Model Year | 2014 | 2017 | |
Model | Honda Fit | Volkswagen Golf / GTI | |
Engine | Electric 123 hp 189 lb-ft |
Electric 134 hp 214 lb-ft |
|
Transmission | 1-speed automatic | 1-speed automatic | |
Drivetrain | FWD | FWD | |
Body | 4dr Hatch | 4dr Hatch | |
Difference | |||
Wheelbase | 98.4 in | 103.8 in | -5.4 in |
Length | 161.6 in | 167.5 in | -5.9 in |
Width | 66.7 in | 70.8 in | -4.1 in |
Height | 60.0 in | 57.2 in | 2.8 in |
Curb Weight | 4008 lb. | 3455 lb. | 553 lb. |
Fuel Capacity | 10.6 gal. | 13.2 gal. | -2.6 gal. |
Headroom, Row 1 | 40.4 in | 38.4 in | 2 in |
Shoulder Room, Row 1 | 52.7 in | 55.9 in | -3.2 in |
Hip Room, Row 1 | 51.5 in | 0.0 in | 51.5 in |
Legroom, Row 1 | 41.3 in | 41.2 in | 0.1 in |
Headroom, Row 2 | 39.0 in | 38.1 in | 0.9 in |
Shoulder Room, Row 2 | 51.3 in | 53.9 in | -2.6 in |
Hip Room, Row 2 | 51.3 in | 0.0 in | 51.3 in |
Legroom, Row 2 | 34.5 in | 35.6 in | -1.1 in |
Total Legroom | 75.8 in (over 2 rows) | 76.8 in (over 2 rows) | -1 in |
Cargo Volume, Minimum | 20.6 ft3 | 22.8 ft3 | -2.2 ft3 |
Cargo Volume, Maximum | 57.3 ft3 | 52.7 ft3 | 4.6 ft3 |
2014 Honda Fit Seat Room and Comfort: Cons | ||
Year | Comment | |
2013 | The new Honda Fit's first row has a a few more inches of elbow room than those in the Versa Note and Fiesta. Consequently, it feels like a larger car--unless you also need leg room. Then it's no better than the Nissan. Drivers with long legs will wish the front seat could slide back farther--but this would cramp the magic style of the rear seat. Even drivers of middling height (e.g. me) might find the driver seat uncomfortable. The headrest and non-adjustable lumbar bulge both jut well forward. Depending on your personal size and shape, this might or might not be an issue. Pay close attention before you buy. see full Honda Fit review |
2014 Honda Fit Seat Room and Comfort: Pros | ||
Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
2013 | 4dr Hatch 117-horsepower 1.5L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
The best in this category (when you take into consideration the size of the trunk). see full Honda Fit review |
2014 Honda Fit Seat Room and Comfort: Cons | ||
Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
2013 | 4dr Hatch 117-horsepower 1.5L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD |
Seat bottoms are typical Japanese style short bottomed and not conducive to long duration drives. see full Honda Fit review |
2013 | 4dr Hatch 117-horsepower 1.5L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
One more thing. Rear seat comfort was obviously not a big selling point, nor a necessary feature. But one piece of it was worse than it had to be: the rear seat headrests. The artful circular shape and limited adjustment made the rear seats even harder to use; the headrest would tend to jab passengers in their spine. A better solution which was more even with the seat back would really have helped here. see full Honda Fit review |
2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Pros | ||
Year | Comment | |
2016 | As I've noted before (when reviewing the e-Golf), the seventh-generation Golf's front seats are shaped and padded to provide nearly ideal comfort and support in daily driving. The CX-5's driver seat also fit me well, but not quite as well as the Volkswagen's. Compared to other compact hatchbacks and its ancestors, the current Golf has a roomy rear seat. I can sit behind my 5-9 self with about five inches of air ahead of my knees. Unless unusually tall people populate both rows, the amount of space should be beyond adequate. Compare the Golf SportWagen's rear seat to that in the CX-5, and a funny thing happens. On paper, the Mazda provides about 3.5 more inches of legroom. When sitting behind myself in both vehicles, though, I had about half as much space ahead of my knees in the CX-5. I've noticed in the past that VW measures rear legroom very conservatively, and apparently they continue to do so. The Golf's interior is roomier than the official specs suggest. Plus its rear seat passengers get air vents. The Mazda's do not. This said, I'm not entirely comfortable in the Golf SportWagen's rear seat. To me it feels overly reclined. In neither the GSW nor the CX-5 is the degree of recline adjustable. It is in some compact crossovers. see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review |
2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Cons | ||
Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
2016 | 2dr Hatch turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4 6-speed manual FWD |
Difficult ingress and egress see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review |