http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=110078

Interesting article. Nothing fit related cept the black and white picture of the stick is actually the fit's stick.

 

It is a sad day indeed, but at least I can say that I was ultra hardcore and many automobile enthusiast will argue that it was the art of driving which is at stake.

I burn up desolate country rural roads and twisties on the weekends in my 5spd MT and let me tell you, it is the anticipation, terrain reading and rpm matching. Apexes are no problem so I don't know what that writer was talking about. The spatial ability and natural high you get is unbelievable.

Now I take those same roads with my dad Mazda 3 tip-tronic/sport-tronic crap and it is truly bastardized. Yes..,it may just be a Mazda 3 a fairly decent car, but the technology saps out the fun, the extra driving enthusiast input, skill and experience surrendered is disgusting.

AT drivers, who have never mastered or where too scared to learn MT will never know what true driving is about, but merely letting the automobile drive them. This compromise is like adding baby powder and talc to pure Bolivian Cocaine.

 

The best automatic can never see ahead to what gear you want, but a person can. I will never enjoy an automatic.

I don't understand why people would pay more for

lower mpg
slower acceleration
worse balance (automatics are more nose heavy)
less fun
not as good in snow
can't push start
don't have total control over gears
always have a delay when shifting (yes even the paddles have a delay)

 

straight foward drag racing, the auto can outrun the manual tho. but like EPA mileage testing, speed testing will make autos seem faster than manual. i.e. in the article they said the auto of a car is slightly faster than manual, but of course only in testing conditions. in real life since it wont' downshift it'll be slower.

i'm glad the fit has smooth shifting. it's hard to improve stick technology since it's so established (easy to improve auto since it has room for improvement) but at least honda did not settle for "a stick's a stick".

 

I truly prefer an MT. It's more difficult to eat a cheeseburger at the wheel, but it sure is a much more fun driving experience.

I can give you one reason for the ATs in my home: my wife. I love her to death, but I do not want for her to have to worry about shifting.... "Please just keep your eyes on the road honey!!"

So I'm interested in the sport AT with the paddle shifters to have as much fun/control as possible while driving an AT. I must say I thought the 7-speed mode would have been pretty awesome with the CVT. Too bad that didn't make it to the US.

I'll have an MT again when the kids can drive and we step up to 3 cars at home.... Only 6 more years to go...!

 

Those dorks said the same thing when the 4 speed automatic first came out. Then again with the 5 speed automatic.

They were wrong before and they will be wrong again. They could just learn how to drive with a clutch and quit complaining.

 

The dsg transmissions that audi and vw have are actually better performers than manual transmissions, but I do agree that they take away a huge amount of control away from the driver.

 

Exactly. I don't want peak performance all day. Nor do I want a few selectable shift settings.

For my street car I want the ****og shift control that will only be provided by a driver-operated clutch. There will be some market for this as long as there is a market for cars.

 

The US when compared to major European and Asian countries probably sell's less MT car's as a whole then probably one of those countries. American's people can say its laziness or they try to do too much while driving but MT's are just not a very popular tranny option here in the US. I will always buy an MT before an AT I could care less if that AT shifts faster then a F1 semi automatic, that doesnt concern me at all. What does concern me is the freedom thats taken away by having one of these transmissions. The only type of transmission that even comes close to a standard H pattern MTas far as not taking away the freedom of shifting is the F1 style clutch pedal-less semi automatics found in the newer Ferrari's and Lambo's because technically it is a MT without a clutch pedal so the shift points is still based solely on you only you dont shift with the typical H pattern shifter but paddles. Not as fun as a regular center console mounted H pattern shifter but at least the freedom is still there.

 

[QUOTE=Gordio]straight foward drag racing, the auto can outrun the manual tho. QUOTE]

I don't think that is the case. From what I read the manual is a good second faster to 60. The Civic manual is 1.5 seconds faster to 60 than the automatic. That is substantial - takes a lot of mods to make up that much.

 

A true sequential manual is, IMO, just about as good as an H-pattern. Granted, there is some visceral appeal of shifting with traditional H-pattern gear, but I don't think that I could go any faster with it than with a real SMG, in fact, it'd probably be slower.

Now, the trick is not to confuse all this tiptronic BS with a true SMG. The ONLY kind of SMG that matters is one that can rev-match for you.....as no matter how quick the shifts are in a tiptronic, if they aren't rev-matched (i.e. they are rough), they just won't do for serious performance applications. A normal automatic tiptronic isn't much better than an automatic for real circuit driving, as when you're braking before corner entry, yes, you can downshift to stay in the powerband, but when you're already dancing on the outer limit of adhesion in your tires during braking (as you should be), a jerky shift action can destabilize the car and send you spinning out of control.

While I suppose that I will "miss" normal H-pattern gearsets, a true SMG is a beautiful thing, a la the system in the RS6. There are certain things that you just need that clutch for though, i.e. "clutch-kick" drift initiation, as well as some other techniques. If future performance cars find ways to give drivers these same capabilities but with a faster SMG tranny, I'll be all for it. Otherwise, I suppose I'll just keep driving my S13, lol.

 

I consider an SMG to be a manual that shifts for you.

I still prefer a regular manual - more fun and less expensive.

 

no it cannot outrun a manual. auto trannies are better in drag racing because of a consistent E.T., where as manuals have tons of room for errors. it all depends on what kind of dragging you do: head's up or bracket.

 

I'm guessing you're young. The car im about to sell (a 240sx) was a MT, and i had it for 11.5 years; bought it new. Before that, i had a MT acura Integra.

I currently live in the city and am mid 30s. I own my cars a long time cause i dont put on many miles so i could have this fit as late as 50 years old.

I agree, a true racer would go with a MT, but ya know.... if you live in the city and commute day-after-day and have to hold the cars on hills like where i live, eventually that MT just gets old, and also the clutch even on the knees of a mid 30 something (who works out) starts to just make me ache a bit after a while.

In short, it was time for me to get an AT. And i'm all the happier for it!

Azanon

(edit) PS All this talk about racing, and the MT being faster; I have some bad news for you guys. This ain't no racecar. Please dont embarress yourself and race someone with it unless your opponent is driving something pretty damn slow.

 

Not so in the Fit and most other cars. Manual V8 Mustangs, Transmarobirds outrun automatics in the 1/4 mile.

If we were talking about a modified Corvette with a Lingenfelter motor and beefed up automatic, it could be faster. What it will be is consistent.

 

An automatic transmission is for lazy people (Americans). "My legs get tired, it's too hard to remember when to shift, the clutch gets worn out, it's too distracting." These are all... excuses. The clutch won't burn out if you don't ride it constantly. If your legs get tired you're just a weakling. If the only cars available were MT, there would be FAR fewer accidents on the road today. Almost every single accident involves someone being distracted by a phone, or food, or a newspaper, or a thousand other bullshit things you can only do in a car equipped with an automatic tranny.

 

Where do you get your facts?

I currently own, and race two different CRX's with MT. However, I'm purchasing a Fit with AT to run around town, and for interstate cruising.

Does that make me lazy? More likely to have an accident?

I don't follow your logic on this.

You don't think a person would be MORE distracted trying to talk on the phone, eat a Big Mac, AND shift at the same time?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manual_..._transmissions

 

Ahh, i see. He found it printed somewhere on a website. It must be true then! ;-)

Azanon

 

exactly an excuse ive only been driving for almost 4years and shifting has become sub-concious, half the time i go to shift into 5th and im already in it.
I seriously hope they dont stop selling manual cars, my dad taught me to drive manual and it was a fun learning experience i would like to pass on to my kids someday, ive even taught my girlfriend to drive manual, she now says she hates driving autos!