2015 Mazda3 Sedan & Hatch - 2.5 Liter "S" Model with Manual Transmission

[piotrek91]

Yeah, manuals haven't been faster or more fuel efficient than (good) autos for a while now.

I'm tired of reading/hearing this over and over again.
Manuals are more fuel efficient than autos and there is no question about it.

The reason for the low EPA ratings of manuals is not simple (I don't fully understand it myself).
but I believe that it comes down to two main points:
0. Autos are programmed to do well in the test while manuals are not driven efficiently during the test.
1. Shift points during the test are determined only by speed. (this results in a 40MPH cruise in 3rd/4th instead of 6th)
2. The EPA test requires quick acceleration at highway speeds, which results in automakers using short gearing to allow the car to accelerate fast enough in 6th)


I'll give a cookie to anyone that can find a single car on the Mazda UK website (http://www.mazda.co.uk/cars/mazda3-...engine=120ps SKYACTIV-G Petrol|6-Speed Manual) which is faster and more fuel efficient with the automatic.
For example here the auto is much slower and also almost 20% less efficient!
Mazda 3 150ps diesel manual (0-62 8.1s and 107gCO2/km)
Mazda 3 150ps diesel auto (0-62 9.7s and 127gCO2/km)


Back on topic:
The 3S auto has taller gearing than the 3i auto...
The 3S manual has shorter gearing than the 3i manual! I predict it will be a very quick/fun car, but I'm disappointed with it's EPA ratings.

 

[brandini]

They should've put a quick ratio 5-speed in it with a REALLY tall 6th, but they really like having a squeezeable 6th (as in squeeze the pedal).

 

[ceric]

I wonder how vehicles with manual transmission are tested by EPA.
I heard they lift the vehicles up on roller (measure distance traveled), and measure the emission for fuel burnt.
Who does the gear shifting?
For AT, how fast do they accelerate to the desired speed?
If someone knows, please comment. Thanks in advance.

 

[markjenn]

I wonder how vehicles with manual transmission are tested by EPA.
I heard they lift the vehicles up on roller (measure distance traveled), and measure the emission for fuel burnt.
Who does the gear shifting?
For AT, how fast do they accelerate to the desired speed?
If someone knows, please comment. Thanks in advance.

The cars are tested on a indoor dyno with a human driver, but the driver has no leeway - they must precisely follow a speed vs. time graph that is part of the testing and is displayed in front of the driver. It's like a video game. On an automatic, this just means working the throttle and brake to keep the speed on the defined schedule. On a manual, they shift according to whatever speeds the manufacturer recommends.

Because the dyno cannot completely simulate air resistance, the cars are tested outdoors also, typically by a coast down test, where the car is accelerated to a set speed, put in neutral, and then the deceleration is carefully monitored. This coast down test provides correction factors to the results to account for different cars being more or less aerodynamically slippery.

Fuel used is inferred from the tailpipe emissions (mainly compounds of carbon) and by using very precisely refined gasoline that is completely consistent in both chemistry and energy content from batch to batch.

- Mark

 

[nate0123]

It's official, you can configure a 2015 Mazda 3S Touring or GT with 2.5 and manual on edmunds.com
http://www.edmunds.com/mazda/mazda3/2015/options.html?sub=hatchback&style=200703394#step1

MazdaUSA still only allows you to configure a 2014.

 

[concept]

According to Consumer Reports:

We have bought several sets of test cars of different types with both manual transmission and automatic transmissions and run them through our fuel economy and acceleration tests. In most, we found the manual delivered better mpg overall. In a few cases, however, the latest automatic transmission designs, including six-speed automatics, actually surpass their manual counterparts.

For example, the Mazda3 i, gets one more mpg with its six-speed automatic than its six speed manual, largely because the automatic has taller gearing, so the engine revs slower on the highway, using less gas. We saw the same effect with the Ford Fiesta with its basic 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine.

so, yes, the Mazda 3 DOES get better fuel mileage with the automatic in real-world driving, not just according to the EPA.

 

[nate0123]

According to Edmunds...

S touring manual hatch is rated at 26 / 35 MPG, 2947 lb curb weight - MSRP $24,345
S touring manual sedan is rated at 25 / 37 MPG, 2947 lb curb weight - MSRP $23,845
S grand touring manual hatch is rated at 26 / 35 MPG, 2978 lb curb weight - MSRP $25,545
S grand touring manual sedan is rated at 25 / 37 MPG, 2947 lb curb weight - MSRP $25,045

I like that you save $1050 by choosing a manual. Also interesting the sedan is $500 cheaper.

 

[cjbigcog]

I can confirm the '15 sGT with 6mt. I picked up mine last Saturday. Not a unicorn!

 

[nate0123]

Already??? Can't wait to get one in the DC area!

What are your impressions? I drove a 3i GT and thought it was a torqueless wonder. Absolutely no pull in 2nd gear coming out of a turn until you hit around 3500-4000 RPM. I'd have to downshift to first if I wanted any kind of acceleration, and for that reason I could not own that car.

 

[nate0123]

Actually I just looked and Browns Fairfax has three! None at Rosenthal though.

 

[cjbigcog]

Already??? Can't wait to get one in the DC area!

What are your impressions? I drove a 3i GT and thought it was a torqueless wonder. Absolutely no pull in 2nd gear coming out of a turn until you hit around 3500-4000 RPM. I'd have to downshift to first if I wanted any kind of acceleration, and for that reason I could not own that car.

For me it's a big difference from the automatic 2.5 I previously had. Mine is not broken in yet, but under 4000 it pulls well. On the road in 6th gear it accelerates nicely. Glad I made the change from the '14 sGT auto.

 

[nate0123]

Disappointing I still can't configure or find any info on the 2015 on mazdausa. Update your site, mazda!

 

[socialcarpet]

Be prepared, however, to find out that the manual cars may have no acceleration advantage over the auto cars. That seems to be the trend, these days.

I can't speak for anyone else, but that doesn't have much to do with why I chose a manual. I don't care if the manual version is slower AND gets worse MPG, it's still going to be 1000 times more interesting to drive than an automatic (for me). I'll be driving a manual until either I can't anymore or the lazy lumps in this country finally win and they stop selling manuals all together. Save the manuals!

 

[nate0123]

Preach.

 

[socialcarpet]

Be prepared, however, to find out that the manual cars may have no acceleration advantage over the auto cars. That seems to be the trend, these days.

That's hardly the only reason people choose manual transmissions. It's not about MPG either. People who think it's for either of those reasons just don't get it. Those are nice, when they apply, but it's really about the love of driving. People who want to participate in driving and savor the experience generally prefer a manual transmission. An automatic leaves you more of a passive observer along for the ride. The car takes your input as a suggestion. Oh? You'd like a little more power coming out of this turn? We'll see. Oh? you want some engine breaking just after you crest this hill? No, I don't think so. Meh.

 

[brandini]

That's hardly the only reason people choose manual transmissions. It's not about MPG either. People who think it's for either of those reasons just don't get it. Those are nice, when they apply, but it's really about the love of driving. People who want to participate in driving and savor the experience generally prefer a manual transmission. An automatic leaves you more of a passive observer along for the ride. The car takes your input as a suggestion. Oh? You'd like a little more power coming out of this turn? We'll see. Oh? you want some engine breaking just after you crest this hill? No, I don't think so. Meh.

Have you driven the new auto 6-speed? It listens VERY well, even when paired with a 2L.

 

[concept]

Exactly. In sport mode, especially, the auto tranny shifts the way you would.

Besides, I already have a manual-trans sports car. Having both a manual car and auto car is having the best of both worlds, no?

 

[brandini]

The thing I really want is a GO paddle

I could be driving any way and if I hit the GO paddle I want it in the lowest possible gear NOW.

Heck i'd even settle for Up2 Down2 paddles so I can drop or add 2 gears at a time.

 

[Chibana]

Exactly. In sport mode, especially, the auto tranny shifts the way you would.

Besides, I already have a manual-trans sports car. Having both a manual car and auto car is having the best of both worlds, no?

I hate to say it, but I kind of feel the same way. I've always been a die hard manual transmission fan, but I really like the auto in my 2014 Mazda3s GT. Sport mode works quite well, and I always drive in Sport-Manual mode now, except when cruising on highways. My toy, my 2009 RX-8, is manual, and that's the only way I would have had it, but for my daily driver, the auto transmission in this Mazda3 is great fun, and in manual mode, it behaves almost perfectly. The auto is a blessing all the times I find myself stuck in backed-up traffic on my commute on I-75. My only beef is the slight delay between when I click the paddle and when the car actually shifts. Once you're used to it, you can adjust when you shift most of the time, but I still wish the delay weren't so long.

 

[brandini]

A partial-lift on the gas pedal makes it shift a bit quicker ;-)