Hello. The more I obsess over fit, the more I realize I may be an AT guy than a MT guy. Anyway one nice thing is the paddles, which is a good compromise. A friendo f mine drove a paddle manumatic BMW before and he said the paddles are very unresponsive. I then got worried, cuz if this is the case I might have to rethink if i want the manual or auto. Then i read a review from one of the fit reviews someone posted today and they said the paddles are responsive.

So are the fit paddles responsive? If you've used either the MT fit, or drove MT before, mention it, so it kinda gains your comment more credibility

 

Which model BMW? If it was the M3 it must not have been on option 6.

 

When i test drove the Fit, the paddles were very responsive...hardly any delay between shifting...

Only downside is the auto-shift between 1-2.....sometimes i'd be ready to shift into 2 and it would automatically do it and then I'd hit it and go into 3...

But I guess that's down to unfamiliarity with the car and the engine...

 

I've read 2 Fit reviews that say the Fit feels as fast with the paddles as it does with the manual. I'm starting to think the paddles might work for me.

 

If I've read things correctly, that wouldn't happen if you were in "S" mode. It will only shift when you trigger the paddles. In drive you can intervene with the paddles, but it will only hold the gear for a limited period of time. It will then shift to where it wants to be.

 

No, I'm pretty sure that I was in S mode and I'm pretty sure that Honda has set the tranny to automatically change from 1-2 even in S mode.

It's like that on my wife's TL....

 

One thing to keep in mind if you're trying to decide between the manual and the auto is that no matter how responsive the paddles are to your inputs, you still are going to miss a big part of the benefit of a true manual -- namely the direct link between engine and tranny (no torque converter). I've yet to see an auto car act as responsive/immediate/precisely to throttle input as does a manual. Auto = minimal/no engine braking, imprecise throttle steering, etc. Mind you, not saying auto's suck, but there's more to it than just shifting gears, and if you care about those other aspects, I'd pass on the auto; if not, then the the Fit's setup is a big step over any other competitor's.

 

I could have swore I read a review somewhere that said in Sport mode the Fit will hold the gear until redline. It won't shift until you use the paddles. Are you absolutely sure you were in S mode? I thought that was the point of the Sport mode.

 

Yep, I found it. This is from Honda.


http://www.hondanews.com/CatID2150?m...55013&mime=asc

In Sport mode (S), however, the driver has more control. The transmission will hold whichever gear is chosen by the driver via the paddle shifter. As opposed to normal driving situations where Fit's transmission would automatically upshift when needed, in Sport mode, the transmission holds the selected gear until it is manually shifted.

Though, I think you can drive it in sport mode without touching the paddles and it will just hold the gear longer than in drive mode, but if you use the paddles it will be in manual and hold the gear until redline and to get out of that mode you might have to shift it back into drive mode. This could explain your experience. I could be wrong.

 

I would be willing to bet the product liability types have their hands in this somewhere. There is probably a shift point in there somewhere, even in the "S" mode to keep you from pinging off the rev-limiter like an idiot. It probably also won't let you downshift into a gear that would over-rev the engine either. Maybe Yuf just wasn't ready to shift until after he redlined it?

 

I doubt it was an SMG-II equipped M3. Even in S1, the shifts are extremely fast and precise. Besides, SMG-II isn't a manumatics or tiptronic automatic. Its still a true manual with a physical clutch, minus the clutch pedal, using electronic gearshift actuators instead. The Fit's automatic transmission with paddle shifters are nothing like BMW's SMG units.

 

The Audi/VW 6 speed auto/manual twin clutch unit always has the next gear (up or down) turning at he current engine rpm, and some models have paddle shifters.

It changes gears like butter (or a CVT)- you have got to drive it to believe it! Problem is you have got to spend $25K or more to get it (Audii A3, VW GTI, or new hard top convertable).

I tried BMW 'automanual'- sucks just like regular VW 'automanual'- you experience big delays, and surges. Mazda now has their 5 speed 'automanual' in their '3' 5-door hatch at under $ 20K- the tranny is just a sucky as the rest, but at a better price (but no MP-3 jack till later this summer.)

 

Well the 99TL would let you manually hold all gears, and the later TLs would automatically upshift from 1-2. But for all the other gears it will not upshift; you could hit the rev limiter all day if you wanted too.

With the verbage that I have read for the Fit Sport 5AT, it sounds like it will not upshift for you when in sport mode; it should hold all gears.

Also, every manumatic designed that I know of will not allow you to downshift if it will cause the engine to overrev.

 

Correct, It won't down shift if it's not possible. The gear display will just blink, but it will hold the gear till redline and then it will shift up automatically if you haven't already done so. If it is phenomonally responsive as the S2000 driver said, I think alot of people will be torn between the AT and MT.

Of course the market just might decide that for me as the MT is supposed to be in short supply. I might have to take what I can get which isn't a bad thing if its a Fit AT with paddles it sounds like.

 

VW/Audi DSG is amazing. My friend just got his new GTI with DSG and the shifts are crisp and quick.

 

The manual Fit is too smooth and the clutch is too light for me to even think of paying 1300$ for an automatic with paddle shifters.

 

i'm really going to have to test drive carefully. i ususally hate slush boxes but i do almost all my driving in hideous stop and go driving and i imagine i'll wear out a clutch in no time - not to mention my legs and my sanity. maybe one day i'll have a garage in which to store an MG or other impractical manual second car but right now it sure seems like i need an auto. man i feel old.

 

The VW/DSG is a 6 spd. unit as is the new Nissan Versa's manual box. Is it a question of more 'rowing' thru the gears to get a quicker car, and/or a lower r.p.m. per m.p.h. to get a lower m.p.g. Is the Fit's power band wide enough to handle 4 (non-Sport auto.) or 5 ratios without 2 spark plugs per cyl.? The 'world class' FIT uses 2 spark plugs per cyl., and 7 speeds with the CVT while the Dodge Caliber/Jeep Compass CVT uses 6 speeds with paddle shifters.

 

"One thing to keep in mind if you're trying to decide between the manual and the auto is that no matter how responsive the paddles are to your inputs, you still are going to miss a big part of the benefit of a true manual -- namely the direct link between engine and tranny (no torque converter)."

I couldn't agree with you more! When driving into a corner at or near the limit (in a responsible manner of course) , a manual and its clutch allow for limitless possibilities of weight tranfer on any vehicle, much less a light front-wheel driver.

After becoming familiar with the idiosyncracies of a particular vehicle's driving dynamics, one will always appreciate the additional control allowed by a manual vs. automatic transmission. If heal-and-toe driving is difficult due to poor pedal placement (which is NOT the case with the Fit), then I can see the advantage of a DSG-type transmission, as it allows for left foot braking. One can therefore approximate the benefits of judicious weight tranfer from/to the drive wheels.

IMO, winter driving especially is much safer when equipped with a light front-driver with manual transmission.

 

I'm right there with you, man. It's easy to get caught up in the "enthusiast mind set" regarding a manual tranny. But living in any metro area (I'm near LA) means a ridiculous amount of time waiting at stop lights, in stop-n-go traffic, etc. Not to mention sometimes talking on a cellphone, drinking a coffee or reaching back to beat on some beligerant in the back seat For me the convenience trumps it.

I loved my old Accord EX coupe with five speed, but a commuter's life is less about carving canyon roads than wearing out your left leg. And I've been through the youthful infatuations - Olds 442 with a Hurst shifter, rebuilt the clutch on my Alfa Giulia Sprint Veloce, etc. Been there, done that. Now I'm all about slouching, LOL.