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My local dealer has four of these, two were in prep, one was in the showroom, one for test driving.
My salesperson had not yet ridden in one so seemed to be enjoying it.
My random impressions:
As comfortable a ride as any of these small cars out there, with a great suspension that ate up a lot of the harsh bumps other cars don't.
Not enough road feel compared to what I'm used to, but not as floaty as other cars I've driven (Toyotas come to mind).
Acceleration was fine and didn't feel dangerous like some cars. The CVT mostly felt nice, but I sometimes felt like I was driving a car that was accidentally knocked out of drive into a lower gear.
Visibility kicks butt. Even with the obnoxious sticker in the window I didn't feel obstructed like many other cars. It was easy to back out from its place on the sidewalk of the dealership.
Center of rear seat (where I prefer my young daughter sit to be on the safe side) is a bit of a joke, with three seatbelt latches and about a half a foot of room.
Much quieter than I thought it would be, although my test drive was just a neighborhood spin, so my speeds were rather low.
I like the trip computer, but the tach and speedo are a bit overdone. Honda really knows how to do gauges right.
The rear cargo cover is a bit cheesy, about as good as a blanket.
The car could use a few more cubbies and storage compartments, as well as a hiding place for the iPod.
It was interesting to see the car is 100% Japanese, parts and all. WOnder if this bodes well for reliability.
I've been looking at cars this size, and I am considering the Fit, a boring Civic, and the Scions XD and XB and an Insight. I like the goofy look of this thing, but worry about the Nissan nameplate. I'm driving a 2000 Altima now that has been mostly okay, but Nissan seems to have slipped in recent years. Still it would be nice to have something really different in its first year.
My salesperson had not yet ridden in one so seemed to be enjoying it.
My random impressions:
As comfortable a ride as any of these small cars out there, with a great suspension that ate up a lot of the harsh bumps other cars don't.
Not enough road feel compared to what I'm used to, but not as floaty as other cars I've driven (Toyotas come to mind).
Acceleration was fine and didn't feel dangerous like some cars. The CVT mostly felt nice, but I sometimes felt like I was driving a car that was accidentally knocked out of drive into a lower gear.
Visibility kicks butt. Even with the obnoxious sticker in the window I didn't feel obstructed like many other cars. It was easy to back out from its place on the sidewalk of the dealership.
Center of rear seat (where I prefer my young daughter sit to be on the safe side) is a bit of a joke, with three seatbelt latches and about a half a foot of room.
Much quieter than I thought it would be, although my test drive was just a neighborhood spin, so my speeds were rather low.
I like the trip computer, but the tach and speedo are a bit overdone. Honda really knows how to do gauges right.
The rear cargo cover is a bit cheesy, about as good as a blanket.
The car could use a few more cubbies and storage compartments, as well as a hiding place for the iPod.
It was interesting to see the car is 100% Japanese, parts and all. WOnder if this bodes well for reliability.
I've been looking at cars this size, and I am considering the Fit, a boring Civic, and the Scions XD and XB and an Insight. I like the goofy look of this thing, but worry about the Nissan nameplate. I'm driving a 2000 Altima now that has been mostly okay, but Nissan seems to have slipped in recent years. Still it would be nice to have something really different in its first year.