7 ms·

Another odd one, but my Honda Fit 2nd Generation. So many things about that car are so well thought-out, and even more expensive/luxurious cars miss things that

• bonniemuffin 10y ago
  Agreed-- the flexible interior layout is particularly incredible. It feels like the inside is bigger than the outside. It's crazy that I can fit a dining table, or a load of 2x4s, or five adults and their camping gear, in a subcompact car that I can also parallel park in even the tiniest spots. If you have a roof rack and a rear hitch you can really turn it up to 11.
  • ethbro 10y ago
    On the subject of car ergo, a 2000 Miata NB. As someone who is 6'+, I'm consistently amazed at how comfortably I fit. It makes you realize how much wasted space there is in most car interiors.
    • al452 10y ago
      Almost this. I'm 6'2", can't sit in the NB without bumping my head on the roof bars when closed. But had a 1995 NA for about 5 years and that was just incredibly comfortable. Could fit a remarkable amount in the boot too.
• saryant 10y ago
  I have a 2011 Fit Sport. Great little car. Doesn't hurt that it's dirt cheap to maintain and insure. I have maxed-out liability limits on my policy and only pay $35 a month.
  • theonething 10y ago
    > $35 a month Wow! Are you in the US? May I ask what insurance you have?
    • EpicEng 10y ago
      Liability only shouldn't be expensive. I pay $85 / month on my v6 09 accord coupe for comprehensive.
    • saryant 10y ago
      Colorado with Geico. $300k/$300k bodily injury, $100k property damage, $300k uninsured motorist injury and a few other miscellaneous coverages.
• codemac 10y ago
  Yes! I think some of the changes they made ~2007/2008 in their interior design were huge leaps in front of most other cars IMHO.
• davidgould 10y ago
  This. The controls design on this car is essentially perfect. And the interior space use is amazing. When we moved my son to go to college in another city we had the whole living room piled with his stuff, yet some how it all went into the Fit. The TARDIS of small cars. Pretty nice to drive too.
• hkmurakami 10y ago
  I really enjoy my Mazda3 2016 dashboard and controls. Meanwhile I HATED the BMW 3 series controls and shifter. Nothing was intuitive, though it all looked space agey. I am a fan of the Lexus controls as well. They look positively 90s but are very straightforward to use and behave as you'd expect. As a former automotive engineer it hurts to see "aesthetics" trump usability.
  • sundvor 10y ago
    Yeah, I have the Mazda 3 Astina - 2014. I believe its MazdaConnect is roughly the same, maybe a slightly smaller screen. Blown away by how good the UX for the whole car is, including a HUD which for its price class and the time is rather amazing. Adding things like rear cross alert, curving lights and radar cruise in addition to EBA is simply great.
    • robbiep 10y ago
      I've got the same model. Also a big fan of the design features
  • js2 10y ago
    Ugh, my 2016 CX-9's infotainment system is the worst thing about the vehicle. Mazda has tried to cram way too much into that stupid dial control.
    • hkmurakami 10y ago
      True. Love everything physical about the car but the infotainment system has poor UI and bad latency.
• lath 10y ago
  I agree. Owned one for a couple years. Everything was great as long as you don't run over chewing gum because you might get stuck.
• emiliobumachar 10y ago
  Also, two of the cup holders are right at the AC outlets. Very good for cooling drinks.
• nicky0 10y ago
  Any idea how the 3rd generation compares?
  • blueline 10y ago
    car and driver was convinced that a lot of the performing characteristics that made the 2nd gen a fun economy car have been messed up but as an appliance car it's still extremely practical
• broodbucket 10y ago
  >Cup holder on the dashboard to the left of the steering wheel. As a left-handed person, this is amazing. Huh, as a lefty in a country that drives on the left side of the road, I'd never considered this was a problem.
  • mjlee 10y ago
    As a righty in a country that drives on the left side of the road, I'd never considered it a problem either.
• ojbyrne 10y ago
  I drove one of these recently, I'm 6'1" and the seat wouldn't go back quite enough. Probably only 1-3 inches, but a total deal breaker.
  • camtarn 10y ago
    Yeah, it's the one thing that nearly put me off buying one - I'm six foot and it didn't quite feel right. I'm glad I took the plunge though: I got used to the slightly more upright driving position, and I love the car. The upside of the slightly more restricted seat rails, btw, is that rear passengers always have great leg room, even in such a small car.
• mixmastamyk 10y ago
  > the fuel tank is below the front seats. Doesn't sound like a good idea in an accident.
  • bschwindHN 10y ago
    Why not? If something catastrophic happens, will it really make a difference?
    • mixmastamyk 10y ago
      Because if a fire starts, you'll have zero time to get out. In the rear, you may have a second or two.
  • arachnophobe 10y ago
    Putting it at the back isn't always a good idea - Ford Pinto anyone?
    • mixmastamyk 10y ago
      There are many hatchbacks safer (ahem) than the Pinto. IIRC it had a particular design flaw in addition to the gas tank in the rear, though I've lost the details and wikipedia doesn't seem to be helping.
• dirktheman 10y ago
  I had several Fiat Panda's (1st generation). It's automotive mobility boiled down to the bare essentials. A 50-year old motor design that has been completely finetuned to the point where it's unbreakable and economic (the 1.0 Fire motor). No power steering (not needed since the car is so lightweight), no brake assist, no power windows, no A/C. Just one windshield wiper, one heater and turn signals, that's it. I love how simple and intuitive these cars were. Super dependable (lack of options make it so that nothing much could break down anyway), economic and yet some smart mechanical features: the light switches off when you turn the motor off, it's impossible to lock yourself out of the car and the best thing: the back seat is basically a hammock that converts to a bed. Since the car is so boxy it's easy to transport big things like fridges or large IKEA-packages. I had several of these since they were so cheap (400 euros 5th-hand, but no mechanical issues). Only downside is the rust and the fact they're not very safe. Ah, the memories...
• soylentcola 10y ago
  Yep. Just bought a 2011 Sport manual last month. I do mostly city driving and don't typically carry more than one passenger so I was kicking around the idea of a small pickup so I'd have the ability to carry around things like my PA system or camping gear or grab large items at the Depot, etc. instead of renting a pickup/van. The problem is that there don't seem to really be many light pickups made anymore (like the size of the old S10 for example) and even the used ones in good shape were a bit on the pricey side for my frugal nature. Well, I unexpectedly needed to buy a car last month and found a 2011 Fit with only 39k miles and got them to sell it for $9500. May have been able to talk them down a bit more if I had the luxury of time but it was within the market value given by several resources so I was OK with it. Only down side was some minor wear-and-tear maintenance that the previous owner likely traded in to avoid dealing with (and the dealer wouldn't cover under warranty) but I still feel reasonably OK with the overall cost. And of course the car is great. Moved out of my old place around the same time and only needed to rent a cargo van for the largest furniture items. Everything else has packed easily into the car with the seats folded flat. I love how the passenger seat can fold back as well so you can fit a 7-8 foot ladder or other long items like standing lamps. Clutch feels a little "chattery" on cold mornings but apparently this is common on many Honda and Acura cars. Either way, my overall impression is that it's still quite a bit of car for not a whole lot of dough. Being able to just buy it for cash may have improved my overall enjoyment as well.
  • FreakyT 10y ago
    Yep, I have a 2012 Fit Sport Manual. The Honda transmission is generally great overall, much easier to shift than my friend's Camaro IMO.
    • soylentcola 10y ago
      Have you had to replace the coil packs yet? That's the maintenance thing I mentioned having to deal with. Seems to be a common issue and I actually suggested it to my mechanic when I started getting rare, intermittent cylinder misfire codes after a few weeks. To the mechanic's credit, they didn't want to replace them off the bat because they couldn't reproduce the issue and they had me drive for another week to see if it threw the error code again. Of course it did and when I brought it back the second time they swapped the coils and all has been right since. It just seemed like a common issue when I searched for the OBD-II code online and I guess I just added another data point.
• flyinghamster 10y ago
  We have a winner! I bought one in 2010, and I've loved it. The only nitpicks I have are: 1) weak front stabilizer control links that don't stand up well to Illinois potholes, 2) no long mode or refresh mode seat settings (you need the first- or third-generation model for those), and 3) top gear (manual transmission) is too short - 3500 RPM at 70 MPH. But for all that, it's amazingly roomy inside, good on gas, fun to drive even if it won't win races, and just a great car in general. Controls are well laid out, entry and exit are easy, four full-sized adults can sit comfortably in it, the engine is a gem, and when the rear seats are folded down it can handle a lot of cargo.
• woofyman 10y ago
  I have a 2007 Fit Sport automatic. Other than a failed transmission pressure sensor, it's been drop dead reliable.