Driving Your Mazda

Starting and Driving

CAUTION

ØKeep your foot off the clutch pedal except when shifting gears. Also, do not use the clutch to hold the vehicle on an upgrade. Riding the clutch will cause needless clutch wear and damage.

ØDo not apply any excessive lateral force to the gear lever when changing from 5th to 4th gear. This could lead to the accidental selection of 2nd gear, which can result in damage to the transmission.

ØMake sure the vehicle comes to a complete stop before shifting to R. Shifting to R while the vehicle is still moving may damage the transmission.

NOTE

If shifting to R is difficult, shift back into neutral, release the clutch pedal, and try again.

qRecommendations for Shifting

Upshifting

For normal acceleration, we recommend these shift points.

Gear

5-speed

6-speed

transmission

transmission

 

1 to 2

24 km/h (15 mph)

23 km/h (14 mph)

 

 

 

2 to 3

42 km/h (26 mph)

37 km/h (23 mph)

 

 

 

3 to 4

55 km/h (34 mph)

50 km/h (31 mph)

 

 

 

4 to 5

66 km/h (41 mph)

56 km/h (35 mph)

 

 

 

5 to 6

66 km/h (41 mph)

 

 

 

For cruising

Gear

5-speed

6-speed

transmission

transmission

 

1 to 2

15 km/h (9 mph)

18 km/h (11 mph)

 

 

 

2 to 3

29 km/h (18 mph)

32 km/h (20 mph)

 

 

 

3 to 4

47 km/h (29 mph)

44 km/h (27 mph)

 

 

 

4 to 5

61 km/h (38 mph)

56 km/h (35 mph)

 

 

 

5 to 6

68 km/h (42 mph)

 

 

 

Downshifting

When you must slow down in heavy traffic or on a steep upgrade, downshift before the engine starts to overwork. This reduces the chance of stalling and gives better acceleration when you need more speed.

On a steep downgrade, downshifting helps maintain safe speed and prolongs brake life.

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Mazda Not a Manual manual QRecommendations for Shifting, Gear Speed Transmission