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Fit vs. Rabbit
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They didn't rank cars on economy. Here is how they did rank the Fit and Rabbit (numbers are numbers of stars awarded for each category, with 5 stars being the best):
Category / Fit / Rabbit
Engineering / 4 / 3
Design / 4 / 3
Interior / 4 / 4
Performance / 2 / 2
Ease of Use / 4 / 3
Safety / 3 / 3
Value / 5 / 3
Although the Rabbit trailed the Fit in 4 categories and tied in the others, MT's harshest criticism on the Rabbit was on its engine, e.g. "The five lacks refinement and feels primitive. It's thrashy and harsh abd seems as if it's been pulled from another era." MT did say several positive things about the Rabbit too. But I won't go into details because you don't care what MT thinks.
in my opinion the engine is hardly thrashy, It is very low revving and exceedingly quiet. I was impressed with that aspect of her the day i bought it; i could hardly hear the engine at idle. The fit is known for having a buzzy engine and many have pointed that out.
The Fit's engine is high-revving; the thing is only 1.5L, compared to 2.5L for the Rabbit. But it's smooth and quiet for such a small engine. At 4000 RPM, you'll definitely hear it--and you'll hear the engine on the Rabbit too! I think MT was talking about the noise of the Rabbit's engine when going down the road vs. idling when they talked about it being "thrashy."
The Fit is a good interior, but it IS a bottom-of the line Honda. Things like a mechanical heater-knob vs. an electrical and carpet that would be thicker if Honda used sandpaper make the car feel cheaper than a more expensive compact or midsize (its ok, it is cheaper!). I'll grant our buddy eldiano that, the VW interor outclasses the Fit's, hands down, in my eyes.
The engines are just two opposing ideals of a motor. One is small, and gets good top end power for its size, with only adequate around town power, and great economy - Honda squeezes all it can from that engine, although I disagree with the "buzzy" comment. I haven't heard a buzzy Honda engine in my lifetime.
VW on the other hand has displacement to spare, giving lots of torque, but above 4,000 RPM it is a pain to listen to (i know, just my opinion, but it is shared by some others). Good thing is most of the time you don't have to rev the engine that high to get going - only when highway passing does the VW feel meager in power. In-town fuel economy also suffers - the cost of a big high-torque engine in the VW.
They are both well-built cars (the Fit is a 6-year old design and still seems up-to-date, impressive to me!) that can be had for a low cost. They just take opposite approaches to it, and both have found their markets.
i'm just not getting the whole engine being thrashy thing.
My drive to work in the morning is 15 miles on highway 85 in nc. I will admit that the top end of the vw is not that wonderful, so a manumatic downshift to 3rd is fun but never neccesary. It does lack the top end, but not horribly.
But even at 4000rpms it really doesn't sound that bad, if you can even hear the engine.(at this point on the freeway road noise is proably more apparent and even that is marginal.)
I know you guys arent busting my chops, but i drive this car every...single...day...over 30...miles each way! Mostly highway too! And just so its not used against me, no i don't have the radio on. (my wifey and i like to talk mostly.
i really don't think its a matter of 'well maybe eldaino is just ok with it and doesn't mind'. You guys know i had an 06 civic so my question is this...
Would you say that the civic is quiter than the fit? I would, its a brand new engine engineered for smoothness and quiteness.
Now taking that into consideration i'll say this: sitting in the rabbit blew me away when i turned it on and started driving. Both me and my wife agree that the rabbit is quiter (engine wise and from inside the cabin) than either of our old cars.
Maybe you guys are just confusing the weirdness of a five cylinder. They sound weird when compared to a four banger they really do, its a whole different note; an aquired taste if you will
I will say this, i don't every really stay in 4000rpms for very long, the six speed auto sees to that. I can be going over 80mph and only be at about 2200rpms. Another thing to think about is the fact that since 4000 rpms on the rabbit are so close to redline, you never really spend that much time with the needle that far on the tach!
Can i hear the engine when i accelerate to 4000rpms on the freeway? Yes, but when you are already going 65 mph, what engine isn't going to be at least a little audible? And even then i still think its the weirdness of the five cylinders note that may come off as 'thrashiness'.
Well, a buddy i went to High School with used to have an old Acura 2.5TL, with a rarity - a Honda 5-cylinder. 2.5L, 175 horses. It sounded sort of syncopated at idle, but not noticeably weird. It actually sounded smooth as it revved up (it was a high-revving motor, if I remember correctly, redlined closer to 7k I think?) It was identical to this, right down to the wheel design.
It's been awhile since he got rid of it (now has a 2001 3.2CL coupe) but the engine was smoother sounding than that of the VW. It's not that the VW lacks driving smoothness, its just the sounds it makes aren't very refined. And yes, I may be spoiled by the Honda 4 and 6-cylinder cars I frequent, which are nearly turbine like when revved up.
I didn't intend to say that the rabbit was noisy, instead that the noises it does make are coarse. Only been in one with that engine (it was a 2.5 Jetta, to be honest, but I figure same difference, am I right or wrong?) and was only in it briefly (maybe 5 miles), but it seemed at least as quiet as my father's 07 Civic, if not quieter.
So, in short:
The VW seems to be coarser, though not necessarily louder. Not gonna blame the five-cylinder setup, as I'm not sure it is to blame (not entirely anyway). The 2.0L from the old Jetta (I believe I was in a 2004, which would have the 2.0 115hp, right?) was not that smooth either, so it seems to be family tradition.
Yes it does sound 'coarser'. But not louder per se.
Thanks for spelling it out. i had forgoten that honda had a five cylinder! (i was looking into that tl since i may be getting an older used car, but didn't really want to go back to a sub 2.0 liter civic.) 7000rpm redline? Nice.
Yeah same differance as far as the jetta goes....unless you factor in the fact that the engine has to work a little bit harder to pull the jettas weight around.
There's the article... the Fit was also rated by MT as better than the Yaris and the Versa
But this is Fit vs. Rabbit, not Fit vs. Versa and Yaris. Or Rabbit vs. Elantra and Sentra or...