That's supposed to be their much improved wet clutch 8-speed. I have the old 7-speed dry clutch version which is even worse. The take-off behavior is downright crude if you prefer to step off the line gently. It just sits there and shudders for 3-4 seconds because it has been programmed not to "slip" the clutch to prevent wear and heat buildup so instead it modulates between two plate pressures. I can't believe an entire team of engineers put this through testing and all went "yep, this works fine" at the end. Between that and the outright stumbling and clutch engagement failures it's like having a 14 year old who's just learning stick for the first time shifting for you.
I don't think Mazda will have a tough time doing better than Kia/Hyundai did, but DCTs by their very nature are kind of crude at low speeds and at take-off, so sadly we all have to trade refinement for efficiency these days.
I don't think Mazda will have a tough time doing better than Kia/Hyundai did, but DCTs by their very nature are kind of crude at low speeds and at take-off, so sadly we all have to trade refinement for efficiency these days.