I think the Fit MT feels better than the Civic MT (06-07) that I've driven.

 

yeah the clutch engagment range is very narrow. Its easy to almost kill the engine if ur not paying attention. But its a very crisp and easy shifter. Each time you shift its very satisfying. Very solid and predictable. It needs a 6th gear though. The rpms get kinda high and loud at 80mph so i tend to drive slower - more like 70. But i guess thats good.

 

Had not driven a mt (on a regular basis in 20 years) so I wanted to test before driving. Compared to my past manuals experiences ('56 chevy, 65 mustang, u-haul trucks) - this is a dream. You won't be throwing out your shifting arm, that is for sure.

 

To me the Fit's MT feels exactly like any other Honda. Which is to say its basically the benchmark for its class.

 

I test drove a MT fit. Compaired to my Integra GS-R, the fit is easyer to drive, and more forgiving. The clutch is real light, takes hardly any effort to push in, and the shifter was smoother. I didnt notice a problem with the pedal placement. also it was more forgiving when shifting gears, more smooth when engaging the clutch.

 

Ive only driven 3 stick cars before the fit, and yea, when I got the car I stalled a lot. That "click" of a successful shift of the fit feels nice. And i agree it needs a 6 gear overdrive. I guess maybe they felt 6 gears on an entry level car is too many gears. But i'm glad 5th has acceleration power; even tho it's not a true OD, I still get good mileage.

 

I bought my fit site unseen. I depend on Hondas reputations for fine engineering and dependability. I owned an 82 civic 5 speed for 13 years which was fine. Usually manuals do fine unless there is an engineering problem or a realy bad driver at the wheel

 

manuals do fine in general, but there are grades from "good" to "great".

the 2006 civic gearbox is "fair", the mazda3 is "great" as is the impreza wrx. i have yet to drive a MT fit as nobody seems to have them -- everyone is AT (wimps!).

i have driven a lot of different stick shifts in the past few weeks shopping for new cars and been taking a lot of notes.

i would never buy a gearbox sight unseen.

 

Clutch is too close to the brake. Would prefer it further away. So, no combat boots while driving the Fit.

Clutch has pretty long travel, but is nice and light. Kind of soft, but in the forgiving way. Good for someone to learn one. Very smooth. Expecially from 1st to 2nd. 4th to 5th is a bit rough, easier for a novice to accidently shift to 3rd instead. Don't like the loosey goosey rubber boot on the shifter, I can feel it flop around when shifting. I guess I like leather better.

Shifter is a little bit notchy, but in a good way. Throws are pretty long (I'm used to Mazda shifters), but very easy to shift. Unlike the Scion Tc which has shorter throws, but was very notchy and quite stiff.

I test drove a new Matrix too, and the clutch was heavier than the Fit, but the shifter felt a bit sloppy in comparison, but the throws were shorter.