Car and Driver: Chevy Sonic vs. Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio5, Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris - Comparison Tests

Appetizers: Life in the automotive B-segment can be piquant, almost zesty. Choose wrong, however, and you’re in for beans on toast.
BY JOHN PHILLIPS, PHOTOGRAPHY BY CJ BENNINGER September 2011

In the automotive time/space continuum, life first pokes its head out of the primordial pea soup in the B-segment. Some of its denizens are slowpoke slugs with nubs for legs. Others are beginning to sprout wings and dazzling plumage. It’s a mixed bag, with the brightest of its Darwinian candidates evolving at light speed and with the dullest apparently content to linger listlessly in dodo-dom. Selection of the fittest, here, means that shoppers do the selecting, and—as we found out—they’d better do it pretty damned carefully.

We’ve spent time aplenty sampling the bargain Bs. In 2006 (“$15,000 Cheap Skates”), we droned around Ohio celebrating the Buckeye state’s seven dead and oft-maligned presidents. On that trip, the Honda Fit easily won. We revisited the segment in 2010 (“Ego Shrinkers”), only to elect the Fit again to the segment’s highest office, nudging out the Mazda 2 Touring and Ford Fiesta SES. As a result, those two weren’t included in this competition. Yeah, we know, maybe they should have been. We’ll confess that neither would have finished anywhere near last in this face-off. But we gotta draw the line somewhere. Have you seen our restaurant tabs? There’s the food, the alcohol, the pre-arraignment hearings, the occasional small hotel fire.

Our destination was Drummond Island offMichigan’s Upper Peninsula, 700 miles there and back. The island is usually a sleepy place with largely deserted humpy roads that kink through forests inhabited by malevolent-looking pileated woodpeckers. But the island is also home to Drummond Island Resort’s Bayside Dining, renowned for its artful and aromatic appetizers, woodpecker under glass not on offer.

“You spent $135 on lamb hors d’oeuvres?” asked our T&E minder.

“Well, sort of. At first we ordered just one, but a fight broke out.”

When the resort’s executive chef, Frank Jones, heard we’d be touring the environs in econoboxes, he vowed to enliven our travels by fashioning six tasteful and photogenic appetizers, one per car, supplying some gusto where, for instance, the Nissan Versa offered none. Jones promised two appetizers of his own contrivance, with sous-chefs Scott Bousson and Zachary Schroeder contributing likewise, no doubt hoping we’d decree their creations superior to their boss’s. We did not. Chef Jones runs a disciplined kitchen—no hijinks, no insubordination, and, unlike us, no fires.

Folks who buy these B-segment cars usually do so because they can’t afford the entrée. That’s okay. These are apps that will satisfy on their own.

6th Place: 2012 Nissan Versa SL

Highs: A back seat that actually accommodates three adults—briefly.
Lows: You want us to start alphabetically?
The Verdict: Here, again, is that age-old argument for buying used.
Full write up;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/11q3/chevy_sonic_vs._honda_fit_hyundai_accent_kia_rio5_nissan_versa_toyota_yaris-comparison_tests/2012_nissan_versa_sl_page_2

5th Place: 2012 Kia Rio5 SX

Highs: Laden with features and amenities, above-its-station interior styling.
Lows: Imprecise handling, automatic trans sucks the life out of the twin-cam.
The Verdict: A value-packed ’round-town scooter that looks the part more than it plays the part.
For the full write up;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/11q3/chevy_sonic_vs._honda_fit_hyundai_accent_kia_rio5_nissan_versa_toyota_yaris-comparison_tests/2012_kia_rio5_sx_page_3

4th Place: 2012 Hyundai Accent SE

Highs: Silky idle, an accelerative standout, useful long-distance cruiser.
Lows: Mystery Hill steering, obscured rear sightlines, pogo-stick body motions.
The Verdict: A terrific value that, dynamically, remains too fair-to-middling in all of its moves.
For the rest of the write up;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/11q3/chevy_sonic_vs._honda_fit_hyundai_accent_kia_rio5_nissan_versa_toyota_yaris-comparison_tests/2012_hyundai_accent_se_page_4

3rd Place: 2012 Toyota Yaris SE

Highs: Enthusiastic styling inside and out, light, agile, willing.
Lows: Needs a sixth gear, driver’s seating position is seriously compromised.
The Verdict: Stick with the SE’s sport-tuned suspension, and the Yaris finally leaks some fun.
For the rest of the write up;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/11q3/chevy_sonic_vs._honda_fit_hyundai_accent_kia_rio5_nissan_versa_toyota_yaris-comparison_tests/2012_toyota_yaris_se_page_5

2nd Place: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ Turbo

Highs: Pugnacious styling, 138 turbocharged horses, serious grip, satisfying ergonomics.
Lows: Could already go on a diet—both for its weight and for its price.
The Verdict: Elegantly and easily relegates the awful Aveo to distant-memory status.
For the rest of the write up;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/11q3/chevy_sonic_vs._honda_fit_hyundai_accent_kia_rio5_nissan_versa_toyota_yaris-comparison_tests/2012_chevrolet_sonic_ltz_turbo_page_6

1st Place: 2011 Honda Fit Sport

Highs: No-secrets steering, amazing cargo capacity, fun shifter, airy cockpit.
Lows: Wants a sixth gear, buzzy at freeway speeds, could do with some interior texture upgrades.
The Verdict: Since 2006, Honda’s been the judge, jury, and prosecutor in this segment.

A trifecta of goodness, the Fit still owns the B-segment. As mobile appetizers go, this one's a corker. Buy two, and you'll have a full entrée.

Like bruschetta, the Fit is a familiar favorite, returning to its third B-segment comparo and again strutting off with trophies and attaboys. Climbing into the Fit is like strapping on a greenhouse. This is the tallest car in the group, and its minivansized windshield (aided by big portholes under the A-pillars) delivers 180 degrees of glorious worldview. When you can see way, way down the road, driving like a madman takes far less concentration.

With its informative steering, quick shifter, and stern roll control, the Fit devoured our slalom at the highest speed, and when it came time to whoa, its brake pedal was the easiest to modulate. That the Honda won fun-to-drive kudos surprised no one. Of course, fun is often the enemy of usefulness, but with its folding rear seat dropped to the load floor, the Fit also managed to swallow the most cargo in this group.

The chief fault, here, is that, like the Yaris, the Fit needs a sixth gear. At freeway speeds, the engine isn’t exactly screaming, but it’s definitely calling urgently at 3500 to 4000 revs. It’s a shame because the engine is otherwise an angel—quietest at idle, quietest at full throttle. Of course, our test car was a 2011 model. The 2012 Sport promises additional sound insulation, thicker front quarter-windows, new upholstery, and a few classier cabin surfaces.

Best fit and finish, tied for best ergonomics, tied for the quickest to 30 mph... well, we’ve listed all these character proficiencies before. The Fit is a spicy and tasteful little runabout that knows exactly what it needs to be, then delivers the pesto, presto.

MotorTrend: Comparison: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES vs 2010 Honda Fit Sport vs 2010 Toyota Yaris vs 2010 Nissan Versa 1.8 SL

Fourth Place: 2010 Toyota Yaris
Though it doesn't earn any gold stars against this group, for many people simply being a steal could be the only one it really needs.

While the Yaris placed last in this group, we're suspecting it's first in the hearts of plenty of money-strapped folks for whom heaven itself would be a car with double-digits on the odometer and a rearview mirror without a dangling pine-scented air freshener.

And despite a base price that's $2605 less than the second cheapest sled here (the not-exactly extravagant Versa), the Yaris still has a nice little list of virtues to crow about. For instance, it accelerates step for step with the Fit Sport to 60 mph, stops 13 feet shorter than the Fit, and -- get this -- arrives with stability and traction control, ABS, electronic brake force distribution, and brake assist, all as standard equipment. Take note, parents of college-bound road warriors. And if that oboe scholarship comes through, consider popping for the $1705 Power Package (which our tester had) that populates the car with the usual power goodies (door locks, windows, AM/FM CD player), but also important packaging flexibility via 60/40 split and tilting rear seatbacks and a bottom cushion that slides 4.5 inches. It matters in such a small car.

On the road, just about everything the Yaris does gets tempered with "but you know, it's base price is only fifteen grand." A lack of gear ratios (there are only four) -- rejoinder: "fifteen grand." Worst figure-eight time? -- "fifteen grand." Noisy? -- "fifteen grand." Which, if you say it enough times, starts to sound pretty attractive.

Third Place: 2010 Nissan Versa
The best argument we've seen yet for eventually coaxing big-car-loving Americans into smaller cars. But it's going to need more engaging styling to seal the deal.

Given all the recent talk about Americans needing to downsize their automotive expectations, the Versa was the only entrant here to offer a plausible template for how this might actually happen.

Nissan's littlest offering is a quantum mechanics-grade illusion. It simply has to be larger inside than out. While its exterior seems only modestly bulkier than the Fit's -- indeed, the box it would fit in is a mere 5.3 percent bigger than the Honda's -- it's a relaxing boudoir within. I refer you immediately to the nearby insightful information revealing accommodations in which a foursome of double-double-fed Americans could luxuriate in true trans-fat stupor. For instance, with a six-foot driver at the helm, his clone in the rear seat would still enjoy 0.9 inch of spare headroom and a ridiculous 4.8 inches of spare kneeroom.

And if this showdown focused purely on commuter duties, the Versa would be sipping the bubbly already. According to our sound meter and four miles of beautifully irregular roadway, the Versa was the quietest by a substantial margin, inflicting a mere 23.8 sones of interior noise, while simultaneously agitating its driver with the group's second-best-recorded ride quality.

The Versa's downfall came in two stumbles. Although its cornering attitude proved unexpectedly amenable to throttle probing on the skidpad, it was flummoxed by the oddball cambers of Mulholland's pavement. On the other hand, its 122 horsepower rendered it swiftest to 60 mph (taking 9.1 seconds) while the CVT's deft work with its infinite ratio options seemed positively clairvoyant in the real-world traffic tussle.

The Versa's second fault is its blindness to design. It's not that it's bad looking. It's that it simply doesn't look like...anything, really. Al Gore might have sketched this thing. Technically, Nissan has a gem on its hands here. Next time, they need to style it too.

Second Place: 2011 Ford Fiesta
Ford's gambit to sell a high-quality small car just might pay off. We're just not convinced it hasn't traded too much its sexy design.

You know that solid CRACK a baseball makes when it meets an oak bat, sweet spot to sweet spot? The Fiesta does that in two significant areas: styling and build quality.

Everywhere we took the Fiesta, eyebrows rose and admiring glances caressed the car. This is clearly a good-looking automobile, a shot glass brimming with European taste.

On the other hand, the Fiesta's triumph of styling comes with the defeat of a whole lot of practicality. That fashionable sloping roof? It pinches the view aft such that the main thing you perceive of the car following you is a hood. Open a rear door for a prospective passenger and he'll start googling Yellow Cab on his smartphone (see our interior measurements).

But slam that door, and you'll pause. Now there's a THUNK you certainly don't associate with this realm of car. And although the logic of the center stack's controls is rather scrambled by the stylist's hand, the quality of the soft-touch dash is simply superb (shocking, even, after years of miserable-grade plastic dashes in entry-level Fords). Crazy as it sounds, Dearborn's small-car gambit of charging a little more and then overwhelming you with quality just might work.

The car is also an impressive juggler of vehicle dynamics balls, simultaneously delivering authoritative handling, our group's highest lateral grip and ride quality, and second-best acceleration punch AND interior noise suppression. Many of these pairings generally represent zero sum games. Ford's somehow has turned them into win-wins.

As I mentioned, our car arrived with the optional ($1070) six-speed double-clutch Powershift transmission. Completely controlled by electrical instead of hydraulic actuation (a first), it's a helluva technological feat in this price range; remember, the Yaris is still stuck with -- forehead slap -- a geriatric four-speed automatic. Impressively, it actually affords better mileage than the Fiesta's standard five-speed manual (30 mpg city, 40 mpg highway versus 29/38-even trumping Honda's five-speed automatic). Moreover, with the lever slipped into Low, it functions magnificently as a Sport mode as it always strives to hold onto the lowest possible gear (downshifting as necessary entering a corner, while usually getting the upshifts timed right and done snap quick). Who needs paddles when the transmission reads your mind.

But if it's telepathy is working during normal driving, the Fiesta may get a migraine. Our example shifted uncertainly and sometimes inappropriately. Ford's response was that it was a preproduction unit not completely to production spec. That's probably so, but until we have a chance to resample this innovative transmission, Nissan's CVT is our top-cog dog of the two newfangled trannies here.

First Place: 2010 Honda FIT
Despite hitting road bumps with interior noise and ride quality, the Fit is an unbeatable combination of driving fun and interior packaging.

Swiss Army Knife

As speckled with warts as it is, you kind of wonder how the Fit wound up eclipsing the Fiesta. Perspective: Only the $5365 CHEAPER Yaris saves it from being the noisiest car of the quartet, as well as the worst riding (with just a bit less pitching motion than the stubby Toyota). Worse, it came within a whisker of being beaten down the dragstrip by the 106-horsepower Yaris, stopped in the longest distance from 60 mph...and for that,

First Place?

Resolutely, the Fit defies its measured performance deficiencies with subjective real-world handling that's kart-like enough to make it the offering here voted most constantly entertaining. As opposed to the Fiesta's peak-a-boo outward vision, the Fits' windows provide a fishbowl view. The Sport version offers paddle shifters to play Sebastian Vettel with (though you'll likely do so only once). And then there's the interior.

If any car company has acquired the original Mini's mantel of space-efficiency fanaticism, it's Honda. The maker has been pondering every automotive nook and cranny for some time now (I have evidence in an old '87 Civic Wagon), and the Fit is its latest manifesto on the subject. The architectural keystone that makes all the difference is its relocation of the fuel tank from beneath the rear seat to under the front. And from here proceeds a ripple effect of packaging opportunities of which Honda has taken full advantage, resulting in a cargo floor that's nearly flat with the rear seat folded and the unusual flip-up "magic seat," that provides room for tall objects.
And in the end, a winning checklist in this category necessarily needs the box labeled "insane space efficiency" boldly X'ed -- and the Fit is about as space crazy as they get.

Unfortunately, that's just the box that Ford's solidly built, nice-driving-but style-over-practicality Fiesta, has chosen to leave empty.

Check out this link for the spec comparison chart;

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/hatchbacks/1006_ford_fiesta_honda_fit_toyota_yaris_nissan_versa_comparison/specifications.html

Source;

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/hatchbacks/1006_ford_fiesta_honda_fit_toyota_yaris_nissan_versa_comparison/index.html

National Post Comparison: Honda Fit vs. Toyota Prius

Here's an odd comparison, but I guess it is fitting, considering the FIT VS the Civic Hybrid has been done....
Fun, fuel-efficient foes
Patricia Cancilla, National Post
Published: Friday, February 06, 2009

I must admit I was amazed by the fuel efficiency of the Toyota Prius: After nearly 600 kilometres of mostly city driving, I averaged an incredible 4.1 litres per 100 km, just less fuel efficient than the 4.0 L/100 km city fuel economy Transport Canada lists for the hybrid

It's not that I doubted the numbers; I just didn't think I could manage such a feat based on my conversations with my colleagues -- and my inability to drive very, ahem, fuel efficiently. One colleague warned me that I would have to stay at a speed limit of around 50 kilometres an hour, necessary, he said, to keep the engine from switching from electric to gas. Another bet I couldn't do it --and he was right for the most part.

My hypermiling ways lasted all of one day. I hate being the slowest person on the road (although, believe me, in Toronto, I wasn't the slowest --but that's another story). It's just not in my nature to drive conservatively. So, I was quite surprised that, after more than 100 km of lead-footing it around the city, I still managed to keep all the little white squares on the fuel gauge intact. Same thing at 200. It wasn't until I was well past the 300-km mark that the squares started disappearing. Still, after driving the Prius for close to 600 km at my normal speed (translation: just fast enough not to get caught), I managed to use only half a tank of gas

I thought I could get decent fuel economy with the Honda Fit, since it, too, has a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder gas engine, and I did. Of course, it wasn't even close to the Prius's numbers, given that the Fit does not have an additional electric motor, but I still got a respectable 7.5 L/100 km.

The thing is I enjoyed driving the Fit a lot more than the Prius. I have nothing against the Prius -- it's an extremely fuel-efficient car and perfect for my mostly city driving requirements. Like the Fit, it's a roomy hatch with tons of storage space -- the Prius has 16.1 cubic feet; the Fit 21 cu. ft. Unlike the Fit, the Prius has a backup camera, which made it very easy to park on narrow city streets and crowded parking lots. With a combined output of 110 horsepower, it's not a rocket -- but neither is the 117-hp Fit. But the Prius lacked a certain fun factor compared with the Fit. Like yet another colleague said to me: "You don't drive the Prius; the Prius drives you." It's a very apt description of my experience.

Granted, I'm sure some of the clunkiness in the handling and cornering departments was due to the Prius's electric motor and battery, which make the hybrid almost 200 kilograms heavier than the Fit Sport (1,335 kg compared with 1,147 kg).

I admit I may also have driven a little slower in the Prius not because I was hypermiling but because I was transfixed by the fuel economy/ engine usage gauge. I enjoyed watching the electric motor in action and I used the regenerative braking on hills and, perhaps, as a result, I did stay within the speed limit, if not intentionally. That nifty gauge spoiled me for other hybrids because I expected the same thing in the Honda Civic Hybrid I drove next; I was disappointed when it wasn't there.

I was also a little more relaxed in the Prius than in the Fit, which may have contributed to the softer pressure on the accelerator. The cynic in me might say it was the lack of excitement in the Prius compared with the Fit that led to my calmness. The tree hugger in me would say it was the self-satisfaction I felt from doing my part to help save the planet that contributed to my docile demean-our. But the realist in me admits it was simply the peace and quiet that soothed me, even when some idiot cut me off or proceeded to drive directly beside me to get a better look at the hybrid.

Even when running on gas, the Prius is completely silent. For the first few days after I picked it up, I had to keep checking to make sure I had turned off the engine because I couldn't tell the difference between when it was on or off. And because I used the push-button start (which comes standard), I remained unconvinced even with the keys in my hand. It was a little disconcerting at first, but I learned to enjoy the silence and even drove with the radio off, which was even more relaxing.

So, on the Prius's plus side, we have incredible fuel economy, a silent ride, a small carbon footprint (a reduction in smog-forming emissions of up to 70% compared with a conventionally powered vehicle, according to Toyota), plenty of room for the driver, passengers and cargo, a fun-to-look-at fuel economy and gas/electric motor usage display, a backup camera, a comfortable ride and a long list of safety features. On the downside, it still looks a little funny, even though it's not as weird-looking as when it first came out in 1997. It also feels a little heavy when cornering and isn't sporty at all. At a base price of $29,500, it's also on the expensive side, as most hybrids tend to be.

On the Fit's plus side, we have respectable fuel economy, a smallish carbon footprint, a lot of room for the driver, passengers and cargo, a comfortable ride, a long list of safety features and an attractive design, which I like better than the original Fit's boxy look. It also feels sporty and is a lot of fun to drive. And, of course, there's the price--$14,980. One could buy two Fits for the price of one Prius. And, considering the tough economic times and the cheapest gas prices we've seen in a while, the Fit makes a lot of sense.

If you're looking for outstanding fuel economy, the Prius wins hands down. If you want a fun ride at a cheap price, the Fit is your top choice. It was mine.

Source;
http://www.nationalpost.com/cars/story.html?id=1258570