[ksr]

Honda Fit's C&D 10 Best honors in past years had the same rationale as that for Chevy Trax currently: both products are "better than expected, and better than it needs to be".

Good point about the Trax. Hardly one of the ten absolute best trucks/SUVs in the world, but a great product. Like the Fit, it gives the Ten Best list a wider range of vehicle types.

The more I see the Trax, the more I like it. No one who knows me would think of me as a potential Trax driver, but I'm actually starting to think I could see myself doing my everyday driving in that.

 

[BlackGTP]

Good point about the Trax. Hardly one of the ten absolute best trucks/SUVs in the world, but a great product. Like the Fit, it gives the Ten Best list a wider range of vehicle types.

The more I see the Trax, the more I like it. No one who knows me would think of me as a potential Trax driver, but I'm actually starting to think I could see myself doing my everyday driving in that.

It's amazing what happens when they make something that looks good - the Trax is not anything I'd normally be interested in, but it looks good and that earned my interest. The Fit never looked good to me so never earned my interest.

 

[gkr778]

The Fit never looked good to me

Car and Driver agreed; in the 2011 they stated that Honda Fit's exterior styling "isn't perfectly fit". But the Fit more than made up for that with driving dynamics and interior spaciousness, which were easily best in class:

Fit offers a fun-to-drive quotient that proves basic transportation isn't always basic.

There are so few intrusions into the capacious interior that you'd think the structure consists of a thin layer of aluminum foil stretched over some toothpicks, even though this body shell is astoundingly rigid.

 

[BlackGTP]

Car and Driver agreed; in the 2011 they stated that Honda Fit's exterior styling "isn't perfectly fit". But the Fit more than made up for that with driving dynamics and interior spaciousness, which were easily best in class:

And then they put all that goodness into a wrapper that repelled customers. So, is it really "10 Best" when looks clearly play a big role in purchasing?

Just a theoretical comment for discussion.

 

[AWHoden]

And then they put all that goodness into a wrapper that repelled customers. So, is it really "10 Best" when looks clearly play a big role in purchasing?

Just a theoretical comment for discussion.

Good point. Is styling purely subjective or should it be considered as a judgable criteria? If a beautiful, well built car that sells like hot cakes but has sub-par driving characteristics still able to get on the list? Should a car that is ugly as sin but drives well not be on the list? Styling has to count for something, right? We eat with our eyes first, if it looks good we're mentally predisposed to enjoy something. Of course that doesn't explain oysters.

 

[tripowergto Jan2003]

And then they put all that goodness into a wrapper that repelled customers. So, is it really "10 Best" when looks clearly play a big role in purchasing?

Just a theoretical comment for discussion.

I refuse to buy an ugly car no matter how good it might be. Life is too short.

 

[BlackGTP]

Good point. Is styling purely subjective or should it be considered as a judgable criteria? If a beautiful, well built car that sells like hot cakes but has sub-par driving characteristics still able to get on the list? Should a car that is ugly as sin but drives well not be on the list? Styling has to count for something, right? We eat with our eyes first, if it looks good we're mentally predisposed to enjoy something. Of course that doesn't explain oysters.

Love the oyster comment! I'm someone who can't get past the looks of them. Never!!!!!!

I think they should pull in looks. We all have biases to looks, but when you have a group of people (such as all of the C&D judges for the 10 best) the consensus total can filter out the one-off dissentions. Meaning I bet if there are 10 judges, 8 or 9 would have probably said the Fit doesn't look great and the 1 or 2 people who thinks it looks fine will get discounted. Something like that.

Sadly, the ugly kid never sets the trends - an ugly vehicle isn't going to alter the segment.

 

[BlackGTP]

I refuse to buy an ugly car no matter how good it might be. Life is too short.

Exactly! And I bet a big part of the Fit's failure. I'm sure part of the Fit's failure was the price vs. the next size up and the small size, but I've no doubts looks played a factor. But, also hard to get something that small to fit humans AND be good looking.

And, if it is a segment (tiny cars) that no one really wants, is it even worth putting in the 10 best? I don't think it has been a secret that tiny cars don't sell well in North America unless gas is $6 a gallon. And then no one is buying it for any other reason than it is good on gas.

 

[tripowergto Jan2003]

The Fit was a super model compared to the Echo!!

 

[dannyg]

Exactly! And I bet a big part of the Fit's failure. I'm sure part of the Fit's failure was the price vs. the next size up and the small size, but I've no doubts looks played a factor. But, also hard to get something that small to fit humans AND be good looking.

And, if it is a segment (tiny cars) that no one really wants, is it even worth putting in the 10 best? I don't think it has been a secret that tiny cars don't sell well in North America unless gas is $6 a gallon. And then no one is buying it for any other reason than it is good on gas.

As recently as 10 years ago the Fit was selling in the 50-60K/yr range, not horrible. I considered a 6sp Fit when I got my 5sp Sonic, the reviews said it was noisy at highway speeds. I never test drove the Fit, but when I found the Sonic to be pretty quiet I bought the Sonic.

2024 Honda Fit Sales Figures

Honda Fit monthly, quarterly, and yearly sales and statistics in the United States. Including data and interactive charts for the latest model year 2024 and cars segment.

carfigures.com

 

[BlackGTP]

As recently as 10 years ago the Fit was selling in the 50-60K/yr range, not horrible. I considered a 6sp Fit when I got my 5sp Sonic, the reviews said it was noisy at highway speeds. I never test drove it, but when I found the Sonic to be pretty quiet I bought it.

2024 Honda Fit Sales Figures

Honda Fit monthly, quarterly, and yearly sales and statistics in the United States. Including data and interactive charts for the latest model year 2024 and cars segment.

carfigures.com

But, at the same time that volume isn't all that great. Presumably on a small car like that the profits are pretty thin and a manufacturer relies on volume to make it worth producing. I don't know if 50k units a year gets them enough volume to make it worth it.

 

[AWHoden]

But, at the same time that volume isn't all that great. Presumably on a small car like that the profits are pretty thin and a manufacturer relies on volume to make it worth producing. I don't know if 50k units a year gets them enough volume to make it worth it.

At least in the case of the Fit it was sold worldwide so the sales numbers would have sustained it. They must have had a "stop sale if below XXXXX per year in US" clause or something.

 

[BlackGTP]

At least in the case of the Fit it was sold worldwide so the sales numbers would have sustained it. They must have had a "stop sale if below XXXXX per year in US" clause or something.

True that! A lot goes into the equation - could also be that they could charge a lot more for the Fit in the USA than other markets and the USA sales carried a disproportionate amount of the profits. Or, could be opposite, less desirable in the US which required rebates and made it not worth to sell.

 

[steve333]

Looks do help. The Kia Seltos is supposed to be one of the best subcompact SUVs out there but it is forgettable on the outside. The interior is nice, though.
That name is horrible though.

 

[jzchev28]

Love the oyster comment! I'm someone who can't get past the looks of them. Never!!!!!!

I'm not a seafood guy at all and one evening at dinner with a coworker i was forced to "man up" and try an oyster. It was cooked Rockefeller style and I was blown away, I had to order a plate of them immediately, so good!

 

[BlackGTP]

I'm not a seafood guy at all and one evening at dinner with a coworker i was forced to "man up" and try an oyster. It was cooked Rockefeller style and I was blown away, I had to order a plate of them immediately, so good!

I just can't do it.

Tuna fish is the same - can't understand how anyone can get past that awful smell!

 

[steve333]

I just can't do it.

Tuna fish is the same - can't understand how anyone can get past that awful smell!

You have to like the smell. I get hungry as soon as I open a can.

 

[09W]

 

[SAAB2010]

they just refreshed the CT5- I doubt they planned on getting rid of it in the next few years anyway.

But, similarly the just refreshed XT4 is ending? Maybe it’ll get a reprieve 🤔

 

[1958carnut]

I just can't do it.

Tuna fish is the same - can't understand how anyone can get past that awful smell!

Yeah. But it seems once it's all mixed up or in with something like say a casserole or other, it ain't so bad lol.