Honda Fit vs the Versa

[Robi]

I just happened to park at the superstore next to a Honda Fit and WoW I am so happy that I bought the V. The styling is much more attractive and people walking by asked me about the car. The guy who owned the Fit came out and looked at both and just got into his Fit and took off.

On another note: Consumers Report stated the Fit was their number one choice in a recent news release. When I checked into it they either did not test the V or had placed the V in another category due to the extra weight. Does anyone know about this?

[Bubs daddy]

I agree, Robi. I saw a Fit parked and I think the styling of the Versa is much better. Glad I bought the Versa.

[BMAR240SX]

I dont know i like both of them but i havent had the versa sink into me yet. How do they run perfomance wise?

[Bubs daddy]

Performance? Well, they're both econoboxes.

Mine gets 33 mpg, accelerates fairly well with that 122 hp engine and the materials for a cheaper priced car are top notch.

[BBISHOPPCM]

I believe the Fit is aimed towards the college aged crowd, where the Versa is aimed at not one specific age bracket. As we can clearly see, the Versa owners are truly a diverse crowd.

[proxim2020]

I like my cars how I like my women. Interesting and not blah.

[Wings]

As far as appearance to each their own. Wont hate on a Fit owner who thinks they look better. I too like the Versa appearances better.

Performancewise, they are pretty equal for the fact of weight. Even though the Versa has more horse power and more importantly torque, it ways enough more that the 0-60 and 1/4 mile are pretty much even with both beating the Yaris.

My big thing though is the interior space. You can get them roughly the same price, yet the Versa is so much larger than everything in it's class. Bigger than a lot in larger class vehicles too. Hell the only Nissan with more rear passenger room is the Armada.

[DreamU]

I had the same reaction when I parked beside a FIT (with a similar color too). I liked the styling of the Versa better. I think that may be becuase the Versa looks more like a scaled down SUV and I find SUV's styling appealing (unlike my wife )

On the other hand, I do have one regret about buying the Versa/Tiida and that is that I did not test drive the FIT. I went to a Honda dealer that had none in the showroom.

[arco]

On another note: Consumers Report stated the Fit was their number one choice in a recent news release. When I checked into it they either did not test the V or had placed the V in another category due to the extra weight. Does anyone know about this?

Looks like they put Versa in the same category as the Fit...

Consumer Reports calls the Fit the "best overall in a new class of fuel-efficient cars."

Fuel economy, as measured in Consumer Reports' controlled tests, was 32 mpg with an automatic transmission and 34 mpg with a manual.

"Not only is it fun to drive, but its compact dimensions pack an impressive amount of interior room and versatility," the magazine said.

The Fit got top scores in "Reliability," "Crash protection" and "Satisfaction." Its road test score was good, but not the best.

This has become a crowded market segment with a number of good entries, said David Champion, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports.

"The Nissan Versa we thought was very good," he said. "The Kia Rio and Hyundai Accent were very good."

I'm sure the better fuel economy numbers and standard ABS put the Fit on top.

[Ever Victorious]

I like my cars how I like my women. Interesting and not blah.

[rwanttaja]

I had the same reaction when I parked beside a FIT (with a similar color too). I liked the styling of the Versa better. I think that may be becuase the Versa looks more like a scaled down SUV and I find SUV's styling appealing (unlike my wife )

On the other hand, I do have one regret about buying the Versa/Tiida and that is that I did not test drive the FIT. I went to a Honda dealer that had none in the showroom.

I test drove the Fit, Yaris, and Versa on the same weekend. Didn't have any kicks about the way the Fit drove, and the reduced legroom for the back seat folks didn't make any difference to me. What DID make a difference was the Honda dealer adding a "Marketing Charge" to the sticker that put the price about $4,000 more than the Versa.

I actually thought the Yaris was the "peppiest" of the three cars, and liked the way it drove. But the Yaris was a bit too "raw," it just seemed to ooze cheapness. The luxury features of the Versa (and how much quieter it was) won me over. This car is used 95% of the time for commuting to work, so stuff like a more comfortable seat, 6-CD changer, better soundproofing, and the convenience package won me over.

Eight months later, I'm still happy with my choice...but if they had been offering the same deals on the Prius last July that they are now, I'd probably be driving one of those.

Ron Wanttaja

[Jaesin]

The ONE fit they had on the honda lot had a 4500 markup charge too,

Next day I went and checked out the Nissan Dealer, 4 versas on the lot, I drove home with mine that night and I couldn't be happier.

[Robi]

The V was the only one given 5 stars on crash protection

[motoguy128]

I had the identical sales experience. The Toyota salesman only wanted ot sell Camrys or SUV's and could care less tha I was looking at the Yris... and they didn't have a manual transmisson ot test. The Fit was marked up, and was a demo that they threw some silly looking 18" rims with super low profiles tires on. I drove nice, but felt too much like a used '92 Civic 5-door I drove 10 years earlier.. that I think it's actually based on (the powertrain is that same 80HP motor with VTEC slapped on it). THe seat system was very well done, and the materials and dash layout was very nice. THe gearbox felt good and the steering was super responsive but actually scary on the freeway. One small twitch and you've changed lanes.

Every day, I'm happier with my Versa. Like I've said before, telecopsing steering, better front cupholders and maybe the 2.0L Sentra motor with wider gear spacing.

[jacksan1]

As a matter of disclosure, I drive a Fit, although I could very well have been a Versa owner. I will not go into feature comparisons between the V and Fit - that's all been covered in this thread. One thing that has not been mentioned here, the reason I am not driving the V, is the lack of ABS-equipped SL, at least at the time I was in the market. I would not compromise on my car's ability to stop, and since I live in Minnesota and have had situations in which only my ability to break fully and steer at the same time saved me, that I could not find any V with ABS was the true deal breaker. And I know for the fact that I am not the only one who has been forced into this kind of decison-making.

Later Consumer Reports and more recently Edmunds have remarked on the poor breaking ability of non-ABS Versa. If someone is thinking about buying a Versa, that's something to very seriously think about. I may still buy a Versa in the future when another car in our household needs to be replaced, but only with ABS.

[Robi]

Guess I am Lucky as I have ABS on my V ... go the full deal with all the goodies for 18 Canadian ... that's about $1.49 us.

[DreamU]

The luxury features of the Versa (and how much quieter it was) won me over.

Ron Wanttaja

Good point. I love how quiet the Versa is. They put a lot of engineering into making it quiet. I am a noise fanatic - this is the first car I've purchased without using a sound meter during my test drive. Any car more than 75db at 65mph was off my short list. (That was in Oregon where studs are legal so the pavement gets very beat up in winter time).

Many, many years ago I owned a Celica which I found too noisy. So I bought some rubber mats and lined the floor with them. Then I bought some yellow insulating foam and filled some of the cavities with it. Here's where it gets ugly: I filled the water channels under the front windshield with yellow insulating foam!#@#*! As I drove out of my first car wash I could hear water sloshing back and forth. It took a while to figure out what I'd done. I had to remove the fenders to get at the water channels to cut and scrape the foam out. What a mess - live and learn.

[Bubs daddy]

Quote »telecopsing steering,[/quote]Mine tilts but doesn't telescope. Was that an option?

I do agree about the quietness. Very quiet for a small car. I like this car more every day.

[proxim2020]

I agree also that the car's quiet. When I drove the car home from the dealership, I didn't have the radio on. I got scared when I heard a bunch of air leaving something. It turned out to be my normal breathing Something that I've never heard in any car that I've driven. Either the materials were so thin that outside noises easily get inside or the engine noise resonates back into the car even at idle.

[jacksan1]

No question about it. The Versa is quiet. The Fit is not noisy by any means, but the Versa is quieter. The ride quality is better too.

[dalversajock]

I agree about the V being quiet. BUT just make sure that if you change the tires, you get tires that are quiet. I upgraded my wheel size to 17" and tires to 215. I have a little tire noise but other than that, its not as quiet when I drove my V with its original cheap Continental tires.

[shreqboi909]

there is a gud amount of FIT's in my city and i am glad i got the versa instead...some drivers have came up to me to compare our cars and they like what they see....i even raced two honda fit's....both the A/T and the 5spd....and with both i succeded in winning....i raced the A/T at the local speedway, and the 5 sp on the street....in styling, safety, performance, and space, i choose the V all the way!