Tips on Buying Cars: Which car is safest, crash test ratings, vw gti


Question
Hello Paul,

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.  I currently drive a Honda Fit and have owned it for two years.  My husband and I are expecting our first child very soon and he would like to purchase the Volkswagen GTI for me.  I like my Fit, especially because it is small, but I want the safest vehicle for our child.  The GTI is a much heavier car, but the crash test ratings are similiar in both vehicles.  According to Consumer Reports the overall performance rating of the Fit is higher.  I am having a difficult time deciding what to do. Do you feel the GTI is a safer car?  And, do you have any other insights?

Thank You,

Joy

Answer
Dear Joy,

First of all, congratulations on your upcoming addition to your family.

The Honda Fit is an excellent vehicle and has very good crash ratings.  The VW GTI (I assume that you are getting the 4 door version) is a larger vehicle and has the newest safety features since you have the older variation of the Honda Fit.  The Honda Fit was recently revised and has slightly better ratings than your version of the Fit.  Even though the Honda Fit and VW GTI have similar crash ratings, the GTI has better rear passenger ratings which is important for transporting your child.  This does not mean that the Honda Fit is unsafe, they are both very safe vehicles, but if you are purchasing a new vehicle for other reasons than just safety (i.e. more space, etc...), then the VW GTI is a safe vehicle.  However, your current Fit would provide plenty of security for your family if you decide to keep it.

One important item to consider when transporting your child is to make sure you get a very good child seat and learn properly how to fasten it to your car seat.  One of the major problems in my experience is that parents do not properly attach the car seat to the vehicle which negates any safety features that may be in your vehicle.

However, in looking at both vehicles from a holistic perspective, the Honda Fit is overall a better vehicle when you consider value, reliability, etc....

I hope this answers your question and if you have any additional questions, please contact me.


Best regards,

Paul