If I get the base model automatic, can I just use the hand lever to
put the transmission into 2nd or into 3rd or into 4th (or 5th) ?

 

Every honda automatic I have driven allows you to manually select the gear; albeit its kinda clumsy to do it.

Usually, you just leave it in top gear; if you see a hill you can lower it down a gear. I dont think you would ever need to to manually put the gear level in the lowest gear unless you want to engine brake on a super steep hill.

 

Haven't driven an auto in 25 years? Your left foot is going to put a hole in the floor

 

On the base Fit auto, you have two selections, 'D'(rive) and 'S'(port) going foward. 'D' takes you thru 1-5 gears with the best gas economy/lower rev's.
'S' stops at 4th gear. My experience is that when you put it is 'S', the tranny drops to the next lower gear, and the engine goes faster for better acceleration, or breaking depending where you are with the acclerator. You can not pick the gears, but the car picks them for you as if you did it yourself. You shoould be happy just shifting between 'D' and 'S' when you want more 'juice', and/or engine breaking. The gear changing is very quick and smooth because of the electronic throttle- no need to miss a 'CVT' in this car.

 

So its PRNDS for the Fit Base?

 

Yes, and I put it in 'N' when I come to a stop at a light so as to not waste gas (every cab driver in New York City does this.)

 

Every Honda that I've seen with a 5AT has: D, D3, 2, 1 - it skips the 4 for some reason.

Base has D, D3, 2, 1
Sport has D, S

 

My LX auto has D, and then 3, 2, and 1. So no; you do not have direct access to 4th and 5th. Can't say about the sport.

 

I guess there is no discreet 4th gear on the Fit Base since gears 4 and 5 are both overdrive gears.

With the Fit Sport you can autoshift into any forward gear.

 

That is right.

Well it depends on how hard you press the accelerator and the current speed that you are going. But yes, it should downshift to the appropriate gear.

If you want to engine brake I would manually move the gear lever to D3.
By the way, I think you should get the Fit Sport 5AT. That way you can control the gear that you are in all the time.

 

How does shifting to 'N' save gas?

 

When the car is in 'D' or 'S', it is always pulling against the brake when the car is standinf still (just take your foot of the brake, and the car will move forward as if it is in 1st gear.) By putting it in 'N', the engine is at idle with no wasted power puling against the brake. In the CVT version of the Fit in the rest of the world, the transmission is in idle, even in 'D' or 'S' when the car is standing still. The CVT automatically engages the drive when you depress the accerator, so no power or gas is wasted standing still.

 

That doesn't sound too convincing. This maybe one of those Urban Myths. Unless the idle fuel injection rate is different between the "D" and "N" position. When you're at "N", the engine idles freely, but that doesn't mean there's no wasted energy. The fact that your engine is running while the car isn't moving means that there's wasted energy. As long as the fuel injection rate is the same, it shouldn't matter whether the transmission is engaged or not.

I do however, switch to "N" when I need to stop in a hurry. By disengaging the transmission, I immediately cut off any momentum transmitting from the engine to the wheels, thus allowing me to stop in a shorter distance.