -- a major step down from the prior generation. The one in the Fit is better. The radio/climate controls area is nicer in the Civic, but the three knobs under the radio in the Fit don't look nearly as goofy in person as they do in the pictures. The fabrics in both vehicles are equivalent, but I dislike the "scribbled magic marker" pattern on one of the Civic models (either LX or EX, I can't remember). I don't think that will look good after several years.

I don't mean to sound negative on the Civic; I think it's a great car too, but the Fit holds its own, even ignoring the difference in price.

 

[enjoi_rootbeer]

I really dig the yaris. i own an RSX and thought about trading it in for a yaris. there are some things i would miss: moonroof, cruise control, a tach... i still want one.

check out www.yarisworld.com

 

[chadbang]

"Oh, beautiful for spacious skys and amber waves of grain.."

You nailed that one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckybaer No way I'm getting one of those things when there are testosterone-challenged men and soccer moms tooling around in Yukons while telling their kids to be quiet so they can talk to their workplace or their friends on a cell phone...

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy I disagree here. I've test driven them back to back and the Fit's interior impresses me more. The beef I have with the current model Civic is the hard plastic across the dash which feels cheap IMHO and is a step down from the previous model Civic. (It's also a step down from the current Accord.) The Fit only has hard plastic around the instrument cluster, and the material in front of the passenger is nice, with a fine, lightly spongy quality, like the current Accord. Also, the shift knob in the manual transmission Civic is hard plastic -- a major step down from the prior generation. The one in the Fit is better. The radio/climate controls area is nicer in the Civic, but the three knobs under the radio in the Fit don't look nearly as goofy in person as they do in the pictures. The fabrics in both vehicles are equivalent, but I dislike the "scribbled magic marker" pattern on one of the Civic models (either LX or EX, I can't remember). I don't think that will look good after several years. I don't mean to sound negative on the Civic; I think it's a great car too, but the Fit holds its own, even ignoring the difference in price.

Really? I must've missed that one. It really looked like the Civic had the soft feel "Euro style" vinyl coated dash. I guess I should've touched it.

I didn't really like that upper speedometer heads up display either. Really feels like it takes away from the front view of the car.

The Civic felt claustrophobic compared to the Fit. The fit has a larger blindspot, but being used to hatchbacks, it's still an upgrade in visibility to me from the old car.

I guess I so care more about the inside of the car now, after all, you spend far more time looking at and living in the inside of the car, than the outside.

-Ed

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy Also, the shift knob in the manual transmission Civic is hard plastic -- a major step down from the prior generation. The one in the Fit is better.

Yeah, what's up with only an aluminum shift knob offered for an upgrade to the stock knob. I would much prefer leather wrapped if I cared to upgrade it. I'm not a fan of freezing or burning the crap out of my hand.


Quote:

I don't mean to sound negative on the Civic; I think it's a great car too, but the Fit holds its own, even ignoring the difference in price.

No need to apologize, the cheaper price of the Fit makes it that much better.

-Ed

 

[Elec]

A lady from HP told me once that a lot of their patents actually come from their bargain printers and not their expensive flagship printers. Turns out the reason is that it's a lot harder to make a good printer for cheap than a better printer for 2x the price.

Sounds like these new small cars are a similar deal, it's interesting to see just how much you get for such a small price. I honestly wouldn't mind having a small, reliable car (even a TINY car, like single seater, if it was safe) that gets great mileage for commuting. The downer is still needing a bigger car for shopping, road trips, and times I need to drive other people around too.

I'm not a real fan of the Yaris/Fit styling, but it's good to see more attention paid to making small affordable cars that are not complete econoboxes. It's a nice change from GM offering 10 flavors of SUV and truck

 

[srapps55]

Which is really the equivalent of a Value Edition Golf. The 2 door model should be out soon at $14,990, and will come with PW/PL, CC, and stuff you would expect. Plus, it would be like a real car instead of a toy. Has 150HP so would be good for highway driving. Yes, gas mileage will be worse, but safety will be better.

 

[jlo mein]

the new Yaris is ugly. The older Yaris/Echo/Vitz was much better in external styling.

Older

Newer

 

[Edwood]

I like the newer external styling, personally.

 

[RYCeT]

I do like echo hatchback, unfortunately it's not available in US, they only sell echo sedan which is butt ugly