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Comments
Yep try taking a bunch of people and the luggage to the airport in a Boxter.
I looked and the best value for the dollar right now seems to be the Accord VP. It has all the stuff the Hyundai has, but at $16K($16,250 will the end of the month) - it's a stunning deal.
I wouldn't say that, $16K is way under invoice for the Accord. I would say that you are going to pay close to $18K for it. A fully loaded Elantra can be had for close to $15K and an Accent for even less.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Click on the link. That's Los Angeles, CA.
$15,962. Honda is running a $750 rebate until the end of may, and these sell for a couple of hundred over invoice, so it really IS a $16K Accord. Superb deal.
That also includes delivery.
Denver, CO.
http://www.carsdirect.com/build/style?make=HO&modelid=108&zipcode=80202&trim_gro- ups=sedan4door2.4l,
$16,362 (delivery is a bit more)
Atlanta, GA.
http://www.carsdirect.com/build/style?make=HO&modelid=108&zipcode=30318&trim_gro- ups=sedan4door2.4l,
$15,672(different rebates out east, so it seems)
I repeated this all over the country - it's consistently around $16,000 now, for most of the U.S.
Fit vs. Accent
Fit vs. Accent
Fit vs. Accent
...
Fit vs. Accent
Fit vs. Accent
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I'd much rather get the Accord VP, though, than a Fit Sport. Really a no-brainer if you drive them both. The Fit handles better, but it's not as smooth and refined on the highway. It ... it needs an EX luxury package ASAP with all the little things fixed.
The Hyundais are nice, I have to admit, but their engines and gearboxes aren't as good as even what GM and Ford make(neither are Subaru and a half dozen others), so it kind of left a flat taste in my mouth. Felt like a Buick, in fact - great interior, and stodgy, old engine/drivetrain. Like a fine car, but so "last decade". Now, that's not to say Hyundais aren't good values for what they are, but they aren't a Honda Accord or Pontiac(Toyota) Vibe - which is the other killer deal after rebates.
Now the Vibe - it truly is a Fit killer. After rebates(just wait - GM will offer them again in a month or two) - it drops to Fit Sport range, and it's well, a better car. More everything and only a bit bigger. Plus, all the GM goodies and gadgets. Not bad for a stripped-down economy car. $18K(decently optioned out with ABS, side aribags, etc) now - $16K when the 2007s come out
I have not driven manual transmission Hyundais, but the engine/automatic transmission I have driven on a few Fords are some of the most pathetic attempts at a drivetrain I have seen.
Besides size (something you seem to be big on -- no pun intended), what advantages does the Vibe have over a Fit. Maybe list them on the Fit vs. Matrix discussion being that this is the "Fit vs. Accent! Fit vs. Accent!" discussion.
I did however test drive a stripped GS with a 5 speed and it felt very smooth and shifted just fine. I really enjoyed it.
I did however end up buying an Accent SE 4 speed auto. I had to go with the auto due to the lack of a 5 speed and I did not want to wait.
I am very happy with my Accent SE 3 door hatch and as far as I am concerned the fit and finish is all there. As far as the FIT goes...it looks like a mini-minivan. It looks too tall, too bad porportioned. I didn't get to check the interior but I really love the way my Accent is layed out. The only thing I complain about is the fact that I have to reach quite a bit to grab the seat belt. Other then that I love it. Highly reccomend looking at one.
I will try and test drive the Honda FIT the next time I go to my Hyundai Dealer as they have a Honda section right next door.
The nearest dealer to me said they got a few SEs in but they sold immediately, and they don't expect to get any more in until January. They had a couple of GSes and several GLSes. The GLS is an option too, but it's close to the price of the SE and the SE has the sport suspension and much nicer wheels, and little touches like leather wheel/shifter.
http://www.automobilemag.com/multimedia/video/0609_2006_hyundai_accent_se_3_door- /
What's interesting is that they drove and reported on a car that doesn't exist.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
It seems that people could compare them all if they wanted to much easier in there, and there are obviously a plethora of choices out there for $15k, which deserve to be discussed at length, if possible, altogether.
Just a thought for those who aren't happy when other vehicles are mentioned.
The Accent SE is about as hard to get in my area as the Fit. My nearest dealer had a couple of SEs, sold them right away, and says they won't get any more until January. The GS hatch was pleasant to drive, but I'd like to check out the sport suspension on the SE.
Also, I saw a test video on the SE from Automobile Magazine (Web) that mentioned an aftermarket short-throw shifter. I know about such a shifter for the Elantra that improves shift feel considerably--like the Accent, the Elantra's shifter is pretty "tall". Have you heard anything about this? The short-throw shifter for the Elantra is pretty cheap, about $120.
I wonder if these parts would work on the Accent sedan also, since it has the same powertrain as the Accent hatch? You could build your own "Accent SE" sedan with the sport shifter, strut tower brace, cold air intake, 16" alloys from the SE, and maybe even the stiffer springs from the SE. Actually I wouldn't be surprised to see Hyundai offer an SE version of the sedan in the near future. I think that would be a fun little car, and very good looking with the 16" alloys.
http://www.hyundainews.com/presskit2007/supportfiles/Accent3-doorrelease.doc
Someone mentioned that the fit doesn't come with anything standard.
You are stupid. Maybe you have always been this way, but you certainly have no problems slapping your silly opinions around. Oh and the fit does have an availabe leather wrapped steering wheel, and it comes standard on the sport. I don't know why you keep making comparisons to the base fit, when the accent you keep talking up does not seem to be the base model...as far as their warranty goes i think honda does stand behind thier cars. They know they last and so does everyone else! Even hyundai owners. You all know your cars need that 100,000 mile warranty. It's just the bragging rights that you want on top of it. My grandfather drives a hyundai santa fe and has to take it back to the dealer numerous times, and for different problems. Even he has admitted that without the warranty, he would have been screwed. And since i know that this is going to be counteracted by all this apparent: "my honda shakes and makes noise" and a plethora of honda horror stories, all i have to say is this: altough every car manufacturer will have issues, it has been proven that honda is one that has had the least. You simply cannont say the same for hyundai. Sure you may have all these pleased 'never had a problem with mine' hyundai owners on this forum, but the fact of the matter is that out of all the people who exist in this world who own hyundai's or any korean car for that matter, only a miniscule fraction of them are represented on this forum. Go and tell these stories to the thousands of pleased honda owners who have never had a problem with thier vehicle depsite not having a million mile warranty. It's ok...the big h doesn't need it. Don't waste your time on hyundai's reliabilty by simply stating that 'it hasn't failed me yet' and then try to put into question honda's reliabilty when they hold legendary status.
Oh and that video was a joke. It almost looks like a bunch of people at hyundai said "hey lets make a video after putting aftermarket parts into an accent and then say it's better than a fit, just so that hyundai fans can say that it was said." Oh bs. Need i remind you that all these parts are aftermarket and are not included on the base accent model? So what the heck kind of comparison is that? Good grief of all the cars to tune and you want to choose a hyundai accent? Gimme a break! Have you even seen what is possible with a fit? Or any small honda compact for that matter? You guys are treading into dangerous territory there. But then again i am on a thread where people think its ok to say a mazda 3 is reminscent of a buick and that an accent compares even decently to a fit. Has anyone even read any comparisons between the two on edmunds or car and driver? Because everyone here seems to get pretty pissed off when someone disses the accent without having driven it. Ok then pay heed to someone who spent some time with both cars and scrutinized them! The clear winner has been paraded around all over the place on these websites and it just seems everyone pro hyundai cant except it. Ok fine personal problem.
Now there is the look of the two cars. While style and good looks is completely and totally subjective, i don't think the hyundai looks bad, but i personally think it looks plain. I like the fit's appearance much better. And for those of you commenting on how 'nice' the interior of the accent is, have you ever seen or sat in a fit? I have sat in both of them and you simply cannot deny that the fit feels quite a bit more upscale, has controls that are both more interesting in design and functionality and feel better to the touch. I understand someone who enjoys plush surfaces but oh my goodness the accents interior compared to the fit's is horribly drab! It's not terrible, no, but when you compare the two you would have to be completely clueless as to which was nicer. Perhaps, and i say this with great reluctance, perhaps the build quality might in some small way be just as good, but hyundai's choice of materials is practically sub par compared to hondas. Yes i have sat in both cars.
Goodnight.
I did read C/D's review of the Accent. It was the pedestrian GLS sedan, all stock parts, not the better-handling SE hatch. But C/D said that readers should "give it a whirl" if they haven't sampled it yet. They must really hate it to recommend to their readers that they go check it out. The only two negatives they noted were a rubbery shifter (easily fixed with the B&M short-throw unit) and soft springs and struts, which are much stiffer in the SE.
Have you read the Fit discussions in Town Hall, where people go on and on about the features missing from the Fit that they would dearly love to have? Features like height-adjustable driver's seat, dead pedal, driver's center arm rest, a sunroof option, bodyside moldings, decent carpeting? All of which are on the Accent?
Have you just sat in an Accent or have you driven one? Have you driven the SE hatch, which has the sport steering and suspension, and 16" alloys? What did you think of its ride and handling compared to the Fit? How about driver's seat comfort? Did you like the dual-knob height adjuster on the Accent? That is one of my favorite features of the car. How did you find the NVH? C/D found the Accent quieter than the Fit, even quieter than the Accord EX V6. I really like the versatility and handling of the Fit, but appreciate many things about the Accent. If the SE handles as well as the Automobile Magazine people say it does, I could live without the magic seats on the Fit in favor of the better driving position and smooth/quiet ride of the Accent.
What do you think? Are you capable of having a civilized discussion about these two cars? If not... good night!
And who the hell said that the fit had bad carpeting? Its completely fine! Honda includes basic floor mats with their cars and then if you want nicer ones you can get them as an option. (seems like the fit is full of these option things despite what everyone here says.) And most of the sports i've seen already come with it.
Oh and the fit is still nicer on the inside hands down. And it doesn't need after market to make it handle good. And it is a quiet car. I certainly don't think that just because the accent is quieter that that holds a gargantuan amount of weight with everyone. So it's quiter and has more seat adjustments for the driver. Are we targeting honda's ergonomics now? Most have which set the standard? The fit has everything where i need it just fine and even without the adjustable seat, it is a perfect seating position. Subjective, i know, but if opinions are what this is about then there is mine.
Was that civilized enough for you? I didn't realize i had gotten to you so... :P
And who the hell said that the fit had bad carpeting?
So I guess you haven't read the Fit discussions here. Go take a look. Try searching on "carpet". Lots of posts about the thin and poor-quality carpeting. Sure, you can cover most of it up with floormats. But it's just another sign of Honda's cost cutting in the Fit--along with the hard plastic surfaces and lack of features that are de rigeur on cars these days like a temperature gauge, lockable fuel filler door, dead pedal, and armrest for the driver.
As for the ride quality of the SE with the stiffer suspension, we'll have to see about that. I was encouraged by test drive reports in the Accent discussion about good ride qualilty in the SE. If I find it too harsh, then the GLS would be the way to go.
That's cool that you can get the Fit up to 200 hp. I have no need for that kind of speed. I would buy a car like the Fit or Accent for its economy, not for racing. The car will go to my daughter someday. No way I'd turn a 200 hp pocket rocket over to her.
They switched the dash to the U.S. side, but the rest of the car remains unchanged. It's a right-hand drive car, which is why the filler doesn't lock, there's no dead-pedal(being that that's the passenger side and the gas tank is under the passenger side as well(kills seat height adjuster as an option), the wpier is reversed in the rear, and little things like the split in the seats is reversed and of course, the fact that the driver has the only vanity mirror. (heh)
The next generation model in a year or two will solve all of this - and we'll likely get nice thick carpet as well.
As far as 200 hp in a fit goes, that is quite a bit of engineering. TO build an engine that can do that is incredible. Hyundai even remotely acknowledging this by putting an intake on their little accent is hilarious. I was just talking about what is possible with a fit. not the sole reason why i like it though. But it does say a lot about honda's engineering.
I find it interesting that what some people do regarding Hyundai, you are doing to Honda (but it's perfectly fine, since you are doing it). :sick:
My family (including extended) and I have had countless Hondas...Accords and Civics mostly, but plenty of others as well. I love the cars they make, but I am not afraid to make a constructive criticism here or there.
Carpet is perfectly fine in the Fit? Please, it's like a plastic-felt material. I easily cut it right apart with a not-so-sharp knife when installing my floor mats. After a few years my heel would have worn right through it.
Floor mats are absolutely not standard on the Fit. There is no "basic floor mat" in the Fit, unless you are counting that thin sheet of black plastic under the pedals in the driver's foot well. You have to buy the carpet floor mats or all-weather rubber floor mats separately...they are not standard.
What frustrates most people about the items lacking in the Fit is that they are available in other markets and would have been very easy for Honda to just bring over to the NA-market. I personally would like things like the turn signals on the side mirrors and door guards. Others want height-adjustable seats and armrests. The only thing that I see in demand on the Fit boards, but is universally non-existant in the Fit/Jazz is a dead pedal.
I love my Fit, but I am not afraid to point out a few faults that it has. Of course, I also prefer a firm ride, so the Fit is great. I haven't driven the new Accent yet, but as far as looks go, I like it. I am not going to assume people will take me seriously by saying one car is more comfortable than the other without test driving both!
Hyundai's slogan used to be "Driving is Believing." There is a lot of truth to that. The current slogan is "Rethink Everything." Also good advice--these new Hyundai designs like the Accent aren't the Hyundais of yore, that paled in comparison to Hondas. BTW, I've owned two Civics. Really nice cars. And I do really like the Fit (would like it a lot better if it had a seat-height adjuster!). But they don't keep me from looking for goodness in other cars.
The worldwide LHD and RHD models have absolutely no differences in design other than the dashboard. It’s not like Honda made the LHD version for Europe (other than UK and Ireland) by making a mirror image of the car, but just gave the US a “switched-dashboard” version of the Japanese car.
True, the direction of the window wiper in the back is a quirk from the fact that it was originally designed for the RHD Japanese market, but that’s about it.
The fuel tank is not only under the passenger seat, it is under both seats. European models that have the same LHD format as the US have seat-height adjusters...and the fuel tank in relation to the front seats is identical between the US and Europe. There is no reason the NA-market models couldn’t have height-adjusters. All Fit/Jazzes around the world (LHD or RHD) have the fuel filler door on the left side of the car under the rear window and they all lock. The reason the NA models don’t is that they moved the filler door higher up on the car and decided to eliminate the lock. Why, I don’t know, but the filler door is several inches farther up.
Japan doesn't have a dead pedal either.
As for the vanity mirror, it’s another quirk, but I can’t imagine it’s because we are sitting in the Japanese passenger’s seat. If Honda could give North American unique features like larger bumpers, a unique automatic transmission, and electronic throttle, they could have definitely stuck the mirror on the other visor...or why not both!
Two questions: First is what are you smoking? Second is can I have some?
I do believe that a fully loaded Accent with automatic transmission stickers for about $30 more than the base Mazda 3i with a manual and no options. Make them similarly equipted and the Mazda 3i is a few thousand more.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
And you know what? A stripped Yaris hatchback costs a lot less than either an Accent SE or a Mazda3i, or a Fit for that matter! We should all go out and buy a stripped Yaris!
The point is, let's compare apples to apples here. A Mazda3i, equipped as close as possible to an Accent SE with no options (meaning a 3i Touring with the safety package, fog lamps, and lip spoiler) comes to $17,735. The Accent SE lists for $14,495. Quite a difference in my (pocket)book. You do get a little more room in the 3i and more power plus a couple extra features (although the SE has some features over the 3i also). And don't forget that the SE has a sport-tuned suspension and steering. But the 3i is a class above the Accent in size--and price.
That being said, I really like the 3i Touring and it's high on my "consider list". But assuming I like how the SE drives, I'd need some financial incentives to justify its purchase over the 3i Touring.
I won't even get into the Elantra, which is Hyundai's competitor to the Mazda3, because this isn't an Elantra vs. Mazda3 discussion.
Don't insult my comments, pinhead.
Don't insult my comments, pinhead.
Zippy replies:
Well when something costs less and you say it costs more something must be wrong.
So I see that instead of addressing what I wrote about the costs of the cars you called me a pinhead. Does that mean you agree that you were wrong saying the Accent costs more?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
You mean like calling people pinhead?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Secondly since you say a $16,000 car costs more than a $18,000 something must be clouding your judgement.
Finally why don't we keep to the topic at hand and explain how a car that actually costs less can cost more.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I disagree. Coming from a Fit Sport owner, my Fit doesn't have carpeting. Its more like felt/insulation carpet. I don't really care as I use the all-weather mats.
Hey, at least my old Hyundai Accent and family's 2 Elantra never had issues like the A/C button on the Honda Fit breaking. Haha. I should be ^%$#@ but its a Honda so I'm giving it a pass. right?
I don't think that. What you said is that you think the Fit is more comfortable than the Accent. I was just wondering aloud (?) how you could determine relative comfort without driving both cars. But if by comfort you mean just the way the seats feel while sitting in the cars a short time and the interior materials quality, well, so be it, but IMO there is a lot more to comfort in a car than that.
I agree that comparing the 3i to the Accent is apples to oranges, and I said as much. That's not what this discussion is about. But I don't know that the 3i can out-handle the Accent SE until I drive the SE. I know the 3i handles pretty darn well.
"Sport steering" is how Hyundai describes the tweaked steering that they offer in the Accent hatchback--different steering than in the sedan. I'm not quite sure what the tweaks are though, but I do know the steering felt great--very precise--even in the strippo Accent GS hatch that I drove, which has 14" wheels.
That may be true, but it's only because they use the same right-hand drive template for every Fit.
- The fuel tank is more under the driver's seat thant the passenger seat in the U.S. - but that's the opposite seat in Japan.
- The foot areas for the passenger side are larger than the drier's side. Oh - wait - that's because in Japan, the driver gets the bigger foot area. There's plenty of space on that side to rest your feet against the floor right next to the pedals(and they aren't scrunched together, either)
- The split in the seat - it's supposed to be larger on the passenger side towards the curb/not behind the driver, yet it's onthe wrong side/unchanged for the U.S.
- The center rear seatbelt fastens on the wrong side.
- The rear window wiper is reversed.
- The vanity mirror, which we only get one of, is reversed. Of course, in Japan and the U.K., that's the passenger side, so all's well and good.
It's tons of small things that detract from it. We really need a left-hand drive version of it that's purposely built as such. Sunroof and leather would be nice as well, especially since you can get those in China, of all places.
It feels rough and very first generation, and frankly, not really "Honda". At least the version we get in the U.S., that is.
What I meant is that from a design perspective it is the same car throughout the world whether LHD or RHD. Anyway, unlike certain models, the Fit was never intended to be a Japan-only car. It began sales in Europe (almost entirely LHD) just a few months after Japan.
I actually think it feels quite "Honda". All of these eccentricities you have mentioned can be gotten used to very easily, if one even notices them at all. Apart from some weird things like no passenger side mirror visor (rarely affects me :P ) and no height-adjuster, I find the general ergonomics of the car to be excellent and very Honda-like.
Fuel tank: I checked the service manual for a nice, in-depth image of the tank. It's fairly symmetrical, but it looks like there is a small pipe running under the left-front seat. That's about it.
However, that is no reason to not give the US a seat-height adjuster. I have been in the height-adjuster equipped LHD European model Jazz and the difference in the shape of the floor (and the fuel tank itself) between the left and right seats is identical to the US model. American Honda just left out the seat adjuster...the fuel tank has nothing to do with its absence.
Foot areas: The shape of the foot well is entirely dependent on the location of the wheel well in the Fit and from a seating position the intrusion of the fuel tank is the same on both sides...I just sat in both sides of my car and the fuel tank does not affect your feet placement for driving. One big thing though is that the Japanese consumer will be resting their left foot against the console where there is more room than against the wheel well like a LHD customer.
I just spent a minute looking at a picture of the interior of the Japanese Fit. I don't see any size difference between the driver and passenger side. Do you have any measurements to back this up?
Split in rear seat: We have a 2002 Civic coupé. Unlike the Fit, the primary market for the Civic coupé is the US. The 2-door Civic isn't even sold in a RHD country like Japan or the UK. It was built in the US, and I'm sure the design was influenced quite a bit, if not entirely for the US market. The split in the rear seat is identical to that of the Fit. Large area on the left and small area on the right.
Center rear seatbelt on wrong side: Again, it's the same in our US Civic. Shoulder belt on the left and latch on the right. Same with the Fit. I have been in other Hondas with the exact same setup.
Rear window wiper: As I already pointed out in the last post, this is a design quirk for an RHD-designed car. It's just a matter of getting used to though since the cleaning path is still large enough to allow for sufficient visibility during a rainstorm.
Vanity mirror: That is just a stupid mistake done by someone at American Honda. It would have been mind-numbingly easy to just stick a mirror on the passenger side. Also, Honda's Japanese Fit page has a picture of a RHD driver's side (US passenger side) rear view mirror. They just left it out, simple as that...it's not an inherent LHD/RHD design flaw.
I just spent a minute looking at a picture of the interior of the Japanese Fit. I don't see any size difference between the driver and passenger side. Do you have any measurements to back this up?
I was referring to this. You don't need a dead-pedal on the right-hand models because there's plenty of space to put your left foot on the floor. The wheel-well forces you to put it halfway down... um.. nowhere(so you need something to rest it aginst)
If I am not mistaken, our 1st generation CR-V has a dead pedal, and that is essentially a RHD model that was switched to a LHD format. I think it is just a general lack of space in the Fit that prevents this from happening due to the intrusion of the wheel well.
Don't get me started on the 3i's handling. Please. I wish some mazda guys or any other people familiar with the better handling cars in that segment (3, civic) could witness the weirdness of these comments. :sick: