Cars.comparison: Subcompacts
The new subcompact cars are drawing a lot of interest from drivers, but which is best? From comfort to cargo to street cred, we sort it all out.
= Category winner| The Contenders | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2007 Honda Fit Sport (manual trans.) | 2006 Hyundai Accent (automatic trans.) | 2007 Toyota Yaris Sedan (automatic trans.) |
| MSRP (as tested) | ||
| $15,170 | $13,305 | $12,550 |
| Smallest (bumper to bumper) | ||
| 157.4 inches | 168.5 inches | 169.3 inches |
| Comfort (driver's seat) | ||
| Most headroom, good support. | Best mix of space and adjustability. | Seat lacks support. |
| Comfort (backseat) | ||
| Most comfortable despite least amount of legroom. | A good compromise. | Opposite of Fit. |
| Interior | ||
| Aspirational: The Fit is high quality, sporty and ergonomic. | Sophisticated: Well appointed, mature … maybe too mature. | Adequate: Modern, but riddled with ergonomic quirks. |
| Utility/cargo room | ||
| Fully reclining front seats, a multi-action folding rear seat and nearly twice the cargo room as the others. | The Accent has a standard 60/40-split fold-flat rear seat that can expand the 12.4-cubic-foot trunk. | The lack of a standard folding backseat hamstrings utility for the Yaris. |
| Sound | ||
| Best sound under hard acceleration, but the loudest at highway speeds. | The Accent has rough-sounding sprints, but is quiet on the highway. | Anemic engine noise; loud but not offensive on the highway. |
| Safety features | ||
| The Fit has standard antilock brakes and six airbags. | Standard all-disc antilock brakes and six airbags. | The Yaris has optional antilock brakes and side-impact and side curtain airbags. |
| Gas mileage (city/highway) | ||
| Stirring straw: 33/38 mpg | Slurpee straw: 28/36 mpg | IV drip: 34/39 mpg |
| Acceleration (0-60 mph) | ||
| The Fit is the greyhound of the bunch: Not exactly quick, but less than 8 seconds. | A spirited basset hound: More than 10 seconds … but with charm. | Whippet: Just a snout behind the Greyhound at about 8. |
| Ride/handling | ||
|
Responsive steering and admirable roadholding beg you to drive hard.
|
Happiest as a point-A-to-point-B appliance.
|
Relaxed suspension seems out of place in this group.
|
| Look/street cred | ||
| The Fit's taut, aggressive shape carries the day; being the only hatchback doesn't hurt. | The Accent's innocuous appearance leaves us unmoved. | The Yaris looks like a happy jelly bean; has all the cred of a happy jelly bean. |
| MP3 player connectivity | ||
| An auxiliary input jack is available only on Sport models of the Fit. | The Accent is strictly AM, FM or CD, OK? | Optional auxiliary input jack available for all Yaris models. |
| Model name | ||
| Makes slightly more sense than the ad campaign (The Fit is Go). | Memorable, pronounceable, spellable, appropriately vague; a winner! | Pirates have overtaken Toyota's marketing department. |
| Warranty (years/miles) | ||
| Bumper to bumper: | ||
| 3/36,000 | 5/60,000 | 3/36,000 |
| Powertrain: | ||
| 5/60,000 | 10/100,000 | 5/60,000 |
| Roadside assistance: | ||
| -- | 5/unlimited | 3/36,000 |
| Overall value | ||
| The Fit is the best-equipped, but also the priciest. | The Accent has the best mix: High-value safety features and standard CD stereo, though air conditioning is optional. | The Yaris has the lowest base price, but adding features the others have standard — like side airbags, ABS and a stereo — make it almost as expensive as the Fit. |
| Editor's choice | ||
| The Fit's feel is richer than the elevated sticker price. | The Accent is a little thirsty, a little poky, a little bland. | The Yaris is ergonomically delinquent and short on excitement. |
Posted on 6/22/06
Next Step?
- 2007 Honda Fit Sport
- 2006 Hyundai Accent
- 2007 Toyota Yaris Sedan
