Today I test drove a Fit and I really liked it. I have a few questions though.

1. The salesman said there is a button on the steering wheel that lets you change gears on your own, despite this being an automatic transmission. He said it's like shifting without a clutch, and would be useful, say, in the Rocky Mountains. Is this like a Continuously Variable Transmission or not? Whether or not it is a CVT, can you explain to me how this works, shifting an automatic without a clutch?

2. Consumer Reports lists the Fit Sport as getting 30/39 mpg city/highway. The sticker on the Fit had slightly lower numbers, at 27/33. The salesman said that Consumer Reports' numbers are different because they are for comparison purposes between different cars. So are CR's gas mileage ratings adjusted somehow? How does adjusting them help to compare them to other cars?

3. The main concern I've read online about the Fit is that the low-beam headlights are insufficient. While some people say they're fine, others say they're not. If I have a problem, the recommendation is to either have the dealer adjust the headlights 2 notches higher than normal, or else buy replacement bulbs. I have had one person suggest to me that replacing the lamps would be illegal... I am hoping this is not true. I have been told that Osram Silverstars are not DOT approved but are brighter than blue-tinted Sylvania Silverstars (which I am also told the latter burn out faster.) I'd like to obey the laws but I am having trouble finding info on DOT approved headlights. Are they typically marked as DOT approved? I also do not want to blind other drivers, as I myself find bluish-tinted lights to sometimes be blinding. Can you recommend some legal, DOT approved headlights, just in case I have a problem, and can I change them myself?

4. Do the side rear view mirrors fold in? On my old car the car wash would always knock them in and I'd have to get out and push them back.

 

1. Theyre called paddle shifters. Its the same as shifting manually in any other automatic car. It sucks. It is not CVT. Get a manual. MUCH easier to drive, more response, better mpg, and just a better feel in general.

2. The estimates for this car are WAY off. The absolute worst I have gotten driving like a maniac was 32mpg. Driving like a grandma I get about 45mpg. This is with AC on full blast in my M/T. Expect around 35mpg on average.

3. I recommend osram nightbreakers. Theyre not bright enough to get you pulled over, and nobody can tell just by looking at them. Not like they check for DOT anyways. Your thinking of people with the stupid HID plug and play kits that look blue and blind everyone. Avoid those. Youll be set with the osrams. You should also adjust them a little higher. It takes 2 minutes, a screwdriver and a wall. Dont let the dealer do these things as theyre all morons and WILL mess something up.

4. Yes they fold in, but you have to do it manually.

 

the "button on the steering wheel" is somewhat new in the auto industry, if you ever watch indy racing, its similar, it sticks out of the column and rotates with teh steering wheel. it would be behind the steering "rim"/handle. the dealer is right being that it can be useful, especially for hills, you can downshift to gain higher RPMs to pull yourself up a hill. im not sure what CVT is but i heard that is not avalible in the US. its bassicly like shifting gears, only its digital, but still doesnt not have all the privilges of the manual. I mostly use it to get onto high ways to match the speed fast, and also going up hill, (someties from traffic lights too ) you don't need to let go of the gas when using the paddle shifters. And you still have the choice wether to use the paddles or not, in D mode, no shifters are required and you can temporarily down shift if the hill is significant. In S mode, at first, if you don't touch the paddles, it is still automatic and only goes up to 3rd gear (i think) and you will notice that it will go to the red line before up-shifting. after you press the paddles, you will have total control to upshift and down shift, no longer will it be automatic unless u come close to a stop, it will downshift to 2nd or 1st, but you still have to upshift on your own. its a learn-as-you-go thing.

i dont know much about the mpg =\ sorry i know its fuel econmic tho!

the lighting on the fit is yes indeed lower than standards, at least for me. especially the high beams. but if you city drive alot, you probably dont need to worry about it as there are city lights to guide you. But i replaced my OEM (stock) bulbs to xenon bulbs and gave me alot more lighting. Also i angled it up higher. so i have range and clarity within the range. fog lights are horrible too. if you want to keep legal, technically, i dont think theres a DOT approved bulb out there excpet the ones from your dealer. you can get 5000k or 5500k bulbs if you plan to replace them. its whiter than your stock yet not too blue tinted. mine is 7000k. 6000k might just blind the oncoming drivers, minimally though. Both of them can be installed on your own, you would have to be more careful with the bulbs though.

not sure what you mean by the rear mirror folding in, but the side mirrors do, ive had to pull mine in after i paralell park in jersy, and its a little tight in there. All car's side mirrors fold in now, so u cant avoid that.

might i add, the paddle shifters and the fog lights and cruise control only come in the sports package. hope you become a Fit Freak

 

Please do not follow the advice above. Xenon bulbs in a reflector housing are the worst thing you can do. You will have massive amounts of glare that will blind oncoming traffic and cars in front of you. You will have an extremely narrow beam patterm that will risk your safety. Not to mention you are more likely to get pulled over and ARE illegal. The higher number the xenon bulbs are, the less light they put out. Stick with halogen bulbs (such as the osrams or sylvanias) for a reflector housing headlight. Leave HID's for projectors.

If you want 180 degrees of pure white output with no glare, its going to cost you.

 

Thanks all for the quick answers! I am definitely looking at the Fit Sport. I don't want a car without cruise control and the base model doesn't have it.

That's what I meant, the side mirrors folding in. I just call them side rear view mirrors because they still look behind you, lol.

What does the S stand for? Shift mode?

You guys are all a lot nicer than the people in the car talk forums.

 

"S" is sport mode...it'll wind up the gears a little higher before shifting and tops out in 4th. So basically you have two "automatic" modes and then you can use the paddle shifters and shift manually.

 

1, They are called paddle shifters, and like the others said, it gives you a little more control over the transmission than an automatic without them, but it is still an auto. If you put it in 'S' or Sport mode, it gives you even a little more control, but unlike a full manual, it won't let you stall it, it will automatically downshift if you forget. Basically, it gives you the ease of an auto with some (not all) of the benefits of a manual. If you enjoy spirited driving and having total control, go for the manual, otherwise I think the auto is the best choice.

2, Don't know about the consumer reports thing, but like others have said, the Fits are under rated anyway. You'll be happy with the mileage.

3, Bulbs can easily be changed and the height can easily be adjusted (We could easily walk you through it with pictures, dont worry, its not hard). The first thing I would do is adjust the bulbs up, THEN if you still think they are underpowered is change the bulbs. You do NOT want bulbs with a blue tint, or anything that says it looks like HIDs or has a color rating like 6000k, 8000k etc. on the box (pretending to be HIDs). Nightbreakers, and Silverstar Ultras would all be good choices.
Also, since you are getting the Sport, you will have foglights which should help some, with the base model you don't have those, so even less light would be on the road.

4, Yes, you can fold them in by hand.

 

xD i actually went there before i came to fitfreak.net, i agree, they were MEAN and didnt care about my novice/noob knowledge lol i guess its b\c we all own fits glad you like the site

 

FitFreak is the first Forum I happened upon after I bought mine. You'll get the occasional mean spirited response but that's just something common to all public forums regardless of subject. It is by no means rampant like some forums where "everybody knows everything" and it's one big snide fest.

Most everybody around here is always willing to offer help, at least from my experience in the GE section. If you end up with a Fit you will end up with a great resource/community with FitFreak...

Thankfully the Fit is not a problem plagued vehicle where everybody is pissed, bitching and moaning about a lousy product. Probably why this place is way more positive than negative...Good Karma I guess

 

This is pretty much what I was in the process of typing... but Malice said it better.

 

Oh hell no, we are bad ass mofo's
Behave yourself or some well intended kidding might be headed your way
Consider it a warning LOL [/snare drum rap]

Paddle shifters are about the same thing as moving your gear shift lever say from D2 to D3, but a little better and easier to reach, but IMHO not really like a manual shifter.

And MPG is way better, EPA is way off on this (what does the government do right?) the 07 was like 30/38 and then the 08 was like 27/34 and it was the same car!

 

LOL thanks for the warning!

I've come up with a few more questions.

When you lock the doors and set the alarm what sound does it make? Some cars honk quietly, some chirp... what does the Fit do?

Is it easy to fold down the seats or put them in Tall mode?

Can the Fit be towed any way or does it have to be front-up or rear-up or only on a flatbed?

I want to get my name (KAT) in these letters, like the FIT badge on the back of the car but on the other side from the emblem. What font do you think matches best? (They don't have italics like the FIT logo.) YourEmblem- Make Your Car Unique with your unique set of initials. Better than custom license plate. (Note the font names are ABOVE the pics, not below.) I think either AD or ST match best. I can't get VK because they don't offer the letter K.

 

It honks, but its a pretty high pitched honk. Thats if you press it twice. You can click the button only once and it wont honk. Its an obnoxious noise so I just press the button once.

Very easy. To put them in tall mode you just lift up the seat bottom and fold the bar in to lock it. Theres compartments underneath the seats as well. To fold them down just lift the lever and theyll go down. Piece of cake.

Pretty sure it can be towed any way...

I think ST looks better, very similiar though.

 

the epa's testing methods changed. a lot of gd3 guys were wondering why they werent getting the epa's numbers, and its because the OLD methods were off.

had the ge8 been subjected to the same testing methods, your cars sticker ratings would be higher too. a/t guys seem to get about what the epa says...m/t guys exceed it more often. i personally have gotten 39 on the highway, but that was trying. i average 32.

better to have car that performs better than sticker than have an optimistic epa rating. good to hear many are exceeding it though.

 

i thought my 09's headlights were pretty good as-is especially when compared to my 08's headlights...

my 08's headlights, i must agree, are kinda dim even though
i aimed it up a few notices. perhaps im spoiled cause my
other car(s) had HID's.

 

hi guys, I'm interested in getting a Fit sport too....i've been lurking around for a couple of years and I really wanted to get the last gen fit as a 2nd car in 07 but since then I picked up an 09 Lancer Ralliart and now I'm looking for a replacement for my Tiburon....I know I won't like the slightly underpowered compact car, but the MPG really attracts me and the Fit looks really cool. I test drove the old gen fit before and it handles really great but again it was a bit underpowered, but i'm willing to sacrifice some HP for more MPG....

so my question is, I commute on a parkway everyday that's basically slow and go and passing on the right lane type driving at around the speed of 60-85mph....my V6 Tiburon gets ~20mpg on my daily commute and my Ralliart gets even worse ~18mpg....what MPG do you guys think the Fit would get? anyone with similar commute/heavy foot style driving care to share? thanks

 

im a "crazy" driver that loves to accelerate hard and we do alot of highway driving. i still get around 30 mpg, i havent calculated lately but im sure u can hit 35 mpg there are some mods you can do to boost power without sacraficing MPG

 

The side mirrors fold in AND out!

 

There are paddles, one on the left back of the steering whhel to get downshifts and one on the right also behind the steering wheel to get uopshifts. They are very handy to control rpm where you want it just as manual transmissions. The USA models don't have CVT but Asian models do, just like the Insect hybrid.
The sales man is wrong. CR's numbers are the EPA numbers. The reason for the change is a change in the EPA test procedure to be more like real driving. My auto gets 28 to 31 in urban driving and 34 to 39 mpg on the highway. The automatic gets better highway mileage cause its geared much higher for interstate speeds , like 2400 rpm vs 3000 rpm at 70 mph.
And drive it at nite before changing light height..

 

FWIW, you could source electric folding mirrors for the GE. They're standard on the GE8s sold here.

If you get the idea of going to the Philippines and buying GE8 side mirrors for use in the US, that would work. The mirror glass is ground the same way because both countries are left-hand-drive.