Tiptronic.. do you use it?

[pedro_mazda]

Me, I find it very useful when climbing the long steep grade in Camarillo going to LA. For some reason, the Mazda5 won't shift to lower gears when the car starts slowing down when climbing long hills unless I really press hard on the accelerator.

 

[jandree22]

I tried it out during my test drive, and for the purposes of feeling sporty and that you have gear control over your car, it felt gimmicky IMO. The problem was I couldn’t wrap my brain around manually shifting a car up through the gears without clutching… not to mention sequentially shifting in one direction rather than the traditional H-pattern. Just didn’t feel natural, although I suppose it just takes getting used to.

Now OTOH, for the purposes of dropping it down a gear or two and holding it there through hilly terrain, then it’s probably a lot more useful.

AT hill grade logic is a tricky thing to get right, it's all about finding a sweet spot between making sure it does downshift when the driver indicates they want more power to tackle the challenge, but also that the tranny doesn't get hill false positives and downshift when unnecessary (this would be annoying too). I've read more than a fair share of make/model car reviews where the slushbox is slammed for this reason alone.

 

[5phreak]

it seems every time i use it in manual mode i leave it in a too low gear and wind the piss out of it. i'm such a himbo. i bounced it off the rev limiter recently in 1st. that was unpleasant.

 

[mrbwa1]

I use the manual mode on our 5 from time to time, but not too often. I mainly use it for 2 reasons:

1. To downshift on a long and/or steep grade. With cruise on, the 5 waits too long to downshift then runs up the speed before popping back into 4th.

2. I use it more often in the winter in really slippery conditions. Control over where the engine is in the powerband makes me feel more secure. Also, I can slow for a stop with the gearing if needed. Also, M-2 is a good way to keep yourself moving at a safe (i.e. slow) speed in really nasty stuff.

 

[antlind]

I use it in Winter to move off in 2nd gear....helps with the wheel spin.
I've also used it when we go skiing to keep the tranny in 3rd gear on the way up. Prevents having multiple 3-4-3 gear shifts.
Anthony

 

[~JoJo~]

i use it all the time and I love it. I wish it's at least a 5 speed auto though...

 

[paging_drburgos]

i use mine half the time im driving. Occasionally i'll have it on and forget but am reminded by my engine screaming that i need to shift. I like being able to use the car as a manny and auto. It really helps when you need to get up to speed ie: Freeways

 

[mrbwa1]

I use it in Winter to move off in 2nd gear....helps with the wheel spin.

I forgot to add that! 2nd gear start is pretty sweet. I was in a parking lot with a really steep entrance ramp and managed to pull from a stop in some really nasty conditions.

 

[dreamym5]

i use my *pedal shift* which is located in steering wheel on my Honda Fit when i merge to highway...
but i used about 3 times on my Mz5 just to see if it worked... other than that.... it is *there* but i don't use it....(spin)

 

[rweatherford]

I use it sometimes. Mainly to get the transmission to hang to get into higher gears at as low of MPH as possible or to not downshift with cruise control. I will also do some DFCO with it while slowing down.

 

[mde8965]

I dont use it. I agree with the guy who said its just no fun without a clutch pedal...

 

[raspykart]

I use it all the time, eats up the gas... but ya do what ya gotta do to pass.