xB vs. Honda FIT

[edku822]

I've been a fan of the xB for a couple years now even though I don't own one. Now that it's time for me to step up and get my own BOX, but I'm hearing about the Honda FIT. Car & Driver has the FIT #1 in this month's issue, but does not compare it to the xB. Looking at the specs looks like the FIT is a couple cubic foot smaller but has more safety features and has a more refined interior. Anyone compare the two? Comments? Lots of FIT info here http://honda-acura.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=101

[Socalbb]

Thats a great question... how does it really combare to the box?

[YourNameHere]

i sat in a FIT the Philly Auto show...its nice but feels small...no one will want to sit in the back seat, as where the xB is very large in the abck seat. interior fit and finish is very similar.i think the Fit is better compared to an xA

[blackedoutxb]

i think the fit looks pretty cool. i really likt that red one they had that was modified. i still wouldnt get one over my xb though.

[edku822]

Car&Driver describes the FIT's interior up to the level of Acura. I can't say that xB's interior comes close to that, but then again , i haven't been in a FIT yet.

[midtowndesi]

Wow! A Honda xA! Who wudda thunk it?!?!?
- sh00k

[xActly]

Originally Posted by midtowndesi

Wow! A Honda xA! Who wudda thunk it?!?!?
- sh00k

+1

Why would anyone compare that car to the xB? It's clearly Honda's answer to the xA...much like the Chevy Aveo. And much like the Chevy Aveo, it looks like crap next to the xA.

[dbm]

After seeing Toyota's success with the 3 scion models, more car companys than just Honda will be jumping on the band wagon.

Remember...."often immitated, never duplicated"

After seeing the pic of the Honda, you can not compare it the xB. It's like apples and oranges. Like someone said earlier, it's more like the xA.

[Tech_Monkey]

Originally Posted by midtowndesi

Wow! A Honda xA! Who wudda thunk it?!?!?
- sh00k

The 5-Door fit has been around since 2001. How long has the xA been in production? Secondly, does this mean that versitile small displacement wagons are all imitating the xA? If so, there sure have been a lot of imitators outside the U.S.. They've been ripping off the xA since long before it was even sketched out on a piece of scrap paper.

[whaler]

When looking for a new vehicle recently I thought about waiting to try a Fit. I ended up getting the xB and I have no regrets.

[OldYeller]

The May edition of Import Tuner magazine has a small articale on the Fit.

"Scion watch your back, a competitor has arrived." 1.5 DOHC engine at 109 HP. Already a "massive success" in Asia and Europe. Already extensive aftermarket behind it. Has standard front and side curtain airbags. 160 watt six speaker MP3 capable sound. The biggest draw back--Itsa Honda.....................It looks more like the picture of the Yaris I got in my bill, but I am sure it is appointed better.

[lilpklebox]

Look in the same issue of Car and Driver and you'll see the Dodge Hornet - That you can compare! Only two doors though, Motor Trend seems to think it may be produced for the US market even though it's primary market is Europe.
Howard in Gilroy

[Subcompact Culture]

I was going to wait until the Fit came out to buy a new car, but I ended up going with my first love, the xB, and I do indeed love my car. At the time (a year ago), I wasn't sure the Fit was really going to come to the U.S.

My wife's Civic is starting to get up there in age/milage, and I'll definately look at the Fit when the time comes. We'll also look a a Yaris and other B-segment cars.

[midtowndesi]

Originally Posted by Tech_Monkey

The 5-Door fit has been around since 2001. How long has the xA been in production? Secondly, does this mean that versitile small displacement wagons are all imitating the xA? If so, there sure have been a lot of imitators outside the U.S.. They've been ripping off the xA since long before it was even sketched out on a piece of scrap paper.

That's a given that the design has been copied. From being on this site, when I saw that pic, the first thing that jumped into my mind was the xA. I know the suzuki and chevy "look alikes" are modeled after the same concept. To be quite honest, I think that the xB copy cats will have more success than the xA copy cats.

Which makes me want to ask... which model is more popular? I know the figures are around here somewhere.... This may determine which of the look alikes will fair better in the market.
- sh00k

[Subcompact Culture]

First of all, the tall wagon design has been around for years — no one is copying anyone here. I had a 1992 Mitsubishi Expo LRV; is the xA a ripoff of that?

The fit has been around since 2000 I belive.

As far as popularity, the Fit was the best-selling car in Japan for quite some time. I don't believe the IST or bB were even close to that figure.

[socalscion]

the Fit has been in other countries for awhile and is also known as the Jazz

im not a honda driver, but i gotta say that the SPOON and MUGEN Fit look tight

[edku822]

Thanks for all your input. I guess most people haven't inspected the FIT in person, which was what I was most interested in, but I guess it's too early since FIT isn't at most Honda dealerships.
I'm not concerned about who's done it first or most, but who does it best. If people really cared about first every minivan would be a dodge/crysler.
I love the xB but we can all agree that quality/features can be better. Sure, I know that it's an entry line (sub $15k), but if others are putting in the quality and features at the same price range, especially from a reputable maker like Honda, I'm going to consider it. From what I've been reading the only thing that xB has on the FIT is the interior space, which is a merely 3 cubic feet, but I've never sat in a FIT so I don't knwo what that 3 cubic feet means in terms of real world. I know that the FIT looks more like a xA than xB but I'm more concerned about the interior space and features than the exterior shape.
Please provided more personal feedback from people that have seen the FIT ...

[scionofPCFL]

They can copy the cars all they want. What Toyota did that will not be duplicated is change the process of buying a car. Will I lose sales because we don't haggle? Absolutly. Will they lose sales because they try the old-school way of doing things that turn people off from the process entirely? Absolutely.

What Toyota did that was so special was introduce an entire new generation to an entirely new car with an entirely new way of doing things. The combination of all those things is what is so special.

[Subcompact Culture]

Originally Posted by scionofPCFL

They can copy the cars all they want. What Toyota did that will not be duplicated is change the process of buying a car. Will I lose sales because we don't haggle? Absolutly. Will they lose sales because they try the old-school way of doing things that turn people off from the process entirely? Absolutely.

What Toyota did that was so special was introduce an entire new generation to an entirely new car with an entirely new way of doing things. The combination of all those things is what is so special.

It was Saturn that introduced the "no haggle" car sale method. However, they weren't necessarily aiming at the same target market, though.

[xActly]

Originally Posted by edku822

From what I've been reading the only thing that xB has on the FIT is the interior space, which is a merely 3 cubic feet, but I've never sat in a FIT so I don't knwo what that 3 cubic feet means in terms of real world.

Well, if we're insisting on comparing the FIT to the xB in terms of cargo space, make sure you don't limit your comparison to the number of cubic feet...the layout of that space is extremely important.

The reason the xB does so well with its space is the shape...the same reason products are shipped in cube-shaped packages.

I had a 2K Mustang before this, and the trunk was suprisingly large...great for hauling a whole bunch of marbles, because you couldn't get anything larger into the opening. Just a rough, exaggerated example of what I'm trying to say.