I just bought my second Honda fit which is an automatic. I noticed a few things. One is that if you put the car in S mode you can use the paddle shifters to go through all 5 gears. It seems to be more difficult than driving a manual but it shifts nicely. Second I noticed if the car is in s mode and you dont touch the shifters it will do its own shifting. lately I dont know if it is the weather ( kinda cold here 32 f) but it seems that when my car is in s mode and I am not using the paddle shifters It does not want to shift out of second gear....
When the car is in d mode I dont like how it shifts.... The gas milage around town sucks compaired to the manual period. I think the auto matic is good for city driving or comfort with out regard to gas milage and long term dependability.
I noticed on the forum that some people are saying that s mode does not have a 5th gear. I have seen 5th gear in s mode. It reads on the led display. Well lets hear all your good coments. thanks for your attention on this thread.

 

From what I can tell: S mode without using paddle shifters keeps the engine reved a bit so you have quicker power/response. On the down side, it would avoid shifting up and use more gas.

When you shift from D to S, it goes down a gear right away.

 

When driving in S mode with out using the paddles it will go from 1st to 4th only, but hold the gears longer. I have the auto sport. I drive it most of the time in sport mode. I think the paddle's are very nice and the shifting is precise. No delay's. Plus you can down shift to slow down the car. You just have to get familair with the car first. Yes when driving and you shift from D to S, it does down a gear right away. You have to be careful with that. I usually go from D to S at around a lower speed or from a dead stop. I beleive the auto sport has a nice transmission. It has a racy feel with the paddles. Accelleration is nice and on the highway it moves along pretty well.

 

I have the Auto Sport with all 5 gears not 4 and the one thing I like about mine is that I have 100% control over my transmission, which means it will never shift up or down for me I have to do it all myself.
I found out when the rev limiter keeped bouncing up and down so I can see if it would shift for me and it didnt.

I hate the D mode, I find it shifts way to high in the RPM even when I'm gentle on the peddle.

 

On "S" mode, it holds the gears and you have to shift manually using the paddles. On "D" mode, you can shift manually but will not hold the gears, this is good for passing or engine braking.

Hondady, i've never heard of the 1st to 4th on "S" mode. I'm confused... did you mean something else with that statement?

 

In D it shifts like any other normal 5-speed automatic. If you decide to use the paddle-shifters, you can force an upshift or downshift when it meets certain requirements. When it "thinks" you are done with your shifting, it will revert back to normal automatic mode.

In S, without hitting the paddle-shifters, the transmission will use 1 through 3 in normal driving. If you approach redline in 3rd, it will shift into 4th. NOTE: that this is around 90 mph. So, it will use 4th, but it will not shift into 5th, as you don't have the ability to hit redline in 4th.

When using the paddle-shifters in S-mode, you have control over the shift point, as long as you are going fast enough for it to shift up (it won't shift into 5th at 20 mph, for example) or you are not going to fast for the downshift (it won't shift into 2nd at 60 mph, for example.)

I normally use D-mode around town. I use S-mode on the interstate as I don't want it to downshift on a minor hill. If there is a long hill, then I go ahead and downshift to 4th on my own, and shift back to 5th as I approach the summit of the hill.

 

great comments.... I notice myself that I forget to shift using the paddle shifters... I would not mind it so much if I knew I would get great gas mileage like the 5 speed manual does... Already I see the difference in mpg from the manual fit I drove for four months and the auto fit I drive now. Big difference....

 

would you save a considerable amount of gas using thrifty auto s mode shifting?

anyone tried driving through a tank using d mode driving, say on a commute to work, then tried the same path using s mode?

 

i never use s mode lol i've been in an is300 and a is250 the last few years and I never once got a boner using the stupid paddle shifters in either of my cars... the fit is no different.

It's just a commuter car for me.

 

Why don't you think it's dependable in the long term?

 

Yeah, you can shift from S to D at any point. It's an autimatic, so it's smart and knows not to mess anything up. It will only shift if you're going from D to S and in 5th... I believe it pops it down to 4th or 3rd, but it isn't a big deal.

 

If you're on the highway going along at, say, 65 mph, and you decide that you want to put it in S-mode, you can, and it will drop down to 3rd gear on you. Its kind of freaky the first time you do it.

However, if you are coordinated, you can drop to "S" with your right hand, and hit the right paddle at the same time with your left hand (it sounds more complicated than it is...) it will go into S-mode in 5th gear.

Hope that helps!

 

It is an uneducated stament perhaps an ignorant one. My perspective on the matter is that a manual is basic and bear bone. In contrast an auto is more complex with computers and on and on.... Autotransmisions are the number one neglected item on cars. I perfer to rely on good engineering and good driving habits fluid change and clutch replacement now and then.
I have seen manuals with problems but for two reasons 1) poor engineering by the maker and 2)bad driving habits.
I have seen more problems with automatics. They dont get serviced. They are delicate machines. The bottem line is I dont want to deal with the chance of a problem with an automatic..... For a long term choice of a car in the class of the Fit, I choice manual.
I am a firm believer that autos are great for city driving and luxury. With a manual I have control....
One thing I dont like about the Fit Manual is you are always shifting. It is more of a work out and it keeps me from stuffing food in my mouth.
I have my note pad out to take notes from you Guys and Gals.