Author Topic: Honda Fit - comfortable?  (Read 12172 times)

Sandhills

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Honda Fit - comfortable?
« on: July 03, 2015, 01:30:28 PM »
I am contemplating replacing my 19-year-old Honda Civic with a new/used Honda Fit. My Civic has been great, very reliable and with good mileage. No regrets there. I'm entering retirement and planning to drive around the country a bit. I don't have 100% confidence in the Civic any more for long road trips. Plus I'd like more storage space which it sounds like the Fit can provide.

I've read much that is good about the Fit and can picture it as my next car. But further Googling has produced a number of complaints about uncomfortable front seats, especially noticeable on longer trips. Have any of you Fit owners experienced this? I actually have not test driven a Fit yet and it could be tough to tell from just a short test drive. I'd appreciate any feedback on this.

Another question: I've driven manual shift cars for many years but think I'll switch to an automatic for the next car. It's a tough decision, though, as I really enjoy the stick (mostly). And yet an automatic does sound simpler. Any of you made this switch and regret or recommend it?


TN_Steve

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2015, 01:38:51 PM »
I'm six ft and no longer in rugby condition; I've not had any issues with my '13 Fit on 8 hour drives and longer.  Like any vehicle I've owned, if you stay in the same position, some discomfort, but it has cruise control (my old Civic didn't).  That allows me to shift legs around.  My son is taller than me and 30 pounds lighter; he was fine in the back seat for most of a 9 hour drive--and in the front passenger for most of the return trip.  DW and his GF had no issues at all in back or front (both 5 1/2 ft tall, skinny).

Mine is a manual and I love it.  For years, I was driving a minivan carting the kids around with an automatic.  Was so happy to get back to a normal transmission on the civic and, now, the Fit.

(Oh, and the '13 is 5spd.  I believe the later models have 6?)

Spork

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2015, 01:42:42 PM »
I only test drove one... so my opinion isn't highly weighted. 

I liked it.  I'm 6ft2in.  It was comfortable enough.  But the particular car seemed to have been wrecked pretty good... so we walked away from it..

Tanor85

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2015, 02:06:24 PM »
I've heard that the 2015 Fit was significantly improved from the previous version. It's only flaw is that the inside cabin is noisy. I am waiting a few years for depreciation to kick in and might get one then.

cjottawa

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2015, 02:26:02 PM »
I'm 6'0" and on the heavy side of average. I've driven half a dozen or so Fits, first and second generation.

They're much larger on the inside than their exterior dimensions would suggest but they do drive like go-carts.

First generation Fit was "meh" to me. Front seats aren't bolstered well and I found them uncomfortable.

The second generation Fits are much more comfortable to me. Cabin is a bit more quiet too. I haven't driven the third generation.

FYI, the automatic transmission didn't rob much of the driving experience. It's still peppy. Don't fret about getting it over the manual.
« Last Edit: July 03, 2015, 02:31:46 PM by cjottawa »

protostache

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2015, 02:34:56 PM »
My wife has a 2009 that we drove across the country a few years ago. I'm 6ft and, well, pretty large (at the time I was probably 280lbs), and I didn't have any problems with the seats on that or any other drive.

Trifle

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #6 on: July 03, 2015, 04:04:24 PM »
We have a first generation 2007 Fit and have driven it cross country. No complaints at all about the seats.  We previously had Civics (a '94 and a '97).  The '94 had uncomfortable, back-killing seats for long trips, but the '97 was fine.  If you are ok with your Civic driver's seat ('96? '97?) you will most likely be fine in the Fit.  It is similar.  As for the issue of height and driving position, I am 5'7", and DH is 5'9", but my brother who is 6'2" says the Fit driver seat works for him too. 

Our Fit is a manual.  We've never had an automatic car, so can't comment on that part!   

No matter which Fit you get I think you will be happy. If you have known and loved the Civic, the Fit will feel like an old friend from day one. 

In the hole

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #7 on: July 04, 2015, 08:48:46 AM »
'13 fit, 6'3". I find it very comfortable if I can run the driver seat all the way back, it's a little cramped now because we have a car seat in the rear behind the drivers side. All told, I would recommend it.


Note: if you're getting a new fit, be sure to get the manual transmission. Honda has always made great manuals and the new auto tranny is a CVT. They get good mileage but I just don't trust them to last, and so far based on results from other manufacturers they haven't been.

MBot

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #8 on: July 04, 2015, 01:37:38 PM »
Owned a Fit for 2 years and took dozens of 4-8 hour drives.  No difference in comfort from the Civic.

The engine being a bit smaller than a Civic and not ideal for our very Northern Ontario winters was the only reason I switched back.

couronne

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #9 on: July 04, 2015, 02:51:05 PM »
I owned two manual Fits and loved both of them because of the gas mileage and the cargo area. Personally, I never noticed a comfort issue. As for manual vs. automatic---I test drove both versions, and in the end, the automatic didn't have as much pep and I couldn't give up shifting. Also, living where we get a lot of snow, I felt more in control and would absolutely purchase another manual.

Sandhills

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #10 on: July 05, 2015, 01:41:35 PM »
My thanks to everyone, I appreciate each and every response! You've convinced me to go ahead with the Fit purchase and not worry so much about the seats or manual vs. automatic.

I'm 5'4" and the seats in my '96 Civic are very comfortable—I never even think about comfort—so hearing the Fit is similar is reassuring. And I'm now leaning toward manual shift based on your comments, though this decision will probably be a last-minute one and could change. I'm often caught up in "what if" or "will I miss X if I choose Y" decisions. I'll try not to fret (as one of you aptly put it) and just forge ahead.

Again, my thanks.

jengod

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #11 on: July 05, 2015, 10:29:23 PM »
We have a Fit and a Ford Edge (our first-ever SUV-type) and I MISS DRIVING THE FIT! DH uses it as commuter car now and I use Ford Edge for me and kids.

The Fit is so zippy and easy to park and the mileage was amazing and I could fit absurd amounts of garden equipment and supplies in the back. I could also fit two kids in car seats and a stroller if I took out the garden equipment and supplies. :)

Am 5'2" female and it was an awesome car for me.

TheThirstyStag

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2015, 03:15:47 PM »
Absolutely get another manual transmission.  You'll kick yourself if you don't and take half the fun out of driving.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2015, 05:35:43 PM »
My husband gripes about his 08 Fit because it lacks armrests and a dead foot pedal. I can't reach the dead foot pedal anyway, so that doesn't bother me!

kimmarg

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2015, 06:44:49 PM »
Just got back from a weekend road trip in my '13 Fit. I never like long car rides but I think the Fit is as comfortable as anything else. I do love the 46mpg we got on the way home (way there involved a 1.5 hour stop-and-go traffic jam and my worst ever mileage with summer tires of 35mpg)

I only drive stick shift, I like it better in the snow. With good snow tires there was maybe 5 days a winter I don't like it and I live in northern New England.

mrbrightside695

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #15 on: July 07, 2015, 10:28:19 AM »
I drove my '15 Fit (manual) from NY to SF this past winter (~3000 miles in total). I'm no stranger to long drives, and while at 5'10" it's not a struggle to fit into cars, it was as comfortable as anything I've driven. I have the LX (base) model, and I don't know if higher trims have different seats, but my only complaint was that leather wasn't available on the lowest trim.

DeltaBond

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #16 on: July 09, 2015, 05:49:25 AM »
I drove a Honda Fit until about a year ago.  I loved that car, until I got in a wreck... over a year now and I'm still recovering.  I won't drive a small car ever again.  "safest in its class" is a pointless statement, class has nothing to do with what else is on the road with you.

happypup

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #17 on: July 09, 2015, 06:20:40 AM »
We have a 2010 Fit, which we bought used in 2013, and love it. No problems with comfort, and we take a fair number of long-ish trips (6 hours to see one set of parents, 7 to the other.) The space is also great -- we moved last year and I was surprised at how much we could pack into this car!

It's automatic, but it's the 'sport' package which has sort of a pseudo-manual mode with paddle-shifters near the steering wheel. I don't use it a lot, but it's a nice to know it's there, especially since this is a snowy area. Normally we wouldn't have opted for the fancier package, but there were only a couple of used Fits available in our area when we were looking to buy, and this one turned out to be a better deal than the other base-package ones around.

TheThirstyStag

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Re: Honda Fit - comfortable?
« Reply #18 on: July 09, 2015, 06:47:18 AM »
It's automatic, but it's the 'sport' package which has sort of a pseudo-manual mode with paddle-shifters near the steering wheel. I don't use it a lot, but it's a nice to know it's there, especially since this is a snowy area.

I drove a friend's Fit with the paddle shifters.  I was extremely frustrated with it, as the computer would override my shifts (or lack thereof) half the time. 

I think this is why interest in manual transmissions is waning in America.  Cars come with fake manual modes now and people think that's what driving a manual transmission must be like and don't see the point.  Driving a car with a real manual transmission is entirely different (and infinitely more fun!)