Fit is go!

[smokey1]

we're considering the basic , bottom of the barrel 2010 PRIUS that's due out later in the year and supposed to be priced for less than $19,000 . That's less than a loaded XRS or all wheel drive MATRIX , VIBE , or COROLLA . Then not much more than that of a loaded YARIS S at $17,000 + dollars . Hate to say this , but not much more than a FIT with navigation and Vehicle Stability Control (w/ Traction Control ) that's around $20,000 . The purchase wouldn't occur to mid or late 2010 . Hopefully fuel prices will remain low to help keep the negotiating price lower of an 2010 PRIUS . There's a ton of new 2009 PRIUS and 2008 CERTIFIED ones on TOYO dealer lots . You'd think there would be more discounts on those with the release of 2010 coming soon .

 

[BrianWC]

Originally Posted By: ekpolk
Brian:

Nice choice. Once again, Honda proves that it is indeed possible to build highly desirable and fun cars that are small and economical.

Now, when may we expect your first UOA???

Enjoy the new ride!

Thanks EK! Forgive me for not joining the hybrid ranks. I really wanted an Insight but since we just got an Odyssey and we weren't trading the CR-V...I figured I should pinch pennies. Plus, with the $4k difference in price....I didn't see the point. As I mentioned earlier, the "stripper" Prius that Toyota is going to put out there to compete with the Insight will probably be the ticket. But...I've really liked the Fit as well. So...here I am.

As far as the fun factor, yeah, I did some brief WOT blasts today and a lot of in town driving this AM. Fuel eonomy dipped to 35 mpg...

My wife didn't seem to understand why the Fit's mpg was such a big deal seeing as I was able to get a few 35 mpg tanks out of the 9-5 last spring and summer. But the point is....in the Fit, there's no sacrifice in driving habits to keep the mpg up. A/C blasting, motor buzzing up....it's great. It's hard for me to compare it to anything. It is certainly incredibly fun to drive for such an economy car. And the steering...wow. I'm having to adjust to it. Give it a slight nudge and you've turned 90 degrees.

 

[BrianWC]

Originally Posted By: smokey1
we're considering the basic , bottom of the barrel 2010 PRIUS that's due out later in the year and supposed to be priced for less than $19,000 . That's less than a loaded XRS or all wheel drive MATRIX , VIBE , or COROLLA . Then not much more than that of a loaded YARIS S at $17,000 + dollars . Hate to say this , but not much more than a FIT with navigation and Vehicle Stability Control (w/ Traction Control ) that's around $20,000 . The purchase wouldn't occur to mid or late 2010 . Hopefully fuel prices will remain low to help keep the negotiating price lower of an 2010 PRIUS . There's a ton of new 2009 PRIUS and 2008 CERTIFIED ones on TOYO dealer lots . You'd think there would be more discounts on those with the release of 2010 coming soon .


Yep, I know! As I've said twice in this thread now, that's going to be the screaming deal of the year.

 

[Cutehumor]

does the fit have a timing chain? I heard the yaris has a timing chain.

 

[rationull]

Yup. I don't think there are any Honda 4 cyl [car] engines left in current production with timing belts. The V6 uses a belt still, but it's an old engine at this point.

 

[smokey1]

steering eh . Must be due to the electronic steering . Is very sensitive and seems odd at first . Think it's sensitive now , even more so with studded snow tires . Supposed to help with fuel economy . States that in owners manual . Some owners of the '09 COROLLA complain of the electronic steering wandering on the interstate . We test drove one and noticed it as well . Why it's different than that of the YARIS we own is beyond me . That's part of reason why we got the YARIS 4 door liftback instead of new COROLLA . Seems to have better ride and steering ( handling ) . Looks of YARIS don't hurt either .

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: BrianWC
But the point is....in the Fit, there's no sacrifice in driving habits to keep the mpg up. A/C blasting, motor buzzing up....it's great. It's hard for me to compare it to anything. It is certainly incredibly fun to drive for such an economy car. And the steering...wow. I'm having to adjust to it. Give it a slight nudge and you've turned 90 degrees.

So if you do have good habits, what do you get?

The fit's epa rating of, what was it? 33 MPG highway is appalling, given its soize, power and torque. There is marginal utility over, say, a 4cyl midsize sedan, but if the vehicle is as resilient to drops in economy as you say, is it also resilient to improvements?

My wife's rabbit is that way... it is bigger and more powerful than the fit, and was rated 22/29. She drives 100% city with stop and go - being careful, she gets 26-27.

On the highway, when we have taken it on highway only trips, it gets 29 or 30. That's it. Drive lightly, drive fast and hard, 29 or 30. Maybe if we severely restricted ourselves and ran 55 with no AC, we would break 31, but it is amazingly resilient to changing beyond the 29-30 range.

Meanwhile my saab is amazingly responsive to careful driving. Reasonable speed (below 72 MPH) and gentle driving will yield 38-40 MPG typically on long highway trips.

Very interesting comments.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

"Fit" vs "RDX" A tale of 2 4-cyl engines---the Fit nearly always exceeds the EPA MPG figures while the RDX almost always is more thirsty than the EPA leads us to believe.

One lady had 10.4 MPG with all city driving. I wonder what the Fit would achieve in the same scenario?

 

[BrianWC]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
But the point is....in the Fit, there's no sacrifice in driving habits to keep the mpg up. A/C blasting, motor buzzing up....it's great. It's hard for me to compare it to anything. It is certainly incredibly fun to drive for such an economy car. And the steering...wow. I'm having to adjust to it. Give it a slight nudge and you've turned 90 degrees.

So if you do have good habits, what do you get?

The fit's epa rating of, what was it? 33 MPG highway is appalling, given its soize, power and torque. There is marginal utility over, say, a 4cyl midsize sedan, but if the vehicle is as resilient to drops in economy as you say, is it also resilient to improvements?

My wife's rabbit is that way... it is bigger and more powerful than the fit, and was rated 22/29. She drives 100% city with stop and go - being careful, she gets 26-27.

On the highway, when we have taken it on highway only trips, it gets 29 or 30. That's it. Drive lightly, drive fast and hard, 29 or 30. Maybe if we severely restricted ourselves and ran 55 with no AC, we would break 31, but it is amazingly resilient to changing beyond the 29-30 range.

Meanwhile my saab is amazingly responsive to careful driving. Reasonable speed (below 72 MPH) and gentle driving will yield 38-40 MPG typically on long highway trips.

Very interesting comments.


I've only had it since Thursday and given the current humidity, there will be no a/c-less driving for me if I can help it. My average mpg so far has been 4-7 mpg over what it's rated EPA.

Ditto on the SAAB, as I said, my 9-5 was able to get 35 mpg no problem with VERY basic hypermiling measures.

 

[BrianWC]

Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
"Fit" vs "RDX" A tale of 2 4-cyl engines---the Fit nearly always exceeds the EPA MPG figures while the RDX almost always is more thirsty than the EPA leads us to believe.

One lady had 10.4 MPG with all city driving. I wonder what the Fit would achieve in the same scenario?


Nah, I have a CR-V with the 2.4l. In 7 years of ownership, I've achieved a combined mpg higher than the highway mileage exactly once. Even with highway driving being about 95% of my mix.

Plus, with the RDX...with the turbo....those things are only efficient if you don't use them...

 

[Nickdfresh]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
...

The fit's epa rating of, what was it? 33 MPG highway is appalling, given its soize, power and torque...


The automatic entry-level Fit gets 35 mpg on the highway while the manual gets 33. The upper trim level Fit Sport gets 33 mpg in both manual and auto...

 

[Nickdfresh]

Originally Posted By: BrianWC
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
But the point is....in the Fit, there's no sacrifice in driving habits to keep the mpg up. A/C blasting, motor buzzing up....it's great. It's hard for me to compare it to anything. It is certainly incredibly fun to drive for such an economy car. And the steering...wow. I'm having to adjust to it. Give it a slight nudge and you've turned 90 degrees.

So if you do have good habits, what do you get?

The fit's epa rating of, what was it? 33 MPG highway is appalling, given its soize, power and torque. There is marginal utility over, say, a 4cyl midsize sedan, but if the vehicle is as resilient to drops in economy as you say, is it also resilient to improvements?

My wife's rabbit is that way... it is bigger and more powerful than the fit, and was rated 22/29. She drives 100% city with stop and go - being careful, she gets 26-27.

On the highway, when we have taken it on highway only trips, it gets 29 or 30. That's it. Drive lightly, drive fast and hard, 29 or 30. Maybe if we severely restricted ourselves and ran 55 with no AC, we would break 31, but it is amazingly resilient to changing beyond the 29-30 range.

Meanwhile my saab is amazingly responsive to careful driving. Reasonable speed (below 72 MPH) and gentle driving will yield 38-40 MPG typically on long highway trips.

Very interesting comments.


I've only had it since Thursday and given the current humidity, there will be no a/c-less driving for me if I can help it. My average mpg so far has been 4-7 mpg over what it's rated EPA.

Ditto on the SAAB, as I said, my 9-5 was able to get 35 mpg no problem with VERY basic hypermiling measures.


Well, what kind of oil are you going to use in it?

Sorry if you've already mentioned it...

 

[BrianWC]

Well, almost none of the 230 or so quarts in my stash, which lean heavily toward 30 and 40 weights....

Maybe I can drop in one qt of xW30 or xW40 per change....

Oh, I'm leaning toward M1 0W20, but who knows....I'm sure this thing will be fine on oil. I may just go with Supertech dino. I do plan to go by the maintenance minder...

 

[Vizzy]

Knowing about Ford of Europe products and how they are some of the best affordable performing and handling cars in the world there is no doubt that the New Fiesta will blow the new Fit out of the water in every way. The Fit is a good little car but the New Fiesta is just so much better.

 

[BrianWC]

Awesome to know...

 

[ekpolk]

Originally Posted By: Vizzy
Knowing about Ford of Europe products and how they are some of the best affordable performing and handling cars in the world there is no doubt that the New Fiesta will blow the new Fit out of the water in every way. The Fit is a good little car but the New Fiesta is just so much better.


Oh please -- get back with us when Ford delivers the goods. . .

 

[smokey1]

best FORD was the FORD Festiva from '88 to '93 . Was the MAZDA 121 . Had a few of those and enjoyed them . An acquaintance had an '88 FESTIVA with the 4 speed manual that was bought new and didn't change factory oil until about 20,000 miles and used it for pizza delivery . Then gave it to a family member who drove it past 130 ,000 miles and even got into car accident with it and the FESTIVA went on and on and ..... Second to that would be the FORD Escort / MERCURY Tracer from '97 > 2002 , another MAZDA disguised as a FORD . Had an '99 with 5 speed manual . Rode and handled very well . Averaged about 35 m.p.g.overall .

 

[Cogito]

Do you get much engine noise at 70 mph?

 

[BrianWC]

Nah, just typical Honda road noise. Really, I was a tad anxious based on comments on the highway ride. But I found it VERY plesant. It feels a LOT more high quality than its price. You definately forget you're driving Honda's tiniest offering.

 

[Hermann]

All you big car lovers, if the Fit is such a horrible car, why are there waiting list for them at many dealers, and many are sold above list in this recession?