Author Topic: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?  (Read 6225 times)

Lagom

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2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« on: March 15, 2016, 11:14:10 PM »
Hi all. We'll be in the market for a new to us car in about a year and the Honda Fit is in my crosshairs. The one thing I am struggling with is that while monetarily, I would love to buy a used 2009 or some such, my family of 3 (soon to be 4) will eventually consist of 4 fairly tall adults. I am 6'4" and my stepson (now 3) will likely end up around 6'-6'1." My DW, while 5'6", comes from a family of tall men and women (as do I), so I anticipate our future child will be pretty tall as well.

My experience with Fits prior to 2015 is that the rear seat legroom is nonexistent, for all of their other merits. The 2015 and 2016 models, on the other hand, have a shocking amount of rear legroom, even with the front seats all the way back. Headroom is just barely enough, but even I feel OK in the backseat in those cars (just checked out a dealership the other day). It feels silly, but this one factor has me seriously considering buying either a new Fit next summer, or waiting just long enough to snag a used 2015 model. My hope is for this to serve as the primary family car for 10-15 years, if not longer. Any suggestions on whether this is a good move, or if there are other cars that might serve just as well for less $$?

galliver

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2016, 11:43:58 PM »
I'm definitely not tall by any stretch (ha), but, have you actually sat in one or done a test drive? When bf and I were car-shopping we both came in very positively predisposed to the Fit and just did NOT like it...mostly how it handled. We ended up test-driving lots of makes and models, which I would definitely recommend. Compare the price (including MPG cost) and suitability of the new Fits to some other makes/models from 2009ish over the expected lifetime. Maybe you'll find something else you like.

NoStacheOhio

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #2 on: March 16, 2016, 05:34:33 AM »
You may just need to go one size up in the car. They're bringing back the Civic hatch for 2016, though finding a used one may be tough. I just picked up a used Mazda3 hatch (though I haven't ridden in the back seat), 40+ MPG highway though.

green daisy

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2016, 05:48:04 AM »
You may just need to go one size up in the car. They're bringing back the Civic hatch for 2016, though finding a used one may be tough. I just picked up a used Mazda3 hatch (though I haven't ridden in the back seat), 40+ MPG highway though.

I have a 2012 Mazda 3 Hatchback.  My husband is 6'6".  He definitely does not fit in the back.  If he is in the front, there is almost no room for anyone to sit behind him.  Even a young child would be cramped behind him. 


Parizade

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2016, 05:57:39 AM »
My family is also tall, so I will share my experience. Over the past 10 years I have owned a Hyundai Accent, Toyota Yaris 2-door, and (currently) Kia Rio5 4-door. All 3 had enough head and leg room in the front for my 6'8" brother to drive comfortably.

The back seat is, of course, a different story. But you won't need legroom in the back seat for another 5-10 years. My advice would be buy smaller car and plan on keeping it for 5-10 years. Trade it in for a larger car when you need it, not before. For now just make sure the back seat has room for the rear-facing car seat your baby needs.

My other thought is to check the legroom in a Scion xb. I've never been in one so I can't recommend it, but it's worth checking.

misshathaway

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #5 on: March 16, 2016, 06:26:17 AM »
I was deciding between the Yaris and the Fit last year. I am 5' 7" but I have long legs. The Fit was very uncomfortable to drive b/c the seat would not go back far enough. The Yaris seat does and that's what I ended up with.

Nobody realistically could sit behind me for very long though.

neo von retorch

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #6 on: March 16, 2016, 07:43:41 AM »
I'm 6' 2" and I owned a 2007 Fit before, and now have a 2008. (Same generation.) One of the things I did was put the driver seat all the way in the back, and then go sit in the back seat. I fit just fine. I'm surprised you call the leg room "non-existent" but... you are taller :)

If you'd budget for a barely used Fit, you might also consider the Mazda CX-5 from 2013-2014 at that point, if the price is right. You'll lose 2-3 mpg but you'll get ample space. The base model FWD manual gets 32-33 mpg real world, and has a lot of the fun-to-drive feel that the Fit has.

otter

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2016, 09:54:31 AM »
As far as inexpensive, small cars go, the first-generation Scion xB has a huge amount of headroom. Normal people can probably wear stovepipe hats in the thing. Giants like yourselves should fit easily. Plenty of legroom in the back seat, too.

Not sure how well the second-generation xB held up on this.


Trudie

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2016, 10:13:37 AM »
My 6'3" husband loves his Honda Fit.  We looked at many cars before we decided on the Fit.  He doesn't need to hunch over to look out the windshield.

tweezers

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #9 on: March 16, 2016, 10:34:16 AM »
My 6'2" husband is the main driver of our 2008 Fit, and likes it.  If you were to ask him he'd way prefer a minivan, but I think that has as much to do with the captain's chairs and being up higher on the road than the legroom.  Our kids are still small (5 and 7) and in car seats, but legroom hasn't been an issue at all (in the front or back).  This might change as they grow older, but for now its a great little car.

Cassie

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #10 on: March 16, 2016, 11:50:41 AM »
WE drove used Fits, Civics and Accord when looking and definitely prefer the Accord. My hubby has a smaller car for his but we love the Accord for taking trips, etc.

hankscorpio84

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #11 on: March 16, 2016, 02:20:02 PM »
Not a totally mustachian suggestion, but the vehicles at my work are Chevy Equinox/GMC Terrains.  I am amazed at the leg room in the back seat.  We have no problem with four 6'2" people in the car.  They have bare bones models that could work for a mustachian, but I would still try to stick to MMM's top 10 car list.


Lagom

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #12 on: March 16, 2016, 09:19:37 PM »
Thanks all, good feedback. I think maybe we'll try it the way Parizade suggested, since that's a good point that rear seat legroom probably won't be a significant issue for 8-10+ years. Scion xB is intriguing, although gas mileage doesn't look the greatest. I had also considered a CX-5 in the past, especially since we also have a dog, and cramming everyone into a Fit may be more trouble than it's worth :)

I am historically the sort to buy relatively old used cars and drive them into the ground, but the new parent in me is struggling with trying to find the best choice for my family. I also love minivans, but their terrible gas mileage is hard for me to get past. That said, the hope is to drive this car semi infrequently, so maybe the best bang for the buck play is to buy a used Odyssey or Sienna? Even if we do longish road trips a couple times a year...Hmm, I'll have to crunch some numbers on that one.

I'm 6' 2" and I owned a 2007 Fit before, and now have a 2008. (Same generation.) One of the things I did was put the driver seat all the way in the back, and then go sit in the back seat. I fit just fine. I'm surprised you call the leg room "non-existent" but... you are taller :)

I may have exaggerated a bit, but I definitely couldn't sit in the back comfortably for more than a very short drive. I also have longish legs for my height, but there's a good chance I'll be the tallest person in the car almost always, so I can just sit up front. Not sure even if I go with the plan above an older Fit will work well though. DW told me she had one when her son was first born and she couldn't fit a rear facing car seat without moving the front seat up an uncomfortable amount.

otter

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Re: 2015-2016 Honda Fit worth it for tall family?
« Reply #13 on: March 17, 2016, 09:36:09 AM »
Re: Scion xB and fuel consumption, keep in mind that the first- and second-generation cars are rather different. Early cars have something like a 1.6 and get low 30s or so on the highway. Later cars have a 2.4 and lower fuel economy.

You might also consider a Mazda5 - mini-minivan, with the general packaging benefits of a larger minivan but more manageable size. Fuel economy is good enough up to 2013 or so, when it got rather better due to new powertrains. Then they dropped it in the US a couple of years later.

If you consider a larger minivan, don't assume too much about rear legroom - sit in all seating positions to try it out. The 2nd row in many vans is fixed, and does not have a tremendous amount of legroom. On some vans, if you remove the 3rd row you can set the middle row a bit further back. Or just use the 3rd row with the middle row out.

 

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