# New car advice: Yaris vs. Fit vs. ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 17, 2009, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-car-advice-yaris-vs-fit-vs/496731 "2009-05-17T07:18:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-car-advice-yaris-vs-fit-vs/496731/21 "2009-05-19T16:37:34Z")
> [@dactylic\_hexameter](#): > > **Shadow** can you elaborate on the Fit in winter? I need a new(er) car, and I’m moving to Michigan. The fit is very appealing but I’m worried about the small tires, low clearance etc. Sure, I got mine in November 2007, so it’s been through 3 winters in Boston now. I have the Sport model, which has slightly larger tires than the standard, and they call them “all-season” (not sure what that really means). I’ve been through countless snowstorms in that time and have not gotten stuck anywhere, fishtailed or otherwise had any handling problems in the snow except once. I spun out during a big storm on a highway - but that was really my own fault for turning onto the exit too quickly. I didn’t hit anything or anyone and there was no damage to the car. I’ve found that as long as you drive carefully and slowly in any snow conditions, my Fit performs splendidly. Note: I am generally traveling in an urban/suburban area, not in the hinterlands of NH or ME, so keep that in mind. I don’t think I’d want to drive the Fit (or any small car) in the white mountains during a storm. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-car-advice-yaris-vs-fit-vs/496731/22 "2009-05-19T16:42:00Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > I liked almost everything about the Yaris, except one thing: it felt like the visibility is poor, because the front windshield is rather small and far away, and the rearview mirror is rather low. The upward visibility seems especially bad. However I suppose it’s not really necessary to look at the sky while driving. Still, I’m curious to know - do Yaris owners ever notice this? Interesting. My mom bought a Yaris recently specifically because she felt it had _better_ visibility than the Versa an Fit. She is pretty short though. I test drove the Versa and Yaris with her and I felt the Yaris had better visibility than the Versa, but I couldn’t really figure out why. I didn’t try out the Fit, she did that the following weekend on her own. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-car-advice-yaris-vs-fit-vs/496731/23 "2009-05-19T17:10:40Z")
The Yaris is one of the few Toyotas that Consumer Reports doesn’t love. Thye (and everyone else) love the Fit. Get the Fit. There’s also the Nissan Versa, a little bigger. At a Toyota dealer, they _will_ screw you. Saturns have the very best dealer experience. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-car-advice-yaris-vs-fit-vs/496731/24 "2009-05-19T17:24:45Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > I have the Sport model, which has slightly larger tires than the standard, and they call them “all-season” (not sure what that really means). Pretty much all passenger car tires (except for high performance and mud/snow tires) are All-Seasons. If you stay in mostly civilized areas of the north east they will be fine. If you live up north or travel to remote and unplowed locations frequently, you’ll want snow tires. Even on a car like a Fit, a good set of snows will allow you to get most places. At some point, ground clearance becomes the limiting factor. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-car-advice-yaris-vs-fit-vs/496731/25 "2009-05-19T18:04:11Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Also look at the Nissan Versa. It doesn’t have yellow though, and the MPG is right at the 32 MPG level. I own a new Versa Hatchback. Suprisingly roomy inside. I average 27 MPG per tank. I drive in the city and the freeway is a lot like driving in the city. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-car-advice-yaris-vs-fit-vs/496731/26 "2009-05-20T03:39:01Z")
Thank you for all the responses. I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to come back to the thread, things got a bit hectic at work. It’s amazing how every Fit owner seems to love it. That’s definitely a plus. The dealer’s attitude is a minus, but Toyota doesn’t seem any better. I’ll try to test-ride the Scion xD, Nissan Versa, Saturn Astra and the Chevy Aveo. I’ve already sat in a Mini, and I’m not sure if I’d ever get used to that interior. I see Consumer Reports criticized the “compromised driving position” of the Yaris - does anyone know what they’re talking about? I see their overall rating is low, but I don’t agree with some of their criteria (e.g. they criticized the center console which I thought was great). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-car-advice-yaris-vs-fit-vs/496731/27 "2009-05-20T04:07:11Z")
The only criticism I have of the Fit is that it’s slightly overpriced in the US because demand is so high- you can get a lot of cars which are objectively better in most respects for similar money. Actually, it’s not that it’s overpriced, just that you can’t get much if anything knocked off the list price because dealers are moving them without discounting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-car-advice-yaris-vs-fit-vs/496731.md?page=1)