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Honda Fit Sport vs. Nissan Versa SL

Versa > Fit >>> Yaris

re: the 15" alloys - the Versa SL comes standard but you have to buy the Fit Sport package to get them, otherwise the Fit comes with dinky 14's.

Versa:
Pro: very roomy inside (6'4" can sit in rear seat), bigger all around, subjectively better fit & finish & appointments than the Yaris or Fit, very quiet, good ride for a small car. Gerarless auto trans is cool. Better looking than Yaris or Fit.
Con: Long wait times for orders, bigger all around.

Fit:
Pro: Nice cargo/seat fold options.
Cons: Bugs me that the 15" alloy wheels and keyless entry are so expensive when they're standard on the Versa SL. Dealer wants mandatory $300 to etch the serial number on the window and $86 for rear mudguards.

Yaris:
Pro: Best gas mileage, small and easy to park.
Con: Too little of everything. Too small, too cheaply appointed, relatively poor cargo room/seat flexibility, rough ride.

Mazda 3: Nice styling (best looking of the 4),
Con: poor rear seat. Stopped looking there because my wife said "I never want one of these, in fact, I never want to even sit in one of these again, ever."


The Versa is as big inside and almost as big outside as the Mazda 3, Matrix and Corolla, but priced like (or below) the Yaris and Fit. Based on price and gas mileage, the Versa groups with the Fit and Yaris, which is why I chose it.

I'll let you know in a month when it arrives (remember one of the Cons:?) There are 40 Yaris (Yari?) parked in the Toyota storage lot next door to my office, and Nissan is taking orders for Versa...?

I found the Yaris constricting to sit in, poor luggage room, too small rear seat for adults, excessively jumpy on rough roads even at 30 kmh. I know the Versa is giving away about 4 MPG compared to the Yaris, but it's way more of a car.

Almost bought the Fit... but after seeing the Versa, I would have had to pay 2000 more to equip the Fit equally. The Fit smoked the Yaris for desirability for me, the Versa edged the Fit.
 
Between the Fit and the Versa, I'd pick the Fit, just because the Versa seems so darn ugly to me...I'd love the 6 speed etc, but couldn't bear to buy something that ugly. For my dime I'd get a Mazda3s (the cheapest one with the upgraded engine/leather wheel/shifter etc etc)...my sister bought one at the beginning of the summer and it's a blast.
 
^^Can you explain why?

sysiphus said:
Between the Fit and the Versa, I'd pick the Fit, just because the Versa seems so darn ugly to me...I'd love the 6 speed etc, but couldn't bear to buy something that ugly.
Click to expand...

Well, in many people's eyes the Fit looks ok because it has a very very safe, "can't go wrong with this look" sort of neutral design, so it's rather soulless. I'd still consider buying the Fit, but I think I'd have to see the Fit in the colour and interior colours I'm interested in before ever considering it. And this is coming from a person who doesn't really care much at all. I hate black clothes and in general, and when it came time for me to buy my car, I bought a black one because I didn't want to wait 3 weeks for them to get one in white. :eek:
 
I'm shopping for cars now and had to make exactly this decision. I haven't purchased either yet, but I'm leaning towards the Versa. It wasn't a very hard choice. The Fit was appealing, but the Versa seems to offer much more for the money. The CVT option was a huge bonus, as are the bluetooth and intelligent key options. The only thing the fit had that the Versa doesn't is iPod integration. The Versa only offers an AUX input for an iPod.

I like the looks of the Versa a bit more, but Fit is has its own charm to it. Some of the reviews say the Fit drives a bit better, but the difference wasn't apparent to me. I'm sure this makes a difference to the professional driver reviewers, but as an average guy just trying to get from point A to point B, it seems like splitting hairs.

I think both cars are good options, but unless something else pops up, I'm going the Versa route.
 
itcheroni said:
I had a Honda Logo in Japan, which I believe is the Fit or, at least, incredibly close and I absolutely loved it. Zippy, reliable, and fun to drive.
Click to expand...

Well, the Fit is also called the Fit in Japan. The old Logo/City is now the Jazz/Fit It's called the Jazz elsewhere (not in NA, because the Honda Jazz is a scooter)

I just wish they'd have named the Yaris the "Vitz" Vitz sounds so much better than Yaris.

Also, check out the "Honda That's" "That's" a weird name.
honda_thats.gif
 
My first post... sweet!

I put my order for a Honda Fit Sport 5sp a couple weeks ago after spending about a month trying to decide between the Versa and Fit.

I agree with orb that the ride is similar between the two cars - I really couldn't tell the difference, and I think most people won't in their daily commuting. If anything, the Fit "felt" faster and more stable. I liked the "toys" of the Versa but in this segment, it matters what you really want.

Checkout Motoring for their review of the Versa... I'd agree with most of the review...
http://motoringtv.com/testdrive/

At the end of the day, it came down to reliability.
 
After a couple of weeks trying to decide between the Versa, Yaris, and Fit, I bought a Versa SL (In Canada the SL comes standard with A/C, Power group, ABS, heated side mirrors and a lot more) with the CVT transmission last night. I get it next Wednesday.

I've been driving the Yaris for a month now (My Toyota Echo 2005 was totalled in a bad accident) and I hate it. The interior layout is awful, configurations sucked, and when you add everything to get it as well equipped as a Versa, it's much more expensive. I loved my Echo, but the Yaris was a let down.

The Fit is nice, but I don't like the styiling and the low drving positon of it. It's a personal preference I guess. As well, the Fit is by far the most expensive choice of the three. Several thousand more, with much higher interest rates, and higher insurance premiums.

Nissan has a promo in Canada for January which offers 1% interest if you put 40% or more of the total cost down. Since I am getting money from my insurance company, I had $8,000 to put down.

With $8,000 down, on 60 month financing, the Yaris (with power group, A/C, six airbags, ABS) came to over $290 a month. The Fit (similarily equipped) came to $305. The Versa SL came in at $246. I should note that if I did not get the 1% interest, the Versa payment would have been $278.

I went on four test drives with the Versa. The smooth ride, extremely quiet and stable CVT engine, huge & well-designed interior blew away the Yaris and was ahead of the Fit. The only thing I can say about the Fit is that the magic seating configurations are cool. But because of that, the seats are really uncomfortable for me. Versa seats are wide and feel great. And the Versa comes with six airbags standard, the yaris just two.

I'll post again in a week or after I get my car.
 
i would say look at the scion or toyota first......then the honda......then the nissan

i personally wouldn't buy another nissan after my last one. (2003 Xterra)

i love my Tacoma
 
i drive a honda with a six-speed manual transmission, and i absolutely love it. i've driven other hondas with manual, and they've all been shifting delights.
 
Versa feels better

Have taken a couple of test drives in the Versa with and without the CVT. Note that only the SL version has the CVT and it is the nicest ride of all. I have an Altima with CVT as well and it clearly gets an extra 20% more miles per gal than the std shifting auto tranny. Also drove the Sentra w/CVT and it rides very well also.

I used to have a Civic and it was a great car, but the Honda dealers just don't want to get to reality with their pricing, and for what you get the Versa is just a much better deal, with the CVT. It had plenty of pep and was just so smooth.

Sat in the Fit and it just was kitch designed with the pokey dash features and the vents, with the low seating, and just did not feel well designed. The seats were extremely tough. The ride is rough at best.

Since I'm over 50, you can tell, the ride was better in the Versa.
 
I went with my best friend and his girlfriend who was deciding between the Fit and the Versa.

We first test drove the Versa SL and on the test drive the hood opened at highway speeds. It blew open, broke the windshield, damaged the roof, and needless to say it destroyed the hood. This is a defect that could have caused a serious accident. We waited on the side of 66 for a half hour for someone from the dealership to come pick us up and the entire time the salesperson was telling us how Nissans aren't what they used to be. We received no apology from the general manager of the dealership or even a discount or deal on a purchase. It didn't really matter anyway, the interior of the vehicle I found cheap and the fit and finish was pretty poor. You could see excess flashing on the mold lines inside, very cheap.

We went next door to the Honda dealership and drove the Fit. She loved it and bought it. It is superior to the Versa in almost every single respect. It handles better, it feels better, and it is more versatile.

There is a reason why the Fit wins all the comparison tests in major automotive publications. :rolleyes:
 
Ewww... old topic. Couldn't resist commenting, though. I have the first-gen Fit Sport with some suspension/engine modifications and sticky tires. It's an incredible handling car, but it's a bit flimsy. The whole car is very, very rigid, but the materials give it an insubstantial feeling. It's also noisy on the highway.

The 5-speed and steering feel are both awesome. Don't judge steering feel based on the wimpy stock tires. With a modest set of summer or all-season tires, the steering becomes really communicative. I drove a friend's Mustang GT--horrible, horrible shifter combined with nonexistent steering feel! I like my car more.

Overall, the Fit isn't the greatest commuter car. It's loud, kind of cheap inside, and has a useless torque curve that makes it a challenge to drive in traffic. However, if you're an enthusiast, you'll definitely enjoy wringing the Fit out on city streets.
 
I'm actually seriously looking at getting a 2009 Honda Fit Sport automatic. I had worried that the 5AT transmission wouldn't work well with the 1.5-liter I-4 i-VTEC engine, but at a test drive I was pleasantly surprised at the good acceleration up to 65 mph.

Best of all, once I fold down the rear seat the Fit has the type of cargo space you associate with larger station wagons. :)
 
coupdetat said:
Overall, the Fit isn't the greatest commuter car. It's loud, kind of cheap inside, and has a useless torque curve that makes it a challenge to drive in traffic. However, if you're an enthusiast, you'll definitely enjoy wringing the Fit out on city streets.
Click to expand...

The newest Fit has improved a lot compared to the last one.
 
SactoGuy18 said:
I had worried that the 5AT transmission wouldn't work well with the 1.5-liter I-4 i-VTEC engine, but at a test drive I was pleasantly surprised at the good acceleration up to 65 mph.
Click to expand...

I'm curious, though... it sounds like you know how to drive a manual transmission. Why would you ever get an automatic in a car like that given the option of a manual?
 
If it's a daily commuter, that would depend on how bad his commute is.

I took 2 hours to get home from Toronto on Friday.

Praise be automatic, (actually steptronic).
 
i love the looks and the feel of the honda fit.

for sub compact, you can notice where honda went all the way to try and develop a highly spacious vehical.

plus the thing looks sick when you drop it a bit.
very JDM in so many ways.






i, myself, am a very big scion enthusiast. i love my 2nd gen xb with all my heart, and i can not believe the kind of room i have in that thing.
 
mkrishnan said:
I'm curious, though... it sounds like you know how to drive a manual transmission. Why would you ever get an automatic in a car like that given the option of a manual?
Click to expand...

Well, automatics are better-suited for commuter driving with its lots of starts and stops--and is actually less distracting because with a good automatic, you can concentrate on looking out the front of the car without worrying about manually shifting gears. :)

When I mentioned 5AT I meant the five-speed automatic transmission that comes with this car in the North American market (only North American market Fits use the 5AT automatic).
 
SactoGuy18 said:
Well, automatics are better-suited for commuter driving with its lots of starts and stops--and is actually less distracting because with a good automatic, you can concentrate on looking out the front of the car without worrying about manually shifting gears. :)
Click to expand...

*shrug* I understand heavy traffic but I do just fine with my stick in Chicago. On the other hand I walk to work and use my car once or twice a week....
 
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