I am a wheelchair user, and have had a wonderful Honda Fit for the last 10 years that has been great, but it is starting to age and I am on the fence about what kind of car to look for since they don’t make Fits anymore. I love the fuel efficiency, it has been a very reliable car and great to have but I want a little more space for equipment. A large minivan is not necessary, but I don’t know what might be good that is between the size of a Fit and a big minivan! Any input welcomed; it was because of this forum I got the Fit 10 years ago, so I’m coming back again! I live in Minneapolis, so snow and winter are normal. Thanks!
The successor to the Fit is the Honda HR-V. You can consider it to be a slightly larger version of the Fit, looking like a small SUV. Since you have had a good experience with Honda, I think you should give it a look.
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The HRV was based on the FIt and also offered the Magic Seat in the back that flipped up, the next gen for 2023 is Civic based with more comfortable front seats than the previous generation but it lost the flip up rear seat and hidden rear door handles for up to the 2022 models. Would be worth considering.
Do you still have the same level of mobility as before? Also, what a kind of equipment besides your wheelchair do you want to carry?
Mobility is less than when I got the Fit, and I would also be carrying a ski bike to different things. Plus normal, everyday getting around–groceries etc.
You can still get everything in the way back yourself? Do you want to put the ski bike in the car or on a rear rack?
Getting my chair in and out by myself has definately gotten harder, the ski bike I have that I carry around can be taken apart so it is in 2 sections. I don’t have a rack of any kind.
You kept our Fit for 10 years, so you will probably do the same with your next buy, if you have lost some mobility in the last 10 years, where do you think you will be in 5-10 years from now?? Still able to wheel yourself around OK, or possibly be in an electric wheelchair of some kind that will require a hitch mounted wheelchair rack of sorts?? If so then you need to think about that aspect of your new purchase as well as how you will be able to get from the chair to the driver seat… That could mean buying a minivan that can be converted to a chair lift or ramp later on, or you could just hope for the best and cross that bridge when time comes for it… And these are questions for you to answer to yourself, not for us necessarily…
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You might also consider a Toyota Corolla hatchback and a Mazda3 hatchback. Take them for a test drive and maybe take your ski bike and see how it fits inside. The Honda Civic is also available as a hatchback.
One more roomy compact CUV - the Corolla Cross, a lot more room than a Corolla hatchback. And the hybrid version gets GREAT gas milage.
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+1 to Texases’ recommendation.
The Corolla Cross looks sort of like a much smaller version of the Rav-4, and it is an extremely reliable vehicle.