Inside Line pits Ford Fiesta against Honda Fit in small car scrap
Doubtlessly jealously eying the Fit's success, Ford officials are counting down the months until they can finally provide some competition in the form of their 2011 Fiesta – but does it have the goods to knock the Fit from atop the subcompact mountain?
The crew at Inside Line wanted to answer that question and brought the Fit face-to-face against a European-spec Fiesta in a battle for B-Segment superiority. The Fit came in for praise for its masterfully engineered interior and massive cargo area, while the Fiesta was lauded for its superb driving dynamics and higher end materials. Which subcompact all-star came out on top in the battle of the (little) bulge? Head over to Inside Line to find out.
Gallery: Review: 2010 Ford Fiesta (Euro-Spec)
Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Honda Fit Sport
[Source: Inside Line | Image Source: Kevin Wing]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Polly Prissy Pants 12:36PM (9/22/2009)
So the Ford drives better and looks much better (IMO). Sounds like a winner.
Reply
Noidor 12:42PM (9/22/2009)
Both Jazz/Fit and Fiesta are cars are cars which were engineered to be a success worldwide in any given market. That's why there are so good.
Regional vehicles such as the Cobalt or current US Focus would not come even close to being as good as these two.
Brian 12:44PM (9/22/2009)
Yeah, too bad they tested the Euro-spec which will not be the one selling here.
Noidor 12:44PM (9/22/2009)
I am not dyslexic I promise
Both Jazz/Fit and Fiesta are cars which were engineered to be successful worldwide - regardless of the market. That's why they are so good.
Regional vehicles such as the Cobalt or current US Focus would not come even close.
zamafir 12:46PM (9/22/2009)
yup, i'm not so worried for the fit, but the soul and cube if ford prices the entry level cheap enough.
Sea Urchin 12:59PM (9/22/2009)
Both are great, but i'd like to see the prices a little lower, even 1K would be great. At the price point the are in the article 18K for Fit and 19K for Fiesta, is a little to high for me. For 18K you can get Honda Civic LX with automatic tranny, which probably is the most popular Civic out there.
Dustin 1:00PM (9/22/2009)
To be fair, the Fiesta has the Euro suspension (which will likely be revised for the U.S.) and summer tires, the latter of which makes a huge difference on a car like this. It also has the Euro style, which will be changed. A better comparison would be the UK Fiesta vs the UK Jazz. Or, soon, the U.S. Fiesta vs the U.S. Fit. This current comparison is not ultimately useful.
Bloke 1:10PM (9/22/2009)
When Ford federalised the first-generation Focus in 2000 and built it in Mexico, the drop from the European model in terms of materials quality, trim, and fit & finish was staggering. However, it retained the European car's driving dynamics for the most part.
I'm skeptical about comparisons such as these because whereas the Fiesta has largely come out ahead of the Jazz in UK tests, any major cost-cutting of the North American Fiesta (as was the case with the Focus) could spell a different story.
Invisible 2:06PM (9/22/2009)
Check out the 26mpg for the Fiesta. And required premium fuel. 8-0
MikeW 3:05PM (9/22/2009)
European mid-grade 95RON, use mid-grade
Hellas 5:06PM (9/22/2009)
Ahhhh... can we use another colour on the Fiesta? Did the contract with Benjamin Moore expire or something? This lime green makes me sick....
AndrewNoNumbers 5:08PM (9/22/2009)
The Cube and Soul aren't even in this. They are on their own level with the xB and in my mind is aimed at Civic/Corolla buyers who want something different. On the other hand these subcompacts are pretty bland/traditional-looking, so they're for people who just want a cheap car that drives good. I'd say people who can stand the look of a subcompact (I admit the Fiesta is an exception) will throw up at a box car, and vice versa. Pricewise, the Cube and Soul both start at about $15k well-equipped. Subcompacts NEED to be below that, as the Yaris and Versa are, and the Fit just barely.
Seminole 12:37PM (9/22/2009)
Ford has to do something to fix the Fiesta's folding rear seat. That is the one flaw I see with the car.
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Luis 12:51PM (9/22/2009)
Many people buying the small hatchback will look to versatility of the interior, and if they cross-shop the Fit and Fiesta will go home with the Fit. Also, it's one of the last remaining decent Honda designs and is still a "Honda".
Maybe Ford can re-do the rear-seat by 2011, then they'd have a real winner.
Snowdog 1:31PM (9/22/2009)
Yep Honda has it's "magic seats" with a half dozen modes and Ford can't even manage a fold flat rear seat in this day and age.
I don't know why every small hatch doesn't do what the Vibe/Matrix do by now. Fold flat rear and foldover front for long items.
Jim in Tampa 3:35PM (9/22/2009)
Hey Ford . . . . listen to these people!!! If I'm buying versatility in a small car, wasted space created by seats that don't lay flat will be a deal breaker for me. Don't make the same mistake that Nissan did with the 5 door Versa and not make the seats fold flat.
Chris 3:44PM (9/22/2009)
@ Snowdog:
My 01 Focus ZX3 has flat-folding rear seats.
Brian 12:39PM (9/22/2009)
The Fit should have won when you take into account resale, Honda-level reliability, and the fact that a Honda buyer doesn't have to wonder whether the company he bought the car from will be bankrupt in three years or not. Getting the Honda over the Ford gives you peace of mind.
Also remember all the reliability issues with the first gen Focus when they brought it over here, even though there weren't any with the version built in Europe? I bet we'll see those popping up (again).
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Ligor 12:47PM (9/22/2009)
The Fit should loose just based on that interior design
did they hire 8 year olds with creons to design that interior? the exterior is almost just as UGLY btw
now last I check current Ford products have averaged higher than Honda in reliability and by the way, the Fiesta will not be a brnd new car since it's been on sale in EU for a while and they would have already figured out most 1st year issues u point too
Brian 12:49PM (9/22/2009)
It isn't ugly. Now the current US Focus--THAT is an ugly pig of a car!