I don't know about any droning, but the engine certainly is rather vocal on a cruise. Blame the short overall gearing.

At 100 km/h (62 mph) my L13A3 is already spinning at ~3200 RPM. I don't think the L15As fare any better, as a lot of people have already said theirs hovers at around the same high cruising RPM. Same set of short gear ratios perhaps?

Not really a huge complaint though. I just turn up the music to attempt to drown out the engine and road noise.

 

Getting the one-two shift smooth in this car is way too difficult. It requires too much of my concentration to get it smooth. I've been driving manual transmission cars for 21 years so it ain't me. I often have to slip the clutch a little to prevent the awful jerking the car does when it's released quickly. Takes away some of the enjoyment of driving the car. Otherwise it's a good manual for a city car, light clutch to better deal with stop and go traffic, and a goof free shifter (I have never missed a gear change in this car yet).

For the highway drive, I think the car is very quiet on the highway for an economy car. This has been talked about endlessly here, so I'm not going to repeat myself. I will say the engine is perfectly happy at 4K rpms. It's a Honda, they are meant to rev high

 

This has been my biggest issue.

That and how short first gear is. I end up at 3k in a second or so even accelerating normally. I normally shift at around 2.5k to try to get decent gas mileage, but getting to second feels like I'm revving the motor like crazy and it doesn't feel right.

Am I just being paranoid?

 

In a word....yes. I don't think I ever let the RPMs drop BELOW 3k. It's way too sluggish at low RPMs. I consistently get 33-36MPG (hand calculated). One of the great things about the Fit is that you don't have to drive it like an old lady to get good fuel economy. The hamsters under the hood like to run fast. Let them rum.

The 1-2 shift is sketchy. After 9 months I still get a lurch every once in a while, but for the most part I've got the timing figured out.

 

I will not shift before the rpm's reach at *least* 3K in first gear, more like 3.5K usually. The car is way too sluggish to shift at any rpm below 3K in first gear. Again, it's a small, low horsepower/torque engine and it needs to be revved to get going. It's a Honda and they are made to be driven like that. I doubt there is any noticeable gas savings from shifting at 2.5K rpms or 3.5K rpms, but I'm sure there is a noticeable driveability difference between the two.

So yes, you are being paranoid about this particular issue. It's also not good to lug the engine which you can do by shifting too early. Get those rpms up man, it's a Honda four cylinder and that's how they're meant to be driven.

 

I shift at around 2.5k rpm too. Since when I shift that way I think hit 60 km/h (37mph) just when I shift from 4th to 5th. 37mph seems to be the optimum cruising speed for maximum fuel economy. If I shift at higher rpms I go to fast.