I have been looking around in this forum for a few weeks getting information about the Fit. I will be buying a car soon and I am leaning towards a 2011 Fit Sport. Should I be concerned with the latest recall about the Lost Motion Spring? Also, I'm waffling on the transmission, should I go with the manual or automatic? I have always had manuals with my 4 cylinder cars but there are times it would be nice to have the auto. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

please. SEARCH. Jesus christ. All your questions are everywhere in this forum. But to answer it in quick way since you will probably be offended by my comment.

1. Ask the dealer about the latest recall. Whats so hard about asking? ask if they fixed it or not on the model your trying to get. if not ask them if they will do it before you purchase.

2. On transmission....Why are you asking people if you should get AT or MT. That's not for us to decide, your driving it. Its your decision.

 

Somewhat more politely: First, the recall only affects 2009 and some 2010 vehicles.

As for the transmission, the major difference is that the gearing ratios in the manual are much more aggressive. You'll get better acceleration, but the engine will run faster and louder on the interstate.

 

Your new fit will not be affected by this recall so it's not an issue. Tranny is a matter of choice. I love the shifter and clutch on the fit. Even when I've been stock in traffic, it's so effortless that I still like to row my own gears. YMMV.

 

WTF is it with you people lately?


Mike,

I think the Fit is a great car. I do not have the brand loyalty many have. I searched a lot when I bought my 2010 base manual and I love it.

Have you driven either the MT or the AT yet? I would do so. The Fit is quite possibly the easiest shift manual transmission car I have ever driven. It's also exceptionally quick for it's 117hp rating and the gear ratios are pretty close. The down side to the MT is, in my opinion, that your best cruising will be 60mph. The AT has a higher final drive and will turn less RPM's and get better mileage at higher speed. The negative of the AT is it's not near as quick as the MT. The other nice thing with the MT is you have the advantage of driving it as easy or as hard as you want.. even with the paddle shift sport I didn't find shifting the AT Sport to be all that exciting.

The MT is capable of some very good fuel economy as well, just not at higher speeds. In the summer I was average 35-37 mpg regularly and right now it's averaging 33-35. My worst tank was trip to Eastern Washington at 29 mpg, though I admit I was travelling an average of 90-95mph the entire time.

I personally enjoy the MT for other reasons as well, it makes the car fun to drive. You will not find a car in this class with shifter this nice stock. Gear shifts are smooth, positive, quick, and easy.

The ONLY thing I hate about my Fit is the stupid clutch delay valve but it appears every manual transmission has one these days.

I personally ended up with the base manual transmission for a few reasons. The biggest was the Sport's ground clearance would present issues with the snow we get around here. I bought the manual because I loved how it drove. I drive 2000 to 2500 miles a month with a 50/50 mix of highway/city.

 

Agreed!

And it isn't just this forum....seems like any forum I'm a member of and somebody asks a question no matter what it is you get a few people yelling at them asking if they did a search...I mean what the heck? Isn't that what a forum is all about?? Some people take it as such a personal inconvenience like they have a monetary stake in it or something

As others have said....only 2009 and SOME 2010's are affected by the recall.....we are a 2 Fit family...the BBP is part of the recall and scheduled to be repaired in a week or so. My MR was a 10/10 build and not included in the campaign. So on a 2011 you should be good to go!

I sort of wish I got the 5 on the floor option as it probably is more fun to drive....I don't mind the AT though...paddles mix it up a bit now and then lol

 

Thanks malraux, know-nothin, Sherpa and Blackberry Goose. I appreciate your insight.

 

Wow, the Search Police are out in force today.

Just picked up a 2011 Fit Sport w/nav and automatic this week. I have a bad left knee, and it's not uncommon to get stuck in traffic for an hour or more around here if there's a wreck - so for me, automatic was the easy choice.

I looked long and hard at the competition before deciding on the Fit. Here are some of my notes:

a) The Ford Fiesta is nice competition, but no human adult can ride in the back seat. The dash looks like an alien UFO control panel. I used to have a 2003 SVT Focus w/6 spd and I really wanted to like the Fiesta, but I didn't.

b) Toyota Yaris didn't fit my legs/knees well, and build quality seemed inferior to the "rest" of the small cars I looked at. Automatic transmission seemed really mushy, and no "sporty" quality about it at all. I know, none of these are sports cars, but this was the least sporty ride of the ones I tested.

c) Nissan Versa - My wife had a '08 Versa SL with all the ju ju, CVT transmission, etc. It smelled like it was burning after riding up a hill, and several of the plasticy dash pieces broke in the two years and 36K miles we had it. The whole time, fuel economy got down to like 23-25 mpg when it started out at 32+ with no satisfactory answers from Nissan. No more Nissans for me.

Can't go wrong with the Honda, far as I can tell. It's my first Honda car, but I've had a 2002 Honda 1100XX Super Blackbird and 2000 Honda 1800 VTX Custom motorcycle, and both were bulletproof and dead-on reliable. I expect the same from the car.

p.s. If you see a model you want, buy it now. Honda factory was shut-down in the recent Japan earthquake. I suspect with persistent high fuel costs, and warmer weather soon, there's going to be a shortage of small Japanese imports.

Greg

 

Mike998 Welcome to the freakworld! You've gotten some good advice - go for the Fit. It's a great car and you'll enjoy the shifting, I do and I've been shifting cars for a bit of time.

Why anyone cops an attitude with some one coming on board for feedback is beyond me.

 

i got the 2010 sport with the At and love it so far. i have always had a 5 speed cars and loved them, but i drive into the city every day for work and get stuck in bumber to bumber, to the AT make my ride more enjoyable. the paddel shifters are ok but not as fun at a MT car. I would pick the car that best fits your comute (fits.... lol)

 

Wife and I love her 09 Sport. The Sport automatic has paddles and you can use them when you feel like going manual and you can use plain automatic when you don't feel like shifting. To me it's the best of both worlds. The Fit is a nice, practical and economical drive. A lot of owners seem to want to make it into something it's not.

I apologize for the search Nazi. Every forum has them.

 

don't do it.


joking. just do it.

 

My only issue with The Fit is the driving position. I am only 5'9 but I have longer legs and the leg to arm ration is a little awkward (even with the telescoping wheel) and the seat design isn't my favorite (seems rather flat and not much side support). I came from a 98 Civic that fit me very well (unfortunately, I needed a hatchback so the new Civic wasn't an option). That is my only complaint. I'm very happy with the car and it's performance (fyi; I went from a manual to auto...couldn't deal shifting in daily LA traffic anymore).

 

I did a quick search with this string and did not find anything applicable to the topic. What a poor selection of search terms.

 

I prefer the manual but I can certainly see the benefit to the slick auto in this car. Like others have mentioned above, this manual shifts with very little effort but the RPM at 70 is a tad loud. The only reason I had to have the manual was for personal safety. I give driving more attention when I have a manual trans. Also, I "feel" as though the fit is quicker with the manual. I'm sure it's fine either way so make sure you drive both. I'm coming from a wrangler with a 5spd so this gearbox feels like a video game as compared to the jeep's 6", clunky throw.

 

Thanks for all the comments and advice. Looks like I'm going to go with the auto transmission.

 

Yet we still manage better mileage on average..

There is a lot of mechanical energy lost through heat from slip, becase the TC locks and unlocks so friggin often.



If you can already drive a manual, you might be kicking yourself for going AT in a car like this. Just my opinion of course.

But buying a Fit in general? WINNING.

 

Hope it's not too late - MANUAL!!!

 

I hope you get one! Please let us know how you like it! I just got mine (2010 Sport -automatic) on Tuesday and I LOVE IT!

But be careful...I went from driving a Ford Focus. When I drove the Fit to work Tuesday night I was thankful no cops were around! I didn't realize that the Fit was that fast!

And I am glad that the other members of the forum were nice to the thread starter. Who bloody cares if the guy didn't search!

 

All my past cars have been manuals, but since I'm on the roads almost 3 hours daily (lots of traffic), an auto REALLY helps. For the last couple of years, I've been driving my wife's car which is AT and as much as I hated the response in the beginning, I quickly grew to love the convenience and ease, especially when taking care of a toddler in the back also. Overall, the Fit is great car and the best I found in the class when I was researching. It's roominess is unmatched and the primary reason I bought it. Fit and finish is good, albeit not as good as other Hondas, both past and present. Quality of materials is pretty good for the class. Engine is very responsive and surprisingly torquey at low speeds and merging onto freeways is pretty easy. Passing at freeway speeds though is not nearly as fast as any HOndas I've had in the past (although an MT would help a bit here with it's shorter gearing). Ride is decent (a bit soft and thus some minor oscillations can be felt) and handling is actually surprisingly good, especially with the donut-size tires that come with my Base. The only other car I really considered was the Mazda 2. It's very attractive, handles well, great interior, but it has much less usable space compared to the Fit. Good luck with your searching and Fit purchase. I doubt you'll regret it if you've done your research well and considered your options against your needs/wants.