I just purchased a new Fit Sport A/T 2 days ago. I love everything about it but one thing. I have noticed something funny with the shifting. It seems to lag between shifts and my head bobs forward with each shift. Although it shifts smoothly, it just seems to shift slower than I'm used to in other automatic transmissions autos that I've driven (Audi A4 1.8T, Pathfinder, mercedes diesel 190D). Am I on crack or has anyone else felt this phenomenon? I'm wondering if the M/T version might have been a better choice for me... Does anyone have some advice for me? The next question I need to figure out is if I do like the Sport M/T, how do I trade my A/T with only 200 miles for one.

 

Have you tried/used the paddle shifters which btw are 1000 times faster than you would have let the AT run on its own?
Paddle shifters operate on a different technology than the traditional AT and the 5AT Sport model offers you the choice to try (and use) the paddle shifters OR just stick with the traditional AT way of driving...
You can drive the 5AT Sport model either in MT, AT or MT/AT and use the paddle shifters anytime you like to, very useful and very very
Chris

 

Not so - unless I'm seriously mistaken, it's the same old technology, but just more easily available, i.e. at your fingertips. I can't think of a reason that the actual shifts would be faster, but they'll happen when you want them to....

If you like M/T, you'll love the Fit's shifter - this is the best gearbox in its class, and its peppier and IMO more fun to drive than the AT. I'm a MT guy, but the AT paddle shifters tempted me. I gave them both a good test drive and went with the MT for the extra fun factor and better in town gas milage.
The gearing on the MT is a lot lower than the AT though (see other threads). If you spend a lot of time at high speeds (80+), the MT might seem buzzy to you, but below that it's fine.

 

Thanks for your responses. Yes, I've tried the shifters paddles. They're pretty cool- but weirdly placed so I don't really see myself using them full-time. However, I found that when you drive in the S mode, the car will shift up and down for you. It seems to shift better in this mode than the D. I'm thinking that the "funny" shifting I'm feeling may be due to me still baby-ing in the infancy stage. So when I drive/acclerate slowly the shifting also happens slower. I tried to accellarate faster a couple of times, and it seems better. But the engine still slows down before shifting, then takes a while to shift through to the next gear.

I didn't get a chance to try the Manual Sport since they didn't have it on the lot when I was test driving the A/T. But I'm going to try and test drive one this weekend - assuming it's still on the lot. We'll see. I think I just need to jump in one to get it out of my system at least.

 

Weirdly placed????????????? Tell that to Formula 1 drivers!!!

I do not think you can fully understand a new car (as this concept of paddle shifters for passenger cars is pretty new on the market and very few cars, mostly high-end ones, have this paddle shifters) by driving it for a couple of miles around the block... personally I now always use the paddle shifters for super-fast gear shifting, way faster than using my foot on the traditional AT to downgrade the gear, obviously first time in my life using this system and no regrets whatsoever on getting the 5AT Sport... and yes, I HATE the MT, it reminds me of my youth in freaking communist Eastern Europe where ALL vehicles were MT only...
Regardless, enjoy your future car, Fit or anything else, and drive safely
Happy Easter!
Chris

 

Part of what you're feeling is due to the electronic throttle and integration of the shift characteristics. I think I've read stuff about Honda optimizing the throttle and shifting since the computer has complete control over the throttle body position.

Also, the trans shift characteristics will change over temperature...the shifting is noticably different when very cold as opposed to warmed up. Keep driving it and get'er broken in. The more I drive this AT the more I like it, even though the only disadvantage to me is the greater power loss compared to the manual cars. For an AT small car, I think it presents a great value.

Also, wanted to comment that when the wheel is turning, it is somewhat difficult to determine which paddle to press...but you get used to it over time.

 

A super-big 10-4

Interesting, never paid attention to this issue, usually I d/shift (left paddle shifter for non-5AT users) BEFORE engaging in any passing (that obviously involves wheel turning) but I leave it in a lower gear just enough to get the "take-off", 1-2 secs, then immediately upshift again so rpm never goes high and not burning too much gas...

The only issue, kind of as is pretty much hard to achieve , was that when I did 100 mph (160 km/h) on the freeway (401 around Toronto) the whole dash started shacking including my XM radio, this stuff never occurs on lower speeds (including 80 mph I'm doing regularly up here) and I've never hit anything hard (sidewalk for instance) so to affect the wheel alignment or balance, the good thing is that is doing this stuff at a speed pretty hard to achieve for well-known reasons (of course I have full protection) so personally I do not worry much about it... other than that, as I said it already, no regrets whatsoever for paying extra for the 5AT...
Chris

 

Yes, it it much easier to downshift with the AT by using the paddles than the traditional 'stomping the pedal' method. Plus they're easier to get to at your fingertips than having to bump the shift lever like some other cars that have a manual mode , such as VW's. And I also agree that the AT fit is pretty darn good as AT's go - you don't see 5ATs in most small cars.

All that being said, I still like the MT better . Now, if the Fit paddles were real F1 style shifters that auto clutched for you (with an actual clutch instead of a torque converter), I'd probably be driving a car with paddles on the wheel....

 

Free country my friend, as long as we have choices nobody in the world can force us to use something we do not like or agree with... but you pay more, way more for the comfort of using an AT plus the car is a little heavier so burning a little more gas than the MT one...
You LOVE your MT, I love my AT, and that's all that matters, how WE feel about our investment and NOT what others think about it
Chris

 

I find upshifting with the paddle shifter is smoother than driving in D mode. Yes, I do feel a slight lag when upshifting, but compared to D mode, S mode shifting is very smooth. I just don't like the fact that in S mode, the tranny will automatically downshift.

 

Mine does that as well. But I couldn';t drive a M/T to save my life.

 

^^ You need to learn how to drive manual! It's like a riding a bike, once you learn you'll never forget.

 

I drove MT for my first 10 (out of 25) years on the road, in Eastern Europe didn't have any AT vehicles during freaking communist years, but that's another story...
No big deal to drive an MT on a flat terrain, but let me see how you operate your MT vehicle while stop at a traffic light, cars behind you, and in front of you is a 45 dgrs steep uphill!!! If you have no experience on working with the parking brake, clutch and the gas pedal you're pretty much cooked, just prepare your insurance papers to exchange with the driver behind you who you just hit when your couldn't stop your car from rolling backwards!!! Or if you don't know to operate MT properly and the engine shots off, you can easily flood the engine!!! Also, to change gears you need the right hand, left hand is for steering AND left/right signal, hopefully you don't talk on the phone while driving...
Chris