Yes, the RPMs are pretty high on the highway... a 6th gear would be great. The automatic RPMs are much lower BUT the SLIGHTEST pressing of the accelerator causes downshifts.

 

Same here!

 

Yup even with my high RPM I still get better MPG than any auto I know of. I get almost 10 more MPG than my sisters AT GD

 

I've only done about 75 miles in any auto tranny car since I started driving in 2007. I don't like the lack of control and the car always want to go forward. My sales guy was agitated when I told him I wanted a Fit Sport with a Manual. There was one car within 200 miles of Tuscaloosa Alabama that was for sale in a color I wanted. (anything but Tide water blue, purple and silver)

But he can't say anything. We bought two different cars from him in less than two weeks! (the other being an 09 Accord V-6)

 

Well... like other people have said, the Fit is not a fast car so why would I want to maximize the power it has with a manual transmission?
I'm going to make it even slower with a power sucking slushbox.

That is what people are saying. Sometimes I think autos dull the driving experience AND the ability for critical thinking.

Highway RPM and EPA estimates are irrelevant. Manual Fits still get better MPG than autos. Go down to the Eco Fit forum and check out the mileage reports.

 

i waited a month for my black MT 2010 FIT sport. i'm picking up my lil gremlin on monday. however, i stopped by the dealership on friday to take a look at it, and i noticed a minor scratch on the fender, it's not to the metal though. however, i'm going to see if they can replace the fender with one of the automatics sitting on the lot.

 

I feel very fortunate. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time when I purchased my 09 sport with a manual.

 

I've got a simple answer: Profit. The extra mark-up on an auto gives them extra profit. Pure and simple. Many people will buy the auto if they have a choice of that or no car.

 

This thread makes me so much happier that I bought a 2009 when I did. Pick up my SSM MT in July and couldn't be happier!

 

I think I said the same thing in post #6

 

That's cuz you're so smart Gary. :-D

 

Well until the 2010 models released here in Japan, the AT(CVT) was about $1000 cheaper than the manual. They are both listed at the same price point now. I thought that was very odd. Also the fuel mileage estimates are quite a bit better with the CVT auto than the manual, but I believe the CVT auto is not offered in North America and it is just the 5 speed auto (or is it 4?).

Regardless of that, I will not own an auto car until it is completely forced onto the consumer when there are no more manuals being produced (limits my list of vehicles to purchase, even more so because I only buy Honda). Hopefully that day will never come though, but slowly trickling that way without a doubt. ATs for me just dull the whole experience of driving. You are not one with the vehicle, you are just along for the ride pretty much.

 

it's all on a spectrum. A car is a pretty dull experience compared to a motorcycle, hands down. And a Fit with an automatic, especially a manumatic, is far more engaging than a manual in a Jeep or a pickup.

Besides, how connected to the machine are you with power-assisted ABS brakes, syncromesh gears to smooth your shfts, and for that matter, front wheel drive gunking up the power delivery in corners? Unless you are in an F1 race car, your man-machine interface is compromised... And they have paddle shifted transmissions.

 

Most definitely true regarding bikes to cars, but then to go and compare something like a Jeep with a manual to a Fit with an auto, you lost me. If the same car has a manual version and an automatic version, I am going manual everytime to lessen the dull experience of driving compared to riding. Maybe I should of been a bit more specific.

 

All very good points...

 

I definitely see your point. I've been a licensed driver for approx 12 years - in that time, I've owned an automatic for about 8 months total, one month of that being the Fit. The manual option gives the Fit just enough "manual" characteristics that I can overlook the downsides, and all of the benefits of an automatic. In particular, my left knee has been bothering me for about the last two years; If I can't "pop it" every so often, it throbs with pressure. I need that space between the brake and footrest for stretching, and with a 35" inseam, every inch of longitudinal space is at a premium.

I was more relating my experience of coming from a manual Element to a manumatic Fit - the Fit is more engaging, hands down, even without the manual. And, having once owned a GMC Sonoma with a 120hp 4-banger, a Jeep Wrangler with a 120 hp 4-cyl, and a first-gen CR-V (automatic AWD - slooooow), the Fit doesn't feel that slow!!!

Funny thing about the RPMs... the Element, in 5th gear, ran at 4000 RPM at 80 mph on the highway. The road-noise and wind-noise were atrocious, but created enough racket that the drone of the engine faded away.

I think I'm the only person that got into an automatic Fit and thought, "My, this thing is nice and quiet on the superslab!"

And to an above point about the auto being quick to downshift - yes it is, but I almost exclusively run it in M5 on the highway to keep it where I want it. The only thing it can do is decouple the lockup in the torque converter, and get a bit of extra torque through the fluid coupling*.

* Fun fact, some of the earliest automatics were simply tall gears with fluid couplings.

 

Hmm.. maybe it's a bit different here in Canada, but I know when I bought my '09 Sport there were 6 GE's on the lot at my local dealer and 3 of them were manual.

And I just did a quick search and found at least 18 brand new manual Fit's sitting on southern Ontario lots.

 

It's just not a priority for the typical American car buyer...and as MTs become more scarce, less people will know how to drive them, further reducing demand. I suspect that in another 20 years, if you want an MT in the US you will have to buy a "premium" brand or a stripped-down entry-level car because if you want A/C and a radio, it will be bundled with AT!

 

I predict it won't take that long. Already, many cars don't offer a manual transmission option at all. With hybrids and electric cars coming on strong, the manual transmission seems to be going the way of running boards.

 

I'd say old and cynical is more like it.