I know you're partially kidding, but I personally feel like I can put 100% of my attention on the road because I'm not thinking about shifting. Also having 2 hands on the wheel all the time makes me feel more confident that I can react faster.

Now that just me, but I totally get what you're saying when most people end up being lazy and drive around half asleep. I see those zombies on the road everyday. For those types, I agree that MT would keep them more alert.

like any other technology, it's how you use it. Computers and smartphones can be used to be more productive and more efficient, but a lot of people use them just to waste time and therefore most people thinking having a smartphone means you'll be glued to it and unaware of your surroundings. I believe the same can be said about AT. but I definitely feel like I'm in the minority.

 

I need to learn how to drive a MT....no one had one when I was younger and my plan on getting one from enterprise to learn hasnt panned out since they no longer offer MT...

as for the fit...I love this car despite my back telling me otherwise. If the seat was better and the car an inch wider outside and inside I'd be a repeat customer...I;ve driven many cars of various classes and the fit's visibility is par none outside of a convertible. The handling is also great (especially after upsizing tires and a RSB).

Also last year I hydroplaned into a divider on a bridge. During the seconds where I realized I was going to hit that divider, I was able to maintain control and slow down enough to hit the side on my wheel and pop off the bumper. This little car then limped 7 additional miles from the Williamsburg Bridge to Staten Island and back to Bayonne where I dropped it off to the body shop.

This car is small but it is by no means fragile...

 

mike410b- Dodging is using maneuver to avoid accidents. Driving into a tree or an oncoming car in an effort to avoid a squirrel is something else entirely. Let's leave people who panic or make bad decisions out of the conversation when we're listing accident avoidance methods.

I'll take a bicycle before I go the "wrap me in enough steel to ride out anything" route.

 

Mike410b - Its funny you mention the SUV thing. A coworker has been hit 3 times, two of those times rearended while stopped at a light by a pick up truck... and each time he has bought a larger SUV. Now he's having the frame rebuilt on his Nissan Pathfinder - UGH... rebuilt frame, because Nissan thought it wise to have the frame built in pieces. I'm not touching that topic with a ten foot pole, but I guess he's one of those who keeps going larger because he's growing more and more fearful of other drivers. I see more and more women picking up their kids at my daughter's school in huge vehicles. I am not envious of them, I'll just say that.

So now my coworker has a super expensive headache of repairs. I would personally not want to have to drive an SUV. I have a child, but I basically just minimize trips and change routes if I feel traffic is dangerous.

 

In case anyone hasn't seen this, here's a link to a very interesting crash test done in the UK. Basically, it's an offset head-on crash of a Renault Modus - a car similar in size to the Fit - against a larger, heavier Volvo 940 wagon:


While I'm no expert, the bent/twisted modern SUVs I've seen after crashes look more like the Volvo than the Renault. I think I'd rather be in my Fit.

 

So the engine of the volvo came into the passenger compartment? Yet not in the little car. Hmm.

 

If you're driving MT and both your hands can't be on the wheel 99% of the time, you are doing it wrong. You're very very rarely in a situation where you need both hands and they're not available because your hand is on the shifter. I honestly don't think that's ever happened to me. Shift, hand on wheel, shift, hand on wheel, shift, hand on wheel. That's what shifter extensions are for, minimizing time moving between shifter and wheel, and that's why an extension + short shifter is awesome. If you're in a hard corner you're not shifting, if you are, well, you botched that one up pretty good.

I used to tell myself the same thing when I drove autos only, but it's mostly irrelevant. Of course it's all personal preference and if that makes you feel better then I am nobody to discount that.

Enterprise doesn't rent MT Mini Coopers anymore? That's dissapointing. They used to have Minis and 328is in MT you could rent

 

The Fit is good at avoiding accidents

Newer cars are designed with crumple zones where upon impact will absorb the energy and, if bad enough, I’ve seen some where the engine gets shifted to the ground to absorb the energy of the impact. Modern cars are much better designed to absorb impact and are made to self destruct in worst case scenarios to protect the occupants.

FWIW, the new trend of cost savings to convert body on frame SUVs into unibody chassis SUVs have really reduced their capable-ness. Stay away from damaged Fit’s b/c while a unibody chassis can be pulled to “look” good, their the energy absorbing frame is done unless they more than just "bang it out" and replace some panels to cover it up but that would not be profitable on a Fit. Lesson, don’t buy Fits (err, cars) that have been in an accident. This is why you see a crap load of car on Craigslist for really cheap and the only catch is “rebuild” title. Sure it can get you from point A to point B and look nice and shiny, just don’t get into an accident… Drive alert and be safe.

 

I'd say that with a driving style appropriate to the vehicle and the situation (winter, rain, school zone, city, highway etc) MT and AT are 100% equally safe. However, MT takes less effort for me to drive safely than a AT. Why? Because gears keep me from speeding. I know that if I want to drive a steady 30-35 mph (50kph) I can moderately press the gas pedal in 3rd or coast along in 4th almost never touching the accelerator. If I'm in a school zone that's 30kph, I can just throw the car in second and I know I'm at the right speed. With auto tranny, you gotta glance at your speedo a little and then really get good at modulating the one pedal you have to drive from 5 to 150 mph!

A good driver will be good in any situation but being able to control my speed with gears makes me feel like I have to spend less effort keeping my vehicle at the appropriate speed for the situation. Then again, the GD's 107 HP is a great means of avoiding speeding tickets

 

yeah i know that your hands will both be on the wheel 99% of the time. but i honestly do feel better with that extra 1%
then again I dont trust anyone else on the road. If someone actually signals, ill believe it when they finish the turn. I can easily imagine a situation where someone cuts me off and crashes into something in front of them. Id have to slow down as fast as possible and/or dodge them. that split second needed to downshift or move the hand back to the wheel in such a tight space could make a huge difference. in my mind anyway, i dont like leaving this to chance...

 

Connor, you just said something that clicked with me. Got my Fit Jan 17 and have been re-learning to drive a stick again. Took me about 2 months to really feel comfortable, after 14 years of driving an automatic. But, I was in a situation where I had to go around a car to avoid an incident, and I was in 4th gear. I got around the other car and then hit the gas and of course the response was slow, cuz I was in 4th. I should have down shifted, but just didn't think of doing that - probably cuz I forgot I was driving a stick. It worked out OK, but I have to remember I'm in a stick car.

I drove sticks for many years, then the automatic, now a stick again. I really like driving the stick (except for stop & go freeway traffic), but the M/T in the Fit is harder to drive than my old stick cars, cuz of that PITA clutch valve and the rpm's staying up after the clutch is depressed. Really don't care for that.

Hmmmm, maybe Honda needs to put a real tall shift lever in the Fit, like you see in the Rally cars, and shift by just moving the lever. No clutch.....

 

^You'll get used to the rev hang and clutch, it took me a while especially since the previous stick car I had was an 86 and the clutch is cable, and the car I re-practiced on before the Corolla was a S2000... It took like 6 months but I figured it out on the Fit, sometimes you have to give a little throttle blip inbetween gears to keep it smooth, at least that's what I do if i'm shifting slow, if you shift fast you won't notice it as much.

 

The trick for driving in trafic is to try coasting in first. It almost feels the same as letting of the brake on an AT.

 

^Yes first, and for me usually second. The Fit will pull from almost a dead stop no problem in second and won't stall out. I only shift to 1st if I have to come to a complete stop. If it's really bad traffic idling in 1st is fine too, it will just chug along, just be really light on the throttle unless you want to look like a bucking bronco lol

 

The volvo in the video is quite old, made before all the safety regulations. I wonder if there is a video of a modern SUV vs a Fit (or some such small car). I think the results might be quite different than what is in this video. 2-3 tons of steel vs 1+ ton of steel.

Regarding how safe i feel in the fit, I was feeling ok until i saw the latest small offset crash results.
IIHS site for fit: Vehicle details

 

They don't have any tests for being rearended. Seems that would be important.

 

There is no chance. The average driver would probably not downshift in an emergency, just stomp on the clutch and the brake. Theoretically, a manual driver could start a braking manoeuvre earlier since his foot is already resting on the clutch thus disengaging the propulsion is possible before even reaching for the brake. However, we are now in the realm of splitting hairs which goes to show how ridiculous this discussion even is. Manual or auto, accident avoidance is about who's in the drivers seat, not hands on the wheel, clutch etc etc... Both are equally safe. However, I find it easier to maintain speed and get the most power out of my puny engine with MT thus it's my preference but has nothing to do with safety.

 

There is a chance, and I'm not going to risk it. I might have to dodge into an adjacent lane and immediately speed up after the sudden slow down to avoid being rear ended. At least 2 times the hand has to be off the wheel. But I agree we are starting to get a little over hypothetical...

And you are right, it ultimately comes down to the driver. You can't blame your transmission for getting into an accident after all :P

It is interesting to see the potential pros and cons of each discussed here. But I agree that in the real world, the difference will be negligible.

 

I agree with this. I only go to 1st if I'm at a dead stop or so slow that going to 2nd would lug the engine. If I'm at 1000 RPm in 2nd, it will pick right up. Not too shabby for such a TLE (Tiny Little Engine).

 

After seeing semi trucks crushing little cars due to ice, I have to say no. Then again, no little car is going to be safe in that situation. Heck, not even a mini van would be safe.