the "button on the steering wheel" is somewhat new in the auto industry, if you ever watch indy racing, its similar, it sticks out of the column and rotates with teh steering wheel. it would be behind the steering "rim"/handle. the dealer is right being that it can be useful, especially for hills, you can downshift to gain higher RPMs to pull yourself up a hill. im not sure what CVT is but i heard that is not avalible in the US. its bassicly like shifting gears, only its digital, but still doesnt not have all the privilges of the manual. I mostly use it to get onto high ways to match the speed fast, and also going up hill, (someties from traffic lights too
) you don't need to let go of the gas when using the paddle shifters. And you still have the choice wether to use the paddles or not, in D mode, no shifters are required and you can temporarily down shift if the hill is significant. In S mode, at first, if you don't touch the paddles, it is still automatic and only goes up to 3rd gear (i think) and you will notice that it will go to the red line before up-shifting. after you press the paddles, you will have total control to upshift and down shift, no longer will it be automatic unless u come close to a stop, it will downshift to 2nd or 1st, but you still have to upshift on your own. its a learn-as-you-go thing.
i dont know much about the mpg =\ sorry i know its fuel econmic tho!
the lighting on the fit is yes indeed lower than standards, at least for me. especially the high beams. but if you city drive alot, you probably dont need to worry about it as there are city lights to guide you. But i replaced my OEM (stock) bulbs to xenon bulbs and gave me alot more lighting. Also i angled it up higher. so i have range and clarity within the range. fog lights are horrible too. if you want to keep legal, technically, i dont think theres a DOT approved bulb out there excpet the ones from your dealer. you can get 5000k or 5500k bulbs if you plan to replace them. its whiter than your stock yet not too blue tinted. mine is 7000k. 6000k might just blind the oncoming drivers, minimally though. Both of them can be installed on your own, you would have to be more careful with the bulbs though.
not sure what you mean by the rear mirror folding in, but the side mirrors do, ive had to pull mine in after i paralell park in jersy, and its a little tight in there. All car's side mirrors fold in now, so u cant avoid that.
might i add, the paddle shifters and the fog lights and cruise control only come in the sports package. hope you become a Fit Freak
