Manual Transmission with the diesel?
- Thread starter J.R.
- Start date
+/- 40 MPG (and presently $0.21 per liter cheaper fuel where I am) and ability to tow my trailer, wife kids and dog through mountain passes.
Just because it's not for you....
No, you don't.
As Ziggity mentioned, you can't skip gears, you can't slip in to 'neutral' by just pressing the clutch in, you can't 'rock' your way out of snow mud etc...
Never mind that its simply far less engaging/enjoyable. I like executing rev matched down shifts and feeling engaged with driving. One man's (you) 'easier' is another man's (me) boring.
That said, at this point there's absolutely no guarantee I'll be getting a manual CX5, diesel or otherwise. The only reason I'm still considering the CX5 is that it has damn near everything I need/want in my next vehicle and it's arguably the best auto trans in the segment if I do end up saddled with one.
And as of this morning diesel was $0.21/L cheaper than gas (petrol) where I live FWIW.
You really have to drive a modern small displacement diesel to understand the appeal. Going back to ~2010, I didn't get it either. In my area I was used to seeing a lot of old Mercedes diesels, and some older VW TDIs, and of course the truck engines. They were dirty, stinky, they rattled and knocked, and they weren't quick.
Then I started traveling to the UK frequently for work and more than half of my rental cars were diesel. Most of the small turbo diesels were quiet, easy starting, well mannered when cold, and very responsive without significant turbo lag or flywheel effect. If you were a passenger in the car, you wouldn't know there was a diesel under the hood. If you're driving, you'll appreciate the diesel powerband and fuel economy. My favorites were the VW and Ford 1.6L and 2.0L models.
The biggest appeal of a diesel for me is that it makes peak torque at low RPM, which is where you spend the vast majority of your time driving. I've owned sporty small cars with small displacement engines that make peak torque above 4500 RPM and they are a lot of fun when you're revving them high, really trying to get the most out of them. But those occasions tend to be pretty rare, because when cruising along you are usually 2 or 3 downshifts away from the meat of the powerband. When cruising along in a diesel, you spend most of your time no more than one downshift away from the meat of the powerband, often in it. So you have immediate torque on tap when you press the accelerator. If you're used to driving a gasoline/petrol engine, a diesel feels like a significantly more powerful engine than the horsepower rating indicates.
The other appeal is obviously fuel economy. With the VW and Ford 2.0 diesels, I would routinely get 50+ mpg (that's imperial gallons, US equivalent ~42 mpg) in mixed driving. We even got 50 mpg in a C-Max minivan carrying 3-4 people around. The mileage king was a Golf TDI Bluemotion with the 1.6L. I averaged an honest 66 mpg over the course of a week, measured & calculated at the pump, which in US gallons is 55 mpg. That included a lot of city driving, and some hurried motorway driving at 80-90 mph. While driving around the English countryside on mostly A and B roads I got over 70 mpg. And it didn't feel gutless either thanks to having 184 foot pounds of torque from 1500 rpm. Of course, now we know VW was cheating emissions tests to do this, but it's still pretty impressive.
If diesels can be made clean without losing too much of their fuel efficiency advantage, it's hard to make a case for owning a hybrid unless you live in the city and spend all your time there.
I totally agree with xtrailman. I think you would feel different in the grid locked UK. Pressing the clutch in umpteen times on a journey is a way of life. Plus I like being able to just floor the accelerator and go, especially at a road junction to join traffic. No faffing around with gears. Anyway, why would you want to skip gears, slip into neutral etc. Driving in neutral is not a good idea as potentially you cannot react to differing road conditions in time. I've previously owned a petrol Skoda Octavia (180ps with 7 speed DSG gearbox) and 2 diesel Auto Mazda CX5's. Unless I really had to, I would never go back to manual gears. I've driven manual cars for 26 years before automatics. Various passengers have remarked that they thought my car was manual and not automatic, due to the responsive nature.
Thanks for sharing this info. Very informative.
A modern petrol turbo will still give a relaxed drive.
The latest ones give a good maximum torque from very low RPM, one I've read off at 1200rpm but more typically 1450 rpm, and that's a flat torque curve right up to high revs typically 5500rpm.
https://www.carleasingmadesimple.com/car-leasing/bmw/3-series-saloon/70160/
I owned and towed with a 1.8T Audi Quattro back in 2000, it only had 180bhp and only 177 pound feet from 1950 to at least 4500rpm, but it drove brilliantly.
The downside was only 33mpg on a run, and 28mpg locally.
But the latest versions offer more power more torque and more MPG, so next time you visit the UK ask for one of those, and come back with a comparison.
The latest ones give a good maximum torque from very low RPM, one I've read off at 1200rpm but more typically 1450 rpm, and that's a flat torque curve right up to high revs typically 5500rpm.
https://www.carleasingmadesimple.com/car-leasing/bmw/3-series-saloon/70160/
I owned and towed with a 1.8T Audi Quattro back in 2000, it only had 180bhp and only 177 pound feet from 1950 to at least 4500rpm, but it drove brilliantly.
The downside was only 33mpg on a run, and 28mpg locally.
But the latest versions offer more power more torque and more MPG, so next time you visit the UK ask for one of those, and come back with a comparison.
I live and commute in one of the worst traffic congested cities in North America. And Xtrail can beg all he likes, doesn't make him right.
Other than first learning to drive, I've literally never had issues joining traffic. No idea why you would or have to 'faff' with gears.
Lots of times it's more efficient to up shift 2 gears or needed to down shift two gears to accelerate. That's why. Neutral is handy for coasting to a stop (and saving fuel when applicable). Again, literally never had an issue of 'reacting in time' either. You simply have the tranny in appropriate gear to your speed, nudge gas to match revs and let clutch out to go (or lower gear to gear down/slow).Or leave clutch depressed and step on brake if you need to stop/slow faster.
Different strokes for different folks.
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The most diesel-like petrol engine I've driven is the new CX-9. It also had less turbo lag than any turbo I've driven. My wife and I loved it and came very close to buying it as our next family car, but I couldn't convince her it has enough space for family trips.
I rented a VW with a 2.0T a couple years ago, and back in the early 2000s one of my good friends had an A4 1.8T and my father had an A6 2.7T. The torque curve was good with all three, but the fuel economy wasn't that great. Something I've noticed with nearly all turbo engines that run on petrol is that real world MPG tends to fall short of the ratings.
Why would you want manual only when you have a auto that does this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E26VAMkhkzM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E26VAMkhkzM
I think if I was just driving CX a manual would be fun but I would likely task with towing some and with traffic around my neck of the woods I would opt for an auto.
This post is why I want my CX5 (diesel or otherwise) with a stick:
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/sho...-CX-5-vs-CRV&p=6509026&viewfull=1#post6509026
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/sho...-CX-5-vs-CRV&p=6509026&viewfull=1#post6509026
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