While stuck on the 10 trappedway (I feel that "freeway" is a misnomer here in the land of perpetual gridlock, aka L.A.) during my "drive" to work today, I noticed something about the Fit. Or rather, almost didn't notice.
Our Fit has a manual transmission but even in my aggravating, all-of-six-miles commute, I wasn't the slightest bit annoyed by it. That's saying a lot when sometimes the drive home can take 45-50 minutes (by comparison, I used to run six miles in under 38 minutes) and you work the clutch about 1,000 times per 100 yards. Both the clutch and gearshift have a light, precise feel that makes constant use a joy rather than a pain in the butt. So even in L.A., I'd take the Fit with a manual gearbox and enjoy the additional performance and entertainment it provides (when you're not in traffic). If that's not a ringing endorsement of a carmaker's manual tranny, then I don't know what is.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 16,981 miles.
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