Offcial Honda Fit EV Thread (lease only)
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DNAinaGoodWay
Well-known member
Ah! The sweet smell of competition. 
More cars will spawn more EVSE which will sell more cars from OEMs tripping over themselves to give us better deals.
I'll go look at the Fit, but I still think I should reward Nissan for having the guts to go nationwide with an affordable car. Plus, I love driving it.
More cars will spawn more EVSE which will sell more cars from OEMs tripping over themselves to give us better deals.
I'll go look at the Fit, but I still think I should reward Nissan for having the guts to go nationwide with an affordable car. Plus, I love driving it.
shikataganai
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gergg said:
Your region of the country is not "plugged in," unfortunately.
shikataganai
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FWIW, I worked out the arithmetic on this lease and concluded that it's a screaming deal.SuperBlack said:
It's cheaper to lease than a feature-matched LEAF SV Premium sans QC/LED, by about a third. Furthermore, leasing and operating it for 3 years would cost about 64%, or $6,000+ less (!), than doing the same for a feature-matched ICE Honda Fit!
shikataganai
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The cynic would say that we'll see fewer EVs in the future once manufacturers come into full compliance with CARB's ZEV mandate.DNAinaGoodWay said:Ah! The sweet smell of competition.
More cars will spawn more EVSE which will sell more cars from OEMs tripping over themselves to give us better deals.
I'll go look at the Fit, but I still think I should reward Nissan for having the guts to go nationwide with an affordable car. Plus, I love driving it.
One could also argue that you should reward Honda for having the guts to sell a "compliance car" outside of California…
Valdemar
Well-known member
shikataganai said:FWIW, I worked out the arithmetic on this lease and concluded that it's a screaming deal.SuperBlack said:
It's cheaper to lease than a feature-matched LEAF SV Premium sans QC/LED, by about a third. Furthermore, leasing and operating it for 3 years would cost about 64%, or $6,000+ less (!), than doing the same for a feature-matched ICE Honda Fit!
I got excited about the FEV deal, and started to think about replacing my Leaf with it. But today our family went to the beach. I loaded a mid-size duffel bag, portable cooler, beach tent, a ball, and a bunch of toys for the kids. There was still room left in the trunk. I thought to myself good luck with loading all this stuff into a FEV which I checked out at a dealership a day before. Yes, it is a super deal and operating costs are significantly less, but the Fit is also a significantly smaller car. Comparing the Leaf with the FEV is not unlike comparing the ICE Civic with the ICE Fit. Need a bigger car be ready to spend more money, hardly a surprise. QC is a big bonus as well, in my case anyway. So I cooled down a bit, too bad I can't have both
SuperBlack
Active member
Yeah, I got a little worked up after the news too, so I joined ZipCar and took one out for a couple hours from the Hollywood location. Here are my impressions, in case anyone is interested how it compares to a Leaf.
1. Seats are uncomfortable, compared to the Leaf. To be fair, I find that most seats are uncomfortable now compared to the Leaf. I was pleasantly surprised by the Leaf's comfort when I bought it. The Fit is more like what I expected from a Japanese hatch.
2. It does drive "better" than the Leaf. It has a more customizable feel, due to the Sport, Normal, and Econ modes, multiplied by the B mode. The car is quite sporty when you have it in Sport-B. The regen is strong like an ICE manual, and it handles quite well. I can understand why Edmunds and the other car mags liked it so much better than the Leaf, but in my opinion, those are the wrong priorities for a family car. I get tired of writers complaining about how the Leaf doesn't handle as well. I don't drive it at Laguna Seca. I drive my wife and kids around pothole laden LA in stop and go traffic.
3. Space is about the same as the Leaf. There is a styrofoam cargo insert in the back of the Fit that neatly holds the EVSE and jack, but I think if you took that out, it would have a similar trunk to the Leaf. It may be a tad narrower than the Leaf.
4. Back seats are about the same, but awfully uncomfortable, again. My back started hurting within a few second.
5. There is no center armrest storage compartment. Instead there is a tiny armrest attached to the seat. Too narrow to be comfortable for any period of time.
6. It has more standard controls than the Leaf, which I respect. The Leaf shifter feels like they are trying to hard to be futuristic.
7. The radio is awful in the Fit. I had the hardest time figuring out how to use it. The speakers were fine, probably better than my '11 Leaf, but the radio hurt my brain.
So, overall impression is that the Fit may be a better "driver's car," but the Leaf is better in every other way. And now that the '13 Leaf has a B-mode and bigger wheels on the SL, I think it will drive a little better, though I now need to test that theory.
The Leaf is 10 times more comfortable, which is much more important to me and my family than how sporty it is. If I wanted a sports car, I'd drive a Porsche.
1. Seats are uncomfortable, compared to the Leaf. To be fair, I find that most seats are uncomfortable now compared to the Leaf. I was pleasantly surprised by the Leaf's comfort when I bought it. The Fit is more like what I expected from a Japanese hatch.
2. It does drive "better" than the Leaf. It has a more customizable feel, due to the Sport, Normal, and Econ modes, multiplied by the B mode. The car is quite sporty when you have it in Sport-B. The regen is strong like an ICE manual, and it handles quite well. I can understand why Edmunds and the other car mags liked it so much better than the Leaf, but in my opinion, those are the wrong priorities for a family car. I get tired of writers complaining about how the Leaf doesn't handle as well. I don't drive it at Laguna Seca. I drive my wife and kids around pothole laden LA in stop and go traffic.
3. Space is about the same as the Leaf. There is a styrofoam cargo insert in the back of the Fit that neatly holds the EVSE and jack, but I think if you took that out, it would have a similar trunk to the Leaf. It may be a tad narrower than the Leaf.
4. Back seats are about the same, but awfully uncomfortable, again. My back started hurting within a few second.
5. There is no center armrest storage compartment. Instead there is a tiny armrest attached to the seat. Too narrow to be comfortable for any period of time.
6. It has more standard controls than the Leaf, which I respect. The Leaf shifter feels like they are trying to hard to be futuristic.
7. The radio is awful in the Fit. I had the hardest time figuring out how to use it. The speakers were fine, probably better than my '11 Leaf, but the radio hurt my brain.
So, overall impression is that the Fit may be a better "driver's car," but the Leaf is better in every other way. And now that the '13 Leaf has a B-mode and bigger wheels on the SL, I think it will drive a little better, though I now need to test that theory.
The Leaf is 10 times more comfortable, which is much more important to me and my family than how sporty it is. If I wanted a sports car, I'd drive a Porsche.
Valdemar
Well-known member
SuperBlack said:
Not if you're 6'4" as myself, I found knee room to be much worse in the Fit, and the overall seating position was reminding me of my height in every aspect. I have absolutely 0 issues fitting myself in the Leaf and I never feel constrained. Also the FEV has drum brakes in the rear, probably not a big deal but still a sign of trying to keep the cost under control. The trunk is definitely smaller than then leaf in all measurements with back sits up, even with the styrofoam insert removed. Driver's seat armrest is a joke. Leaf's driver's side A-pillar is bad affecting side visibility, but I thought that FEV's was even worse. Another concern is with so few sold so far reliability remains pretty much unknown, same goes to the dealership's ability to address issues when they arise and spare part supply.
SuperBlack
Active member
I wish I was 6'4'! Glad to hear that the Leaf accommodates you better. It is a surprisingly roomy car.
Regardless of my lesser stature, I will be crossing the Fit off my list of cars. The comfort issue is my main concern, as I rarely need additional range.
I'm leaning toward getting another Leaf, but I plan to also consider:
- Toyota RAV4
- BMW i3 (if I can wait that long)
Regardless of my lesser stature, I will be crossing the Fit off my list of cars. The comfort issue is my main concern, as I rarely need additional range.
I'm leaning toward getting another Leaf, but I plan to also consider:
- Toyota RAV4
- BMW i3 (if I can wait that long)
evnow
Well-known member
Interesting - looks like they have started selling in all the states which will adopt ZEV mandate. WA is thus, conspicuously missing.shikataganai said:
Your region of the country is not "plugged in," unfortunately.
DNAinaGoodWay
Well-known member
shikataganai said:The cynic would say that we'll see fewer EVs in the future once manufacturers come into full compliance with CARB's ZEV mandate.DNAinaGoodWay said:Ah! The sweet smell of competition.
More cars will spawn more EVSE which will sell more cars from OEMs tripping over themselves to give us better deals.
I'll go look at the Fit, but I still think I should reward Nissan for having the guts to go nationwide with an affordable car. Plus, I love driving it.
One could also argue that you should reward Honda for having the guts to sell a "compliance car" outside of California…
If Honda sells the Fit EV here, I might if it fits me better. Or, I could reward Tesla if they roll out the Gen 3.
Cynic? I don't know. I think one good gas crisis and EVs take off.
LTLFTcomposite
Well-known member
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-18/honda-settles-u-s-suit-over-nonroad-engine-emisions.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Does that mean they will have to up the number of Fit EV compliance cars they crank out?
Does that mean they will have to up the number of Fit EV compliance cars they crank out?
dtomko
Active member
Well, I'm jumping ship and leasing the Fit. After struggling trying to make the Leaf deal work, the new Honda lease was too good to resist. More the unlimited mileage than the monthly rate (plus the included home charger, maintenance and collision insurance) Unlike the way it's been for a lot of other people, it's been pretty straightforward for me. I was the first one to inquire at my authorized Honda dealer (in Middletown, NY). Put down a deposit on June 11, and the car will be in between July 5 - 9. Here on the east coast it's been difficult finding dealers who know anything about their company's EVs - my experience over the past couple of years with local Nissan dealers has not been very good. The Honda dealer also didn't know much, but the rep I worked with was very good about getting up to speed quickly. So, I'll let you know how it goes once I get it.
Drew
Drew
dtomko said:
Good luck with it. KeiJidosha seems to like his (though we haven't heard much from him here in recent months).
KickinLeaf
Member
Taking a long distance trip, 1000+ miles one way in a FitEV, check out our progress!
http://fitev.tumblr.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Jim
http://fitev.tumblr.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Jim
ELROY
Well-known member
KickinLeaf said:
Wow, I wonder how much charging the scooters from the car for 5 hrs will diminish your range? And does the computer/range readout reflect the correct values when such a large draw is taken from the 12v system?
dtomko
Active member
KickinLeaf said:
Wow! That's fantastic!
Still waiting for my Fit; it was suppsoed to be at the dealer by yesterday, but hasn't been delivered yet.
Drew
dtomko
Active member
Picked up my Fit tonight. So far it's a blast to drive! Tomorrow is the first trip to work. You can really feel the difference between Normal, Econ, and Sport modes.
mkjayakumar
Well-known member
Is Fit available in Texas, or is this a CARB thing for CA only ?
dtomko
Active member
mkjayakumar said:
Only 1100 being made with 2/3 going to CA. The rest are going to a few other states, mostly in the northeast. I'm not sure Texas is on the list. They're trickling out and authorized dealers have long waiting lists.
