The87Dodge
(Banned)
- 3,186
- Seattle, WA
- rizkeat
My bad. I should said something horribly false about the CX-5. Now I understand the point of the stick shift. Thank you, R1600 for the info.
I'm not a Mazda enthusiast or follower.
Mazda CX-3- Crossover based on the Mazda2
- Thread starter RocZX
- 170 comments
- 9,573 views
I'm not a Mazda enthusiast or follower.
- 5,065
- Fort Worth
- That_sneaky_azN
- 206
- Montréal, QC
- Combat_Penguin22
Its actually quite good, as is the Mazda 5 minivan with the stick.
The point isn't whether its fun to drive or not though, but the demographic at which the car is aimed at. The CX-5 is their bread and butter crossover they want to sell to families, soccer moms, etc.
The smaller and cheaper CX-3 on the other hand will attract a much younger market such as students or young couples, who are incidentally much more likely to want a manual option.
Just for perspective, the length of the CX-3 is the same length of my old EP3 Civic SI. it's an awesome package.
A shame the USA isn't getting the manual. Most ladies, no matter the age, down here I see in Mazdas, drive manuals. When I see them in the CX-3, it's a manual. Plus, when I say to them that it's cool they drive manual, they all say that's all they've ever driven.
A shame the USA isn't getting the manual. Most ladies, no matter the age, down here I see in Mazdas, drive manuals. When I see them in the CX-3, it's a manual. Plus, when I say to them that it's cool they drive manual, they all say that's all they've ever driven.
CodeRedR51
Premium
- 55,264
- United States
- 206
- Montréal, QC
- Combat_Penguin22
Some pretty strange product planning on behalf of Mazda USA.
First of all, you can get a CX-5 with a manual, but not the smaller, sportier CX-3? And secondly, the CX-5 is only between $1200 to $2000 more expensive then a similarly equipped CX-3, so why wouldn't you go for the roomier, probably more comfortable CX-5?
First of all, you can get a CX-5 with a manual, but not the smaller, sportier CX-3? And secondly, the CX-5 is only between $1200 to $2000 more expensive then a similarly equipped CX-3, so why wouldn't you go for the roomier, probably more comfortable CX-5?
- 5,065
- Fort Worth
- That_sneaky_azN
- 27,201
- United Kingdom
Err... have they?
I've driven a lot of Mazdas and they typically have absolutely fantastic transmissions - it feels like you're actually swapping cogs rather than moving a stick around in some sludge and selecting different gears by chance.
But the "argument about manual transmissions in traffic" is nothing to do with the feel of the transmission, it's about sitting in a queue for an hour pumping a clutch and crawling along on the biting point. That sensation is little different regardless of the shift quality of a manual gearbox - when you're crawling along barely able to select second gear, it doesn't really matter how good the gearbox is. A lighter clutch helps of course, but only for so long.
That's the thing, the clutch has a take up point where it's smooth. It's not like an on/off switch. From gear selection to clutch actuation, it's a joy. I'd dread being in traffic with a manual BT-50. Manual CX-3 and Mazda 3 owners I've spoken to, marvel at how easy it is to drive over their past Mazdas and other brands they've owned. Many drive into high density areas and still love their manual. I stick to my blanket statement though.
- 9,401
- Western Sydney
- mustafur
Imo modern PSA manuals are the best for stop start traffic the slushing soft as hell gear shifter and clutch make it feel non existent(which for anything else makes it a terrible gearbox with not a single bit of driving pleasure in mind) the Mazda 2 im using has a clutch that is still heavy enough for you to wish you had an auto when in endless congestion.
- 27,201
- United Kingdom
- 27,387
- Toronto
- NewAesthetic
- SlipZtrEm
There were a surprising amount of first-gen 3-door RAV4's up here, too.
Saw my first one of these last week on the road. I'd be interested in one in two or three years, as it seems like a good fit for the city. Looks great, massively better than anything else in the segment.
Saw my first one of these last week on the road. I'd be interested in one in two or three years, as it seems like a good fit for the city. Looks great, massively better than anything else in the segment.
- 206
- Montréal, QC
- Combat_Penguin22
So it is pretty likely that I'll be getting a CX-3 after test driving one tonight.
The interior is just gorgeous. Soft touch plastics and even a bit of red leatherette on the dash make it feel like something BMW would come up with.
It also handles very well, there is little to no body roll, the steering is light and responsive, only complaint is that I found the brakes to be a bit over-servoed.
The automatic transmission did seem to be fishing for gears a bit but then again the car I drove had over 400 miles of test drive abuse on it so that might be a factor. It is very quick to downshift though and will even hold its gear up to 4k-5k RPMs in Sport mode.
Still unsure what colour to choose, and whether I want AWD or not. I should make up my mind by next week so I'll post some pictures if anyone's interested.
The interior is just gorgeous. Soft touch plastics and even a bit of red leatherette on the dash make it feel like something BMW would come up with.
It also handles very well, there is little to no body roll, the steering is light and responsive, only complaint is that I found the brakes to be a bit over-servoed.
The automatic transmission did seem to be fishing for gears a bit but then again the car I drove had over 400 miles of test drive abuse on it so that might be a factor. It is very quick to downshift though and will even hold its gear up to 4k-5k RPMs in Sport mode.
Still unsure what colour to choose, and whether I want AWD or not. I should make up my mind by next week so I'll post some pictures if anyone's interested.
