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Comments
http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060414/AUTO01/604140364
Looks like hybrids aren't selling as well as automakers had hoped. I don't think the hybrid Fit would sell that well either unless the price difference is only $1000 or so from the regular Fit since the Fit is already a little overpriced...who would pay $20 grand for a Fit hybrid....not too many people in my opinion. I think the auto companies would sell more cars if they just offered a "high mileage" version of the cars they currently sell. Why not offer a 1.2 or 1.3 liter version of the Fit that gets 45/50 mpg....that would be alot more attractive to many US customers. Many of you like the performance of the new US version of the Fit, but there are many of us out there that would gladly give up 20-30 hp and get better gas mileage. I hope Honda reads these forums and would actually consider offering a "DX" version of the Fit stripped down with a smaller engine...there IS a market for it....unlike the over priced hybrids you're trying to trick us into buying.
MSRP: $15,170 + Destination: $550 + Window tint: $295 - $700 trade-in = $15,315 (w/out TTL)
Not bad. Especially considering the $700 trade-in is my 1983 Toyota Corolla. Still bangin' out the miles! I might also have them put on the sport grille (I think it looks pretty cool) if they don't charge too much for it and labor. I think I'll get other accessories that just pop in (like cargo cover and bumper applique) through www.collegehillshonda.com this summer. The dealer today told me quite a few Fits left the ports of entry yesterday and should arrive at dealerships around the 20th - maybe even a few days early. Hooray!
The Civic in Europe is available with the Jazz's 1.4 i-DSI (L13A), but it is mated to a 6-speed manual. Drop that combination in the US Fit and there you have a low-priced, high-MPG vehicle.
However, I would also want a LX trim to allow for high mileage and driving in a bit of comfort.
I doubt it will ever happen, but we can dream!
the Yaris is only a 2 dr hatch. with a center console. Huge diference. The accent looked and felt so much more cheaper. the Kia was nice and Im sure they will put deep discounts like they always do.
I would only consider the Kia with a Huge discounts ( 12-13K).
the others to me are out.
the sport also has rims that many people/articles forget.
plus cruise, shifters, better stereo, and body parts all of this costs money.
The place was pretty packed. Their were small lines to get into the fit. All of the rich car area were packed. same with the big 4 japanesse cars. But wow Kia and Suzuki were so empty. I actually felt bad for the workers. idid like the Suz swift. It did not feel cheap, and there were many versions.
I could not get into the Nissan or the Yaris. the accent was poor,The rio was ok, the Caliber was so ugly , cheap. Its still so embarasing to see such a crap car. I dont know why they bother ( i know some dum a@@ will buy it ) but its was horrible.
Back to the Fit, I really like the rear cup holders, and the magic seats. There were not flimsy in any way. they locked tight. But its so funny to me to see how little the Honda workers knew about the car. They knew nothing. I had to show them how to move the seats.
I felt you could put 2 200 pound adults in the car and be fine. I also see how the youth ( im 35) will love to trick this car out. so many posibilities.
I think i will get a sport home for 18k.
16000+ 500 dest+ 1500 tax.
Ill be happy soon enough.
Any question, holla ( ask, im not that old)
Apparently Honda is going to cut back on Fit production to meet demand for the Civic this year. I doubt it will be easy to get a deal on this car any time soon.
Im sure detroit wishes they had these problems.
Plus honda's not stupid its eco101, supply and demand.
However, you're forgetting that the i-DSI engine is a bit weak on high-end power and the L13A engine would make the car too slow for American driving styles. I'm surprised that Honda didn't seriously look at building the Fit with the 90 bhp (SAE 08/04 net) L15A i-DSI engine for the US market, which would have offered better fuel efficiency than the L15A VTEC engine.
US point of contact: aaron@woodcompanyusa.com
The people who want a high efficiency vehicle probably aren't the kinds with the "typical American style" of driving. Many cars have been sold in the US in the past with small, efficient engines that have power-to-weight ratios comparable to what a US-market L13A Fit would have.
The two problems with those cars were:
1. They were introduced at a time when gasoline prices were not even close to being an issue.
2. They were usually unrefined, and had a typical cheap-car feel.
An L13A Fit wouldn't have this problem. True, it would have some of the slowest 0-60mph times in the US market, but it would probably have the highest gasoline-only EPA ratings too. The 0-60 of 12 or 13 seconds would be more than enough to keep up with traffic. People who have high-powered engines don't realize they only use a small fraction of that power in everyday driving.
First, on the Fit vs. xB:
The length of the storage bed is 56" on the Fit. If you have no one sitting in the passenger seat and can move it up,, there's about 9" of available additional "overhang" space for long items. (Of course you can also get much more by folding the passenger seat down, at the cost of making part of the cargo area no longer flat).
On the xB, the length of the storage bed is only 43", far less than the Fit. However, if you can use the overhang space, you can pick up up to an an extra 20" if you move the passenger seat up, which makes it much closer to the Fit's figure, provided you're packing things that don't need support over that much of their length. (The xB also lacks the ability to fold that seat back for maximum cargo length.)
The width of the Fit also beats the xB, though only by about an inch at the wide point by the side doors, and about 2 inches at the narrow point by the wheel wells.
The Fit also beats the xB in the height of this area. The Fit is mostly about 40", (the back 5" of length get a little shorter, and there is a section where the rear seat belts retract into a "hump" which reduces the height to about 33"). The xB starts at about 36" in the rear, and I think it increases some (not sure, my notes are vague there), but it actually decreases to about 32" by the time you get to the front, because the seats don't quite fold flat, there is a gradual incline (which some will find to be a problem as well).
So in all ways, the xB's primary cargo area measures out less, depsite its being reported to have slightly more capacity. The Fit has about 30% more length, slightly more width, and perhaps 10% more height averaged out. (Not even counting the additional benefits of the flatter surface and the ability to fold the passenger seat backwards.) Of course, if the xB has enough for whatever you need it for, more is superfluous. But if anyone is looking at the figures that have been mentioned earlier and is assuming that, if you can't fit your stuff in an xB, you wouldn't be able to fit it in a Fit either, that may not actually be the case, it really is noticeably roomier there.
And conversely, it is also worth noting that there is a good sized "trough" behind the front seats on the xB, which does not really have an equivalent in the Fit (when the seats are folded down), so maybe that's where it makes up some of its cf. That trough (again, up to 20" if the passenger seat is moved up) is about 5 feet from floor to roof. So there are certain times that may be an advantage. To get a high area in the Fit, you'd have to go to "tall mode", which greatly cuts the size of the other cargo area. The xB's "tall" section is not nearly as large as the Fit's when put in that mode, but if it's enough for what you need it for, you'd have the benefit of still being left with the full size primary cargo area.
Even more dramatic, though, was the comparison of the Fit to the Aerio SX, which supposedly had much more storage (63.7 cf vs. 41.9). No way.
As I mentioned, the Fit's bed is 56" long, and you can add some overhang depending on the position of the front seats. The Aerio is only 54", and there's no usable overhang at all, because the rear seat bottoms fold forward in order to create the flat surface, and they create a hard boundary. And whereas 51" of the Honda's 55" is at full height, only 46" of the Aerio's 54" is, since it has more of a sloping rear hatch area.
And speaking of height, the Fit is mostly at 40", the Aerio is mostly at under 36".
The width of the two is the same at the side doors (50"), but the Aerio's wheel wells protrude further into the cabin, reducing width at that poing to 36", about 4" less than the Fit.
There are no other storage areas in the Aerio, and all it's dimensions are lesser or the same, so how any measure could show it having 50% more cargo capacity is beyond me! The Aerio does have some attributes to recommend it (available AWD, for one), but while storage capacity is good, it's definitely less than that of the Fit (and less flexible there as well, of course).
I totally agree...I couldn't care less how fast I do 0-60 in if the car can get close to 50 mpg. I had an '85 Civic that only had about 70 hp and it seemed just fine for me...and several times I got close to 50 mpg. Also, how many people drive to work in the city?...where you go just a few blocks between stoplights. All a fast 0-60 does is get you to the next stoplight quicker where you get to stop again. And if you do need to drive on the freeway, almost any car can cruise at 60-70 with little or no problem. And believe me...70 hp in my old '85 Civic was fast enough to merge onto a freeway. The big myth is that American drivers wouldn't put up with a car that has a slow 0-60 in exchange for higher gas mileage. If anyone actually sold a non-hybrid that got even close to 50 mpg and was somewhat affordable, they'd sell like hotcakes, especially now that the price of gas in the US is (and will be in the future) close to $3.00/gallon (or higher once any rumour of a hurricane arises). It's just a matter of car companies looking at the US market as the cash cow that it unfortunately is. We're the biggest market but get the worst choices. What's up with that?
I realize that there is a small segment of people that would gladly trade high end power for fewer visits to the pump. I'm just not one of them. In my opinion, a weak engine not only severely limits the fun factor, it can also present a major safety issue. Sure, you're only using a fraction of your engine's available power most of the time, but it's great to have that extra boost when you need it--passing on two-lane highways, dodging potential hazards, near misses when crazy drivers are flyin' by. If I'm driving a gutless econobox, I might as well just cover my head and brace for impact. (just one opinion)
The beige/black interior is identical to the black except for the seats themselves and the upper door panels. The beige seats have a funky stitching design (in the non "pincushion" sections) that I think looks kinda cheesy. The black actually has the same design, but it's not nearly as apparent.
The Versa was locked, but through its window at least, its interior did not look better than the Honda's, contrary to my expectations.
There is indeed no seat height adjustment, backy. But luckily for me, I had no problem with the driving position.
If the only reason you're thinking about buying floor mats is to not wear the carpet by the driver's feet, that's not an issue, that part is rubberized. OTOH, if you hate a rubber floor, that's even more reason to buy floor mats.
The storage area (if you can stand reading any more about it) actually measures about the same size as the storage area in my friend's CRV (previous generation). I think that's amazing.
Having a more fuel-efficient engine in such a refined car would be worth it to me, especially if it ends up being a high-mileage alternative to a hybrid. I'd like to see the next generation Fit with the new diesel being used in the Civic hatchback in Europe. 0-60 < 8 sec. and 55 mpg. :shades:
Hopefully diesels catch on one day here in the US before too long. ...Call me crazy, but I think the ideal design would be a hybrid diesel setup. The electric side would produce max torque off the line, the diesel side would produce max torque once you're moving, and the combination would produce unheard of gas-mileage. Any thoughts?
I wouldn't take that chance, especially here in California where accelerating onto the freeway and going up and down the mountains of California require an engine with more power. This is why I could see Honda switching from the L15A VTEC to a new 1.5-liter engine with the same SOHC i-VTEC valvetrain found on the 2006 Honda Civic as early as the 2008 models; this will offer 1) likely better fuel efficiency, 2) more power (around 117-120 bhp with more usable torque throughout the rev range), and 3) the ability of the engine to meet ULEV Level-2 emissions standards. With careful programming of the five-speed automatic to take advantage of this new engine I'd buy the car in no time flat!
2. This is a discussion about the Fit, not a comparison discussion. Maybe you would like to start a "VW Golf vs. Honda Fit" discussion?
The very first thing I do, is go by my parent's house to show them. I'm 38 years old, but still somehow feel the need to say "Look Mom!". Silly, but true. Mom always gets a ride, as well. My father usually just nods, grunts, then goes back into the house.
Anyway, once I get home (assuming it's not dark), I take the full set of "before" pictures, then go around the car, and carefully pull off all of the badges, stickers, dealer ads, etc that I can, that won't leave holes behind. That gets followed by dropping in all of the "quick add-ons" that I've pre-purchased for the car, a full coat of armorall on the interior, and another set of pictures.
Do any of y'all find yourself following the same steps each time you get a new car? What is it that you do?
As for pulling off the dealer stickers--tell them in advance you do NOT want any extra stickers on the car. Tell them if they put them on, you will charge them $500 a year for advertising fees (say that with a little twinkle in your eye but seriously enough so they get your point). When I have done that, the dealer has honored my request. I don't pull off factory badges. Anyway, the Fit's badge is kind of cool I think.
This will be my first new car, so I guess I will have to start some rituals myself. I will be keeping all of the badges though. Like Backy, I happen to think the Fit badge is quite nice. I would never want to get rid of that. Of course things like the dealership license plate and any window stickers go right off the minute I get home.
There are some photogenic spots near where I live, so once the weather is nice I will take it there and get some pictures. Plenty of windy roads in that area too
Lower than Detroits 3.
garbage
And now I'll answer that other recent burning question...
The locking fuel cap is apparently an option.
http://www.manhonda.com/ap/index.cfm?Level=194&PG=3&PID=1218
I wish diesel engines would catch on, too, but it's not so black and white. Diesel engines emit less carbon-dioxide but create higher levels of particulate emissions. And because studies have linked these particulates to cancer, that's a big deal. Europe has chosen a different tradeoff and also has cleaner diesel fuel. DaimlerChrysler has a system called Bluetec that will meet the revised 2007 US emissions standards for diesel engines. There are two forms of Bluetec. The more advanced form satisfies even California's emission requirements, but requires a 5-to-7-gallon tank of urea to be refilled every 12,000 to 15,000 miles, typically during oil changes. That system may not work out in the US because the EPA prefers/requires emissions systems to function without maintenance for 120,000 miles. DaimlerChrysler's simpler form of Bluetec does not pass California's more stringent standards, but is maintenance-free. It requires the low-sulfer diesel fuel that will be available in all 50 states by October 15. Mercedes-Benz is going to offer a diesel engine in their E320 sedan this fall that uses this simpler form of Bluetec, but it will not be available in the 5 states that adhere to California emissions standards.
As far as I've heard, DaimlerChrysler is the only manufacturer that has diesel technology that will meet the 2007 emissions standards in the US. From what I've heard, Volkswagen will be out of the diesel game in the US after this year because their engines do not meet the standards revised for 2007. So get your VW TDI now, while you can.
You are right, though, that a lot of the problem with diesel engines in the US is misunderstanding among the car buying public. People associate diesel with the engines of the past that were much dirtier and had less power.
Again, sorry for continuing the off-topic. I actually came to this forum because I'm really excited about the Fit. For me, 35mpg in real-world combined driving (C&D test) is good enough. Differences in fuel efficiency at that level are overrated. The difference between 25mpg and 35mpg is almost twice the number of gallons of fuel than the difference between 35mpg and 45mpg. I think some people don't realize that, hence the popularity of the Prius and so forth.
That's fine, but I can promise you from personal experience that trying to accelerate onto a European motorway with cars going 120-130 km/h is no different than trying to get on the Interstate 5 in Orange county with cars going 75-80 mph. In fact, I have found US on-ramps to be longer than many of those in Europe. Also, passing is no different and I have had to pass trucks in cars less powerful than the L13A (both on 4 lane motorways) and higher speed 2 lane country roads.
It's all a matter of personal preference though.
It WAS the Golf - until this week. The Rabbit has returned from the dead. The Rabbit has just been revived by VW: http://www.autoblog.com/category/volkswagen/
Nuff said
Honda Cuts Target for Fit Sales in U.S., Cites Demand for Civic
April 12 (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co., the fastest-growing major automaker in the U.S. this year, trimmed its U.S. sales target for the Fit subcompact by as much as 24 percent as it shifts factory capacity to make more Civics.
Honda, Japan's third-largest automaker, now expects to sell 38,000 to 42,000 Fits in the 12 months after it goes on sale this month, John Mendel, senior vice president of the company's U.S. sales unit, said today. In January, Tokyo-based Honda said it planned to sell 50,000 Fits in the U.S. in that period.
``It's really about competing for supply with Europe and Japan,'' Mendel said in an interview at the New York auto show. ``This is a big model for Honda globally.''
Higher-than-expected sales of the new Civic in the U.S., Japan and Europe means Honda has to devote more factory space to building those cars instead of Fits, Mendel said. U.S. Civic sales are up 32 percent this year through March, 9.6 percent in Japan and 42 percent in Europe, spokesman David Iida said today.
Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda are adding new small cars, priced at about $15,000, designed for first-time buyers and drivers concerned about fuel efficiency. The Fit, which competes with Toyota's new Yaris and Scion cars and Nissan's Versa sedan and hatchback, is Honda's bestseller in Japan and Europe, with worldwide sales of 434,000 last year
We could see a Honda car powered by an HCCI engine within the next two years--and the second-generation Honda Fit could be just such a vehicle.
The authentic Jazz symbol with the i-DSI red dot or the VTEC blue dot!
http://www.collegehillshonda.com/honda_fit_accessories/import_parts.htm
Now, if they could only get me those wheels.
Why? The Golf is not sold in USA/Canada anymore, the last one was imported a few months ago.
The 2007 Rabbit would be the only VW you could compare the Fit with.
Correct. Not much point - the Rabbit gets much better mileage with the TDI.