Schomp Honda

Safety

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Fit deploy with different levels of force or don't deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Fit's side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Fiesta's side airbags don't have smart features and will always deploy full force.

 

The Fit has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Fiesta doesn't offer a whiplash protection system.

 

The Honda Fit has Daytime Running Lights to help keep it more visible under all conditions. Canadian government studies show that driving with lights during the day reduces accidents by 11% by making vehicles more conspicuous. The Fiesta doesn't offer Daytime Running Lights.

 

Both the Fit and the Fiesta have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four wheel antilock brakes, traction control and electronic stability systems to prevent skidding.

 

Reliability

 

The engine in the Fit has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engine in the Fiesta has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

 

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Fit third among subcompacts in their 2010 Initial Quality Study. The Fiesta isn't in the top three in its category.

 

J.D. Power and Associates' surveys of the owners of three-year-old cars provide the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 8th.

 

Engine

 

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Fit is faster than the Ford Fiesta (manual transmissions tested):

	Fit	Fiesta
Zero to 30 MPH	2.6 sec	3.1 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	10.1 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	27 sec	35.9 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	17.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	83 MPH	79 MPH

 

Brakes and Stopping

 

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don't press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The Fit has a standard brake assist system to detect emergency braking situations (by how hard and how quickly the brake pedal is pressed) and then automatically apply maximum braking immediately in order to help prevent a collision. The Fiesta doesn't offer a brake assist feature.

 

Suspension and Handling

 

The Fit Sport has front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Fit Sport flat and controlled during cornering. The Fiesta's suspension doesn't offer a rear stabilizer bar.

 

Chassis

 

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Fit Sport is quieter than the Fiesta SES Five-Door Hatchback:

	Fit	Fiesta
At idle	36 dB	46 dB
70 MPH Cruising	72 dB	72 dB

 

Passenger Space

 

The Fit has 5.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Fiesta (90.8 vs. 85.1).

 

The Fit has 1.3 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 1.9 inches more rear headroom, 3.3 inches more rear legroom, 2.1 inches more rear hip room and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Fiesta.

 

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Fit's rear seats recline. The Fiesta's rear seats don't recline.

 

Cargo Capacity

 

The Fit has a much larger cargo area with its rear seat up than the Fiesta Five-Door Hatchback with its rear seat up (20.6 vs. 15.4 cubic feet). The Fit has a much larger cargo area with its rear seat folded than the Fiesta Five-Door Hatchback with its rear seat folded (57.3 vs. 26 cubic feet).

 

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Fit easier. The Fit's trunk lift-over height is 24 inches, while the Fiesta's liftover is 28.3 inches.

 

Servicing Ease

 

A Maintenance Minder is standard on the Fit to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes, spark plug replacement, air filter replacement, tire rotation, radiator flush and transmission fluid replacement based on actual driving conditions. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Ford doesn't offer a maintenance reminder on the Fiesta.

 

Ergonomics

 

The Fit Sport Automatic offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The Fiesta doesn't offer a remote starting system.

 

The Fit's standard power windows allow the driver or passenger to lower and raise the windows without leaning over or being distracted. The Fiesta S doesn't offer power windows.

 

The Fit's standard power locks allow the driver or passenger to lock or unlock all the doors at a touch without leaning over, or reaching to the back seat. The Fiesta S doesn't offer power locks.

 

The Fit's power locks have a lockout prevention feature. When the key's in the ignition and the driver's door is open, the locks unlock every time you lock them. The Fiesta doesn't provide lockout prevention.

 

The Fit has a standard center folding armrest for the driver and front passenger. A center armrest helps combat driver fatigue. The Fiesta doesn't offer a front seat center armrest.

 

Recommendations

 

The Honda Fit has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Fit	Fiesta
Consumer Reports Recommends	TRUE	n/a
Car Book 'Best Bet'	TRUE	n/a
Kiplinger's Award	TRUE	n/a

 

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its October 2010 issue and they ranked the Honda Fit Sport first. They ranked the Ford Fiesta SES Five-Door Hatchback third.

 

The Fit was chosen as one of Car and Driver's 'Top Ten' for 4 of the last 4 years. The Fiesta has never been a Car and Driver 'Top Ten' pick.

 

The Fit was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine's 'All Stars' in 2009. The Fiesta has never been an 'All Star.'

* [1]  Based on 2011 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.