Performance between different trims

[tx9]

Not much to improve upon in my opinion, the shifts are smooth and responsive. I haven't driven the new 6, though. I'm curious to see how the same engine 3.7 performs in a car...must be reallllllllly quick. A better tranny would just be icing on the cake.

 

[ceric]

tI like ZF transmission they sure learn how you drive and shift properly..

I had BMW 540iA (1998) with ZF Transmission. Not a bad tranny, but I really had to floor it (no kidding - pedal to the metal) to get it to down shift.
Besides, ZF tranny is known to be problematic. Check BMW tranny reliability. A lot of tranny failure around 50-75K miles. The cost of repair is easily $4000-5000. BMW warranty for tranny is only 50K miles. You guess it. BMW is not stupid either.

Aisin tranny is widely praised for being smooth (I would say as good as ZF).
It responds a bit on the slow side (time it takes to change gear). However, CX9 is not a sports car. You should not expect it to be so.
Reliabily-wise, I am not sure yet. We will see.

Overall, I am not a big fan of "learning tranny". However, when you really need to push it, auto-manual should be the way to go. CX9 has it for a reason.

 

[CX9 SportOwner]

Overall, I am not a big fan of "learning tranny". However, when you really need to push it, auto-manual should be the way to go. CX9 has it for a reason.

I'm a huge fan of the adaptive transmission. You can maximize mileage if you want, or maximize fun, rather than have to settle for somewhere in between.

 

[ceric]

Why not just have a ECO mode (push a button) like all the new Hybrids have.
It dumbs down the response of gas pedals and lower rpm of transmission gear changes.
MPG can be improved greatly and reported so by those owners.

 

[Hellacool]

I know the Mazdaspeed 6 sport (I owned one) was faster than the Mazdaspeed 6 GT because the leather, electric seats in the GT added over 200 LBS to the car. This has been tested by several Mazdaspeed 6 owners. Could be a weight difference in seats or other added items.

 

[clandestine]

Why not just have a ECO mode (push a button) like all the new Hybrids have.
It dumbs down the response of gas pedals and lower rpm of transmission gear changes.
MPG can be improved greatly and reported so by those owners.

I like that idea.

I guess I change driving styles quite a bit, b/c I find it often times responds differently. general, everyday driving I try to take it easy to conserve mileage and just enjoy cruisin, but when in traffic and/or in a hurry I want the responsiveness and sometimes find it's not there. so I find myself stomping on it and driving aggressively (and burning gas) when I don't necessary need to, just to keep it trained.

 

[CX9 SportOwner]

We have that on the CX9 already. Flip the shift knob to the left. Best of both worlds.

 

[ceric]

ECO mode is already present on Honda Insight and new Prius (2010).
Honda claim that 10% MPG can be improved w/ worse performance, of course.
ECO applies to city and highway driving.
The pressure our foot put on the gas pedal is not exactly constant even if you try. I can see that in CX9's diagnostic mode (the fuel injection count) on NAVI screen. It fructuates. ECO mode can smooth out the "human vibration" (so to speak) - and save fuel.