Should I buy a Gen III or a Honda Fit?

i've never even seen one, but for someone with free electricity who doesn't want a leaf, it seems like the best alternative. as far as expense is concerned, a few here are buying them as cheap as pip lately. i can't recommend based on experience, but most owners seem happy with them.

 

Interesting read on your safety concern re the Fit...

IIHS Subcompact Car Crash Results: Let's All Calm Down – News – Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog

 

Small overlap frontal test aside...overall The Fit scored nicely. It scored POOR on the frontal overlap but GOOD on every other test. The frontal overlap is a new test.

I'd expect Honda and other manufacturers to adjust and improvements to happen. But neither would I feel much less safe in a Fit than any other small compact.

Chevy Spark did the best in the tests....I'd still take a Honda Fit.

 

Sure, virtually all of your last sentence is true but.....

Yep. There are a whole bunch at my work. It's the second most popular plug-in vehicle at my work after the Leaf.

A friend of mine and and a HS classmate of mine each have Volts. They seem happy w/them. The latter is a funny guy. He seems to have the knack for buying GM cars from brands that disappear. IIRC, he had either an Olds or a Pontiac. Later, he had a Saturn Astra. From what I've seen on places likes MyNissanLeaf, some folks there who have Volts (some to complement their Leaf or other pure BEV) and virtually all of them are happy w/their Volts.

For those who don't want pure BEV due range limitations or don't want to keep around a 2nd car (having to deal its cost of maintenance, registration, depreciation, etc.) and if their commute is short enough so that they don't need to use the ICE at all/much, then Volt can make sense. I can see their value proposition.

(FWIW, I am NOT a fan of GM. And, the Volt has fallen short of many of GM's claims/wishes, prior to it shipping.)

I actually semi-strongly considered a Volt before I leased my Leaf, which would've enabled me to ditch my Prius. But, at the time, the Volt prices (and lease prices) were high (much higher than a Leaf). And I couldn't bring myself into rewarding GM (due to all their past and present sins) while not supporting a trailblazer who took big risks w/the Leaf. And, my parents have had not-so-good experiences w/their past 3 GM cars (we don't buy GM anymore), whereas my Nissan experiences have been decent enough.

 

I'm catching this thread late - maybe OP has already purchased. Anyway, I have considered Prius vs. Fit for similar gear carrying concerns. One thing to think about is the layout of the space - Prius offers more flat horizontal space vs. Fit's vertical space - particularly covered cargo (trunk) space. Assuming you want to leave gear covered in the trunk sometimes, you can lay it out fairly flat in the Prius trunk vs. possibly having to stack vertically in the Fit trunk - not what you might want to do with electronic gear. (On the other hand, if your gear is tall, you get more height in the Fit.)

Also, while San Diego is no San Francisco, we've got some decent size hills here. I've never tried to haul gear in a Fit, but things I've read made me think it might be underpowered carrying stuff uphill on a freeway. I've hauled gear occasionally in Prius Zipcars over the years and while I wouldn't used it for really heavy hauling, it does the job for moderate hauls - and you can fit all sorts of long things like theatrical pipe in it.

But I have only once driven a Fit on a test drive, so I may be underestimating its real capabilities.

 

Honda crv should be great.. something wrong you did?
Its a honda!

buy the prius, you are after all on a prius forum LOL but both will do ..