Automobiles

[Jason Musgrave]

Clubman is to Heather is what a BRZ is to me. She'd just about kill for one.

[maunahaole]

That corolla wagon is loaded with possibilities.

[Jason Musgrave]

Swung by Toyota/Scion today to see long long before they worked through the backlog on the FRS. There was a '10 Honda Fit sitting there - I was floored by how impressive it was - how'd they fit that much room in such a tiny package!? Anyone here have one?

[nahtnoj]

Swung by Toyota/Scion today to see long long before they worked through the backlog on the FRS. There was a '10 Honda Fit sitting there - I was floored by how impressive it was - how'd they fit that much room in such a tiny package!? Anyone here have one?

I do. So does davids.

I'm 6'2". The driving position leaves a lot to be desired. The steering wheel is slight off center. It doesn't telescope out very far. The seat doesn't go back far enough. The lower cushion is flat and short.

I'd like to move the seat back another 2-3 inches, or at least raise the front of the cushion 1-2 inches. Currently my left leg is jammed into the dead pedal. Plus, I have to lean forward more than I'd like to in order to reach the wheel. I sit bolt upright. The steering wheel is 4-5 inches further from me than I would like it to be.

To partially fix this, I have a set of Civic SI seats I've been too lazy to install. This post is getting me fired up to tackle that. Before this, I've only owned Volvos, which have terrific seats and driving positions generally, so maybe I've been spoiled.

Other than that, brilliant. I got 42mpg on a recent 650 mile highway trip.

[davids]

Swung by Toyota/Scion today to see long long before they worked through the backlog on the FRS. There was a '10 Honda Fit sitting there - I was floored by how impressive it was - how'd they fit that much room in such a tiny package!? Anyone here have one?

It's bigger inside than outside. It can easily hold two bicycles and a lot of bags - I drove it from Boston to Nellysford last spring with a road bike and 'cross bike, an extra set of wheels, a large Baily Bag full of bike crap and a suitcase with 5 days' worth of clothes. See photos. Similar deal to Acadia last August. (I hear it can fit a tandem, too: Tandem in Honda Fit. I'll check this out for myself soon.)

It's fun to drive. No sports car, but the steering is quick & direct and it handles well. It rides well enough, although it can get choppy over real bad pavement (it's that tiny wheelbase.)

However... Hours & hours at 75 mph get a little wearing. It's not real quiet. And it's not exactly quick either. As far as I'm concerned it's an ideal city car, and pretty close to ideal as a car to transport a couple of bikes a couple of hours (Boston to Deerfield? Perfect.)

I don't have nahtnoj's problem, but then I'm 5'9".

Would I want it for my only car? Probably not - it's not quiet, luxurious, or quick enough to satisfy for every occasion. But I am unreasonably fond of the little thing.

['nati Chris]

Swung by Toyota/Scion today to see long long before they worked through the backlog on the FRS. There was a '10 Honda Fit sitting there - I was floored by how impressive it was - how'd they fit that much room in such a tiny package!? Anyone here have one?

If Alec Issigonis were still alive besides being really old I think he would say the Fit is the true successor to the original Mini.

[TACSTS]

I've just topped 60k on my 2009 Fit. I love it. I am 6'3" and I feel like I fit fine inside. I will agree that ergonomically it does leave something to be desired for me and I can't get it adjusted to where it has that "fits like a glove" feel that I can with my wife's VW GTI. BUT - her GTI cost $10k more than my Fit. For the money I don't really think you can do any better. My bike fits inside with the front wheel off and laid on it's side without having to lower the seatpost. (But I use my F150 for bike hauling duties now...)

You can check out the mileage on fuelly.com; but most of us are getting around 34-35 in mixed driving. The best I've gotten was 39 on a trip, and that's me calculating the mpg not the terminally optimistic trip computer. I think it said I had gotten like 48mpg or something ridiculous.

Believe it or not - I think it's kinda fun to drive too, at least w/ the manual trans. Not much power, but its so light it gets the job done. I'm never really left wanting for more in regular driving as far as passing and climbing hills.

I wish with the next redesign it could get direct injection and a 6speed with a top gear that would lower the RPMs at 70mph cruising from like 3700 to 2500 or so - that would have to push it over 40mpg easily.

[AngryScientist]

when we were looking for an inexpensive car a few years ago for the wife to drive with the new kiddo we looked at the fit. i wanted to like it, i really did. i liked it on paper, liked the size, fuel economy, honda reliability. then i drove it.

we test drove a manual car, and i just couldnt like it. ergonomics were just off. power was miserable, as far as acceleration, i would imagine merging into a highway from low speed is a real chore in this car. we settled on the base base base Jetta. 2.slow engine. not a fast car by any stretch, but the ergonomics and build "feel" just seemed so much better than the fit.

all you really need to do to tell the tale is slam the door shut on both cars....

[robin3mj]

A couple of recent bike related TDI data points for the VW folk.

6 speed jetta wagon. 2 bikes on roof, car pretty packed full. Constant AC use and cruise control, and we got 39.6 mpg on an 850 mile drive from Chicago to Jersey.

Drive it 500mi for work yesterday, lead foot, AC, cruise control etc. driving solo, no bikes but the racks are still up there, and I got 43.7 mpg for the day.

Not too shabby.

[nahtnoj]

but the ergonomics and build "feel" just seemed so much better than the fit.

Talk to me about that in a decade. My sister has an 01 Passat and my dad has an 05. They are each a travesty of engineering and build quality. Things wear quickly, and are so poorly designed that simple maintenance is very expensive.

I hope they have gotten their act together with more recent models, given that so many here seem to own Jettas and such.

[nahtnoj]

Pictorial of Civic SI seats in a Fit:

Installed: '08 Civic SI seats in GE8 - Unofficial Honda FIT Forums

The bracket photos have never existed before, and I feel a lot better about moving forward if I have something visual to reference.

Plus, leather and seat heaters...

[AngryScientist]

They are each a travesty of engineering and build quality. Things wear quickly, and are so poorly designed that simple maintenance is very expensive.

I do all my own car work and maintenance, and have owned a few VWs up to this point, and, while i could understand why someone might have this sentiment, it is not my experience. only time will tell how this latest generation Jetta will hold up, but for sure it was the most inexpensive car i have ever bought brand new, for whatever that is worth. realistically, we put lots and lots of miles on this car, and one of the reasons i bought it is because of how simple the components are. we'll see how it goes...

[cody.wms]

Can any salonista shed any light on the upcoming Subaru hybrids? Looks like it could be Jetta Diesel competitor depending on what models it goes in.

[davids]

when we were looking for an inexpensive car a few years ago for the wife to drive with the new kiddo we looked at the fit. i wanted to like it, i really did. i liked it on paper, liked the size, fuel economy, honda reliability. then i drove it.

we test drove a manual car, and i just couldnt like it. ergonomics were just off. power was miserable, as far as acceleration, i would imagine merging into a highway from low speed is a real chore in this car. we settled on the base base base Jetta. 2.slow engine. not a fast car by any stretch, but the ergonomics and build "feel" just seemed so much better than the fit.

all you really need to do to tell the tale is slam the door shut on both cars....

Not really disagreeing with you, because the Jetta is a nice car. But...

In 2010, when I bought the Fit, I priced a reasonably-equipped Golf at $20.5k. And the Fit Sport at $16.9k. So that influenced my choice.

As did my previous ownership of a Acura Integra and Acura TL, the two most reliable cars I've ever owned. I fully expect the Fit to be right up there. (Same thing happened when I evaluated the TSX wagon and the A4 wagon last year.) I keep cars for 8-10 years, and I hear that bad things often start happening to VW products around year 5. So for me, Honda wins.

[Jason Musgrave]

I'm with you davids. I've never owned a VW - friends who have now own Honda/Toyota.

[davids]

I'm with you davids. I've never owned a VW - friends who have now own Honda/Toyota.

There was a time (when I was younger...) that I thought performance was the most important attribute of a car. Then we owned a couple crappy, crappy cars. Now I know that reliability comes first. YMMV.

[RickM]

Talk to me about that in a decade. My sister has an 01 Passat and my dad has an 05. They are each a travesty of engineering and build quality. Things wear quickly, and are so poorly designed that simple maintenance is very expensive.

I hope they have gotten their act together with more recent models, given that so many here seem to own Jettas and such.

I've owned multiple V-dubs....multiple models/years. V-dubs are year-to-year on build quality, reliability, and component quality. Currently, that 2-liter turbo is a fine little motor that does a solid job in several platforms, but the interiors are generally cheap.

[burgess1108]

Has VW worked out all the electrical problems they used to have? Mine were so bad that I swore I'd never own a VW/Audi product. Cases in point: Had bad wiring in a Jetta VR6 and separately, had the battery literally explode explode one night. Friend had a beetle and would come out to find her windows down randomly. More than a little inconvenient when it rained.

[quickag]

Re: BRZ/FT-86


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[AngryScientist]

i think VW has pulled it together electrically speaking. I do agree though. it's ultra rare to drive past a 90's VW with all of the head/tail lights working properly. so much so it became a stigma of the VW brand, and i think they've put some real effort into getting better in that department. the newer generation cars seem much better.