I am now debating between a manual 2013 base or a manual 2015 lx. I've read multiple accounts regarding the superior handling of the 2013. Is it really lacking in power on the highway? Is the difference in handling really that great? I am going to be test driving an automatic 2013 soon, there are no manuals in my area. I have driven the 2015 cvt, and it seemed alright (I'm coming from a big old truck). Thanks for reading.

 

I don't think the 2013 (well, I have a 2012, but it's identical) is lacking in power on the highway. It's not a high performance sports car, of course, but it's perfectly capable of maintaining speed and merging and so forth, though of course sometimes a downshift or two is involved.

The power difference between the 2015 and the 2013 looks to me to be more or less just an incremental difference. The extra gear on the transmission is IMHO wasted for normal driving—the top and bottom gear ratios are more or less equivalent, they're just divided up more finely on the newer model, so you spend more time rowing the shift lever for little if any benefit.

I can't really say how the handling compares between the models. Either one is going to be a fair bit crisper than a typical big old truck. Do note that the 2013 base and sport models differ somewhat in their handling, mostly due to the addition of an anti-roll bar in the sport model (but partly due to tire differences as well). I'm under the vague impression that the 2015's all have identical suspension setups, regardless of trim level, but I might be mistaken there.

 

I have a 13 Fit Base 5 MT. Bought it used with 4,000 miles on it. Nice little car, mostly to & from work, freeway & surface street mix. No problem with driving down the road. When I first had it, noticed on the freeway that I was able to go from 45 MPH in 5th and go back up to 65 with little problem. Didn't downshift at all. High so far of 41 MPG and worst is 30. Am using A/C and still have plenty of power to get on freeway. Maybe you can get a good deal on the 13. I think either car would be good. The 15 LX does have a back up camera and cruise control with the stick. I have cruise on mine but wish I had the backup camera.