14 3s MT Release

[JAmador]

Anyone heard anything related to a date on the 2.5 6MT release? Considering a hatch 3s Touring or GT to replace my aging 220k TL. Test drove a 6Touring 6MT recently & liked it, but think I'd rather have something a little smaller. Hoping to make it by the local Mazda dealer soon to give the new 3 a drive.

 

[Adam02es]

Also curious about this. We are almost into the new year with no news. I'm getting concerned that it might not happen.

 

[mazdadude]

Anyone heard anything related to a date on the 2.5 6MT release? Considering a hatch 3s Touring or GT to replace my aging 220k TL. Test drove a 6Touring 6MT recently & liked it, but think I'd rather have something a little smaller. Hoping to make it by the local Mazda dealer soon to give the new 3 a drive.

Have you driven the 3 with the 2.0 Manual yet??

 

[JAmador]

Have you driven the 3 with the 2.0 Manual yet??

I did go by the local Mazda dealer & drove a 3i Touring 6MT sedan. Peppier than I thought it was going to be & it was the only 6MT 3 on the lot. Would've preferred to have driven a 3i GT hatchback, since I'm leaning more toward the hatch over the sedan.
It's liveable for me with the 2.0, but coming from a 3.2 Acura TL, I think I'd prefer the little extra oomph from the 2.5. That, and I really didn't care for the tiny digital tach either. If the 2.0 got the big center-mounted tach like the 2.5, I'd like it a little better.

Might wait a bit & see if we get a date out of Mazda for the 6MT 2.5, or try to find a 3i GT 6MT hatch to go try out.

You wouldn't think it would be too difficult to do, since the same combination is in the 6.

 

[swanniebird]

Anyone heard anything related to a date on the 2.5 6MT release? Considering a hatch 3s Touring or GT to replace my aging 220k TL. Test drove a 6Touring 6MT recently & liked it, but think I'd rather have something a little smaller. Hoping to make it by the local Mazda dealer soon to give the new 3 a drive.

On one of the other threads someone said that a 6MT for the 2.5 3 "was confirmed" but I don't believe that to be true.

I spoke with a corporate representative from Mazda at the Philly Auto Show yesterday (2/8/14) and this is what I was told.

"The Mazda 3 sGT with the 2.5L engine and a 6MT does exist, but only in the markets that will buy it (e.g. Australia). The Mazda 3 is a globally distributed car, produced in Japan and Mexico and sent to the world markets, so we offer certain trims and options to markets that will buy those trims and options. Our MT sales for the US market across the Mazda lineup totals 6-7% of our annual sales (and mostly because of the Miata). So why would Mazda bring the MT for the 2.5L to the US when most people who are going to spend nearly $30k on a car here typically don't want a manual? We'd be bringing them to US dealers and they would end up sitting on the dealer lots unsold. Now we do hear from enthusiasts such as yourself who really want the MT on that trim, but we hear people say that and then they might come buy one. So it doesn't seem likely at this time it'll be coming to the market. IF it were to come, it won't be until next year."

I was really upset when I heard this because the only reason I haven't bought the 3 yet is because I was hoping there would be an announcement come April alongside the announcement that the 2.2L diesel was expected to arrive for the 6, but now I'm not gonna hold my breath. I said that to him and he said "yeah but that was just a rumor. And here's the kicker, the diesel was announced that it was pushed back from April but now it looks like it has been pushed back for possibly another 2 YEARS with an expected release in 2016!"

I figure I'll buy an sGT with the auto for now, and if a manual does come in a year or so, I can trade-in then if I'm not madly in love with the auto. But from all the test drives I have done and reviews I have read on it so far, the auto is quite a remarkable transmission and very engaging, so I think I will be OK

 

[ceric]

I have to find the video.
In that video, A corporate representative at the autoshow confirmed that.
It is also mentioned in several articles on Mazda3. You can google it.

 

[brandini]

It's certainly true because it's on the internet.

I know a regional person at Mazda, he said nope when I asked him about it. It's a numbers game and the money just isn't there. He also pointed out that mos tthat are asking haven't driven the auto in manumatic mode and it really is quite good.

Sport mode is only included on the 2.5.

 

[JAmador]

Well that's disappointing. Luckily, I'm not in a rush to buy right now. My TL is still going strong at 222k miles. I'll just keep holding out for a little longer.

 

[brandini]

If you want a 2.5 with a manual you can get a Mazda 6...

 

[JAmador]

If you want a 2.5 with a manual you can get a Mazda 6...

I'm aware of that & was seriously considering a 6 Touring 6mt, until the 3 came out. Honestly, if the 3i had the dash/gauge setup of the 3s, I could be happy. That dinky little tach on the 3i was annoying, plus the extra goodies on the s models would be nice as well.

 

[concept]

I'm the opposite of you, I guess. I think most gauges are too big. Have you seen the Mini's center speedometer? That thing is as big as the Westminster clock! Give me smaller gauges and more of them, like voltage, oil temp, oil pressure, air/fuel, etc. When it comes to tachs, the larger the gauge, the slower the sweep.

 

[ceric]

from MAZDA3 official Ride & Drive day for the media @20:03
Dave Matthew, Vehicle Line Manager
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDWZPwxQEBA
(on S Touring)
"... We are as excited as you are ... about bring to market with a manual transmission. Trust me, it is coming ..."

 

[JAmador]

I'm the opposite of you, I guess. I think most gauges are too big. Have you seen the Mini's center speedometer? That thing is as big as the Westminster clock! Give me smaller gauges and more of them, like voltage, oil temp, oil pressure, air/fuel, etc. When it comes to tachs, the larger the gauge, the slower the sweep.

True, I'm not a huge fan of the huge Mini speedo, though I do quite like the Mini from a fun-to-drive perspective.
It's just that the 2.0 tach is tiny & digital. The digital part doesn't really bother me, just that it seems like an afterthought.

 

[concept]

I agree that it should be mechanical, but the actual size of the numbers is okay by me.

Still, since I already have a manual car, this 2.5L cluster will do, just fine.

 

[torquelover]

The tach in the 3s is as it should be in any car, just as in a 911, dead center. I think more manuals would be sold if there were more produced. My local dealer has had only a handful of manual Mazda 6 come in, a Sport and a couple Tourings, and all were sold before they arrived. Same story as the CX5 Sport manual. On my last visit a manual 3 had not come in yet.

This was also an issue when I bought my last Accord and Fusion. Only the high-volume dealers several towns over had one or two manuals on the lot.

 

[concept]

I think we can all agree that the majority of buyers buy automatics. The average car buyer doesn't pay much attention to the tach. Of course, the average Porsche buyer does, as does the average MX5 buyer, but remember, Mazda looks closely at buyer data and that data tells them where to place the tach. My son's Civic CX didn't even come with a tach. We had to install one in a pillar pod. Before we did, it would drive me crazy, not having one with a manual-tranny car.

 

[mazdadude]

I have the 2.0 manual with the small tach, and I admit it is easy to bring it into the redline. I would upgrade to the 2.5 dash if it was an option.

However whenever I have hit the rev limiter, it is so gentle, that it feels more like a torque curve topping out, than hitting a typical rev limiter / fuel cut.

 

[swanniebird]

from MAZDA3 official Ride & Drive day for the media @20:03
Dave Matthew, Vehicle Line Manager
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDWZPwxQEBA
(on S Touring)
"... We are as excited as you are ... about bring to market with a manual transmission. Trust me, it is coming ..."

This video was back in September right around launch in the US and all the rumors started circling about a manual on the 2.5. I suspect that this video is half true half false. True in the sense that, yes the manual was coming on the 2.5 (which it has already), but false because that didn't meant Mazda would bring it to the US. I wish this were 100% true, but at this point I'm convinced most signs point to false. (sad2)

 

[ceric]

Agree. No one here can speak for Mazda. Even Mazda themselves can change their strategy as the market situations evolve.
No one can be sure. The video just proves that their plan was to bring the MT 2.5L to the market at that time. Plan might have changed.
Again, the video shows that it was not a "rumor" from random guys on internet.
It was real.

 

[Blackdog007]

I have the 2.0 with the auto. I would have preferred the manual but it's a company car that I drive about 150 miles a day in town and my communication devices took presidence over shifting all the time. From the moment I started driving the tranny in manual mode I liked it. The more you get used to it the more you don't think about that missing third pedal. This is certainly the fastest shifting conventional auto I have ever driven. The sequential shifting action in manual mode is definitely fun and functional. Down shifting actually slows the car down. The computer does a great job of locking out the torque converter as well so it actually feels like the engine and drivetrain are "solidly" connected as in you standard manual tranny. As for the tiny, hard to see in sunlight, misplaced tach, well after a while your ears will tell you when you get to around 5k.