Transmission: Manual vs. Auto with Manual Mode

In the UK the Tiguan is around the same price or cheaper than the CX-5 diesel I have, along with the BMW X1 with the 8 speed auto.

Mazda need to catch up.
 
In the UK the Tiguan is around the same price or cheaper than the CX-5 diesel I have, along with the BMW X1 with the 8 speed auto.
lol!

Mazda need to catch up.
That's funny! Cars are priced at what the market will bear and Mazda is selling the CX-5's as fast as they can make them. Why did you buy Mazda when you could have had BMW? LOL! Maybe you wanted a car that was actually reliable?
 
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No I drive a manual.

I bought the Mazda simply because its diesel engine is one of the best in the world (according to a mag I read), 310 pound feet of torque was the sole reason for buying.

And I must say it pulls my 1565kg caravan without effort.
 
In the UK the Tiguan is around the same price or cheaper than the CX-5 diesel I have, along with the BMW X1 with the 8 speed auto.

Mazda need to catch up.

No need to catch up given the success of CX-5 and total package.

Thankfully Mazda hasn't reverted to the puny and ugly body of the Tiguan and puny and dated body and chassis of X1. Therefore in the US market the CX-5 continues to outsell those 2 higher priced and smaller crossovers.
 
I agree, my last car also asked for another gear if you know what a mean. As does the CX-5.

Trouble is I already get "lost" with 6 gears, but the on dash gear indicator helps a lot.

I would have gone auto myself now I'm old, but paying around a 1000 extra for the same number of gears makes no sense.
In the UK emissions cost money, you pay more VED and get less to the gallon.

Had the auto 7 gears I would defiantly have bought one, I was tempted with a X3 8 speed but the down market interior stopped that option.


Well then a six speed manual must also be dated. Porsche already started using seven speed manuals on the 911. Chevy too with the Corvette.
 
If a pure electric car was available with a 300 mile range it would kill the combustion engine over night.

I don't believe such a car is available or if it is at an affordable price.

For that matter, cars with internal combustion engines are dated.
 
I believe ZF are working on a 10 speed auto.

ZF has not confirmed that publically (they said 9 speeds is current limit for them), but GM and Ford have announced a joint venture to design nine- and 10-speed automatics, while Volkswagen is reportedly working on a 10-speed dual-clutch automatic, from what I read in Autoweek in August.
 
So why not a Mazda?

I was talking about manual transmissions. A 7-speed manual is the most gears you'll find in any passenger car/truck. As for automatics, 8-speeds aren't big news. Lots of cars have more than an 8-speed automatic.
 
So why not a Mazda?

New technology tends to start on more expensive vehicles and then trickle down to the less expensive vehicles. Mazda will eventually put more ratios in their automatic transmissions. Personally though, I'm not a big fan of too many gear ratios because they tend to "hunt" a lot over various road surfaces. So I'm in no hurry to see Mazda or anyone else go with a huge number of gear ratios in their automatic transmission.
 
If a pure electric car was available with a 300 mile range it would kill the combustion engine over night.

I don't believe such a car is available or if it is at an affordable price.

I guess it depends upon what you mean by "affordable".

The Tesla Model S 85 Kw will go over 300 miles if you keep it below 55 mph. The EPA officially rates it's combined (two cycle) range as 320 miles and the combined (five cycle) range as 265 miles which is excellent, especially considering it has 365 Hp and 325 ft/lb torque on tap and peak torque is available right off the line.

Affordable? You tell me.

If I had put the $30,000 I paid the Mazda dealer for my CX-5 (I paid cash) back in September into Tesla stock (one year ago), I could sell that stock for more than $180,000 today. That would be more than enough to buy 2 Model s with 85Kw battery upgrade and one 2014 CX-5 with money left over. They are $74,000 with the $7,500 federal tax credit applied and there is no sales tax in Washington State on electric vehicles. But there is a three month waiting list due to popularity.

Stock Chart here:

http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/quickchart/quickchart.asp?symb=tsla&insttype=&freq=1&show=&time=8

Model S here:

http://www.teslamotors.com/models

Tesla is in the process of installing a superhighway of charging stations nation wide that can charge the batteries 50% in only 20 minutes. And it's cheap!

But most people invest very little (especially in electric car companies) and live paycheck to paycheck. So, while the awesome cars from Tesla (highest possible crash test results) will not kill the combustion engine overnight, they are already putting a noticeable dent in sales, especially of higher end cars between $60,000-$100,000, cars like BMW's Audi's etc.
 
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