[mjoshi]

Hi,

I'm planning to get MZ3 as a trade for my 2001 Nissan Altima (Auto). I've never used manual transmission. I would like to know what are pros and cons of Manual v/s Automatic transmission. Things which I'm looking are

1) Mileage on Manual is higher than Auto.
2) Will Manual have more mechanical issues then Auto as you are constantly using clutch and changing gears while driving within city.
3) Auto costs 900 USD more than manual.


Apart from this I want to know how is in-cabin noise in MZ3 ? I did test drive last week, but to be honest during test drive you dont notice this issue. My 01 Altima is having lot of wind/road noise in-cabin. Which makes it bad choice for long drives.

Also how is leather interior on MZ3 ? Do you feel more cold during winter and more hot during summer as leather has tendency to absorb more energy. I'm considering leather trim if it is comfortable.

 

[BETTERBYDESIGN]

I think there is a discussion elsewhere on manual v. auto. dont remember where to check:

Manual because:

-better performance.
-less parts and parts to break down
-better gas mileage (if you want to drive that way)
-more control over the car in bad weather conditions
-you are really driving the car
-downshifting saves break wear
-you have 5 gears to use if any one wears/breaks down, if your auto tranny faults, your day is over.
-Auto tranny is a largely a North American feature. The rest of the world drives manual.
-Japanese cars work best with manual transmissions.


Manual against:

-traffic jams.
-clutch wear (depending on how you drive)
-you can do some damage if you dont know what you are doing!
-some people new at it dont like hills or upgrades
-more difficult to learn but you will not regret it.

Tiptronic transmissions:

- No comment. They are for soccor moms and lazy yuppies.


If you are just starting out, I would recommend you learn manual anyways. You will always then understand your car a lot more, and will be able to drive and appreciate lots of different cars. You can drive automatic anytime.

Good luck!

 

[AK/47]

Auto trannies can cost lots of $$$ to fix if they go wrong.

With a manual you will have to replace the clutch every so often (80-100K KM). Clutch wear increases with the number of different people driving the car.

Is it more fun to drive an manual - yes. Can you still enjoy driving with an auto - of course.

My opionion after reading a lot of posts on this subject. If you pretty much drive just one car - go with the manual. As time goes on, you stop thinking about shift, it becomes second nature. If you will be splitting time between two cars and one is auto, than go with the auto - having to shift gears is much more noticable in that case.

As for the leather - all leather interiors are hot in summer and cold in winter. And don't forget you need to condition them regularly to keep them in good shape. As for the comfort level - can't say - I got the cloth.

 

[autoXsheep]

Having never driven a manual, your clutch wear may be higher than normal, at least until you get the hang of it. I've only had replace one clutch and that was on an RX-7 with over a 100,000 miles on it. Current car is on the original clutch (87000 miles). Had Corrolla with 175000 miles and I didn't have to replace the clutch on it. No transmission problem on any car I've owned.

Like what has been said before, if you have to drive in stop-n-go traffic go with the auto. In my opinion if you want to have more fun go with the manual.

 

[6_funk]

i was in the same boat as you....im still a newbie at Manual.
and my comments are:

-Bumper to Bumper traffic for long perids (20+ min) is killer!

-Hills are annoying! but very uncommon where i live.

-It is MODERATELY FUN to drive, not as much as everyone says, so don't expect thrills as if you were on a rollercoaster.

-it barely saves gas. (check the other forums) so this should not be a factor imo.

those are my main issues.

If you're used to automatic: you'll find manual much harder to maneuver in (especially in a parking lot), trust me. you can't choose an exact pinpoint speed like you can in an auto.

...My Advice: Automatic if its an everyday driver, and you spend an 45min round trip to and from work.

otherwise, get Manual. i only regret it sometimes in heavy traffic.

 

[billyfo]

-it barely saves gas. (check the other forums) so this should not be a factor imo.

True, in today's technology, manual doesn't save as much gas as they were about 10yrs ago w/ auto, actually they can burn more gas than auto such as Acura TSX and TL
But I still choose manual cause I want to be fun and feel young :lol: :lol:

 

[TMMA]

I suppose you don't wanna start learning manual by the time you are 40.....so you better start learning right now.... GET MANUAL!!!

 

[mjoshi]

Thanks guys for your response. How about in-cabin noise ? As I said earlier I've Nissan Altima and in-cabin noise is too high for a long drive. Same is in my wife's Honda Ody. But with Ody it is more due to stock tiers so once we get rid of that crap we should be happy :?:
During test drive of Ody we didnot feel any issue with noise but it became major issue when we got better feel of Ody.

 

[lmp180psu]

I was surprised how quiet the Mazda3 was even with the 17" tires. It is so much quieter than my 97 Contour V6 with 15'' tires Whatever noise makes it into the cabin is either a nice/ subdued engine noise, or just enough road noise that you know the tires are gripping the pavement.

 

[TMMA]

I think Mazda 3's engine is pretty quiet, and the road noise is just soso....I'm happy for what I paid for. But since everybody has different expectation.... I would suggest you to go for a test drive if you haven't had one yet.

 

[6_funk]

Thanks guys for your response. How about in-cabin noise ? As I said earlier I've Nissan Altima and in-cabin noise is too high for a long drive. Same is in my wife's Honda Ody. But with Ody it is more due to stock tiers so once we get rid of that crap we should be happy :?:
During test drive of Ody we didnot feel any issue with noise but it became major issue when we got better feel of Ody.

don't mean to sound like an ass, but do a search.
every newbie question has been answered before.

to prove that i'm not an ass:

road noise is pretty low in the front,
but much more noticible in the rear. same with bumps: much more noticible in the rear.

 

[dinu01]

Powerplant!

 

[rsx_r04]

Manual because: ...
-downshifting saves break wear

You can downshift with any automatic car as well. 8)

 

[br3ad-bOi]

Manual because: ...
-downshifting saves break wear

You can downshift with any automatic car as well. 8)

lol when u shift into the gears that are for hills and u got a heavy load on u ? i forgot wut those gears are named since i havent seen dem in awhile ;P

 

[Inno]

OK..so address to ur questions

1) yes..most of the time manual will hv higher gas mileage..
altho it isn't as good as i would like, but better than auto for sure!

according to other posts...power loss thru manual is 11% and auto is 25%..which is pretty high...so the gas usage can use these ratios as well i believe.

I was also new to manual.. it isn't that hard to get used to..esp when we're still young =)


Yes u can downshift with auto too..but ur tranny will go much sooner.

manual will give u better performance + control in every situation.

"you have 5 gears to use if any one wears/breaks down, if your auto tranny faults, your day is over.
-Auto tranny is a largely a North American feature. The rest of the world drives manual."

yes that's very true...

u'll hate it when it's bumper to bumper traffic jams. Depends if the speed varies a lot or just stay around the 10km/h.

As to road noise, there r not much. U can't expect none since u're driving a sporty car, not a luxurious car. Wind noise is at minimal...above average.

Engine is quiet

 

[mReD]

hey uhh im shopping for a new car and my mom told me that mazdas used to be hard to get into gear. is this true?! btw its either a mz3 or a ford focus if you wonder

 

[LeeLee]

Go drive one. I've never heard that Mazdas are hard to get into gear.

 

[grooverider]

If your into modding your car or showing it off, Autos are usually on the bottom of the food chain. I have seen many awesome cars but the minute someone sees an Auto the usual reponse is, "Is this your girlfriends car?".

Don't take this wrong, Autos are good for high traffic areas, but if I'm getting a car to be sporty, I'd never get an auto. Its an overpriced lazy option IMO, use that $900 to get a CAI, exhaust, etc..plus stock for stock you'll kill Autos 99 percent of the time power and acceleration wise.

 

[billyfo]

hey uhh im shopping for a new car and my mom told me that mazdas used to be hard to get into gear. is this true?! btw its either a mz3 or a ford focus if you wonder

If your floor mat slip under the clutch, yes, it would be hard to get in 1st and reverse gear. my brother-in-law's Protege and mine have this problem.

 

[Inno]

Yes yes...b4 i went to get a new mat, my older one was slipping all the time and that was not good...had trouble getting it into reverse