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Thread: Picking up my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater this weekend

  1. #41

    bit of a porker

    Yeah, here's the Fit's problem vs. the Mirage:

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    That's a bit worse than I was expecting -- from the ~200 km trip home from my friends' place. My Mirage would have easily been upper 50's on the same trip. A normie driver would have seen mid-30's in the Fit today.

    It's still decent - beats the EPA rating...

    2008 Honda Fit 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Manual 5-spd
    City: 28 MPG / Highway: 34 / Combined: 31

    Route details: ~22 C / 72 F, dry, mostly scenic roads @ 80 km/h = 50 mph, with a moderate headwind. Also multiple small towns with 60 km/h speed zones, plus around ~5 km of freeway driving at 105 km/h = 65 mph. Engine off where practical [eg. traffic lights, approaching some stops, turns etc.]

    Granted, it's not a fair comparison since my Mirage has many eco mods, and the Fit was rolling on terrible old snow tires at 36 PSI that made it feel like it was driving through wet concrete.

    Oink oink...

    The Fit is also a little porker! When I need to move a car in the driveway I often just roll it by hand, and the Fit is noticeably harder to move than the Mirage. So I looked up the curb weight and was very surprised: 2432 lbs for the manual, or about 400 lbs more than the Mirage!

    I've since done a few basic eco mods to it - including putting the summer tires on and upping the pressure, and it rolls better, but still not as easily as the Mirage. A back roads round trip yesterday showed 49 MPG, which is great, but again the Mirage would have done low-mid 60's.

    Also, the Fit's seat is noticeably less comfy than the Mirage's. I'd like a bit more thigh support.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


  2. #42

    race car!

    In normal driving, it is clear as day that the Fit has sharper steering and a tauter suspension than the Mirage.

    But I hadn't really put that difference to the test until I drove it on a couple of favourite back roads with some good S-bends. The Fit is ridiculously more fun & competent in the curves!

    Truth is I really don't care one way or the other - I have susprised myself by coming to appreciate and even like the Mirage's 1-finger steering and Cadillac soft suspension. [Though I didn't like it when I first experienced it.] I must be getting old.

    But Mitsu would have saved itself a lot of grief and could have earned a lot more fans by tuning the Mirage's suspension and steering more like the Fit's for North America and Europe. That was a big missed opportunity.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Basic (06-03-2021)

  4. #43
    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
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    How's the ride?

    I always found Hondas rode stiff, Nissans more plush. Broad brushstroke there I know. But that was my experience with early oughts Civics and Sentras respectively. I actually like the floaty one-fingered ride of my Mirage.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


  5. #44
    Coming from the Mirage, it feels firm, as you'd expect. But not harsh by any means.

    Ride height is also an inch or two lower.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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  7. #45
    Oh - also, I isolated the front end rattle: worn sway bar end link. Common Honda wear item, apparently.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


  8. #46
    Senior Member AtomicPunk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
    In normal driving, it is clear as day that the Fit has sharper steering and a tauter suspension than the Mirage.

    But I hadn't really put that difference to the test until I drove it on a couple of favourite back roads with some good S-bends. The Fit is ridiculously more fun & competent in the curves!

    Truth is I really don't care one way or the other - I have susprised myself by coming to appreciate and even like the Mirage's 1-finger steering and Cadillac soft suspension. [Though I didn't like it when I first experienced it.] I must be getting old.

    But Mitsu would have saved itself a lot of grief and could have earned a lot more fans by tuning the Mirage's suspension and steering more like the Fit's for North America and Europe. That was a big missed opportunity.
    Exactly. It has taken me a while to go from that level of handling and responsiveness to the Mirage's more sedate handling and body roll, but I'm used to it now. Its made me slow down a bit on entry/exit ramps, which is probably a good thing. The Fit could take those well at higher speeds. For now, I just enjoy the reliability and gas mileage of the Mirage. Maybe I'll pick up another Fit one day as you did.

  9. #47
    Mirage's more sedate handling ... made me slow down a bit on entry/exit ramps, which is probably a good thing.
    But less braking = better MPG!

    In the Fit I've gone through a couple of bends [that I know well] without having to touch the brakes - something I couldn't have done in the Mirage at the same speed. My first thought was: WOO FUN!! My second thought, nerd that I am, was: WOO MPG!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


  10. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
    But less braking = better MPG!

    In the Fit I've gone through a couple of bends [that I know well] without having to touch the brakes - something I couldn't have done in the Mirage at the same speed. My first thought was: WOO FUN!! My second thought, nerd that I am, was: WOO MPG!
    Even though I have never been in one (or seen one in person for that matter), I would like to see the Mirage powertrain (1.2 L with the 5-speed manual) in the Nissan Micra. I don't think the Micra looks better, but I suspect it handles better. Combining the two would have improved the handling & economy of both. They could call it the Micrage!
    Last edited by Mark; 06-04-2021 at 04:56 PM.

  11. #49
    In the eastern hemisphere, the stock Micra engine [in the generation we had in Canada] actually was a 1.2L triple. But all the cars on this side of the pond got the 1.6 [same engine & manual trans as in the previous gen Versa sedan].

    The comparison of the Micra to the Fit is apt: the Canadian market Micra does handle decently - and it's got the same power as the 1st gen Fit [109].

    Unlike Mitsubishi, Nissan made a conscious choice to tune the suspension specifically for this market to appeal to budget enthusiasts: Canada was apparently the only country that got front AND rear stabilizer bars standard on all trims.

    The Canadian motoring press universally loved the Micra: cheap, cheerful & fun to drive.

    Nissan even supported a spec Micra racing series here called the Micra Cup:

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    From: What is Canada’s Nissan Micra Cup?

    Of course, just like the Fit, the Micra slurps quite a bit more fuel than a Mirage. But the motoring press doesn't really care about that.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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  13. #50
    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
    Coming from the Mirage, it feels firm, as you'd expect. But not harsh by any means.

    Ride height is also an inch or two lower.
    Yea I was expecting the Fit to have a firm ride. I wonder how the Nissan Micra rides. Myself, I would sacrifice performance for comfort in a lot of ways.

    If you're into collecting cars, a bit I would buy one of those Micra's one day. You see them fairly cheap used.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


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