I've had my 09 S Fit for several months now. LOVE it. It's my first Honda after a lifelong Toyota customer.

One thing that I've noticed is that the engine doesn't run high RPMs when you turn it on in the cold. Every Toyota I've had does this, when the engine is cold, the RPMs will be higher to warm it up.

Am I imagining this or do Honda engines do the cold start differently?

Also, is it ok to run the car when the cold temp light is on as long as you aren't doing highway speeds right off the bat?

 

Yes, it's perfectly fine to drive when the cold temp is illuminated. Just take it easy on the throttle until the engine is at operating temperature.

 

Depending on how cold we're talking. Around 30° it will idle high, closer to 1800 RPM or so. The car samples coolant temp at start to determine idle speed.