Off the top of my head I'd say 3800-3900 but I think someone else who pays more attention to these things can give you a more accurate response. I drive 75-80 a lot and the engine noise does not bother me. There is more tire/road noise than engine noise, IMO.

 

Go MT. No regrets here, even in the worst rush hour traffic downtown I like having full control of what little torque we have.

Still get great mileage too, the engine isn't loud at all if you have ever driven a car that makes real power. It doesn't drone on the highway either. I have taken several multi-thousand mile road trips in my GD with no complaints.

Turns about 3600rpm @ 70mph in 5th, and the car is so slippery I still return high 30's mpg without trying.

At 70mph in 5th, the throttle is mostly closed, you are still in vacuum and not a whole lot of fuel is needed to maintain speed because of the low aero drag and rolling friction. Even on stickier v-rated rubber.

Disclosure: I use only 93oct or greater, have colder plugs, light wheels and tires so you mileage will vary.

 

if i had to take it back and change time i would get an automatic.. don't get me wrong i do enjoy driving manual more.. but manual cars are a dieing breed, like theres many trucks and hybrids that don't even come in manual transmissions, you HAVE to get an automatic...

iam guessing in the near future manuals will be gone forever.. might as well join the club and get an automatic.

 

Only in the US are manual cars a dying breed..

 

Actually, the MPG are rated the same 27/33 for both AT and MT, despite that AT is geared for lower rpms. (The Base AT is higher, but that's due to PCM algorithm rather than gear ratio). And based on users' feedback, it seems that if you try for higher MPG, MT can achieve better MPG than AT. AT torque converter unlocks during moderate acceleration, so it loses to MT.

If you're on the fence between MT and AT, unless you're doing a lot of stop and go driving, I'd go MT.

 

Go for the Stick bro... more fun...

 

ye i see a MT in my area but there is only 1. hopefully its still there... ill probably go this week or next.

 

I think the MT is better in these small engine cars cause in the auto trannies you lose so much control/fun from the torque converter. Right now I'm driving about an hour daily commute with a MT toyota echo. So when I get a fit in the near future it will definetly be a MT, so in short terms;

5MT FTW!!!

 

MT, no question. It’s a lovely gearbox, and this business about high revs on the highway is oversold. As long as you’re under 80 mph in 5th wind and tire noise are *far* greater than engine noise, imo. Also , moving in heavy traffic on the parkways and expressways in 4th is a delight–you can zip around the slugs and be gone before they even know that you were there. Stop-and-go isn’t so bad once you learn to either keep it in 1st, or coast in neutral. I’ve been commuting 200 miles/week in Long Island-NYC traffic, first with my auto ‘91 Accord, and now for over two years with my my ‘09 Fit Sport, and so I know what each is like (although I admit that at times I miss the gentler ride of the Accord).

 

if you like driving manual, the 5MT is fun to drive, but there's no other benefit.
Personally I like the 5AT better, which i have, it's all personal preference.
you won't regret having a fit, they are fun cars to own and drive. I luv the Navigation and touchscreen audio hooked up to my Iphone. only thing wish it had a bluetooth!

 

If you plan to drive on the highway extensively, I strongly recommend AUTO which keeps rpm/engine noise reasonably low when traveling around 75 - 80 mph ( about 3000), where as manual 5th gear revs up to about 4,000 rpm. The manual 5th gear has about the same gear ratio as the 4th gear on the auto.

 

You must be my twin brother because I agree with you 100% and also have a '91 accord.

Edit: except that my accord is a MT so not identical twins.

 

+1 for 5MT. On crowded, aggressive Chicago freeways its a plus- you come to know instinctively how many RPMs and how much relative power you'll be developing when you pop it into a certain gear at a certain speed. My wife's old Cadillac Catera sure develops more power than the Fit, but with an AT it's kinda like mash it down and hope for the best- no confidence. I guess the paddle shifters would help with this, but paddle shifters kinda feel ostentatious or something to me (no offense). I don't think they even have them on the Base, anyway. I wouldn't worry about the clutch in stop and go traffic either- with such a small engine you can get away with a really light clutch.

 

Exactly if you want 4000rpms on the freeway get the manual , the 5AT cruises at 3000 rpms at 75mph

 

Yet gets equivalent or worse mileage with a side-effect of no passing power.

I test drove both a GE with paddle shifters and a 5MT in early march when I was waiting on some final warranty work to be wrapped up and the difference is night and day.

I didn't like the shift logic or the hesitation. And even if you have paddle shifters you still have a %&$#ing torque converter. The TCU still has ultimate authority too.

 

I have a manual 2011 sport and drive almost 150 miles a day on the interstate and the engine noise is not bad at all...especially when you are blasting some crosby stills nash and young

 

^^ That's pretty close. I'll be honest, I never go faster than 70, but I'm at around 3500 at 70, so 3800 sounds about right.

Oh, and manuals impress the ladies. Just saying....

 

the 5MT won't be around much longer
look for a 6MT in the 2012

 

I'd say for lots of highway/freeway travel, go with the 5AT - you can lock it in gear with the manual mode, and it drops down to sane engine speeds on the highway (I drove coast to coast in an Element that would scream along at 4000 RPM at 80. The drone gets old).

For mostly city, 5MT - the Fit is a bit underpowered, and there's still that awful automatic transmission delay between pressing the gas and feeling forward motion. I don't like delays like that when I need full control of the car in traffic. Also, having the engine strain against you while sitting at a stop is incredibly annoying. Even hills aren't that big a deal - you're not going to roll back more than 2 inches at most unless you are grossly incompetent as a driver.

 

That sounds reasonable - 6MTs are basically the standard these days on C-class cars, and the B-class cars are quickly heading that way. Honda's not the technological innovator they once were, but they usually get on the ball relatively quickly once someone else takes the lead.