Tha analogy is nowhere near ridiculous. The fact is, most Hondas are boring as hell. If fun, style and performance are not your bag, then Hondas are very exciting to you. Go for it. To me, they are work vehicles.

 

That's why you have a Camaro, right? You can't put a rocket engine into everything. I think as far as ridiculous analogies go, yours is right at the top.

 

Saying Honda's are boring is too blanket of a statement. In general Honda's, Fords, Chevy's, Toyota's, Nissan's, and all other multi-model auto maker is boring in general. You want an exciting Ford...buy a Mustang, you want an exciting Chevy...buy a Corvette, you want an exciting Honda...buy a Civic Si. I do miss the days that Honda built the Prelude and S2000, but that market has shrunk so much that many automakers have abandoned it. Look at Toyota. They build a zillion models and each one is more boring than the next. They don't even have something as fun as the Civic Si.

Now, if we narrow it down to talking about the Fit...yes, it is more of an appliance that operates efficiently and effectively than it is a sports car. We live in the mountains and use ours to shame sportbike riders and supposed sports cars, but that is only because it happens to be a very good handling appliance

Back to the original idea of this thread. If I were solely using the Fit as a highway vehicle and did not care about acceleration, driver control, or general fun, I would buy the auto. It might get better mileage and requires less driver interaction.

 

My conclusion the Fit is not great overall for the highway - unless you get better tires and lower the car, it can get squirrely in windy conditions. But the AT is less noisy at speeds, though no less windproof.

The auto is also dead slow, but you'll be able to take on a Prius maybe I guess.

 

I think it's like that in any "large" vehicle with an automatic. But then again, I was bored in my chitty 2010 Corolla 4AT. Manuals do make the drive more interesting (and thus more attention is required).

Ditto. I currently average right around 35-36 without trying. I've hit down to 32 in cold weather with a headwind on the highway doing 80.

 

Honda should be able to make some cars that are as fun as what they used to have. (My '89 Civic 2 dr hatch was a lot of fun) They killed the Prelude, the S2000 and other than an Si, have nothing to have fun with. Even the Si, while it has reasonable power, looks like a plain old Civic with a few ricer things added on. Just about every other manufacturer makes sporty, if not sports cars. The CR-Z could have been, but then they stuck is with a dog of a powertrain. Wonder where their heads are at. I seem to recall reading not too long ago that Honda sales are down. Maybe they should take the hint. ONLY concentrating on bullet-proof and resale value makes them very dull indeed. By the way, others don't "break down" as they did in the 40s. All cars are damn reliable these days.

 

I'm in the same boat. I want to buy a new Fit and I'm thinking of the MT but haven't driven a MT in 30 year.

How has it been going? How is your MPG? I wonder if all the MT drivers on this board get great MPG (better than Government standards) because they have a lot of experience with MT. As a "new" MT driver mine may be a lot worse.

 

i dont know about anyone else but i dont feel like the MT makes me use more attention on shifting. i feel much more safe driving with MT because i can engine brake, if needed. I can be in whichever gear i want to be in.

 

I'm not getting 40+ like some ppl are claiming, but I'm getting a few mpgs better than what the EPA rates the MT (hand calculated) and that's not babying it either. I think of the MT as having the ability to be more fun or more frugal - depending on how you drive. Jeckle or Hyde - at least you get to choose with the MT. It's also cheaper to buy, generally more reliable, and you can always learn hypermiling driving habits if you think you have a lead foot.

 

It is going great. I have heard the Fit is an easy one to learn on. With all city driving and lots of hills I am getting just shy of 29 MPG right now (according to the Fit readout). That is with still learning to some extent and that is still better than the EPA estimate. I can't complain and the Fit is a joy just as others here have said. BTW I am 62 YO and my first days of learning were a nightmare but all is good now and I am happy. Heh.

Even if your mileage should be worse at first as a "new" MT driver, I wouldn't expect that to last for long. Besides if you spent any time at all in the past on the MT it will quickly come back to you as your muscle memory returns. For more on driving stick go to standardshift.com

StandardShift.com • Index page

 

Even though I have an Si now - you can't compare it to a Corvette or Mustang, totally different class of cars, plus there's the Camaro, and Ford has the Taurus SHO, and Nissan has the 370Z and GT-R, the Maxima is a whole ton more sporty than the Accord, and so it goes. To say Honda's lacking in sporty offerings these days is not a stretch at all, unfortunately.

A Fit with 6MT and a better engine, even the fuel efficient R18, would still be something people will buy. Honda should really do forced induction/turbo... but they won't because they've turned into this green monster of a company that believes in mild hybrids that no one really wants.

 

Well said. It appears the greenies are running amok.

 

Don't you just set Cruise Control and tell the car "Home Jeeves"?

Not Judging but Personally, I've never felt like shifting was something I had to do but something that just came naturally when driving the car. It's second nature

I found out Recently how Sensitive the Fit is to the actual Drive you have. I went from a 26 mile commute to a 6 or less mile commute. My AVG mpg dropped from 38+ mpg to right around 32mpg.

This depends on the individual. Watch the British top gear and half the cars they dream about driving need replacement parts before you even get home but they are incredible driver's vehicles. Reliability for most is key point number one. Resale for many is high but Fun to drive and road feel is also very important. our Altima had plenty of power and should have been fun but wasn't. The fit was much more engaging to drive.

Hondas have always had (and will always have) a certain utilitarian function... but... they are one of the more fun vehicles to drive in their class. The Fit is very tossable and even now in it's 4th year of production, is still the vehicle that all of the other vehicles are compared against. I do think that some of the sportier models that have gone away were a bad choice by honda (I miss my prelude [86 si 2.0] and hope to have a 2001 Prelude sometime soon). I do however think that honda has done a decent job of making their mainstream models err on the side of sportiness vs. the cushier ride of comparable vehicles (corolla, etc..) Both the Fit & Civic are capable performers (with decent tires - honda's long time downfall).

The prelude does need to come back though... Not sure where it would fit in the lineup with the Civic and Accord coupes.

~SB

 

Start paddling that boat! Driving a clutch is not something you forget. The Fit responds well. It's a good car. A/T's are good for landcruisers. A car in the class of the Fit needs to be an M/T to be realized.

Anyone, barring special needs, can drive an M/T Fit, even if they've never driven an M/T before.

 

I enjoyed shifting more when I was younger, now that I'm older I can take it or leave it. I could double-clutch at the age of 12 (farm) so I am no stranger to shifting, and now that I am about to retire...I feel my right arm can be used for more important things, like pounding my pud

 

Yes it does. Until then my old, fun, but reliable Prelude SH can relax in the driveway while the new fit takes over daily driving duties...

 

The Accord coupe is a throwaway afterthought for the most part and nothing special - should just be removed from the lineup, and replaced with a proper Prelude instead. I always wanted a Prelude when I was young, but by the time I got around to buying new cars of my own, the Prelude was history.

 

I think the Fit is an easy car to learn on because I feel like it can never stall even though I'm sure you know it can! But with the lack of torque it takes a lot more finesse than any other MT car I've driven. I test drove the 8th Gen Civic Si and that was without a doubt the easiest manual I've ever driven. Clutch action was short as can be and the shifter was great.

 

We have a 2012 Sport A/T and i wasn't sold on the auto to begin with. I really wanted a manual but where i live they were on a 2 month wait and that wouldn't be the color i wanted. We test drove the A/t twice and finally bought it. I'm glad to have the A/T now. With a 8 month old baby in the back dealing with him and trying to shift would be way too much. We have about 3k miles on ours now and we took it through the foothills in Arkansas/missouri. I had a blast with the paddle shift in S mode downshifting and engine braking on the down hill and upshifting to pass trucks on the uphills. We avg'd about 34.8 mpg there and back (857 miles each way) and it drove fantastic.

For me the A/T works but I also have a 71 datsun 510 with an f20c swap that will be done this summer so i can get my shifting done on that lol

 

I never drove a Prelude. I was driving a Celica GT in the late 80's. Most Prelude owners I talked to were a very loyal bunch. Loved their cars. It was the boring Toyotas and Hondas that persuaded me to go back to American cars like the Mustang and now the Camaro. There is no way any Honda now made can dream of competing with the Camaro ...in a straight line. Turning, however, is another story. For that, I will take the Fit. In fact, the Mustang will wipe the Camaro's butt in a corner, also. But straight line..what a rush.