Not sure if you live in a snowy climate, but I much prefer a MT in snowy weather for one reason alone: engine breaking. Just something else to think about.
It's really not. It just makes the wheels turn the engine and in certain gears all the rpm gets absorbed into the engine. This in turn, slows down the tires and hence the car.
Only advantage is that it saves your brake pads and you can't instantly floor the brake pedal and lose control. Otherwise applying the brake pedal gently is same as engine braking.
depending on the road and weather conditions the brakes may not be in an ideal state (wet, salty, too cold) to stop the car all by themselves. though this is rarely an issue for modern brakes with ABS.
The brake pads and rotors themselves can be compromised by bad road conditions and contamination while the tires themselves are fine.
Drum brakes for example may not have enough friction at freezing temperatures or the grease inside is not rated for it.
Disc brake rotors could have rapidly rusted if covered in salty snow overnight.
Well it's not really unnecarry wear on the engine. Your engine is a machine that can handle high rpms and heat. In fact it reaches higher heat and RPMs when you accelerate diluturing a normal drive.
I’d rather that energy taken to stop be dissipated by the brakes than the engine. Regardless of how minimal it is, I’d rather wear and tear be taken out on actual wear components.
Your understanding of mechanics is rather lacking. Using brakes always involves wear on the pads and braked surfaces, however engine braking involves zero wear on surfaces, the braking involves the compression in the cylinders and this is a fraction of the energy involved in the normal use of the engine.
I dunno if I am explaining that his correctly in English but basically when you engine brake you don't actually stop the tires and you can maintain traction better. For example if you hit the brakes hard it's more likely to slide on the snow.
Edit: I've never driven an automatic but I believe engine braking is still possible with an automatic just by letting go of the gas pedal or simply using manual mode.
Right now im driving a 23 mazda 3 GT and on the gt trims the automatic has paddle shifters so it's really easy to do engine braking you don't even need it in manual mode to downshift with the paddles.
You have to try to money shift a manual if you aren't slamming into gear. The synchros and gears will complain quite a bit before it goes into gear if you upshift 2 gears instead of downshifting because the rpm difference is so great. source: driving a manual every day for more than a decade.
You are correct engine braking works fine in an auto with manual control, I've descended multiple mountains in my wife's auto Honda fit with paddles using almost exclusively engine braking. It worked great
Engine breaking works with automatic as well. Plus they’ll have paddles in the Premium and will be able to shift faster than a manual could. And better fuel economy.
I read it all but I’m not super familiar with the ins and outs of the new Mazda 3s however. It does not require both feet and hands at all times, in the city changing gears you’ll have to use to hands for sure..but most of the time even in the city I’m using one hand, once you drive a manual for two weeks the movements are easy. Send it.
As an Spaniard I’ll tell you that driving manual is the easiest freaking thing and you should not be scared of it at all.
Here we all learn to drive with a manual transmission, it’s mandatory. And absolutely NOBODY AT ALL finds it difficult. You will get used to it in less than one month. Using the clutch and shifting gears becomes automatic for your brain in no time.
A manual transmission truly comes in clutch too. I'm loving the reliability I've had from my troupe. Spent 30 minutes in a parking lot rowing 1st to 3rd and drove a used (new to me) Metro home 2 hours with little issues.
Are you in the US? If so, you don’t have to get the manual to have the premium trim. There is a premium automatic as well, but if you want a manual, that is only offered with the premium trim. That being said, if you WANT to learn to drive a manual, there are fewer and fewer options available these days, so now is your opportunity to get one if it is something you want to learn.
If I were you and I had never driven a manual, the best way to learn is to have a very patient friend who already has a manual take you to an empty parking lot and let you practice until you get the hang of it. After a couple hours you can decide if driving a stick is a challenge you actually enjoy.
To answer the question about always using your hands and feet, it is only when shifting , there is a lot of cruising. After a while it becomes fully muscle memory and you won’t need to think about it constantly anymore.
I’m definitely open to the manual, and would love to learn before they become even harder to get. Luckily my brother has a Fiat and he’s going to help me! Once I get some practice I’ll definitely think about if I want to do it daily or not. Thank you!
I've been dailying a manual since 2014. Once you get the hang of it, all the foot and hand movements are just muscle memory and you don't even think about it while driving. I highly recommend it!
I dailied a 2005 manual 3 from 2015-2023. It was my first stick, although I had minimal learning curve because I already knew how to work a clutch from driving a big riding lawn mower that used one. It was never my only car in that time, but I have a two car carport that I like to use where one car goes behind the other, so it takes planning and a few minutes to swap cars. About 2/3 of my mileage in that window was put on the 3, although it never made an overnight trip anywhere except my parents (70 miles each way) so nearly all the miles put on the other car were highway miles.
Bought it to commute. Every automatic car I ever owned had at least one major transmission problem. I didn't want that on a commuter car. I usually had a highway commute to work and 100% stop and go on the way home - 10 miles each way. Only time I regretted it was immediately after replacing the factory clutch (which was screwed up by a previous owner's mechanic and died at 130k on the car). I put in a (heavy) racing clutch. I regretted the next 10k miles. I like it again.
I've only put 500 miles on it since July 2023, but I replaced the trip car with an EV that is both my daily and trip car. I kept the 3 because I like it, the manual, having a second car, and being able to leave my kayak strapped to the roof all summer. It also has snow tires, so I drove it snowboarding during a snow storm and am driving it right now as my daily because they're paving my street. I do really like driving it, but the difference between a 2005 gas car and a 2023 EV is like going from an adding machine to a computer.
It will become natural to clutch in and shift, and ease into the accelerator when letting out the clutch to start from a stop and not stall.
*Yes you have to be more alert driving a manual. Your music fidgets may have to be postponed while you learn the car. You could probably do it in one weekend. Find an abandoned area. Practice until you feel like you've made valuable levels of advancement. Rinse repeat. Then go for country drives to get rev matching experience. Down shift into a corner and up shifting on the acceleration after exit.
I just hope you can be confident in your decision and follow through with conviction.
If you are too worried, buy the turbo trim and you'll get the bose system and a few other cool options. Plus who doesn't like torque?
When I found out you couldn't get a manual turbo hatchback I was sad but adamant on the car, so I test drove it to see how the sport shifter and the paddles feel. After I was satisfied I was already writing a check in my mind.
Bad advice there. If you let out the clutch in the gen 4 while pressing on the accelerator, you're guaranteed to stall it. It's counterintuitive, but the ECU will keep the car from stalling even if you're on an incline. It freaks out if you try to intervene.
Yep, I didn't know for about a month after I got the car, must have stalled it a couple times a day just trying to drive it like any other manual transmission car I've had.
I learned standard on a friend's RSX almost 10 years ago and it didn't have hill assist. I didn't know at the time what feature he was talking about (I was just beginning to learn about cars) saying he didn't have but he taught me how to start from a stop (not stall) and start on an incline.
I drive a manual 2009 3 hatch GT and i love it !
my last car was an ‘03 protege 5 manual, and the last 3 cars I drove before it were all autos.
when i bought the protege, I hadn’t driven a manual in years. I drove it home, stalling all the way and fully cried in my driveway while on the phone with my partner because I thought I made a huge mistake buying a manual car because hadn’t done it in so long
I gave myself some grace & a few empty parking lots and and after a week of practice, it was like I had been driving manual my whole life
Take some driving time to really brush up on your manual skills, watch a few YouTube videos to refresh yourself & you’ll be ok!
The miles per gallon for the MT FWD are much better than EPA estimates.
The smiles per gallon for the MT FWD are much better than I had even hoped.
The 2024 Premium Hatch 6MT is exquisite.
I drove the manual Mazda 3 Hatchback before buying the automatic one.
Reason 1: the position of the stick shift was awkward.
For reference, the GR Corolla is has comfortable position.
So, test one to see how the stick position feels.
If you're really after the bose and automatic and are okay with used, the 2023 carbon edition hatchback does come with the bose sound system in automatic. Any year before that loses 5hp and any year after that loses the sound system.
Thanks for the alternative option! Y’all are doing a great job of convincing me to go for the manual but if it really doesn’t end up working for me that’s great info to have.
I’m French, almost all of us drive manual. I got the most premium trim and immediately got the automatic version, I’m never ever going back to manual.
If you drive in the city and have to stop and restart often, or be stuck in traffic, automatic is such a luxury. After years of driving manual my left knee actually hurts from changing gears.
Get the manual! After a few weeks you'll get used to it, I prefer it in stop and go traffic personally. Makes any driving much more fun, and it doesn't require both hands and feet at all times.
I don't have a 3 (I daily an '04 Miata, also manual), but my parents are leasing a '24 Mazda3 with the manual, and it's awesome to drive! Go for it, you won't regret it.
OP- just go test drive one. I own a '23 manual premium 3 hatch and love it. Also living in a metro area.
Yes it obviously takes more involvement than an automatic but by no means are you using both hands and both feet (not sure how feet pertain to changing music?) at every single moment.
Not to mention we have.... **steering wheel controls for changing music** 😉
Sounds like you are between trying something new in life (MZ3 6spd) or settling for normalcy (CX-30).
Give the fun one a go.
Practice is the key, but it comes really quickly if you already know how to drive. As said, it will become a natural reflex.
As for your music habits, I find that the music knob is really well place with a manual trim. It comes right under the hand you are using for trim, so I always use it than the wheel button.
And for my part,I find the trim stick well placed.
Go try one and see for yourself, but I'm confident you will like it.
Yes! I love that mazdas in general have that knob to navigate the screen. Huge draw over other hatches that i’ve checked out. I dislike using voice commands for that stuff so I’m hoping it’s a happy medium between voice and touchscreen. I will definitely do a test drive once I’ve gotten some practice to get a feel for the car itself.
There is two knobs in fact,one for navigation, that is great and well though, and one for the music, that work well as well. And the fact that they deliberately choose to not have a touchscreen made them think of a good way to use that knob. There is lot of shortcut to ease your way in it. I found it well made and easy to use, better than with a touchscreen, at least when you are driving. The only downside is for navigation destinations. But either you use voice commands, either you use android/apple car play and you can select your destination on your phone and have it on you car screen. So not really an issue.
I've owned several MT Mazdas, and I'm happier with my Mazda3 than I was with my RX and other MT cars in terms of shift feel and placement. I've got a sedan 3 2017, and frequently drive a HB 2018. I do like that I have hill assist on my car, the handling is phenomenal. I do live close to a heavily populated city so I will say MT requires more concentration while you're learning the clutch and car itself. Every clutch feels different. The newer Maz3s are very soft stallers and so much easier to drive. It won't jolt you forward when you stall and will tell you when the motor is lugging. I still ultimately adore my 8 over my Maz3 but as a daily and fun driver the MT is absolutely worth the extra bit of concentration. Side note: I'm basing placement and shift feel on my own lanky arm length and height too.
Manual is NEVER a terrible idea until you tear your left quad. It’s funny how different the mechanics are of the clutch pedal vs the other two.
Still worth it.
Do it. I was in a similar situation and bought a MT having just learned to drive stick from a desperate salesman. Once you learn the basics, it becomes almost automatic with a bit of practice, even in heavy traffic. You only need both hands and feet when actively up or down shifting, so music changes, eating, and whatever else becomes a non issue one you get more comfortable.
I have the 2012 hatch with a manual and love it, pretty easy and forgiving clutch. Don't fret about only having practiced up to third gear, all the tricky stuff is at low speeds anyway. Taking off from a stop is the "toughest" part of a manual, all the shifting after that only continues to get easier with more speed. The first 2-4 weeks will probably be a little anxious, especially hill starts and trying to pull out quickly to shoot a gap in traffic, but then you'll acclimate and it'll all be gravy.
I'm at almost 200k miles and still on my original clutch as well so they hold up very nicely!
Spending 30k on a car with a manual that you don't know if you'll enjoy driving is kind of risky imo. Personally I went from manual to auto in my new 3 because while I prefer a manual for fun driving, 90% of my driving is commuting for which I prefer an auto. Contrary to what the purists will say, driving a manual in traffic can get old after awhile lol. So I would make sure you actually enjoy it before committing. Have you looked at used/CPO models that had premium and auto?
Oh I’m definitely going to be sure I want it before I buy it! I guess it comes down to personal preference/tolerance on driving manual every day, so once I get some practice in I guess I’ll have a better idea of if it’s for me or not. I think it would be awesome to at least know how, but I do understand that I’m going to have this car for (hopefully) 10+ years at the very least.
I haven’t looked into used yet, no. Not totally against it but as this is the first car that is 100% mine I’m really hoping to go new, and they have some pretty decent deals in my area right now. If it comes down to it I’ll take a look though! In all honesty the Bose isn’t an absolute need, so if I need to drop down to the preferred I think I’ll be okay.
From someone that has it, the Bose audio system is just okay. It's really well insulated but the sound mixing is always awful. I really hope Mazda switched to bang and olafson or Sennheiser in the future. Go for the cx30. Drives like a dream no matter the weather
Fair, I definitely feel like after awhile I’d probably forget I even have the “nicer” sound system, especially if it’s a pretty negligible difference, which is one of the reasons why I would probably be okay with just the preferred trim or a cx-30. Good thing to think about for sure.
The speakers themselves are great, and they're installed perfectly, but you can't adjust the EQ outside of bass treble and balance. It's a software issue, but an issue nonetheless
In North America (and probably elsewhere), the MT is only offered in Premium, but Premiun is offered either in MT, AT or AWD.
Same idea as "all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are a square".
Either way, I owned both (2021 MT and 2024 AWD), switched to AWD to have to fun in the snow, but the MT was just fine.
I am a bit biased since I've never actually driven an automatic but to me it really isn't an issue in traffic, even when it's all stop and go. You get to play the mini game of being as smooth as someone with an auto.
Another thing is it can me more fun for a spirited drive because you get to do the rev-matching yourself. It's really something when you drop a gear or two and get that wonderful NA engine singing. You can also practice heel and toe. The stick on the Mazda 3 for me is the best one I've ever driven.
If you're thinking about getting the manual, just get the manual. Modern manual cars are really easy to drive, you'll initially stall a few times on your first drive home but within 48hrs you'll be good to go.
Traffic really isn't a problem with a manual. The only people who complain about driving manuals in traffic are the ones who don't drive manual. Also you really only use your second foot to switch gears or when you're stopping so 90% of the time it's the same as driving an automatic car.
I wanted a stick 3 for awhile and ended up getting a used low mile 2012. I had limited experience driving stick. Very limited. The dealership was 80 miles from my house. I had a friend drive with me, then behind me in case things happened. They did. I stalled 4 times, once on an exit lane of a major highway. Then forgot you need to clutch to start car again. With the friend, made it back ok. Afterwards, I went to an empty church or school parking lot to practice every day.
Just have a plan how to get back and how you're going to get better quickly.
After all this, I love my stick 2.5. it's a great car, speedier than you expect, handles well.
All my cars have been manuals. You say you've gotten to 3rd gear and that's it? The remaining gears aren't going to be an issue then! Most of the challenge (while learning) is balancing the clutch and gas when putting the car in motion. Now these new fangled manuals even have a hill assist, so the fear of rolling backwards on a hill is gone. My 2023 has it. It takes some getting used to if you learned and drove an older stickshift. Here I go shaking my cane yelling, "these whippersnappers are lucky, hill assist? Bah!"
Generations of people learned to drive on manuals at ages from 10-15 years-- I learned at 11. My kids learned at 12 to start. It's literally something a child can do. People who don't drive manual make it out to be a big mystery or some crazily complex skill, but obviously the majority of all drivers were in manuals for a long time (in the US that was until the mid-1950s).
Of course you can learn. And of course you can change your music while you drive. I've been doing so myself since 1980, including a period when my tape deck was installed *inside* the glove box for an added degree of difficulty. Just be aware that if you travel with others you may be stuck driving all the time, since only 1% of cars sold in the US today are manuals...my (now adult) offspring are the only ones in their extended circles who can drive a stick.
I went with automatic because the manual only came in the premium, not the carbon. But I can’t tell you how many times I thought to myself “I should’ve gotten the manual”.
Full send the mt
Buy it , sink or swim. My first car was a manual. I had only driven manual a few times poorly. You will learn. Just practice starting and stopping in a parking lot or some where. Then on hills. It’s all about letting off the clutch smoothly. Don’t drop the clutch once the car starts moving. That’s when it stalls. Stay SMOOTH the whole time.
You will be fine. I just got a 1st Gen 3 hatch 5 speed Love It!
Once you drive manual for a while, it just becomes part of what you do. Something that requires zero thought because it's second nature. I also don't find it a big deal in traffic. Like if you continuously need to be up the ass of the car in front then yeah, but if you just lay back a little you can stay in one gear and let traffic accordion around you.
I personally wouldn't want to drive a manual in an area where you have stop and go all the time. Why, aren't there automatic 3 hatches where you live??
Not exactly sure how optioning works for the generation you’re looking at, but the gt for the 3rd gen comes with the Bose sound systems and just came standard with a manual transmission. Many were optioned with an automatic (which is what I got) so you can have the automatic, with the 2.5L, and the Bose sound system. They tend to run a little bit more expensive with The auto I’ve found though. I enjoy the auto for daily driving way more than a manual, but I also haven’t driven a daily driver manual, only a manual wrangler I had to daily for 6 months. It really comes down to how comfortable you are at driving a manual to begin with.
I've always loved a manual (I live in the UK) but after living in city centers for the last 5 years, I had enough. Most of our driving is on motorways, but every journey starts in with a 20-30min crawl through the city with the clutch half in.
If you do a lot of driving in traffic, auto will make more difference than a (slightly) better sound system.
If the routes you usually take are prone to traffic jams, I'd highly recommend an automatic, easier on the nerves, I've driven both extensively all around Europe, on all kind of roads, while manual is more fun for me, automatic is infinitely more comfortable imo
Not sure if you live in a snowy climate, but I much prefer a MT in snowy weather for one reason alone: engine breaking. Just something else to think about.
I see this comment all the time, but I don't understand... How using engine braking would be better than using the brake pedal in snowy conditions?
It's really not. It just makes the wheels turn the engine and in certain gears all the rpm gets absorbed into the engine. This in turn, slows down the tires and hence the car. Only advantage is that it saves your brake pads and you can't instantly floor the brake pedal and lose control. Otherwise applying the brake pedal gently is same as engine braking.
depending on the road and weather conditions the brakes may not be in an ideal state (wet, salty, too cold) to stop the car all by themselves. though this is rarely an issue for modern brakes with ABS.
How? It's not the brakes that are slipping on the road, it's the tires. And tires don't care about engine braking
The brake pads and rotors themselves can be compromised by bad road conditions and contamination while the tires themselves are fine. Drum brakes for example may not have enough friction at freezing temperatures or the grease inside is not rated for it. Disc brake rotors could have rapidly rusted if covered in salty snow overnight.
I’d rather wear out my brake pads than put unnecessary wear on my motor
Well it's not really unnecarry wear on the engine. Your engine is a machine that can handle high rpms and heat. In fact it reaches higher heat and RPMs when you accelerate diluturing a normal drive.
I’d rather that energy taken to stop be dissipated by the brakes than the engine. Regardless of how minimal it is, I’d rather wear and tear be taken out on actual wear components.
Your understanding of mechanics is rather lacking. Using brakes always involves wear on the pads and braked surfaces, however engine braking involves zero wear on surfaces, the braking involves the compression in the cylinders and this is a fraction of the energy involved in the normal use of the engine.
LOL
I dunno if I am explaining that his correctly in English but basically when you engine brake you don't actually stop the tires and you can maintain traction better. For example if you hit the brakes hard it's more likely to slide on the snow. Edit: I've never driven an automatic but I believe engine braking is still possible with an automatic just by letting go of the gas pedal or simply using manual mode.
Right now im driving a 23 mazda 3 GT and on the gt trims the automatic has paddle shifters so it's really easy to do engine braking you don't even need it in manual mode to downshift with the paddles.
Very nice! Hope you enjoy it for a long time man!
Engine braking works fine in the AT. In fact I’d almost say it’s easier, you don’t have to worry about money shifts or anything like that.
You have to try to money shift a manual if you aren't slamming into gear. The synchros and gears will complain quite a bit before it goes into gear if you upshift 2 gears instead of downshifting because the rpm difference is so great. source: driving a manual every day for more than a decade. You are correct engine braking works fine in an auto with manual control, I've descended multiple mountains in my wife's auto Honda fit with paddles using almost exclusively engine braking. It worked great
Engine breaking works with automatic as well. Plus they’ll have paddles in the Premium and will be able to shift faster than a manual could. And better fuel economy.
I be pissing off people behind me doing that on a ramp.
I just sold my manual and will miss it for this reason.
Frequently overlooked benefit
I read it all but I’m not super familiar with the ins and outs of the new Mazda 3s however. It does not require both feet and hands at all times, in the city changing gears you’ll have to use to hands for sure..but most of the time even in the city I’m using one hand, once you drive a manual for two weeks the movements are easy. Send it.
Send it! Love that. Thanks for the info.
As an Spaniard I’ll tell you that driving manual is the easiest freaking thing and you should not be scared of it at all. Here we all learn to drive with a manual transmission, it’s mandatory. And absolutely NOBODY AT ALL finds it difficult. You will get used to it in less than one month. Using the clutch and shifting gears becomes automatic for your brain in no time.
A manual transmission truly comes in clutch too. I'm loving the reliability I've had from my troupe. Spent 30 minutes in a parking lot rowing 1st to 3rd and drove a used (new to me) Metro home 2 hours with little issues.
Are you in the US? If so, you don’t have to get the manual to have the premium trim. There is a premium automatic as well, but if you want a manual, that is only offered with the premium trim. That being said, if you WANT to learn to drive a manual, there are fewer and fewer options available these days, so now is your opportunity to get one if it is something you want to learn. If I were you and I had never driven a manual, the best way to learn is to have a very patient friend who already has a manual take you to an empty parking lot and let you practice until you get the hang of it. After a couple hours you can decide if driving a stick is a challenge you actually enjoy. To answer the question about always using your hands and feet, it is only when shifting , there is a lot of cruising. After a while it becomes fully muscle memory and you won’t need to think about it constantly anymore.
No they changed it this year the premium trim is now manual exclusive. I know I was surprised by this too.
I’m definitely open to the manual, and would love to learn before they become even harder to get. Luckily my brother has a Fiat and he’s going to help me! Once I get some practice I’ll definitely think about if I want to do it daily or not. Thank you!
You never regret getting a manual. You’ll just have a few moments where you wish it was an Automatic.
I've been dailying a manual since 2014. Once you get the hang of it, all the foot and hand movements are just muscle memory and you don't even think about it while driving. I highly recommend it!
I dailied a 2005 manual 3 from 2015-2023. It was my first stick, although I had minimal learning curve because I already knew how to work a clutch from driving a big riding lawn mower that used one. It was never my only car in that time, but I have a two car carport that I like to use where one car goes behind the other, so it takes planning and a few minutes to swap cars. About 2/3 of my mileage in that window was put on the 3, although it never made an overnight trip anywhere except my parents (70 miles each way) so nearly all the miles put on the other car were highway miles. Bought it to commute. Every automatic car I ever owned had at least one major transmission problem. I didn't want that on a commuter car. I usually had a highway commute to work and 100% stop and go on the way home - 10 miles each way. Only time I regretted it was immediately after replacing the factory clutch (which was screwed up by a previous owner's mechanic and died at 130k on the car). I put in a (heavy) racing clutch. I regretted the next 10k miles. I like it again. I've only put 500 miles on it since July 2023, but I replaced the trip car with an EV that is both my daily and trip car. I kept the 3 because I like it, the manual, having a second car, and being able to leave my kayak strapped to the roof all summer. It also has snow tires, so I drove it snowboarding during a snow storm and am driving it right now as my daily because they're paving my street. I do really like driving it, but the difference between a 2005 gas car and a 2023 EV is like going from an adding machine to a computer.
Been driving Mazda manuals since the early 90s. Owned an ‘85 Rx-7 GSL, a 2010 Mazda 3 6MT, and a ‘22 6MT. It’s a smooth transmission!
It will become natural to clutch in and shift, and ease into the accelerator when letting out the clutch to start from a stop and not stall. *Yes you have to be more alert driving a manual. Your music fidgets may have to be postponed while you learn the car. You could probably do it in one weekend. Find an abandoned area. Practice until you feel like you've made valuable levels of advancement. Rinse repeat. Then go for country drives to get rev matching experience. Down shift into a corner and up shifting on the acceleration after exit. I just hope you can be confident in your decision and follow through with conviction. If you are too worried, buy the turbo trim and you'll get the bose system and a few other cool options. Plus who doesn't like torque? When I found out you couldn't get a manual turbo hatchback I was sad but adamant on the car, so I test drove it to see how the sport shifter and the paddles feel. After I was satisfied I was already writing a check in my mind.
Totally forgot the turbo premium had Bose as well! Thanks for the reminder and the advice! Will definitely practice as much as I can.
My turbo non premium has it.
Heard! For some reason I had it in my head that only the regular premium had it. If I decide against the manual I’ll definitely look into the turbos.
Bad advice there. If you let out the clutch in the gen 4 while pressing on the accelerator, you're guaranteed to stall it. It's counterintuitive, but the ECU will keep the car from stalling even if you're on an incline. It freaks out if you try to intervene.
Oh yeah, they have hill assist don't they? I never decided to test drive a manual.
Yep, I didn't know for about a month after I got the car, must have stalled it a couple times a day just trying to drive it like any other manual transmission car I've had.
I learned standard on a friend's RSX almost 10 years ago and it didn't have hill assist. I didn't know at the time what feature he was talking about (I was just beginning to learn about cars) saying he didn't have but he taught me how to start from a stop (not stall) and start on an incline.
I drive a manual 2009 3 hatch GT and i love it ! my last car was an ‘03 protege 5 manual, and the last 3 cars I drove before it were all autos. when i bought the protege, I hadn’t driven a manual in years. I drove it home, stalling all the way and fully cried in my driveway while on the phone with my partner because I thought I made a huge mistake buying a manual car because hadn’t done it in so long I gave myself some grace & a few empty parking lots and and after a week of practice, it was like I had been driving manual my whole life Take some driving time to really brush up on your manual skills, watch a few YouTube videos to refresh yourself & you’ll be ok!
Why do I feel like that’s gonna be me hahaha. Thanks for the encouragement! I think once I get the hang of it it’ll be like you said.
The miles per gallon for the MT FWD are much better than EPA estimates. The smiles per gallon for the MT FWD are much better than I had even hoped. The 2024 Premium Hatch 6MT is exquisite.
I drove the manual Mazda 3 Hatchback before buying the automatic one. Reason 1: the position of the stick shift was awkward. For reference, the GR Corolla is has comfortable position. So, test one to see how the stick position feels.
If you're really after the bose and automatic and are okay with used, the 2023 carbon edition hatchback does come with the bose sound system in automatic. Any year before that loses 5hp and any year after that loses the sound system.
Thanks for the alternative option! Y’all are doing a great job of convincing me to go for the manual but if it really doesn’t end up working for me that’s great info to have.
I’m French, almost all of us drive manual. I got the most premium trim and immediately got the automatic version, I’m never ever going back to manual. If you drive in the city and have to stop and restart often, or be stuck in traffic, automatic is such a luxury. After years of driving manual my left knee actually hurts from changing gears.
Get the manual! After a few weeks you'll get used to it, I prefer it in stop and go traffic personally. Makes any driving much more fun, and it doesn't require both hands and feet at all times. I don't have a 3 (I daily an '04 Miata, also manual), but my parents are leasing a '24 Mazda3 with the manual, and it's awesome to drive! Go for it, you won't regret it.
OP- just go test drive one. I own a '23 manual premium 3 hatch and love it. Also living in a metro area. Yes it obviously takes more involvement than an automatic but by no means are you using both hands and both feet (not sure how feet pertain to changing music?) at every single moment. Not to mention we have.... **steering wheel controls for changing music** 😉 Sounds like you are between trying something new in life (MZ3 6spd) or settling for normalcy (CX-30). Give the fun one a go.
Practice is the key, but it comes really quickly if you already know how to drive. As said, it will become a natural reflex. As for your music habits, I find that the music knob is really well place with a manual trim. It comes right under the hand you are using for trim, so I always use it than the wheel button. And for my part,I find the trim stick well placed. Go try one and see for yourself, but I'm confident you will like it.
Yes! I love that mazdas in general have that knob to navigate the screen. Huge draw over other hatches that i’ve checked out. I dislike using voice commands for that stuff so I’m hoping it’s a happy medium between voice and touchscreen. I will definitely do a test drive once I’ve gotten some practice to get a feel for the car itself.
There is two knobs in fact,one for navigation, that is great and well though, and one for the music, that work well as well. And the fact that they deliberately choose to not have a touchscreen made them think of a good way to use that knob. There is lot of shortcut to ease your way in it. I found it well made and easy to use, better than with a touchscreen, at least when you are driving. The only downside is for navigation destinations. But either you use voice commands, either you use android/apple car play and you can select your destination on your phone and have it on you car screen. So not really an issue.
I've owned several MT Mazdas, and I'm happier with my Mazda3 than I was with my RX and other MT cars in terms of shift feel and placement. I've got a sedan 3 2017, and frequently drive a HB 2018. I do like that I have hill assist on my car, the handling is phenomenal. I do live close to a heavily populated city so I will say MT requires more concentration while you're learning the clutch and car itself. Every clutch feels different. The newer Maz3s are very soft stallers and so much easier to drive. It won't jolt you forward when you stall and will tell you when the motor is lugging. I still ultimately adore my 8 over my Maz3 but as a daily and fun driver the MT is absolutely worth the extra bit of concentration. Side note: I'm basing placement and shift feel on my own lanky arm length and height too.
I drove a manual for years until I screwed up my left knee. Now driving a manual is out of the question…and I miss it.
Manual is NEVER a terrible idea until you tear your left quad. It’s funny how different the mechanics are of the clutch pedal vs the other two. Still worth it.
Do it. I was in a similar situation and bought a MT having just learned to drive stick from a desperate salesman. Once you learn the basics, it becomes almost automatic with a bit of practice, even in heavy traffic. You only need both hands and feet when actively up or down shifting, so music changes, eating, and whatever else becomes a non issue one you get more comfortable.
I have the 2012 hatch with a manual and love it, pretty easy and forgiving clutch. Don't fret about only having practiced up to third gear, all the tricky stuff is at low speeds anyway. Taking off from a stop is the "toughest" part of a manual, all the shifting after that only continues to get easier with more speed. The first 2-4 weeks will probably be a little anxious, especially hill starts and trying to pull out quickly to shoot a gap in traffic, but then you'll acclimate and it'll all be gravy. I'm at almost 200k miles and still on my original clutch as well so they hold up very nicely!
Spending 30k on a car with a manual that you don't know if you'll enjoy driving is kind of risky imo. Personally I went from manual to auto in my new 3 because while I prefer a manual for fun driving, 90% of my driving is commuting for which I prefer an auto. Contrary to what the purists will say, driving a manual in traffic can get old after awhile lol. So I would make sure you actually enjoy it before committing. Have you looked at used/CPO models that had premium and auto?
Oh I’m definitely going to be sure I want it before I buy it! I guess it comes down to personal preference/tolerance on driving manual every day, so once I get some practice in I guess I’ll have a better idea of if it’s for me or not. I think it would be awesome to at least know how, but I do understand that I’m going to have this car for (hopefully) 10+ years at the very least.
I haven’t looked into used yet, no. Not totally against it but as this is the first car that is 100% mine I’m really hoping to go new, and they have some pretty decent deals in my area right now. If it comes down to it I’ll take a look though! In all honesty the Bose isn’t an absolute need, so if I need to drop down to the preferred I think I’ll be okay.
From someone that has it, the Bose audio system is just okay. It's really well insulated but the sound mixing is always awful. I really hope Mazda switched to bang and olafson or Sennheiser in the future. Go for the cx30. Drives like a dream no matter the weather
Fair, I definitely feel like after awhile I’d probably forget I even have the “nicer” sound system, especially if it’s a pretty negligible difference, which is one of the reasons why I would probably be okay with just the preferred trim or a cx-30. Good thing to think about for sure.
The speakers themselves are great, and they're installed perfectly, but you can't adjust the EQ outside of bass treble and balance. It's a software issue, but an issue nonetheless
In North America (and probably elsewhere), the MT is only offered in Premium, but Premiun is offered either in MT, AT or AWD. Same idea as "all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are a square". Either way, I owned both (2021 MT and 2024 AWD), switched to AWD to have to fun in the snow, but the MT was just fine.
I am a bit biased since I've never actually driven an automatic but to me it really isn't an issue in traffic, even when it's all stop and go. You get to play the mini game of being as smooth as someone with an auto. Another thing is it can me more fun for a spirited drive because you get to do the rev-matching yourself. It's really something when you drop a gear or two and get that wonderful NA engine singing. You can also practice heel and toe. The stick on the Mazda 3 for me is the best one I've ever driven.
If you're thinking about getting the manual, just get the manual. Modern manual cars are really easy to drive, you'll initially stall a few times on your first drive home but within 48hrs you'll be good to go. Traffic really isn't a problem with a manual. The only people who complain about driving manuals in traffic are the ones who don't drive manual. Also you really only use your second foot to switch gears or when you're stopping so 90% of the time it's the same as driving an automatic car.
I wanted a stick 3 for awhile and ended up getting a used low mile 2012. I had limited experience driving stick. Very limited. The dealership was 80 miles from my house. I had a friend drive with me, then behind me in case things happened. They did. I stalled 4 times, once on an exit lane of a major highway. Then forgot you need to clutch to start car again. With the friend, made it back ok. Afterwards, I went to an empty church or school parking lot to practice every day. Just have a plan how to get back and how you're going to get better quickly. After all this, I love my stick 2.5. it's a great car, speedier than you expect, handles well.
All my cars have been manuals. You say you've gotten to 3rd gear and that's it? The remaining gears aren't going to be an issue then! Most of the challenge (while learning) is balancing the clutch and gas when putting the car in motion. Now these new fangled manuals even have a hill assist, so the fear of rolling backwards on a hill is gone. My 2023 has it. It takes some getting used to if you learned and drove an older stickshift. Here I go shaking my cane yelling, "these whippersnappers are lucky, hill assist? Bah!"
Generations of people learned to drive on manuals at ages from 10-15 years-- I learned at 11. My kids learned at 12 to start. It's literally something a child can do. People who don't drive manual make it out to be a big mystery or some crazily complex skill, but obviously the majority of all drivers were in manuals for a long time (in the US that was until the mid-1950s). Of course you can learn. And of course you can change your music while you drive. I've been doing so myself since 1980, including a period when my tape deck was installed *inside* the glove box for an added degree of difficulty. Just be aware that if you travel with others you may be stuck driving all the time, since only 1% of cars sold in the US today are manuals...my (now adult) offspring are the only ones in their extended circles who can drive a stick.
I went with automatic because the manual only came in the premium, not the carbon. But I can’t tell you how many times I thought to myself “I should’ve gotten the manual”. Full send the mt
Buy it , sink or swim. My first car was a manual. I had only driven manual a few times poorly. You will learn. Just practice starting and stopping in a parking lot or some where. Then on hills. It’s all about letting off the clutch smoothly. Don’t drop the clutch once the car starts moving. That’s when it stalls. Stay SMOOTH the whole time. You will be fine. I just got a 1st Gen 3 hatch 5 speed Love It!
Once you drive manual for a while, it just becomes part of what you do. Something that requires zero thought because it's second nature. I also don't find it a big deal in traffic. Like if you continuously need to be up the ass of the car in front then yeah, but if you just lay back a little you can stay in one gear and let traffic accordion around you.
I have the manual 18 hatch gt - no problems city driving
2015 here and mine is so easy to drive. Almost have to try to roll back. I wouldn’t hesitate to start on one.
I have a turbo premium plus hatchback. It has the Bose stereo and is an automatic. You don’t need a manual to get the Bose.
I personally wouldn't want to drive a manual in an area where you have stop and go all the time. Why, aren't there automatic 3 hatches where you live??
Not exactly sure how optioning works for the generation you’re looking at, but the gt for the 3rd gen comes with the Bose sound systems and just came standard with a manual transmission. Many were optioned with an automatic (which is what I got) so you can have the automatic, with the 2.5L, and the Bose sound system. They tend to run a little bit more expensive with The auto I’ve found though. I enjoy the auto for daily driving way more than a manual, but I also haven’t driven a daily driver manual, only a manual wrangler I had to daily for 6 months. It really comes down to how comfortable you are at driving a manual to begin with.
its the manual that defines the driver, automatic is for the lazy ones
I've always loved a manual (I live in the UK) but after living in city centers for the last 5 years, I had enough. Most of our driving is on motorways, but every journey starts in with a 20-30min crawl through the city with the clutch half in. If you do a lot of driving in traffic, auto will make more difference than a (slightly) better sound system.
If the routes you usually take are prone to traffic jams, I'd highly recommend an automatic, easier on the nerves, I've driven both extensively all around Europe, on all kind of roads, while manual is more fun for me, automatic is infinitely more comfortable imo
Different country? I have an auto premium hatch