What is the Honda Fit doing on there?

Because it's the best sub-$15k car.

4 Germans, 4 Japanese and only 2 US brands and with the exception of the 2 Hondas all these cars can be considered 'sporty' in one way or another.
I suspect that is largely because of the market niche CARandDRIVER is targeting, but regardless, the US brands should be ashamed of themselves.

Well really they should do this more by market segment.

There's no way an SUV or most larger sedans are going to compete in something like this. And by reading the articles about each car you certainly get the impression it is all about the driving experience. So while a 7 series or A6 might have a "nicer" softer ride they won't compete with an M3/M5.

I wondered if they tested any of the Corvettes...

If you read car and driver you know they tested corvettes.
Used to be my favorite car mag, but they are slipping in my opinion. Nothing to do with these latest ratings though, they are pretty much par for the course for C&D.

@Noya "Because it's the best sub-$15k car."

Isn't it basically the only car for under $15k? That makes it "the best" and "the worst" simultaneously then.....

@ Totenglocke

No, the Fit is not the only "cheap" car. There are the Yaris, Versa, Aveo, etc, all of which are crap compared to the Fit.

@gh

First off, I said "basically" meaning that "there isn't much competition in the class". The second part was a joke.

Secondly, even the Fit isn't a great car - being the best in your class isn't hard when every car in your class is at best mediocre.

@Zippy

I kind of agree about C&D slipping - I still have a subscription (I pay virtually nothing to review), but they continually seem to do more and more about trucks and SUV's and less and less about cars - and I don't buy Car & Driver to read about boring vehicles like that.

I think this is a farce anyway. 58 cars and 12,000 test miles? That is hardly over 200 miles per car. I don't know how you can make an accurate assessment of any car in 200 miles, unless you are simply judging them by features or something. I admit I have only read the little blurb at the top, so take my bit with however much salt you care to add...

so the fusion hybrid is "sporty" but the accord isnt?

First off, I am a long time subscriber of C&D. I used to read the magazine cover to cover as soon as it was retrieved from my mailbox. Lately, I tend to skim over the magazine, I find myself bored over the reviews of some overpriced, enormous, tarted up truck or SUV (and I own a compact truck which I use for dump runs, HD runs, etc) or some insane uber rare supercar.

What I really am interested in is real world reviews of attainable cars. I was rather pleased that the Ford Fusion Hybrid made the list. It seems to be the best example of crafting that technology in an attractive sedan. The Accord and Fit should come as no suprise, as Honda seems to relentlessly refine their respective cars. I have driven the Mazda Miata and 3 and find them very enjoyable, tossable cars (although the front end of the new 3 does it no favors).

The Porsche, BMW, Audi, and Cadillac are not even on my RADAR (financially speaking). I'm sure they are fine cars but not in my price range.

The three that make the least sense to me are the Boxster, Miata, and Mazda3. Sure the Mazda3/Euro-Focus is a great car but it generally gets beaten in C&D's comparison by the Rabbit/GTI just like the Focus/Focus ST get beaten by the Golf/ GTI in European comparison tests. They may overall be very close to equal. But I don't think the GTI and Mazda3 should both be taking 10-Best spots.

The GTI spot should be Rabbit/GTI and the spot taken by Mazda 3 should be available to different kind of car, like the Corvette, which still outperforms any car you can buy for like $200k while be as comfortable a daily driver as a Mercedes.

Or, the Miata or Boxster should be gone and the Corvette in there. Just makes no sense to have multiple niche convertibles in there and then not have a single true high-performance sports car in there.

The three that make the least sense to me are the Boxster, Miata, and Mazda3. Sure the Mazda3/Euro-Focus is a great car but it generally gets beaten in C&D's comparison by the Rabbit/GTI just like the Focus/Focus ST get beaten by the Golf/ GTI in European comparison tests. They may overall be very close to equal. But I don't think the GTI and Mazda3 should both be taking 10-Best spots.

The GTI spot should be Rabbit/GTI and the spot taken by Mazda 3 should be available to different kind of car, like the Corvette, which still outperforms any car you can buy for like $200k while be as comfortable a daily driver as a Mercedes.

Or, the Miata or Boxster should be gone and the Corvette in there. Just makes no sense to have multiple niche convertibles in there and then not have a single true high-performance sports car in there.

The three that make the least sense to me are the Boxster, Miata, and Mazda3. Sure the Mazda3/Euro-Focus is a great car but it generally gets beaten in C&D's comparison by the Rabbit/GTI just like the Focus/Focus ST get beaten by the Golf/ GTI in European comparison tests. They may overall be very close to equal. But I don't think the GTI and Mazda3 should both be taking 10-Best spots.

The GTI spot should be Rabbit/GTI and the spot taken by Mazda 3 should be available to different kind of car, like the Corvette, which still outperforms any car you can buy for like $200k while be as comfortable a daily driver as a Mercedes.

Or, the Miata or Boxster should be gone and the Corvette in there. Just makes no sense to have multiple niche convertibles in there and then not have a single true high-performance sports car in there.

The three that make the least sense to me are the Boxster, Miata, and Mazda3. Sure the Mazda3/Euro-Focus is a great car but it generally gets beaten in C&D's comparison by the Rabbit/GTI just like the Focus/Focus ST get beaten by the Golf/ GTI in European comparison tests. They may overall be very close to equal. But I don't think the GTI and Mazda3 should both be taking 10-Best spots.

The GTI spot should be Rabbit/GTI and the spot taken by Mazda 3 should be available to different kind of car, like the Corvette, which still outperforms any car you can buy for like $200k while be as comfortable a daily driver as a Mercedes.

Or, the Miata or Boxster should be gone and the Corvette in there. Just makes no sense to have multiple niche convertibles in there and then not have a single true high-performance sports car in there.