intuitive "no look" activation of sport mode switch

[Lbear]

People tend to rag on things they don't have but wished they had.

Unobtanium secretly emailed me and told me that he wants the Sport Mode but his car didn't come with it so he is upset and his way of dealing with it is to rip on it. Secretly he wants it.

 

[blackcx5]

I don't mind blind touching the button to activate sport mode, but cancelling the mode (pulling vs. pushing) the "no look" way makes me nervous. The electronic parking brake switch is just inches away and pulling means engaging for that switch.

hmmmm, interesting didn't even know the electronic brake can be active when car is in motion, thought it was only active if the brake pedal is depressed

but according to video below it can be activated when vehicle is in motion.....

so yeah, it is possible to hit the wrong switch

 

[Unobtanium]

Personally, I'm not a fan of "shifting" on manu-matics, so sport mode is nice because you can put the car into a more aggressive transmission setting while still driving in AUTO.

Paddle-shifters are a no-go for you, then? I respect that.

I guess I don't like it because it makes the car no faster, it doesn't raise WOT shift-points, and I don't see the sense in something like it in a nearly 16 second car with a 0-60 time of nearly 8 seconds (which Sport Mode has 0 effect on, by the way).

I just don't see a need for it and think it would be "buzzy" on the freeway for no real gain.

 

[Unobtanium]

People tend to rag on things they don't have but wished they had.

Unobtanium secretly emailed me and told me that he wants the Sport Mode but his car didn't come with it so he is upset and his way of dealing with it is to rip on it. Secretly he wants it.

If it did something to make the car faster, sure, I'd be jelly

 

[wah]

Paddle-shifters are a no-go for you, then? I respect that.

I guess I don't like it because it makes the car no faster, it doesn't raise WOT shift-points, and I don't see the sense in something like it in a nearly 16 second car with a 0-60 time of nearly 8 seconds (which Sport Mode has 0 effect on, by the way).

I just don't see a need for it and think it would be "buzzy" on the freeway for no real gain.

Put it this way... I have a M dual clutch transmission (the real deal paddle shifter) in my M4 and I almost always drive in auto mode because I find no joy in shifting without a third pedal. It just isn't fun... In a 184hp compact suv, its even less fun (my own opinion).

There is definitely a difference between driving in sport mode and regular if you aren't shifting gears yourself. It isn't all about 0-60, since mashing the gas to the floor will hold the gear longer in either mode. When you're cruising at, say 35mph, sport mode will keep the car in a lower gear, so the car will feel much more responsive since it doesn't need to downshift if you're trying to pass. It's a tradeoff though... In sport, the car runs at higher RPMs, so MPGs go down and overall the car is more "buzzy" as you say. Sometimes, I just want a comfortable easy going ride to get from point A to point B.

Does it make the CX-5 faster? No... maybe not from 0-60, but there is no doubt that it makes the car quicker, and more FUN to drive.

 

[freys]

Sport mode actually works very well. What this one does is hold it between 2500 and 3500 rpm. I'd be bummed if it didn't have it for driving mountain passes and winding back roads. Yes you can go manual but i bought a auto not a stick. If I want to shift I'll get on the bike and have real fun.

 

[mazdadude]

Sport mode actually works very well. What this one does is hold it between 2500 and 3500 rpm. I'd be bummed if it didn't have it for driving mountain passes and winding back roads. Yes you can go manual but i bought a auto not a stick. If I want to shift I'll get on the bike and have real fun.

My SPORT mode + my PADDLE shifters + some twisty mountain passes = Joy!

 

[Unobtanium]

Put it this way... I have a M dual clutch transmission (the real deal paddle shifter) in my M4 and I almost always drive in auto mode because I find no joy in shifting without a third pedal. It just isn't fun... In a 184hp compact suv, its even less fun (my own opinion).

There is definitely a difference between driving in sport mode and regular if you aren't shifting gears yourself. It isn't all about 0-60, since mashing the gas to the floor will hold the gear longer in either mode. When you're cruising at, say 35mph, sport mode will keep the car in a lower gear, so the car will feel much more responsive since it doesn't need to downshift if you're trying to pass. It's a tradeoff though... In sport, the car runs at higher RPMs, so MPGs go down and overall the car is more "buzzy" as you say. Sometimes, I just want a comfortable easy going ride to get from point A to point B.

Does it make the CX-5 faster? No... maybe not from 0-60, but there is no doubt that it makes the car quicker, and more FUN to drive.

I've owned manual cars for so long that the last auto I had was a decade and a half old in a car. My jeep I don't count. So the snappy downshift in the cx5 if I floor it doesn't bother me. I promise it happens faster than these guys having to hunt for a tiny button while keeping an eye on the road and then flooring it...because it has to still downshift with sm activation...so what's the damn point in that? A real sport mode is like the dial on the ptm of a vette or something that modifies a lot of things. The cx5 has a tow mode...that you can't tow in, apparently. It literally does the exact same thing my jeep did. Hold gears longer and lock out od.

 

[wah]

I've owned manual cars for so long that the last auto I had was a decade and a half old in a car. My jeep I don't count. So the snappy downshift in the cx5 if I floor it doesn't bother me. I promise it happens faster than these guys having to hunt for a tiny button while keeping an eye on the road and then flooring it...because it has to still downshift with sm activation...so what's the damn point in that? A real sport mode is like the dial on the ptm of a vette or something that modifies a lot of things. The cx5 has a tow mode...that you can't tow in, apparently. It literally does the exact same thing my jeep did. Hold gears longer and lock out od.

...except you don't hit the sport switch each time you want to downshift. You do it once, leave it in sport, and your car is always in the right gear for accelerating/passing. We're saying that there is a difference between pressing on the pedal and going vs. pressing on the pedal, waiting for your slushbox to drop a gear, then going. If you don't know the difference, then I understand why sport mode is lost on you. We're talking milliseconds, but in terms of driving experience, that is a lot.


No one is saying that sport mode turns your CX-5 into a Macan Turbo.

 

[Unobtanium]

...except you don't hit the sport switch each time you want to downshift. You do it once, leave it in sport, and your car is always in the right gear for accelerating/passing. We're saying that there is a difference between pressing on the pedal and going vs. pressing on the pedal, waiting for your slushbox to drop a gear, then going. If you don't know the difference, then I understand why sport mode is lost on you. We're talking milliseconds, but in terms of driving experience, that is a lot.


No one is saying that sport mode turns your CX-5 into a Macan Turbo.

I get what YOU are saying, but please go read the thread title and the OP. The whole thread is about how to quickly and intuitively switch it on without looking, as swiftly as possible. Sure doesn't sound like something that OP is thinking about "always leaving on so it's always ready", does it? Sounds more like practicing drawing from a holster or something the way OP is wording this, than it does like fastening your seatbelt before you leave the driveway.

 

[sillyxone]

I get what YOU are saying, but please go read the thread title and the OP. The whole thread is about how to quickly and intuitively switch it on without looking, as swiftly as possible. Sure doesn't sound like something that OP is thinking about "always leaving on so it's always ready", does it? Sounds more like practicing drawing from a holster or something the way OP is wording this, than it does like fastening your seatbelt before you leave the driveway.

It's just like having a jigsaw and a table saw in my toolbox. The jigsaw is portable, I can quickly grab it for a small cut. But if I expect cutting a bunch of boards or thicker lumbers, I'd spend a little more prep time to have the table saw ready, it will make the job much easier/faster overall.

Similarly, with the Sport mode, you just have another tool/option. How you use it is up to you, depending on the situation. Most of us with the Sport mode obviously figured out its use, and thus, trying to make the best use of it. Sure if we need to accelerate to pass right-away or in case of emergency, flooring it is the only option. But if we anticipate aggressive/spirited driving for the next 10 minutes, Sport mode is much nicer.

Do you drive around flooring the car constantly for 10 minutes? Sport mode doesn't floor it constantly, it just keeps the RPM at optimum torque, we can still go slow or fast with the throttle. To do the same for a manual box, you'd probably have to constantly adjust the gas pedal so that the RPM is at the optimum RPM (not too low, not too high), while at the same time use the clutch to adjust the speed you want to go, that takes skill IMO.

 

[wah]

I get what YOU are saying, but please go read the thread title and the OP. The whole thread is about how to quickly and intuitively switch it on without looking, as swiftly as possible. Sure doesn't sound like something that OP is thinking about "always leaving on so it's always ready", does it? Sounds more like practicing drawing from a holster or something the way OP is wording this, than it does like fastening your seatbelt before you leave the driveway.

I know what the thread is about. I'm responding to your comments suggesting that sport mode doesn't do anything.

 

[Hellrider]

I use it secretly when my wife is not in the car.

It brings a smile to my face.

Manual mode is also fun. You appreciate the 6 cogs so much more. Brings back memories of my e60.

 

[Kaps]

Put it this way... If 2 cx5 were waiting on a red light and two lanes were going to merge onto a single one , the cx5 with sport mode would be ahead every time. Not used for other purposes but for above only... Assuming other factors are same.

 

[wah]

Related to this discussion... I got pulled over today. Guess what mode I was in.

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

Put it this way... If 2 cx5 were waiting on a red light and two lanes were going to merge onto a single one , the cx5 with sport mode would be ahead every time. Not used for other purposes but for above only... Assuming other factors are same.

Not if both cars floored it...

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

Anyone here running an aftermarket tune on sports mode equipped model?

 

[Unobtanium]

Put it this way... If 2 cx5 were waiting on a red light and two lanes were going to merge onto a single one , the cx5 with sport mode would be ahead every time. Not used for other purposes but for above only... Assuming other factors are same.

No, it wouldn't, lol

This is the kind of mess I'm harping on.

 

[jhu8]

No, it wouldn't, lol

This is the kind of mess I'm harping on.

The sport mode increases throttle response so it may get off the line quicker. Probably nothing noticeable. Now, on any other road driving around. One cx5 with sport mode engaged, the other not. The sport mode engaged cx5 will be ahead. Yes, you could drop the non sport mode cx5 into manual but those "manual" systems are very difficult to use imo.

So will just say in auto mode the way the car is really designed for. The sport mode cx5 will always be in the right rpm for optimal power and torque so that when the driver steps on it, power is instant and ready while delivering the most torque possible. The non sport mode cx5 will be slower to respond to the pedal to the floor, and will still have to downshift to the most optimal gear.

Just like how the awd system is proactive instead of reactive. That's like the sport mode for the cx5. In sport mode the cx5 is ready before you are for the most optimal driving power/condition.

This all may equal small differences in times if you were clocking the vehicles, but at the end of the day, it makes the cx5 a much more fun vehicle to drive. Everyone has commented their opinion and it's pretty unanimous. It's an awesome feature.

 

[Lbear]

it makes the cx5 a much more fun vehicle to drive. Everyone has commented their opinion and it's pretty unanimous. It's an awesome feature.

Yes, yes it is and Unobtanium suffers from envy for not having the Sport Mode on his vehicle.

It's OK, he can always test drive one with a Sports Mode.