Yikes!
And the added wear and tear for that extra rpm which was the biggest turn off for me. Hopefully Honda sees this and makes changes to the manual Fit in the future - taller 6th gear.


Forgot which magazine in 2015 but there was an article comparing several CVT equipped cars and 3rd gen Fit CVT received a very favorable comment if not the best of the bunch. You will like it.

 

Also a prior MR2 owner...

On Saturday I drove 200 miles round trip in the Integra at 75 to 80mph and it was crazy loud inside but also very enjoyable with a 5 speed. However, conversation with 4K RPMs in that car requires lots of elevated voice to hear and be heard.

Contrast that the next day with over a hundred miles in the 2015 CVT Fit and being able to use normal voice levels at the same speeds with hardly any engine or road noise. I felt like I was in a luxury car from that standpoint, just not as engaging to drive as the 5 speed Integra GSR. I have no regrets with the CVT for my quieter drives.

 

To satisfy my curiosity, I test drove one of two remaining '15 Fit EX 6MTs on my dealer lot while they did my CVT recall today. The car was identical to mine (including color) in every way except the transmission.

First, it was an absolute BLAST to drive "my" car with a 6MT. Didn't realize how much I missed rowing my own.

The route I took allowed me to get up to ~75 MPH for a couple miles before exiting onto surface roads that included some turns and one fairly steep uphill climb. So I got to experience a good mix of driving situations.

My takeaway is that the 6MT has a much higher "fun factor" on surface streets, but the CVT is by far the better choice for high-speed cruising due to the taller final drive "gearing."

With the 6MT, when you're on the highway cruising above around 60-65 MPH, it starts to get quite frantic and simply feels like it wants another gear. It's even worse at 75, of course. I could put up with that when I were a younger man (and did!), but I think it would get really old, really fast on one of the 16-hour road trips I've made this past year.

The close ratio spacing means you can skip a gear pretty easily in town if you want, and on that steep hill climb I mentioned, I left it in 5th all the way up. 5th, BTW, seems to be the "comfortable" gear in a 45 MPH speed zone. It would be better if 3rd or 4th were that gear!

I drove my CVT home in Sport mode (S6), which was almost identical to 6th on the 6MT. It holds the RPMs steady, which is similar to the 6MT, but you loose the effect the moment you "upshift or downshift." "Downshifts" with the CVT in Sport mode are fairly crisp, but "upshifts" are slow and muddy-feeling. Plus, you don't get to blip the throttle, not that anyone needs to double-clutch a MT these days!

So having now tried both, I'm really torn! A lot (not all) of my daily driving fits the profile where the 6MT would be my first choice, but when I think of the longer road trips I make, I'd really want the CVT on those occasions.

I guess it's a moot point for me, since trading in a one-year-old CVT on a new 6MT would earn me a month or more of sleeping in the barn!

Hope this helps someone who's still on the fence in the ongoing debate over "which is better…" I honestly think *both* are, depending on what kind of driving you're doing.

es

 

I could never bring myself to buy a CVT, but what I did not expect is to have so much fun trying to get the max fuel economy out of my 6MT. I thought that this "hypermiling" stuff was for crackpots. It has started to alter my driving habits, such as coasting down hills, anticipating traffic lights, and pulse and glide. I find it quite addictive. This, a benefit of the MT, I did not expect. More fun, less speed, less police worry.

You will simply need to purchase another Fit for your wife, a 6MT, of course.

 

Where I live, the gearing isn't really an issue. Up here, you're not going to be driving at 80 MPH for very long, unless you like meeting interesting people like state troopers, judges and so forth.


The manual turns at 3100 RPM @ 65 MPH in 6th. Not an issue to me. I still average 42 MPG at that speed.

 

One more question I would ask is how the 5 gear manual transmission compares to the 6 gear. Here in Japan, the 6 gear is only available for the RS model. Yet, from reading through the comments, it seems that people aren't happy with the gearing of the 6MT.

And no, I'm not going to add another million yen to get the rally sport version of an economy car. Getting up to that price point means I've got much sportier cars to choose from.

So how do the 5 and 6 gear MTs compare with each other?

 

For me the 6 speed seems very unnecessary. Gear ratios are very close together, so there is more gear shifting involved. The final drive ratio is the same, so you're not gaining anything from an overdrive gear. Frankly, given the choice I'd take the 5 speed. 5 speeds would do the job with this small engine.

The 6 speed should have included an overdrive gear for the highway.

 

Thanks Toronto Boy. Glad to hear that the final drive ratio is the same. 5 gears is plenty for a little car.

 

Probably because of the folks like me that remember how bad the long term reliability has been on some of the CVT transmissions..

1.Subaru Justy total fail they ended up replacing them
2. Nissan computer controlled nightmare. Herts has a bunch of them the 3 I rented all sucked and I only had to live with them for a week. Horrible gas mileage.

I just don't really like the way they drive, I'd rather have a 6 to 8 speed auto.

Dont particularly like comuting with the stick..

Every snowmobile has a CVT ,,,, and a spare belt..

I'm sure they will work it out.. eventually

 

Large farm tractors have used CVTs for years – I recently bought a New Holland compact utility tractor (50hp) for my farm that has a CVT, so it's not like they're fragile or anything… but that said, they are newer in cars, and the use case is a bit different. Hopefully Honda have matured the design to the point where its reasonable to expect a 200K mile life out of one.

Our '12 VW Routan (rebadged Town & Country) has a 6sp auto, and I absolutely HATE it. I'd much rather have the old 4sp from our last T&C. It's always two gears away from where it should be.

Having driven the 6MT now, I would have to agree that commuting in traffic would be a chore with it due to the Very Close Ratios - I'd probably be skipping gears all the time! That said, the CVT isn't the best in those situations, either, as there's always a bit of a delay while it adjusts ratios, and if you're constantly on and off the gas, it seems to thrash a bit.

I had an early meeting in town today, so I had a 30 minute drive on the interstate at 70mph. I put it in S6 (to simulate 6th with a manual), and the engine noise is definitely "above threshold" (I have an aftermarket exhaust) and things felt a bit frantic. Every DD I've ever owned prior to my Fit had a MT, and many were geared "short," so I'm no stranger to this, but having gotten used to turning a touch over 2K at speed, I'm not that keen to give that up.

One additional way to look at it is that the 6MT is putting "miles" on the engine at a higher rate than the CVT.

As someone suggested above, it would almost be nice to have one of each, depending on how my driving for the day is going to be!

es

 

im a little surprised to hear you guys dont like the 6MT. i know in my 5MT GE there are times where i wished my 2nd and 3rd gears were shorter to give me that extra UMPH! in traffic.

 

Having 2 other engaging manual shift fun cars available, I can quantify my decision this way:

QUIETNESS(Fit GK CVT) + (2 x ENGAGING(manual shift car)) > ENGAGING(Fit GK 6MT)

Or, subtract the 2 engaging manual shifts and the equation changes:

ENGAGING(Fit GK 6MT) > QUIETNESS(Fit GK CVT)

Yes, I would have chosen the Fit 6MT if it was my only manual shift car since I value engaging over quietness if I had no other engaging options available.

 

Oh, it's not that I don't like the 6MT, I do! But like tbFit above, it comes down to how you drive and what characteristics you prefer. For some, the 6MT is the *only* option (or vice versa). I do so much highway travel these days, the CVT fits my use case better, even though I highly value the "engagedness" of the 6MT. I'll eventually finish restoring the two VWs in my sig, at which point I'll have two MT play toys to fill that void.

es

 

just wanted to chime in..have ALWAYS had a manual transmission but i swear this fit is such close ratios EVERYONE could out accelerate me as i shift like im rowing a boat to try and catch up. Not a huge fan of CVT and it is a very EASY manual transmission car to drive, hill assist is handy. but TBH in not sure my next car will be standard..maybe im just getting too old!!

 

The best choice for fuel economy and ease of control on torque range is the CVT with flipping + and - gear change under the steering wheel. In city driving using the D drive makes it easier for frequent pick up and slow down. On highway in the S mode flip the + or - switch will direct the engine to run the 2000 to 3500 rpm range for fuel economy or faster acceleration.

 

Actually, the nest choice is something that lets you select neutral and shut the engine off.

 

While I've never tried it rolling down the road, you can do this with the CVT – it's the only trick I know of to keep the radio playing after switching the engine off. If in park, the radio powers off along with the engine.

es

 

I recently got to drive 3 Fits back to back at a track event...

1. 2007 manual w/ Turbo - 200hp to the wheels!
2. 2009 Fit Sport automatic
3. 2015 EX CVT

I really thought that I could be content with the automatics since they have paddle shifters and I had a really good experience with the 1st and 2nd gen automatic Fits shifting on the street. But in a "racing" situation... Man it stank. It never wanted to downshift and it just totally watered down the whole experience missing the clutch pedal and a stick shift. On a plus note the 2015 I drove only had upgraded tires and wheels and it handled really well! Except you can't fully disable stability control and it kept cutting power during corner exits.

I'm only 24 but I also agree that the cruising RPM on the highway is a bit ridiculous. I've been using my sister's RSX Type S and at 75-80mph, you're at 4000 rpm and the noise is pretty "there". Especially since she has an Injen cold air intake. It gets old!

I've also driven a 2015 Fit LX 6 speed and noticed that the engine noise on the new Fit penetrates the cabin more than the old models and is pretty buzzy and annoying even after just a few minutes.

I hope to get a 2016 EX sometime soon to replace my 2008 Fit Sport Manual. I still want a manual, although they seem impossible to find now. The 5th gear seemed silly to me at first since it's so close to the 6th gear ratio, but after driving my car more it makes perfect sense with our tiny torque-less wonders. It's perfect for 40mph cruising on the street or when there is a slight hill at higher speed for some extra oomph!

 

I was scared of the Higher RPM of the Fit with manual transmission but I got one anyway and was glad I did. My old 1995 Ford Escort with a five speed manual ran 2150 RPM at 55 MPH in top Gear. My 2015 Fit runs at about 2550 at 55MPH in 6th gear. I love the gearing on the manual Fit but of course just my opinion. I am getting about 47.0 MPG since It has got cold but I have hit 50 MPG in the summer when I do not run the air. Yes I do have the rare passionberry purple color. I read about 4 percent of 2015s were this color with a manual. The bottom line is buy what you want to drive. I would pick the manual transmission option over the color.

James

 

Thats a very reasonable RPM at 55mph and probably reasonably quiet as well. Add 20MPH on our freeways here in SoCal and it is another story. Everyone's situation is different and if I could keep to a max of 55mph, I would have chosen the manual too.