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Manual or Automatic

Manual or Auto

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94K views 490 replies 174 participants last post by  FlyingPigglet 
#1 ·
I am about to buy a new Mazda 3 I Touring. I have never had a manual before but considering getting one. My friend has been teaching me in-spite of getting car sick as I learn to come out of first gear (after that little issue). From what I have read the manual seems very forgiving on this car and it seems like it will be fun to drive. My dad says that it is fun at first but gets old quickly. He says he cant wait till he trades in his old manual and gets an automatic. I want to know what people got and get an idea on what I should do moving forward. I live off a hill that has 4 lights on it and it is a busy street. This worries me a bit just starting out. My friend informs me that when in city traffic a manual can be a b**** and he wished for an automatic in those times but loves the added safety of engine braking in the winter. He drives a TC. With the new automatics it seems you can go into sport mode to shift down a get to get that added safety.

So suggestions, comments, opinions, facts, troll rage, lets have it.
 
#2 ·
The clutch on these manual 2014 3s is really really light. If you've driven a Mini Cooper S before, its actually lighter than the mini's clutch (which is very very light). It also has hill assist that holds for up to two seconds after you let go of the brakes, so hills shouldn't be an issue. There are times when I wish I got another automatic 3, but then again, I saved $1000 by getting a manual and put that towards the moonroof + foglight package (canadian option). The skyactiv automatic gets better fuel mileage than the manual and it has a manual mode for those days you want to control the gears.
 
#3 ·
This manual tranny also allows you to pull of odd shift combinations like 2->4, 4->6 without feeling guilty. The 2.0L engine isn't fast, but it sure is easy to drive.
 
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#5 ·
Not really just one less shift you have to make.
Manuals are fun but in all honesty autos are just as efficient now. It really comes down to personal preference. I like manuals myself. Just more engaging to drive. But autos are easier to drive. Test drive both a couple times then make a decision.
 
#9 ·
I prefer manual for anything other than a luxury car.

It is a preference thing...plain and simple.

And in my opinion anybody who complains about a manual in traffic shouldn't be in a manual anyways. If you love manual really and truly, you would even prefer it in traffic.
 
#10 ·
There are only two reasons to buy a manual - you like to shift gears and it is cheaper. The new automatics are extremely efficient, have just as many gears, can downshift, allow you to shift manually if you like with the paddle shifters. Driving in the city is a chore with a manual. It used to be that you had more control with a manual and that it had more gears, but no more. The Mazda auto is very good.

If you are thinking about getting an "S" model with the 2.5L engine, you don't have a choice. In that model you have "sport" mode which is a blast to use.

From a pure technology standpoint and mpg standpoint, autos are really much better. That said, I've always had manuals in my sports cars because they were the better transmission for those cars. If you plan on either a lot of city driving or a lot of trips, buy an auto. If you want to get in touch with your inner gear, buy a manual.

The other point is that with all of the technology in the car with phone, text messaging, nav, etc., it can be unsafe to use a manual AND those things.
 
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#11 ·
I was on the line about the tech package but if i got the manual I had planned on getting it since it offered voice commands. My friends strongly encourage the manual. They think it is more fun to drive. I have found that I miss my right hand and left foot doing things after I practiced with my friend. I like to fidget so that could be good for me. I think it might help me from zoning out out as well. I will some times drive and miss a turn just because I was enjoying the ride and in my own little head space.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Would have gotten a manual if it were available at the time i wanted the car. Now my left foot is so lazy. Good think Mazda`s sport mode auto is fun.

Also, its cheaper to repair and replace a manual transmission than a complicated expensive automatic. Not to mention a manual is easier to maintain.
 
#16 ·
If you're young, and you're thinking about driving manual, just go for it.

It's possible that if you buy manual, you'll regret it. But only until you get used to it and start enjoying it. If you truly hate it, then you can always get rid of it.

On the other hand, f you buy automatic, you may regret it for the entire ownership of the car. But you won't regret it enough to want to get rid of it for a manual.

Does that make sense? :001_unsure:
 
#19 ·
This thread is kind of a non-starter. Your asking a bunch of car enthusiast on a Mazda enthusiast website which they prefer...did you think you'd get a different result?
I like autos because they keep my hands free. When I get frisky or find a particularly nice zoomy road, I enjoy the paddle shifters....but I'm the exception. I've owned both but like to not think too much about driving after a long day at work.
Plus it's harder to text and drive in a manual.





JK
 
#20 ·
Well its a funny thing I have always wanted a manual. I was all set on getting one and the more I thought about it the worse it got. I had my parents come out and look at a couple of cars with me and they really liked the mazda but they gave me a bunch of reasons to get an automatic. So now when im' driving I have been using the sport mode. It seems pretty good for adjusting and the more I use it the more I want a real manual. Then I hit a point where the sun is in my eyes or im sitting on the hill I go up for work and worry that it might be more of a pain than a pleasure. I like to drive. I prefer to go on road trips than fly out to places. When I get out to the mountains it has been fun going up and down the winding ways. I really just want to feel the zoom zoom when I drive. I think the manual will help aid in that fun feeling.
 
#26 · (Edited)
can you manual drivers smoothly downshift to 2nd for a corner while slowing down from a very high speed?
I found it very hard to do in my 2 previous manual cars. The synchros in 2nd just didn't like working to match high rpms in order to get in gear smoothly. As a result, I found I can actually drive better with an auto with paddle shifters. The only smooth way I found to be able to downshift to 2nd while traveling at high speed and at the same time slowing down for a corner is to double-clutch downshift, that is clutch-in, neutral, clutch-out, blip the throttle to bring rpms up to match speed for 2nd gear, clutch-in, put into 2nd and quickly clutch-out before rpms fall. Now, trying to do that while braking for a corner is extremely hard and I almost never succeed. So what I end up doing is slow down a little early to like 45mph and do all of the above while getting off the brake to blip the throttle, then get back on the brakes after I finish downshifting into 2nd smoothly.

So you can see why I can brake and downshift for corner entry and accelerate out of corners much better with paddle shifters. :cheesy:

p.s. I *could* just put the car in neutral while entering the corner and not shift into 2nd until I'm ready to get on the throttle *but* I very much like to use engine braking as a way to control speed without feathering the brakes so it's more desirable to get into the low gear before entering the corner.
 
#28 ·
I guess it depends on what you consider "high speed". 45 mph? 50? 65?

Not sure I've ever had to go from highway speeds to a sharp turn needing a 2 gear downshift except for on the track. I did ok with that in a Miata. Not great though. On the street, at legal speeds, sure, a smooth downshift to 2nd through a 90 degree turn from 45 or 50 is totally doable. From higher speeds, maybe not as much, but I think I've got other problems if I'm approaching an intersection at 60-70+ for a turn requiring 2nd gear for its exit. (Usually the problems would involve law enforcement :wink:) So, not too worried about that scenario; as, I won't be doing that. :no:

The only REAL reason for picking a transmission is whichever one you like better. That's it. Everything else is just a rationalization IMHO.
 
#32 ·
Manual 100%

And this is coming from a guy who currently drives a DSG GTI, one of the better automatics on the spectrum of autoboxes. There is only so much control an automatic can have, short of reading your mind. I'd much rather have a stick in hand for a few reasons;

-Controlability (as mentioned above)
-Connectivity, you tend to feel things differently with a stick.
-Reliability, the main reason I'm leaving my DSG. No computers to lose their minds, just your hand.
-Anti-theft, as someone else also mentioned. A stick apparently is a big deterrent these days, with kids no longer grasping the benefits of a good old manual.
-Also less expensive.
-My girlfriend's 5'2", nearly a midget. Adjusting our seats would be a big issue.

Now for the minuses...
-So the wife doesn't drive manual? Hmmm, at least I'll know it won't get into an accident what? Who said that?
-So the wife can't drive manual. Even if she tried? Are you sure? Cause I'm sure I'm 4 beers late of a half legal drive...
-Traffic. Why. Can't. We. All just MOVE!
-Dude can I drive your car? I'll be easy on the clutch I promise.
-I'm soooooo lazy. Do I have to? (engine: I can't go any higher than 8,000, even if I tried. Just shift it buddy, the coolants getting red in the face)
-I don't think it's broken-ohmygod it's broken for sure. Holy shhhhh at least it's not my lefffdamnit. It's my left ankle. Hunny? Do you think you cannnnnevermind.
 
#33 ·
Don't know if this is a con for you , but at present ... the manual is only available with the less powerful engine. That said , it's a great forgiving manual to own first up .
 
#34 ·
It is a con. A decent sized one at that. 150 ft-lbs @ 3000 rpm feels kinda week next to the 207 ft-lbs @ 1800 rpm I'm giving up for it. I would have loved the 2.5 Skyactiv with a stick, but I'll settle for the slower, but cheaper, more fuel efficient and less tech-to-go-wrong-over-the-years alternative.
 
#36 ·
I some times wonder what do some people do on streets? My head is just spinning.
I am reading words that I cant connect them to street. controllability, optimum exit speed, double clutch shifting. At this point I wont be surprised if some one asks "whats the best way to enter into my driveway, trail brake or lift off steer?"
Whats the rush? You are shaving half a second through a corner, and then eventually you will catch a red light!?

I had a nissan 300zx, a little sport 2 seater with 3 ltr twin turbo v6 and it only had 137 miles when sold it. On the street the Mazda 3 is, if not better, just as fun and as fast as my old Z. Yes, yes, the manual helped on off ramps and canyon roads, but peddle shifters do the job as if needed. Because there are so much traffic every where, that you just cant open up the horses to benefit the physical clutch pedal. The only thing is manual would a bit more fun.
And if you find an empty road, with gf or wife on the next seat , you should be a deaf to drive that fast. and if you do so it will be your last day with her. Just saying!!
 
#38 ·
Good points Pouyan. I see I got a little too excited when talking about driving a stick, lol...
I do like to drive well on the street for fun and that's one big reason I picked the 3 over say a camry or some other 4 door with similar spunk of the 2.5 as far as being in a hurry, not really but I do like to feel the g forces laterally and also combination of longitudinal and lateral. Driving on the limit on the street is dangerous I agree. Using the throttle to control understeer or oversteer at say 70% of the limit is still quite fun and that's where shifting well comes into play.
 
#39 · (Edited)
please make no mistake,
I am totally down for a little bit of fun (but safe) every now and then, that's why I bought the Mazda. And not the mazdaspeed, not the GTI nor WRX, or even at that price I could get a decent low mile Infiniti G. But those fast cars will not squeeze the fun everyday at such low speed as Mazda does.
Back in time when I was in college, had a 98 Jetta VR6 which would destroy my friends Gen1 Mazda3 s, but to me, the Mazda was like a LITTLE CRAZY HYPER POPPY, pure fun! Until today I still say they are the must fun car that I have ever drove! :cheesy:

If you think you are not 100% perfect at manual shifting, rev match downshifting, heel and toe, etc... then do get a manual! If you don't try it, how else your gonna learn? :yes:

And to does already got the auto, no worries, future will be more paddle shifters than trusty manuals with actual clutch. So you wont miss that much either. :thumbup 1:
 
#40 ·
I learned to drive on a pair of manual transmissions - a '71 VW Microbus and a '74 MG-B. I've been driving manuals every since, with very few exceptions.

I have to say, the 3 is one of the easiest manuals I've ever driven. The clutch is light, but it also feels quite direct, more like a rod-shifted clutch than a cable hydraulic one. The shifter action is fantastic - snick-snick - easy to use, short throws, very direct as well. One of my very favorite cars ever is my Honda CRX; the 3's shifter feels better in my hand than the CRX's. That's about as high a praise as I can offer. After the test drive, I understood why Car&Driver magazine refers to it as a "five door Miata". It's an apt description.
 
#41 ·
I agree. While its not quite as good as the Miatas I used to own, it's the closest thing I've found in a family car. The Miata is still my favorite car from all I've owned. This MZ3 is a close second, and the manual transmission is a big part of that.

The Miata's stick was a shorter throw and IMHO slightly smoother. (I haven't changed the tranny oil yet; so, the 3's shifts might have some room for improvement.) I will give a slight edge to the 3 for general use though. This MT is the easiest day-to-day that I've ever encountered. It's also, IMHO, the easiest to learn. There is the hill assist to keep you from rolling backwards. The torque band on the 2.0 is absolutely huge and gets into its own very early for a little 4-banger which makes stalling very rare and easy to recover from.

If you want to learn an MT this is a really, really great, forgiving car to do this with. You owe it to yourself to give it a go and not get talked out of it.

That said, don't get talked into it either. If you really like an AT, then by all means get one. The 3's AT is an outstanding unit. You can't go wrong with it.

Don't second guess yourself. Go with your choice, not somebody else's. You're gonna live with it day-to-day for years and you spend gobs of money to buy it. (20K is very affordable, but still a pile-o-cash) No use looking back wishing you had made a different choice.
 
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#42 ·
Y'know, I was very tempted to try the flappy-paddle autobox in the 3 S. By all accounts is about as good a one as you'll find in a small car, and there are times when it might even be preferable to a real row-it-yourself jobby. But my traditionalist side won out, and I went with the 2.0L with the manny. Given a choice, I'm almost always going to go with a manual transmission.
 
#44 ·
I can only imagine why they haven't dropped such a thing on us (yet). We know it's available in the 6 - 2.5L 6-speed manual is totally gettable in that car - so it *can* be done.

Perhaps they're saving that option for a MazdaSpeed version, or afraid that such a model (i Sport with 2.5L 6-speed manual and light options menu) would poach sales from an upcoming MazdaSpeed model...

The lack of such a package didn't keep me from buying a 3, obviously, but it's definitely something I would have looked at first if it were available.
 
#46 ·
According to the Mazda rep I talked to at the Chicago Auto Show, the manual 2.5 is coming within the next six months. She also said to expect some Mazdaspeed (not necessarily MS3) news within the next 4 months.

As far as the auto vs. manual debate, I test drove a top level '14 Mazda 3S GT hatch. I'll say that that transmission was easily the best automatic I've ever driven, but I'd still prefer a manual.
 
#47 ·
I test-drove the 2.2 Diesel Manual twice (here in Europe), and I had so much fun, I drove it for much longer each time than the dealership agreed to give it to me :)

But I will buy an automatic. I love driving manual for fun from time to time, but since I drive every day and often in city traffic, being stuck with shifting 6 gears all the time is not fun. It helps that I also test-drove the automatic once (also a 2.2 diesel), and it is really a very good automatic transmission.
 
#50 ·
When I bought my i touring I test drove the automatic first, thinking that was probably what I would go with. The auto in these cars are sweet. But then I decided to test drive the manual just for shits and giggles. I ended up buying the manual. It felt to me like the manual woke that little 2.0l up a noticeable bit. Felt more responsive and like it just had a little bit more get up and go. Also I live in Idaho so it's definitely beneficial to be able to engine brake when needed.
 
#51 ·
#55 ·
I put the car in sport mode for the first time in awhile, turned off traction control and drove spiritedly to my destination. It feels like a completely different car compared to my average driving style. I like the versatility, I enjoy a good downshift dive around a corner every now and then. I've owned the car over a month now and really baby it. Id love to get it out on a mild course, something with no huge straightaways. I think im going to purchase the corksport sway bar tomorrow. Definitely the most fun auto i've ever driven, I enjoy a bolt action as much as the next guy.
 
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