16 CX-5 has Hill Launch Assist?

[jhu8]

Well I was browsing through the manual and came across HLA. I didn't see anything mentioned about it being only on some models so I'm assuming all 16 CX-5s have this. News to me. Anyone else care to chime in on this? Ever have it work? My sisters 13 Tucson has it but there's a button to turn it on or activate it.

From the manual: "For vehicles with an automatic transaxle, Hill Launch Assist (HLA) operates on a downward slope when the shift lever is in the reverse (R) position, and on an upward slope when the shift lever is in a forward gear" (pg 4-78).

Is this just an automatic thing that kicks in when the car detects a steep grade, whether it's down or up? I'm confused about the HLA working for a downward slope when in reverse. Ideally I would need when driving forward down a slop, not in reverse. A lot of car manufactures seem to advertise such features, but nothing from Mazda.

 

[madar]

I don't really know what kind of explanation you're looking for, but yeah, if you're on a hill, like at a stop light, in drive, the vehicle won't roll backwards when you let off the brake. I never had the chance to try it in reverse, though. Been around for a while, at least my 2014 has it. Feels more like the brakes have something to do with it than the transmission because the brake pedal has no give when I switch back and forth from brake to gas back to brake. Don't know, never looked into it. I'm sure someone will offer a proper explanation. It's an automatic thing, no buttons needed. One less thing you have to look at the dash for.

 

[wbw]

I've been driving for a few years (47) and I've never had a problem with a car rolling on a hill with an automatic transmission. Manual transmission, yes. Auto no. I guess if you take your foot off of the brake and wait a while before stepping on the gas, it could be a problem. But for me, I don't see a need for hill launch with auto trans.

 

[madar]

I've been driving for a few years (47) and I've never had a problem with a car rolling on a hill with an automatic transmission. Manual transmission, yes. Auto no. I guess if you take your foot off of the brake and wait a while before stepping on the gas, it could be a problem. But for me, I don't see a need for hill launch with auto trans.

My thoughts exactly, but it's there.

 

[brillo54]

Yeah, with an auto tranny HLA seems like a belt and suspenders.

 

[wbw]

Yeah, with an auto tranny HLA seems like a belt and suspenders.

(lol)

 

[76brian]

It's fantastic for boat ramps.

 

[jhu8]

I don't really know what kind of explanation you're looking for, but yeah, if you're on a hill, like at a stop light, in drive, the vehicle won't roll backwards when you let off the brake. I never had the chance to try it in reverse, though. Been around for a while, at least my 2014 has it. Feels more like the brakes have something to do with it than the transmission because the brake pedal has no give when I switch back and forth from brake to gas back to brake. Don't know, never looked into it. I'm sure someone will offer a proper explanation. It's an automatic thing, no buttons needed. One less thing you have to look at the dash for.

I was just confused because whenever I've seen it on other cuvs, it required you to push a button to activate it. Pretty cool the cx5 automatically does it.

 

[CaboWabo]

I have a 2016 automatic and the thing wont roll back. If I stop on a hill and let off the brake, the car remains stationary. Pretty cool.

 

[RG_Flyer]

I've been driving manuals (almost exclusively) for 35 years and pretty much polished the hill-start technique over the decades. I wasn't looking forward to this feature as I figured it might take away from the involved driving experience of a manual. I hardly notice it and I must admit I can appreciate its usefulness on my steep driveway. It basically holds the brakes for a few seconds after releasing the brake pedal.

 

[wlong01]

It works. To test sit on an incline with no cars behind you and selector in D. Take your foot off the brake, car will not move backwards for 3-5 seconds then it will move like any other car. It's a little similar to Subaru's hill assist that they offered on their manual transmission vehicles. I had an 82 Subaru that had it.

Mazda probably added it because the CX-5 idles so low that the engine doesn't provide enough thrust to keep the car steady on a hill.

 

[deepfriedsushi]

I love the hill launch assist, especially when parallel parking on the steep hills of San Francisco. When reversing uphill into a spot, the car won't roll forward when trying to back up. It takes away the stress of having to be quick with your feet to transition between the brake and gas.

It's also awesome that it's automatic and brake based. Once you experience it, it feels like the car is automatically lending you a hand, but not interfere with things. I haven't experienced a situation where HLA got in the way of driving.

I've been in a previous gen subaru outback with push button operated HLA, but it uses the electric parking brake. It was slow, noisy and must be turned on every single time you want it to hill hold. It ends up being a feature that wouldn't get used often due to the additional step of engaging for something quick feet would otherwise solve.

 

[Rarebit]

Mazda probably added it because the CX-5 idles so low that the engine doesn't provide enough thrust to keep the car steady on a hill.

Perhaps true. I noticed early on that my 2015 Auto would roll back slightly after I release the brake starting up a steep hill. So I simply hold the brake with my left foot and coordinate getting on the gas/off the brake. Zero rollback. I'd rather not have the added complication of mechanisms to handle something so simple.

 

[timberstx]

I have a manual transmission and this is my first car with the hla. I really don't like this feature. I have never owned an automatic transmission car, so I know how to get a manual transmission going on a hill. The problem is here in Houston there is no need for it. It will activate on a slight grade. The light turns green and I try to move but the brakes are still applied for a second longer. Just annoying because it then jerks when the brakes release. If I know it will be on. I will pull the emergency brake one click to deactivate it. So once I release the service brake and start releasing the clutch I put the emergency brake back down. This is a much smoother start. Or I just wait for the hla to release the brake, by that time the cars around me are already down the road. Yes they drive fast here. Wish there was a switch to just deactivate it.

 

[russiankid]

I guess some of you have not experience a very steep hill then huh? You can also use the parking brake as hill assist. On the CX5, if you engage the parking brake, put it in drive, and give it gas, it will let go of the parking on its own.

 

[MikeM.]

Mazda probably added it because the CX-5 idles so low that the engine doesn't provide enough thrust to keep the car steady on a hill.

The CX-5 AT shifts into Neutral whenever you come to a stop (indicator still says drive). As soon as you step on the gas it automatically shifts into 1st gear. This saves fuel, reduces heat buildup when stuck in traffic and increases the life of the transmission. In other words, the HLA is there so this intelligent shift to N is not problematic.

 

[MikeM.]

So I simply hold the brake with my left foot and coordinate getting on the gas/off the brake. Zero rollback. I'd rather not have the added complication of mechanisms to handle something so simple.

Hill Launch Assist does not complicate things with added mechanisms. Every component of HLA is already present for other more fundamental functions. HLA is essentially a "freebie" in that all it takes is a few lines of code.

When I was a small child I was led to believe we would all be flying around in VTOL craft by now. Well, I was misled but at least cars are becoming smarter, last longer and have better handling, performance, mpg and safety features. Cool stuff that saves tens of thousands of lives, millions of gallons of fuel, untold hours fixing and tuning your car. I imagine sales of Goop Hand Cleaner are declining as well!