He's saying that you should not "relax" while driving a car. That is not the time or place to catch up on rest.

As for the auto vs manual debate, it's just preference. My Mom has an auto Fit Sport and we have a manual Fit Sport. She has arthritis, a long commute to work, and is on her feet all day. She drove manuals most of her life and it was a hard change for her to make. She still prefers a manual, but right now it makes more sense for her to have an auto.

We drive ours much harder and still get better fuel mileage under all conditions. The ratings are done by the EPA and if you think they are accurate, you are sadly mistaken. There are TONS of lawsuits against auto manufactures currently, especially the hybrids, because the ratings are a joke.

 

I was driving to work this morning on the highway with rain and traffic.

It made me think do I really want to buy that MT Fit and have to deal with a MT on a day like this.

GAFIT - Thank you for your MPG experience with the MT and AT. It makes me want the MT more. But those rainy/snowy days with stop and go traffic. I dont know.

 

No, they don't. I have had both. The AT runs several hundred rpm lower, and gets a couple more mpg. Got 38 max on the MT, and get 40-41 on the AT...Same route, same speeds. Phoenix to LA and Phoenix to Vegas.

 

It's all in the programming (but shouldn't make that much of a difference).

 

Honda needs to step up its game. Getting beaten badly by the competition. Both in styling, new models, performance and mpg.

 

Those fuel economy numbers are provided by the EPA, not Honda, and certainly not actual results based on road tests.

Regardless, I think it's just preference. The manual is over a second faster in the 1/4 mile, which to you non-drag racers, means there is a HUGE difference in acceleration. We are saying that on your average entrance ramp the manual will be more than 10 car lengths ahead of the auto and be traveling at a higher speed for merging with traffic.

I am impressed with the way my Mom's auto drives though, and you don't really notice the acceleration difference, but it's there. My biggest complaint with the auto is the paddle shifters are a complete joke. The ecu overrides the user selected gear constantly so they don't really provide any advantage.

 

Honda is definitely lagging way behind in most areas. They are beat in hp, mpg, number of models, etc. Where they still excel is in reliability and resale. No auto maker beats them in the two most important categories and Honda has to be really careful not to tarnish that record.

The other auto manufactures have to change models rapidly so they can claim the new ones are "improved" so their poor reliabilty ratings don't have time to affect the current offerings.

 

Move the shifter to S. Then the car only changes the gear when you drop in speed such that you would lug the engine.

 

Even in S, hers will upshift also. Quite annoying when I have it dropped down intentionally for engine braking. Maybe something is wrong with hers.

 

I've never had the car upshift in S mode. And that includes hitting the rev limiter a few times.

 

My reference was about not having to sweat shifting, maybe relax was a bad choice of words. I have decades of crash free relaxing (not sleeping/not shifting) driving..the car crash photo threw me off.

 

True. In reliability and resale, Honda is tops. But that seems to be about it. Have you seen the new Dodge Dart? Wow. A stretched and widened Alfa. About the same price as a Fit and head to head with a Civic, which it beats hands down.

 

The paddle shifters are a whole lot better than what I have in my new Camaro. Now THEY are a joke. Don't try turning while using them.

 

Originally Posted by Edmunds.com
The manual-transmission Fit returns an EPA-estimated 27 mpg city/33 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined. The Fit Sport with the automatic returns the same. More conservative throttle programming on the automatic-equipped base model helps it achieve 28/35/31 (at the expense of quicker acceleration). These numbers are good, but quite a few other subcompacts are even better.



Jesus, who'd they use as a test driver? I only see returns that low if i'm driving like a jackass.

I drive MT in traffic everyday, it's not like I think about "hm which gear should I shift to?", you just do it automatically. I personally would rather shift than stand on the brake in traffic. That's way more annoying to me.

 

As a driver new to the MT after driving automatics all my life, I have to say the manual has made me a more attentive motorist overall, not just the shifting part. Before getting the MT I had read it makes you more engaged in the driving experience and I have found that to be true. I am definitely checking out and thinking about what is going on around me at all times, more than I did in the AT's. I think this is the point solbrothers was getting at.

 

I agree with that. When I'm driving my Supercrew F150 it's hard to not be oblivious to my surroundings. I feel so isolated from the rest of the world.

 

Aren't these two of the most important factors when choosing a vehicle?

Owning a vehicle that breaks down and isn't worth anything in a few years seems kind of pointless.

 

For some people, maybe. I also take into consideration styling, comfort, performance and fun to drive factors. (Hence, my new Camaro) The Fit is my grocery getter and box hauler. Honda has become the Chevy Biscayne of the decade. Competent but boring.

 

What was the resale of the Biscayne? You have to agree, that analogy is kind of ridiculous.

Boring to you, but with excellent reliability and resale value. Those are two very important factors folks consider when buying a vehicle.

 

I test drove the m/t before I bought my 2012 Sport a/t. As discussed, the m/t changes the personality of the car quite a bit. It feels much more sporty, and is more fun to drive.

Our car is driven mostly by my wife, who preferred the a/t. The mileage differences are probably minor, if there are any at all. If you read here on the forum, you notice wildly different mileage claims. We drive our Fit very easy, but mostly in the city (maybe 70% city/30% hwy). My hand calculated mileage is around 29 for the last 1k miles, so in my case the EPA estimates are spot on. I hope this picks up a bit as the engine breaks in.

My daily driver is a 6sp Audi, so I am very partial to manuals. That being said, I think the a/t Fit is more comfortable on the highway than the m/t I drove. The m/t is more buzzy (not uncomfortably so, but it's noticeable), and also louder at speed. I noticed this at 65mph, but didn't go over 70mph for the ride. Since for us the Fit is our city car/kid hauler, the a/t is much more convenient.

So, to address the original question:

"So is the MT good for drivers who spend less time on the highway and the AT for drivers who spend more time on the highway?"

In my opinion, The m/t is for great for drivers who want a sporty, more athletic driving experience. The a/t is quieter and a little more comfortable on the highway.

My 2 cents.......