All Cars, All the Time

Fit Verses Yaris




Now that more details are starting to appear on the USA market Fit and Yaris the inevitable comparisons have started up. Here are some highlights:

Why no 5 door Yaris? There seems to be a lot of grousing about the fact that the US market will not get this model. The obvious answer is that the Scion xA fills this niche. Counterpoint to that argument is that Scion isn’t sold at every Toyota dealer and the way Scion’s styled and marketed may not appeal to potential customers. The biggest beef against the xA is it’s styling, something that Toyota is keenly aware of, so the next generation model will undoubtedly be more appealing. If the Fit, Versa, Rio5, etc sell well in 5 door form Toyota’s mind might change.

The Fit’s fuel economy numbers aren’t as high as hoped based off Jazz/Fit models sold in other countries (33 city / 38 highway) with the manual. What adds insult to injury for some is that the larger, more powerful Civic with a 5 speed automatic is rated at (30 city / 40 highway). Folks are asking why Honda put in the larger L15A VTEC engine rather than one of the smaller engines available in other markets. Certainly the demands of the US consumer are at play here. Acceleration is more of a factor for US commuters and given that the US model is heavier to begin with it stands to reason that Honda went with the larger engine. As a plus the L15A has a timing chain not a belt so maintenance will be less! For comparisons sake the Yaris is (34 city / 40 highway). Having said all that, Honda could at some point offer a lower priced model with a smaller engine and lesser content should consumers really clamor for it.

Toyota option packages can be frustrating. The base Yaris 3 door liftback does not include a rear defogger and you must get the convenience package to get it. Sliding and reclining rear seats are in the he $1,290 power package and not the $630 convenience package where they would logically go. Toyota has clearly taken a value approach towards the base models with the liftback starting at $10,950, but then quickly builds on the price as the packages add up. Honda on the other hand has equipped the base Fit (which starts at “super-friendly” price of around $13,000) with almost all the goodies with the Fit Sport adding things like paddle shifters for the automatic, spoilers, fog lights, alloy wheels, upgraded stereo, etc.

Looking at safety features, Honda had made everything standard from side and side curtain airbags and abs while the Yaris makes those optional, but the Euro NCAP frontal score for the Yaris 94% and the Fit is 69%. I don’t know what modifications have been made on these cars for the US market, but it’s fairly obvious that the newer Yaris will have the better body structure out of the box.

Here are some sources for more research: Honda has a model matrix that compares to the two Fit models. Click here to view that matrix. You can also sign up for the “Society of Fit” (a little scary) by clicking here. Toyota’s press release is here and their interest list signup is here.