Honda Fit Wins test

[rocky]

Small victory for Honda

News panel: Hot-selling Fit stands tallest among the smallest

Anita Lienert / Special to The Detroit News

After spending several hours tooling around Belle Isle in three of the hottest 2007 Japanese subcompact sedans and hatchbacks on the market, Paul Tassi and Michael Lysaght had no problem picking their favorite.

"It's not even close," said Tassi, 19, a University of Michigan junior from Northville and a member of the 2006 Detroit News Automotive Consumer Panel. "It's the Honda Fit. It's visually perfect. It's hard to walk away from. You just want to stay inside and enjoy it."

The panelists tested several versions of the 2007 Toyota Yaris, the 2007 Nissan Versa and the 2007 Honda Fit, all newcomers to the American market.

The diminutive vehicles are high on many consumers' shopping lists because they offer excellent gas mileage and are leagues ahead of the cheap, no-frills econoboxes most people remember from the fuel crunch of the 1970s.

Five out of the eight panelists picked the Fit as the subcompact they'd recommend to friends and family members.

They applauded the Honda hatchback for its flexible seating, appealing styling and relatively spacious cabin.

The panelists support the judgment of consumers; Honda said last week the Fit is "completely sold out" less than six months after its U.S. introduction, and that typical waiting lists are 45-60 days at many dealers.

The Versa came in second with the panel, on the strength of its "road presence," while the Yaris, which has been in such great demand at dealerships that the cars sell for at or above sticker price, came in third in what was a unanimous vote.

Lysaght, 18, a University of Michigan freshman from Northville, griped that the Yaris "feels like a Chinese car. Everything seems cheap."

Detroit bus driver Julian Franklin Jr., 52, picked the Versa as his favorite, citing it as a car that's "more practical for mature adults."

The test cars included a Versa hatchback priced at $16,055; a Fit hatchback priced at $16,520, and a Yaris sedan priced at $16,355. Honda and Toyota provided several versions of their cars.

The Versa starts at $13,055, the Fit at $14,400, and the Yaris at $11,530. All prices include shipping. All three subcompacts are on sale now.

For many of the panelists, size -- not fuel economy -- mattered the most in the small-car face-off.

The panel, which includes a graphic artist, a lawyer and a teacher, made it clear they want value without feeling like they're making a sacrifice.

Some said even though gas prices were hurting their pocketbooks, they could never envision a day when they'd give up their trucks or SUVs.

In fact, Ford pipefitter Rick Anderson, 52, vowed after the small-car drive that he'd "never buy a subcompact," even though he said high gas prices had become "somewhat" of a concern.

"I don't know anybody who would be happy in any of these," he said, surveying the cars from his seat at a picnic table. "I didn't get a good feeling driving any of them."

Anderson drives a 2002 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson pickup.

The Yaris is the clear fuel-economy winner, delivering 34 miles per gallon in city driving and 40 mpg on the highway, but that didn't seem the most pressing concern for the panel.

The Fit, equipped with a five-speed automatic transmission, returns 31 mpg in city driving and 38 mpg on the highway. The Versa, with a continuously variable automatic transmission, returns 30 mpg in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway.

Although fuel economy has become an issue for Detroit graphic artist Reginald Alexander, 42, he said he was just as worried about fitting into the new subcompacts. Alexander is 6-4 and 270 pounds.

While able to squeeze into all three vehicles, he picked the Honda as his favorite because he "fit in it very well" and liked "the styling inside and out." This, despite the fact the Versa is the longest of the three and rides on the biggest wheelbase at 102.4 inches.

Alexander placed the Versa second because "while it had more space, the seat was a little restricting and I didn't like the shape of the vehicle from an aesthetic standpoint."

He named the Yaris as his least favorite because it was "too small." "It was hard to maneuver my arms while steering," he wrote in his driving log.

Detroit architect Andrew Hetletvedt, 32, gave the Fit high marks for its "spunky attitude" and flexible seating. He liked the high-quality feel of the Versa's interior and the performance of its 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine.

"The Nissan has the best presence on the road," Hetletvedt said. "But I'd totally buy the Honda for the flexible interior."

The seat bottoms in the Fit can flip up, creating more than four feet of space to carry taller items in the cabin. The rear seatback can dive forward without removing the headrests to form a nearly flat cargo floor. And the Fit's front seats recline flush with the rear seats to create a bed-like surface.

The seats in the Yaris and the Versa aren't as flexible.

Hetletvedt marked the Yaris down for its "cheap interior, poor clutch feel and yucky fabric that looked like a tie my dad had when I was a kid."

The panel universally disliked the Yaris' center-mounted instrument panel, which they said made them divert their eyes from the road briefly to check their speed.

Detroit lawyer Reginald Dozier, 47, praised the Fit for an interior that looks "borrowed from the more expensive Hondas," as well its good performance.

"It's got the best pickup of the three," he noted.

Again, this went against the engine specifications, since the Versa is the clear winner on paper with its 122-horsepower DOHC 1.8-liter I-4 engine. The Fit's SOHC1.5-liter I-4 delivers 109 horsepower, just a shade better than the 106 horses in the Yaris' 1.5-liter DOHC I-4.

Zora Callahan Jones, 48, a Southfield teacher, said she favored the Fit because of its superior handling.

"The Yaris has no style and is the least comfortable," she said.

And like panelist Anderson, she seemed unwilling to make the jump into the subcompact class, even though gas prices are putting a crimp in her budget.

"I still prefer a little luxury, regardless of fuel economy," she said, as she headed home in her 2004 Cadillac SRX.

[pilotjorge]

looks cool for a subcompact....

[ipomoea]

Originally posted by pilotjorge
looks cool for a subcompact....

...nice picture of a JAZZ, aka FIT. Note the Philippine tag...

[Dina]

That is one nice fit

[Samuel2003]

Does one size Fit all?