I finally got around to seat-testing the new subcompact cars (Fit, Versa, Micra) and this is what I experienced:
- First the Honda Fit: I love the nice blue color available on the car (Aegean Metalic blue), that sort of blue is my favourite color in a car. The Micra also comes in the same blue, there it’s called simply ‘Metalic Blue’.
I got into the fit, raised the seat to the maximum height and I was really impressed by the quality appearance of the materials in the car; NICE JOB HONDA !
Then I looked forward and imagined I was trying to maneuver the car into a parking spot in a mall parking lot: Nope, even with the seats up as high as they could go, I would not be able to see the yellow lines of a parking spot if they were one car length ahead of the car, the dash of the car extends about 10 feet towards the horizon, like dinning room table, and it is fairly high, so while you can see the cars way out on the horizon very well, you cannot see the curb that your car is about to smash into when you are parking the Fit. So while the fit is beautifully done inside, the view of the road directly ahead of the car is a NIGHTMARE ( I’m 5’ 9” tall.)
- I then went over to a Nissan Dealership and I sat inside a Nissan Versa Note. The dash did not extend so far out into the horizon and it was a bit lower than the Honda Fit, so yes, I could drive it if I had to, but my 2006 Toyota Corolla has a much lower dash and a much better view of the road directly ahead of the car, so I would rather get a used 2004 – 2008 Corolla than a Nissan Versa Note. The Interior of the Versa Note was excellent, just as good as the Fit, and the radio on the Versa Note had a volume control dial, something that the MORONS at Honda forgot to install in the new Honda products they are designing these days. Honda used to have WAY TOO MANY BUTTONS and people gave them justifiable flack for that. Now they have way too few buttons and they are getting justifiable flack for that too. As a consumer I vote with my wallet and because of Honda’s Asinine Designs, I vote to give my money to another company, NOT to Honda.
If you wonder how crazy Honda is going to get with removing any and all control dials / knob on their cars, look no further to the new HR-V coming out: the radio is the same as the fit = no knobs, but they've gone one step further, they have now removed ALL the knobs from the HVAC controls also , now just a flat piece of glass and you have to swipe you hands over the glass to control the airflow in the car. When I saw that I almost puked. Disgusting !
- At the Nissan Dealership I then went to a beautiful Blue Nissan Micra. To me it looks a lot like the BMW Mini, and I like that. I raised the seat up to the highest position, sat down, and I was as if I was back in my 2006 Toyota Corolla, it was EXACTLY THE SAME. Not just similar, no, I mean EXACTLY THE SAME ! Nice panoramic view of the road ahead of the car, nice simple controls for the radio (including a volume control dial / knob, nice simple HVAC controls, Nice large and simple Analog gauges. Nice tall roof so there’s lots of headroom even with the seat in its highest position, same prehistoric 4-speed automatic, same 36 mpg highway fuel efficiency: It was perfect for me in every way. It was like going back in time 10 years so I could buy a brand new 2005 Toyota Corolla, brand new, cheap as dirt, simple as dirt, but with today’s modern ABS / Traction Control systems to keep one safe.
So now I found a car that is an exact replica of my 2006 Corolla in every way, and if I needed to buy a new car tomorrow I would buy a brand new auomatic Nissan Micra SV, to me it is the car where I finally get a good view of the road like I do in my old Corolla.
