Test Drive Update & a Quandary

"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08) 08/30/2015 at 13:35 • Filed to: Test Drive, Quandaries

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Yesterday I spent a good 6 hours hoping between dealerships and test driving a bunch of cars in the compact segment. I’ve included my observations on each car below, but before that, it seems I have developed a quandary of sorts: do I buy the Honda Fit or the Mazda3?

What I Test Drove

2015 Subaru Impreza 5-door Sport CVT

Observations: I really wanted to love this car, my wife has a Forester (which we love) and I’d love another Subaru in my driveway. Pros: The car’s infotainment is much better than our Forester’s, seats were great, interior quality is on par with our Forester, handled decently, it was also very quiet on the highway. Cons: it felt very slow, deal-breakingly slow and that sapped a lot of the fun out of it, using the paddle shifters didn’t really infuse any joy.

2015 Honda Fit EX CVT

Observations: Man I love everything about this car, technically the car I drove was an EX-L which had leather seats (actually half decent) and an awful touchscreen climate control touchscreen (I can deal with the lack of a volume knob, the lack of HVAC knobs, I cannot); I’d be buying an EX. Pros: Throw the CVT into “Sport” and flick away at the paddle shifters and you can easily approach the limits of the car in some tight turns (big smile on my face in the first tight banking turn), visibility is awesome and the mirror tricks (Lanewatch on the passenger mirror and convex mirror on the drivers’) only aid that, sounds pretty good. Cons: Pairing a phone via bluetooth proved difficult, the lack of a volume knob, road noise on the highway was a little high (but then again we had just gotten out of the Subaru).

2015 Mazda3 Sport 2.0 Auto

Observations: An overall feeling of quality, albeit at a quality price that is $3400 more than the Fit (while it sits in the compact class, the Fit feels more spacious). Pros: Best handling of all the cars I drove (taken through the same corners as the Fit, I couldn’t find it’s limits), interior quality is good, HMI control knob is solid, comfortable seats. Cons: Seating position was strange (perhaps I was seated too low, but my elbows were propped up on the centre armrest which was quite hard), super tiny gauges (the tach is basically useless), no paddle shifters, Rearward visibility was limited, B pillar was too wide for my liking.

2015 VW Golf 1.8T Comfortline Auto

Observations: Easily the most luxurious of the bunch, also the most expensive. Very insulated, so much so that I find it less fun than the Mazda and the Fit; a very good car but not quite my preference. Pros: The suspension was most compliant over bumps, best interior, probably the fastest of the bunch, visibility was good. Cons: Had the most body roll in the corners (but still controllable), noticeable turbo lag with minimal throttle input, no paddle shifters, leatherette seats got hot quickly.

2015 Ford Focus SE Hatchback Auto

Observations: My friend and I sat in this car, looked at each other and immediately said “Nope!”. Pros: Um, the tires were black. Cons: Interior quality and overall fit and finish were the worst of the bunch, no manual shifting of the auto or a sport mode, ride quality just ok, base “sync” screen was small and looked subpar.

Conclusion:

I loved the Mazda 3 and it might have been a hands down winner if I didn’t feel so large in it (I’m only 6’0 200lbs) and the gauges weren’t so small (it didn’t help that the salesperson was playing games with the pricing too). The Fit did everything splendidly but certainly showed some shortcomings of its price point (as to be expected) like road noise and tires that weren’t as great. But which to choose... I’m leaning towards the Fit.

TractorPillow > Long Live the Longdoor 08/30/2015 at 13:41

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I love Mazda and think that is a way better looking car. Ive never driven a Fit though. But still, Mazda 3!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Long Live the Longdoor 08/30/2015 at 13:44

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I see a consistent con in all of these: auto

There now that the expected joke is out of the way, here’s my shitty anecdotes:

My best friend just bought a Impreza auto. He is content. He thought the 3 was a better car but the hatch space was not nearly as usable.

Fit: apparently Honda bro’s dad bought a ‘15 Fit and regrets it. Ask him for details

The VW: no idea

Focus: you’re not allowed to have a negative opinion of this car so I’ll just move on.

Conclusion: get the 3 if you don’t have a big dog.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/30/2015 at 14:22

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Beyond that, they’re not comparing these cars at similar spec levels, which makes it worse. The Fit he tried was the most loaded one and also the only subcompact of this group. The tested Golf should have been the closest comparable car in this group, but is one class larger. The Impreza and Mazda3 were basically competitive. The Focus they tested was the cheapest base stripper model hatch with an auto (pictured is the notably-nicer sport package, which does have paddles).

This is more of a, “hey, I went around driving any random car the dealers had on their lots and threw me the keys to”, and, “this is what I thought of these cars, and I’m going to compare them as if they were all the best the manufacturers had to offer”.

On the other hand, it’s interesting that VW and Honda had him drive the nicer cars first to talk him down when he couldn’t afford them, while the Ford dealer was like, “Nobody will buy this shit base car except on price, which is why it is on the lot, but since you’re clearly just shopping around, I won’t bother to show you a nicer one”.

I’m with you, I’d get the 3 if these were my only options.

Vicente Esteve > Long Live the Longdoor 08/30/2015 at 14:27

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I did exactly the same as you did last year and this car won me over

As per Honda vs. Mazda? Depends on how much you want the extra space. I’d go Mazda.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Long Live the Longdoor 08/30/2015 at 15:03

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I'd get the mazda soley due to it having a more upscale feel. also it drives nice!

Long Live the Longdoor > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 08/30/2015 at 16:42

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Actually, I was comparing similarly speced cars back to back, all in one day. Yes, the Fit was the most loaded model, but I had already driven the EX and was driving the EX-L solely for the purpose of driving it on the same day because the dealer in the city I was doing the tests only had the EX-L. While the Fit is in the sunsub compact class, is argue that it punches above is class in both size and overall value.

These were not random cars that I had just walked on to the lots to drive (I specially sought out each model given a lot research). I had specific stipulations for my choosing of each model I drove (heated seats, sunroof etc.) and if a model like the Golf ended up costing more in order to add something like a sunroof, then it has to work that much harder to impress me. The model of the Focus I don’t was not the stripper model, it was the SE with the moonroof and heated seats/steering wheel and was mid pack in terms of pricing; regardless, paddles, different wheels and a tablet on the dash were not going to impress me, overall Fit and finish, ergonomics were just not as good as the rest of the group.

Long Live the Longdoor > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/30/2015 at 17:07

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I know, I know. I was really considering a manual but started getting some resistance from my wife. At the end of the day, I’m not super comfortable with spending $25k on something I’m not comfortable driving and if I can still shift the car myself then I don’t really care.

The Impreza was great, if it had the 2.5L from our Forester, I would have been sold. Such a solid car.

I remember reading about HondaBro’s dad, I need to go back and re-read it, just in case.

I was kind of shocked about the Focus, I really expected it to be better.

No big dog for me; the 3 is a solid car and I’d say it’s worth the added price over the Fit but I need to take a second look to sort out my ergonomic quibbles.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Long Live the Longdoor 08/30/2015 at 17:15

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Is there a particular reason that you’re only shopping for new cars?