5spd vs. At??? need your opinions!

p5stockr

Member
:
winning blue 'o6 Mazda3 GrandTouring
Im looking at a new 3, the dealers going to try to locate a 5dr Grand Touring for me, ive been planning on a 5spd model, since i constantly complained about the at in my P5! however my dads been tryin to convince me id be happier with the at; im not really planning on doing any mods to the car, however that could change lol. I drive 40 miles round trip everyday, mostly on back country roads, Id like to hear from any of you that own or have driven either style trans, mileage , drivability an such, since im kinda havin 2nd thoughts i figured id better get some informed opinions!
 
the real question should be "manual or auto".... "5spd vs auto" is redundant because the auto IS a 5 speed!
 
If you are in stop and go driving everyday, get an auto. If you drive country roads, get a manual.
 
jersey_emt said:
MTX all the way. If you are an enthusiast...trust me, at some point you will regret getting an ATX.
thats kinda how im leanin....got to thinkin bout the whole"convenience thing" bein able to drink my coffe an cruise lol...but Id really like to be able to enjoy puttin the car to use! plus after havin a protege an seein how good the car handles an hearin even better things about the 3 I tend to agree with your thinikng! plus i flat dont want to pay the xtra $$$ to get it lol (thumb)
 
ATX is for housewives.

The MTX is cheaper, gets better fuel economy, is more fun to drive and has less of a chance of breaking down.
 
YEAH get that mtx its a b**** in the city and stuff but hey any other time i'd take a mtx anyday plus its probably a grand cheaper
 
I do not mind the manual in stop-and-go at all. I usually roll in 1st gear without using the gas (thumb).
 
Oh... and the clutch pedal is so light that even in stop-and-go traffic, it doesn't bother me.
 
goldwing2000 said:
ATX is for housewives.

The MTX is cheaper, gets better fuel economy, is more fun to drive and has less of a chance of breaking down.

Plus it puts more power where it belongs: to the wheels.......... Ands yes, the clutch and shift stick "feel" are among the best I have ever tried (and I have driven a lot of manual cars, I'm from Europe)

Unless you REALLY must do something else while driving, get the manual. As somebody else wrote, with such a nice clutch even stop-and-go driving wouldn't be a valid reason to get a ATX, IMHO.
 
manuel man, i wouldn't have it any other way and i live in new york city, i been stuck in 2 hours of track with a stage 2 clutch in my teg and i still wouldn't drive a automatic
 
saying its hard to drive in stop and go traffic with the mtx is BS. in fact, the manual is the only way to go. goldwing pretty much summed it up:

goldwing2000 said:
The MTX is cheaper, gets better fuel economy, is more fun to drive and has less of a chance of breaking down

Oh... and the clutch pedal is so light that even in stop-and-go traffic, it doesn't bother me.
 
Needless to say, I am for MTX, but there is one thing to think about.

Over time, a manual might be more expensive to maintain if you consider clutch replacements. Also, once in a while you will not be paying attention and will grind gears (I hope it's not just me (poke)) and your heart will bleed during those moments :D. So an automatic might be more fool-proof.
 
Dim said:
Needless to say, I am for MTX, but there is one thing to think about.

Over time, a manual might be more expensive to maintain if you consider clutch replacements. Also, once in a while you will not be paying attention and will grind gears (I hope it's not just me (poke)) and your heart will bleed during those moments :D. So an automatic might be more fool-proof.

Nah, you just have a clutch to replace. Auto is hard on the whole transmission, so replacing one of those will be more $$$. Plus it depends on your driving habits. I had bought my Subaru from my father, a 11 year old daily driven car with 145,000 miles. Stock clutch, and only started slipping right before the 18 wheeler incident at 178,000 miles.
 
TheMAN said:
yes, the pedal is even softer than the protege

Is that actually possible? I learned to drive mtx on my Protege5 and when I drove my friend's Mustang GT I was like "OMG" because the clutch was so very heavy. She thought that was normal so I let her feel mine (hehe). I thought maybe it was just an American vs. Japanese thing :)
 
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