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What's to rebutt? Do you own a measuring tape? The layout is quite different and that will give each vehicle an advantage depending on application but if the Fit's layout is your only criteria for owning one of these vehicles, get a Matrix. It has a bit more room than the Versa with all the cargo features of the Fit.
David
David
You have no experience using the Fit's cargo room.
You have no clue whether I do or don't. Subjective opinions are nice when presented as such. But that pesky distinction of actual space vs. perceived space just won't go away. If you can't utilize the larger cargo space of the Versa, that's OK. The Fit fits ya better. But your situation isn't everyone's.
As I've stated previously, both vehicles have strengths and weaknesses. I think folks are remiss in not exploring both options. I need the additional cargo space of the Versa. I really needed the Matrix for cargo but there were too many other factors that made the Versa a better overall choice.
David
Why don't you tell us all, then, whether you have carried anything in a Fit? It's a very simple question.
At minimum, it appears that this simple question is awfully challenging for you to answer in the most straightforward way.
The only way to dispute math (arithmetic) is with math. Once you've taken care of that, which is the only point in contention, we'll address other issues. You want off the hook using prose. I'll stick to the actual numbers. Thanks.
David
It's very obvious the guy never did haul anything in a Fit. Why drag it out? i owned a 2005 Honda Jazz and it was only the 1.3L and for hauling things it was great! We moved all sorts of things in it. No problem for a tall water cooler in the back seat just lift it up and in it went. You can't lay those down because the freon will leak out.
We got a 29" TV in the shipping box into the back with no drama it was a Sanyo.
The Fit can haul a LOT of stuff and it's not like you are hauling individual packages of candy. The Fit can haul real stuff as long as you plan ahead. If you really need to haul more than a Fit then you really need a truck or an SUV. In our case we'd have used a Multicab for a bed delivery because it's a 3cyl pickup truck type vehicle as well as a lot of other things depending on body style.
But a Bed is very high and long. But normal stuff the Fit works for most stuff. I still am wary of Nissans reliability as it's sketchy at times. The Versa might be good. I never even sat in one. But I do know the Fit and I do know that guy and his tape measure never used one to haul anything. Lots of things fit that you think won't and some things that should don't. Moving stuff is weird that way.
The dimensions are not in question here. The question is the spatial usability of the given dimensions.
Is a kitchen that is 200 sq.ft in size always more usable than the one that is 150? My answer to this question would be: "I don't know until I see both kitchens" because the shape and layout of each kitchen makes a huge difference.
At any rate, I am done with this discussion. I will now let everyone else who is reading these recent postings between us decide whether you are making a fair comparison between the Versa and the Fit and their respective cargo room.
Good idea. That's what I've been advocating from the start. If cargo capacity is the only criteria, neither the Fit or the Versa in going to be the winner.
I've never said a bad thing about the Fit. It's a nice car at a good price (MSRP).
David
I've been driving Sentras and Altimas for quite a while and the Versa is the first vehicle I've had in a long time that I could get anything THAT big inside of.
Just to give you and idea of the size..
That being said, the driving position isn't for everyone, so make sure you do plenty of test drives. The Versa was easier for me to get into a more comfortable position, but the Fit's position wasn't bad for me, and the other attributes of the Fit were more important to me than a slightly more comfortable driving position.
This is why a buyer needs to know how they'll use the vehicle before deciding which is the right choice. You carry smaller passengers with lots of cargo. That gives the advantage to the Fit. Good choice. I carry larger passengers and lots of cargo but not at the same time. Advantage Versa.
Park the Versa and Fit next to each other. There's a major difference in size. That should enter into the buying equation as well. The Fit and Versa are five door HB's. That's about all they have in common. A buying decision shouldn't be difficult if the buyer knows their priorities.
David
Yes...on the outside the Versa is much longer, but it's true that if the space isn't big enough for the passengers your're carrying than that car would be a poor choice to buy.
If one of these two is to be the only or best car, the equation can change dramatically.
If the purpose is to be the car pool vehicle, the more comfortable seats in the Versa would be more desirable.
If it s the only car for traveling, the Versa might be the best choice.
As a "Scoot" around, fun to drive, utility vehicle that would normally not haul many folks, the Fit would be a better choice for us.
Kip
There are many more reasons to choose one or the other or neither. A list of priorities, patience and an open mind will get a buyer to a good decision.
The seats in my 76 VW Scirocco sucked but 30 years ago that wasn't a priority. Today, comfort is very important. Priorities change. What constitutes comfort will also vary from individual to individual. I'm 6'3" and my wife is 5'3". The Versa gave both of us a good position in the cockpit. Of all the vehicles we test drove, it was the only smaller vehicle that accomplished that. There are so many issues that come into play that it can't be boiled down to a few sentences. What works for us isn't necessarily going to work for someone else.
Both vehicles are fun to drive. The Fit felt "sportier" to me but the Versa felt like it had more giddy-up on the highway. Don't think anyone can go to far wrong with the drivability of either vehicle. And neither qualifies as a true sports car.
David
The Honda dealer asked $16,500 for the Honda fit sport. He implied that they were getting the full sticker price and that financing would be at current bank rates. After test driving the versa I knew this was the car I wanted, but it was the cost that sealed the deal. I got the versa 1.8 S with 4-speed automatic transmission, power package, and ABS (also splash guards and floor/trunk mats) for $14,000. Nissan currently has a $500 rebate and the dealer threw in a $690 discount to get from the sticker price of $15,190 down to $14,000. Nissan then gave me .7% APR on the financing.
I saved $2500 on the purchase price and about $1500 on financing charges over the cost of the fit. The fit would have given me better gas mileage, a flat cargo area, and cruise control that I do not have on the versa. I did not think it was worth $4000 for those features. My choice!
Anyhow congratulations again on your VERSA. You got a wonderful price on a wonderful car. I think both cars have their upsides but we can only buy one at a time and Nissan is definitely easier to deal with b/c they just want to sell you a car and they make it easy to buy. I just wish dealers would have purchased more with ABS breaks...again, what were they thinking??? I wasted so much time looking the Corolla Sport and Pontiac Vibe to find out that they rarely build with ABS breaks...It's disgusting!
Versa rocks, have fun, you will look great on the road!!!!!!
Pretty meaningless to you .... Not to me !
The most comfortable seats in the world are not going to make the cargo area in the Versa as "versitale" or accommodating as the Fit.
All the "open mindedness" in the world is not going to make the back seat of a Fit as roomy or comfortable as the Versa back seat.
Neither is going to be as comfortable or quiet as a Lincoln Town Car on the road.
Everything is not going to be perfect. When all the priorities are set. Compromises still have to be made.
The primary use of the car will dictate which priorities prevail.
Our choice of vehicle will always leave us wanting something we could not have. It will compromise fuel mileage, people hauling ability, cargo hauling ability, power, ride, handling, acceleration, room or something else.
I do agree about the Scirocco seats being uncomfortable. :sick:
Kip
Correct. It has meaning to you but not to anyone else because it can't be quantified and a number by it's very definition is a quantity.
"The most comfortable seats in the world are not going to make the cargo area in the Versa as "versitale" or accommodating as the Fit."
Or as small. The only advantage the Fit has, and it's a good one, is the front seat folds down. Making the floor of the Versa flat is cheap and easy although not quite as pretty.
"Neither is going to be as comfortable or quiet as a Lincoln Town Car on the road."
The difference in sound isolation between the Fit and Versa is considerable. Big advantage to the Versa on this but some folks could care less about it. Some folks might even like the added sound from the Fit.
"Our choice of vehicle will always leave us wanting something we could not have. It will compromise fuel mileage, people hauling ability, cargo hauling ability, power, ride, handling, acceleration, room or something else."
Haven't seen anyone argue those points.
David
When, and it is often, I need to slide a large dog crate, or a small piece of furniture into the back, the Fit will be much more accommodating than the Versa. Fit will likely have more room from floor to ceiling than the Versa with a "PLATFORM" in place. That platform is something else that has to be dealt with. Somehow stored when not in use, and passengers are in the back seat.
While a number is a quantity, it is more defining than, "Or as small"
How would these fly as window stickers? "EPA estimate for this Versa is Medium". "EPA estimate for this Lincoln Town Car is small". and "EPA estimate for this Fit is Large". Do what? :confuse:
To say, "I use the car for this type of activity a small amount of the time" is not as definite as using a number. So what is small? 49%? or is 1% more like it?
Now sit back and observe how the good folks on these forums describe their mileage. Will it be large and small, or will they use numbers?
My use for a 3rd car is a run about with a cargo area that doesn't have to be modified to be useful. It should get mileage above 35 MPG on the average, be easy to park and fun to drive. It would rarely have more than me and 1 other person aboard. If 1 or 2 more people need a ride, that can happen without having to modify the back or find a way to store a platform. That is the way it will be used 99% of the time. I could be used 1% of the time for 10-20 mile trips, but not likely.
Kip
For you. Why you imagined this difficulty with the Versa for others is puzzling.
"Fit will likely have more room from floor to ceiling than the Versa with a "PLATFORM" in place."
Two and half feet in the Versa with the riser. From floor to ceiling it's four feet which came in handy this morning when I brought back stock from the nursery. My neighbor is out in his Fit this morning so I can't go over and get comparable figures.
"That platform is something else that has to be dealt with. Somehow stored when not in use, and passengers are in the back seat."
Piece of cake. I have ample room to store my risers. They're not only portable but light as well.
While a number is a quantity, it is more defining than, "Or as small"
The word small is in every english language dictionary on the planet. The Fit is smaller. That ain't my opinion, it's a fact. Numbers are a quanity and quanities are mathmatically definable . Again, not my opinion.
How would these fly as window stickers? "EPA estimate for this Versa is Medium". "EPA estimate for this Lincoln Town Car is small". and "EPA estimate for this Fit is Large". Do what?
EPA estimate of what? You brought the Town Car into this discussion in regards to cabin noise. Now, you've gone in a completely different direction without any tie-in. What are you trying to say?
"To say, "I use the car for this type of activity a small amount of the time" is not as definite as using a number. So what is small? 49%? or is 1% more like it?"
I don't walk around with a stopwatch to quantify my time spent in each activity. That would be foolish but by all means, don't let me stop you.
"Now sit back and observe how the good folks on these forums describe their mileage. Will it be large and small, or will they use numbers?"
Where did this come from? No one is arguing mpg. The Fit is the clear winner. And it should be. It's not only a smaller vehicle but has a less powerful engine. Again, what does this have to do with the discussion? I'm not bashing the Fit. I like the car. It has a lotta good points.
"My use for a 3rd car is a run about with a cargo area that doesn't have to be modified to be useful."
For me, the simple modification is a plus. Without the riser(s), the rear well can be very handy all by itself.
It give me options and I like options. You appear to like things cut and dry. That's fine but not everyone is as rigid.
"It should get mileage above 35 MPG on the average, be easy to park and fun to drive. It would rarely have more than me and 1 other person aboard. If 1 or 2 more people need a ride, that can happen without having to modify the back or find a way to store a platform. That is the way it will be used 99% of the time. I could be used 1% of the time for 10-20 mile trips, but not likely."
The Versa is our only vehicle. It needs to be more than your limited needs. The Fit is the right car for you. No question. The Versa's larger size, more powerful engine, CVT transmission, quieter ride, etc., make it a better vehicle for us.
David
I've noticed that, whenever David comes in here and talks about the cargo space, this thread turns into Honda Fit vs. David's Versa. The Versa does not come with David's riser. David's Versa comes with David's riser. As such, am I the only one here who feels that the comparison is not particularly useful?
Nissan has an optional riser if that make ya feel better. Mine's just much less expensive and a heck of lot more portable. Maybe you should contact a moderator and express your concerns. I find it humorous.
David
Anything is possible if you make a modification. The bottom line is no one can buy a Versa with David's riser in it. As much as I admire your ingenuity, just because this solution works for you, David, it does not necessarily mean this solution is helpful for others who may lack your creativity, skill and/or time. I am merely proposing that perhaps a more useful approach is to compare an unmodified Fit with an unmodified Versa to everyone's benefit. Just an idea. I am sure you and I disagree there.
Nissan has an optional riser for the JDM Tiida. I had one. It forces you to lose a LOT of height when you put it in. And you cannot put it away easily, either. And even with the luggage underboard in place, the cargo area still didn't become completely flat. It was expensive - cost me 25,000 yen plus 5% tax. Not a good solution.
I would have done exactly what you have done. A good move. As good a car as Fit may be, I'd rather much keep 4 grand in my bank account. And the Versa IS a great car. You have done well.
I didn't modify the Versa in the least. The Versa remains exactly like it was.
"The bottom line is no one can buy a Versa with David's riser in it."
That is no one's bottom line but yours. Anyone can purchase my riser for peanuts and a few minutes of their time. If you can't deal with that, so be it. Your artificial restriction won't handicap anyone who reads this thread.
If you want to put imaginary barriers up to make you feel better about your Fit, go for it. The Fit's good enough all on it's own not to need such shinanigans.
David
That's only in your head David. We are only talking about the method of comparison.
I made a similar comment earlier in this thread but it's been ignored.
"The Fit has better cargo area due to the way the seat folds."
The Fit has a better cargo area but it's also smaller. And smaller by a decent amount. So it would depend on what being transported. That's why I've stated that if the design of the Fit is very important but the capacity of the Versa is also very important, buy a Matrix. You can have your cake and eat it too. The drawbacks of the Matrix are more money and less driver satisfaction. It's not a fun vehicle to drive. The Fit and the Versa are fun to drive.
David
I love the Versa, or rather, I loved the Tiida. My wife and I have a place both in Japan and the U.S., and while we owned a Toyota Premio the last time, we also had use of a Tiida. We were so impressed with the Tiida that when the Versa was released in the U.S., we were going to buy one here. Turned out that it was impossible to find one with ABS at that time. Also, my wife, whose car the Fit in our household is, had certain cargo needs which were better served by the Fit's luggage area. So we bought a Fit. But we loved our Tiida, so we should have been able to be happy with a Versa as well.
I drive a Subaru Forester, but for the third car, I am thinking about getting myself a Versa. I don't haul stuff like my wife, so the Versa would be great for me.
As a matter of disclosing my background, between the mid- 1980s and 1990s, I worked for a certain Japanese automobile manufacturer whose name shall remain anonymous (otherwise I would have to stop posting here!). I noticed, David, that you believe in the numbers. That is fine, because the numbers are indeed numbers. But numbers can and do often lie. Why? Because you can manipulate the data points.
When I worked for this auto manufacturer, we knew how the data points were placed both by JIS (my area) and EPA. It was very important for the marketing purposes to place the maximum measurement data points at those places where JIS and EPA would take the numbers. By doing so, in some cases, usability was sacrificed because of the shape of the interior which was demanded for this manipulation. We knew as auto insiders that there were cars whose official measurements showed lesser numbers and yet whose design was such that the passenger space/cargo area was much more usable than some other cars whose numbers were ostensibly more impressive. Numbers are numbers, but how the numbers were produced does also matter. This is why I have been rather stubbornly adamant about discussing the actual usability of the cargo area of both the Versa and the Fit in this recent exchange, rather than simply pointing out the figures and saying which one is larger or smaller.
And to discuss the usability, one of the best ways is to have actually used the space at issue.
And I felt that for the sake of keeping the discussion to apples to apples, comparsion of vehicles as being delivered by the factory would be a controlled way of doing so. I see that we see this point differently, and I accept that.
In any case, none of what I have said above has anything to do with how I feel about the Versa or the Fit in terms of which is better. I like both cars, and for my own use, I would in fact prefer the Versa to the Fit. I have no interest whatsoever in feeling better about the Fit, which, after all, is my wife's car.
I hope this background talk can do some good in our discussion.
Thank you
THANK YOU.
David
Glad you are here!
What are your views and/or experiences with the Fit vs. the Versa?
This is a good forum and we need to stay focused on the topic to keep it productive.
THANKS,
Kip
Kip, as this has been said before, the Versa and the Fit are really quite different from each other. In North America, they end up being categorized in the same marketing segment, but in other markets, people who are considering the Fit/Jazz would not consider the Versa/Tiida, and vice versa. The Fit is highly utilitarian, and the Versa leans more towards the comfort. They are both very good cars.
In the birthplace of the Fit and Versa (Tiida), they rarely if ever compete in the marketplace. Nissan has a car called the NOTE, which is the direct competition of the Fit (which I sometimes wish Nissan had brought here). The Fit has frequently outsold the Tiida by up to a 3 to 1 margin over there, and even though the Fit is about to be totally redesigned this fall, it's still outselling the Tiida by about 2 to 1. "Outsold" is really a misnomer because they do not really compete, but at least in terms of the sales figures, that is what has happened in Japan.
Frankly, if I were in Japan right now, I would be driving a Tiida again, with HR15DE and CVT (that's what I drove before). I love to be in the backseat of a Tiida. It is one of the most comfortable rear seating spaces that I have ever been in. An uncle of mine, who drives a Nissan Cima (NA FY33 Infiniti Q45), once saw a Tiida with me at a dealership and said, "Holy s**t, this thing's got a bigger rear seat than my Cima!" Precisely. I often took a backseat in a Tiida when my wife was driving, much to her displeasure ("Who am I, a chauffeur?"). :P
Are/were you serving in the military over seas?
Thanks,
Kip
Please stick to discussing the vehicles and stay away from discussing each other. If you can't make a post without commenting on another user, then don't make the post.
Any future posting with comments about other users will be removed with no notice.
There will be no last shots taken in this confrontation.
Kip, thanks again. No, I was not in the military, but worked in the automobile sector in Japan from the mid-1980s until mid-90s. I still go back and forth between Japan and U.S. regularly. You should visit Japan sometime. It's great fun looking at all those cars!
Speaking of the Versa's cargo room, one feature that is missing from it that is available in the JDM Tiida is the sliding rear seat. Having this feature would actually mitigate the lack of a completely flat cargo floor in the Versa quite a bit, since, by pushing the seat cushion forward, which travels some 20 cm, you are effectively adding the extra length to the deepest and flattest part of the cargo floor. Currently, the Versa's rear seat cushion is set to the maximum leg room config. of the JDM Tiida. Sliding rear seat lets you choose how much cargo floor length you want. And with a lot of height as well.
It resembled the midsize sedans forum for awhile there!
Now, it doesn't have to be a yawn-fest, but I'm glad the host stepped in.
I will say this though.
Poster X will say his car is better because of modification(s).
It makes an Apples-to-apples comparison near impossible, because I can't necessarily modify my car in the same way.
The same thing has been said in the midsize sedans forum that I'm a major participant in. Some talked about "the XYZ sedan is faster than an ABC now that I've added a performance chip to my engine." Well, now you're not comparing apples to apples. You're comparing apples to apple pie.
Does what I said make any sense? I rambled a bit, but my point, is that it's not really fair to assume everyone has the know-how, financial means, or desire to devote into modifying their vehicle, therefore strict comparisons are much more sensible and more easily made.
http://www.jdpower.com/autos/nissan/versa/2007/hatchback
http://www.jdpower.com/autos/honda/fit/2008
Kip
a little misleading to include that under the category of mechanical reliabilty.
build quality would be better. when I hear mechanical qualitly I tend to think powertrain, not a loose trim piece.
Problem I'm having is that the Catagories of Overall Quality Design and Performance Design seem to suggest Design being the factor.
Seems to me the DESIGN, function and performance of the area behind the front seats is worthy of a lot more than a 3. Actually the function of the entire car is!
One exception would be the drivers seat would benefit with a way to raise it.
Keeping in mind some of their "Best Initial Quality" vehicles!
Kip