I had a 2014 CR-Z that I LOVED but was on the recall list too.
I had traded in my 2008 Fit Sport when I got the CR-Z. Just got a 2016 Fit EX. It is nice but I miss the handling of my CR-Z. I test drove the 2016 CR-Z but did not like the steering.

 

My MT does pretty well on gas. I've got a good mix of back country roads, trying to keep it below 80 on the highway and horrible first gear messes during rush hour.

And it never second guesses me when I tell it to go. It stays in the gear that I put it in and does its thing.

 

Intriguing. A friend likes my manual Fit so much that we went looking for one for him. None to be found here.

It's odd to me. The manual is a beautiful snicky transmission. A shame the don't sell them.

 

I just posted on a related thread...

The 2016 EX brochure and on line for USA doesn't show the manual transmission available. It seems that Honda has relegated the manuals to the lowest trim level which is very unfortunate for those that like the "EX" features. Same for the new civic right now too. MT Only available in the civic 2016 LX (although there is a rumor that the civic EXT will have a MT option).

 

Lovely smooth manual transmission in the 2016 Fit, though I still skip gears shifting up and down. If Honda does not wish to sell manual transmissions then I'd be going for a Mazda3. As always there are alternatives to Honda. No manufacturer will force me to go CVT if I have a choice.

This is a very bad marketing move. Are the EX models and manual transmissions even related decisions? What about EX, Leather and manual transmission? If you want a tad more options you will be ok with giving up the manual transmission? Ridiculous.

 

I had seen the same issue when I started the process late last year/early this year of getting a Fit EX with a manual. Person at the local dealer I had been working with had said very few of the EX were going to have a manual in part because of the ramp up and production of the HR-V. I wound up going on cars.com and doing a search in a 250 mile radius. None to be found locally. Wound up going to Atlanta and getting a leftover 15 in silver. I had really wanted the blue but there was one 16. It was too far away and I suspected that I would have not got as good of a deal on it. My 01 Civic I had bought new was silver and wanted a different color. However the silver has grown on me.

As for mileage I'm at about 38 so far and that's maybe half city/half highway for my commute and errand running. Work is 22 miles one way and is a bit over half interstate driving. Just did my first road trip after driving back from Atlanta after taking delivery. Got 43.8 on that tank and the fill up I did part way back I'm showing 45.3 on the MPG avg so far. I will be doing commuting the rest of the tank and will be interested in what it does.

The highway estimate is 37 so I'm beating that so far even in mixed driving. I'm sure it helps that I run about 65 on the Interstate and I tend to shift up as early as I can,

 

I just went to the Build and Price function for the 2016 Fit on the US site, and the manual is there as a selection for the EX. What am I missing?

 

They are still making them, just not many. A couple weeks ago for fun I did a search for Fit EX's with a manual within 500 miles of Nashville. There were 5 16's and 23 15's. Almost seems that if someone is looking for a manual one it may be worth it to do a fly and drive. My guess is that since the 15's have been sitting on the lot for at least 6 months the dealer would be eager to deal and get rid of it. The 15 I bought had sat for a year or so at the dealer guessing by the PDI paperwork.

 

Even a year ago, my local dealer had to "import" an EX manual from a dealer 200 miles away. Sad to see it come to this, but that's America for you, full of "shiftless" people who won't shift for themselves and don't give a shift.

 

Amen to that. Hard to text and other things if you actually have to *gasp* row the gears yourself. Almost every car I've had has been a manual and the day I can no longer drive a manual gearbox is the day I turn in my driving license. Death before CVT!

 

I owned only one automatic transmission car in my life, and that was my first car, a used 1970 Buick. I've driven only manuals since 1979.


Watching me try to drive an automatic is downright comical as I keep reaching for the clutch and finding the brake instead.

 

What's more fun is a few seconds after taking off when your right foot automatically lifts and your left stabs the clutch... but all that's there for it to hit is a nice wide brake pedal.

 

Yeah, that's what I was trying to describe. I took the salesman for a demo drive when I tried out the CVT equipped Fit. I nearly pitched him through the windshield when I tried to get second gear.

 

I stand corrected because I misinterpreted the brochure. The Fit brochure only shows CVT under EX but also says (available) which seems to indicate that the LX option of a manual transmission is also available. Doh!

 

Umm, The CVT's brake pedal is about 1" wider than the manual's It isn't nearly as wide as the old school pedals on American automatic that would easily accommodate two feet. There's a large gap where the clutch pedal would normally reside, which allows me to enjoy a few more inches of room for my left leg.

If you're mistaking the CVT's brake for a clutch the problem isn't the pedal!

The brochure could say that a supercharger and nitrous are available, but if Honda doesn't actually produce the cars you're out of luck! "No sticks today, sorry, try tomorrow..."

 

All I said was the manual was listed on the web site, which it is, Probably to allow Honda to advertise a lower price. Then you go to the dealer, where they'll "upsell" you to the more expensive CVT, because that's all that's available.

A classic "bait and switch".

 

It is funny you should mention "bait and switch". One of Canada's investigative reporting TV shows, W5, did an investigation and mystery shopper test on new car advertising. They specifically investigated Honda Canada and the 2015 Honda Fit DX, their cheapest car. W5 found that there were no Fit DXs available and there was no estimated time for delivery. In other words, for your convenience they will upsell you.

BTW I am one of the few unicorns that was able to find this model, and it was sheer luck of the draw. My car was destined for another province but was not even in transit yet when I bought it. I still had to wait 2 months.

 

When the Honda Element first came out, Honda's demographic was the younger crowd - 20 somethings - as evidenced by their advertisements of cheery young folks with surfboards, wet dogs, etc. Then they found out the median age of the Element buyer was 42. Not exactly the demo they were targeting.

I think the same thing is happening with the EX 6MT shortage. Honda figured that anyone who wanted the stick is probably a younger buyer, short on cash and wouldn't want all the extras with the EX model. In my mind, not so much of an upsell to the CVT as a severe misunderstanding of the real buyers in today's market, and a failure to understand the demo of the older buyer wanting a stick.

 

Honda and Scion targeted the Gen-Y demographic with the Element and the xB. Both found that people in this age range don't generally buy new cars. They drive hand-me-downs from their parents or buy used.

The 6-speed shortage is simply because Honda switched production to Japan and they are only producing LXs and EXs with CVTs for the US. You'd have the same problem if you wanted the EX-L, they aren't making any.

 

I'd say Honda has misjudged the demographic of the Fit as well, at least around here. I'm 63, and most of the people I see driving Fits are older than me.