Mazda MAZDA3 vs Honda Fit

The compact-car market has come a long way from the days of the dreaded “economy car.” And yet many new compact cars, such as the Honda Civic or Toyota's new 2020 Corolla, still fit a reasonable budget. You no longer have to choose between value and quality. Among a crowd of good, budget-conscious vehicles, the all-new 2019 Mazda3 excels.

The Mazda3 arrived in 2003, and driving dynamics have always been key to its DNA. But it was the third-generation Mazda3, produced from 2014 through 2018, that really started to showcase the aspirational nature of the Mazda brand. If the third-generation Mazda3 set the canvas for the company's upscale agenda, the fourth-gen 2019 Mazda3 is its masterstroke.

Once upon a time, buying a new car on a budget meant scraping the bottom of the barrel. Sure, it had a “low, low” price to get you in the door, but for that price, you did not get a whole lot of car. For most of its existence, the “econo-box” was a much-lamented auto segment.

But times have changed. Automakers like Honda and Toyota have committed to offering small, affordable new cars that are safe, comfortable, and filled with features one would commonly associate with more upscale cars. The standard-bearer for this effort is the 2018 Honda Fit. A car like this can make you ask, “Do I really need any more car?”

In the past year or more, we’ve tested dozens of new compact crossovers. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, they are all basically high-riding hatchbacks. Their high ground clearance suggests capability, but in reality, accomplishes little more than what a hatchback already does. In that context, it's refreshing to see a car like the 2018 Honda Fit. It has cargo space that not only rivals but exceeds that of some compact crossovers. It also boasts many of the tech and safety features of those pseudo-SUVs. And it accomplishes all this in a small hatchback layout that makes for a great city car.