Transmission slow to shift ?

[Bcdad182]

I've noticed that the tranny is very slow to shift sometimes, especially during sudden changes in throttle position. I have a Canadian GS (US GT model?) AWD with the automatic transmission with only about 4000KM on it.

Scenario 1: accelerating under full throttle (and I mean to the floor!) for a few seconds and then zero-throttle (foot completely off the pedal) the transmission will continue to hold the transmission in the lower gear instead of up-shifting and result is engine braking and deceleration until the tranny finally shifts up to 5 or 6. This is not from a full stop, but from moving at an average speed of around 50-60 KM/H (30MPH) say when you accelerate quickly to make a light before it changes.

Scenario 2: accelerating under heavy throttle (not necessarily to the floor) up a steep hill. While approaching near the crest of the hill, remove your foot from the gas pedal to coast over the summit. The engine will continue to rev at high rates for a second or so until the transmission upshifts to 5th/6th and allows the rpms to drop.

Scenario 3: cruising along about 30mph (50-60kpm) with very light foot pressure on the throttle (maybe RPMs around 1500-1800) and wanting to increase speed slightly. It seems like you have to push the pedal more than expected (based on previous vehicles I've driven) to get it to actually accelerate as the engine is lugging along in 6th gear. Push too hard on the pedal and it downshifts and you leap ahead, probably faster than expected. The shift point into 6th gear seems very low.

If you move the gas pedal in a slower fashion, this seems to give the tranny more time to respond. The CX-5 doesn't seem to like quick throttle responses (or at least mine doesn't!) My Dad says this is normal for underpowered economy minded vehicles. But I just call it annoying. I wish we could hook up a laptop and adjust the shift points - even better yet a sport/econo mode on the tranny.

Driving in manual mode, the vehicle is a joy (except I often find I forget to upshift quick enough, those gears are short!) but automatic mode, I find myself wanting to second guess what its doing constantly.

Is it just me, or is this tranny very slow to decide what gear it should be in (in response to quick changes in pedal position) or is it a case of learned behavior (since I rarely drive it like a race car) or is it just over zealous fuel economy programming?

Not trying to complain, I like my CX-5 and glad I bought it, but I'm just curious if others have experienced this with their CX-5 and if this is normal operating conditions, or if I should be asking the dealer to check it out.

 

[erhayes]

My Mazda CX 7 responds somewhat the same as yours and it is the normal programing. I think the AT trys to anticipate your next move and that results in #1 & 2. #3 is for gas mileage and the AT wants you to demand a shift which will result in lowering your mileage. At least this is my take from what I've read. Ed

 

[paris1]

Congratulations Bcdad182; you've hit on a very important aspect of the CX-5 driving experience. I've written a little about this before on this forum and no one seemed interested, so I didn't pursue it. I don't have a whole lot of direct experience with automatic transmissions as this is only the second one I've owned in close to 50 years of driving But I'm car savy and have read enough about the design of this transmission to understand what Mazda was out to do when they conceived it and what the outcome was in the finished product. The whole point of this and most other newer design slushboxes (including CVTs) is to get the drivetrain into the highest gear as quickly as possible for fuel economy purposes. That probably won't come as a great surprise to you or others. What does seem to baffle most reviewers though is that the car can seem reluctant to shift down and most driver's response to this is to mash the throttle, causing the tranny to shift down two or even three gears which can be quite startling. What this transmission really craves is LINEAR throttle input so that it can drop a gear or two at a time, resulting in much more satisfying acceleration. It takes some practice to develop this tecnique, but it pays off in driving satisfaction and improved performance.

 

[HandA]

I've noticed the #1 several times and figured it was some nice sporty programming with it anticipating that due to the way I was driving I'd want it to stay in a lower gear rather than instantly running up to 6th. It is kinda fun on really windy roads.

I haven't ever noticed #3, hesitant to downshift. At least not when I've wanted it to downshift. Especially compared to the Cruze we spent a day in. That car would shift into 6th as soon as you left the driveway and go "noooooo, I don't want to downshift!!!!!"

 

[IHeartGroceries]

I noticed several of those scenarios.

The only one I have found to be irritating is how much it likes to cling to gears. As Paris suggested, it seems to like very linear throttle pressure in order to downshift a gear or so. It takes some getting use to.

As for how the ATX tends to hang gears, as it does after letting up on the throttle after cruising, I just surmised it may have to do with keeping the engine in the meat of its power band.
They supposedly designed this transmission to mimic some characteristics of an MTX. For example, if you are driving through some twisties or on a road course, and you steer into the entry of an apex, you let off the throttle, right?
In an MTX, obviously unless you select a different gear, the RPM hangs mid to high range (depending on how much your velocity drops), so when you exit the turn, you are immediately able to throttle out of the apex with plenty of power on tap.

I think this characteristic of the Skyactive Drive ATX is to mimic that scenario, so as there is no delay while waiting on gear selection, as is with a traditional ATX tranny, and no funny business. XD

 

[aperture_shot]

I find the engine braking absolutely annoying. I hit some steep hills on my way from work everyday and the engine braking and not shifting up is very annoying everytime. This is actually how I sensed my first transmission problem is when after going up and down this hill so many times then one day I stepped lightly on the brakes - the engine was revving really loudly but did not want to upshift until I hit a stop light then after that the gear was stuck and did not want to upshift from 1st gear at all and all dummy lights went flashing. I love everything about this car but the transmission on mine is taking away all the joy.

 

[Bcdad182]

I appreciate what Mazda is trying to do, it just seems to counter intuitive all the time, at least for regular city driving. Every time it engine brakes when I don't want it do, or lugs away in 6 I wish I had a manual. I've only driven two automatics in my life (the CX5 and my previous vehicle) and prefer manual transmissions. Alas, my wife never learned to drive manual and so to keep the peace, I got an auto (that an Mazda doesn't offer an AWD manual!) Usually at these times, I just shift into manual mode and take control myself....

 

[CX-SV]

I've noticed a few of those incidents throughout 9 months of ownership, none are that terribly annoying to me even if noticeable at times.

Overall the auto transmission is best in class with excellent efficiency, BMW-like manual shift mode, and effective AAS (Active Adaptive Shift) for adjusting to drivers style.

What appears to many as lugging is understandable when trying to achieve best fuel efficiency and what is also being felt is Atkinson mode in those high gears/low rpm/large throttle opening scenarios.

 

[IHeartGroceries]

Well, my wife drives the CX-5 pretty much exclusively. I tried and tried to teach her how to paddle through gears, but that third pedal absolutely blew her mind.

So, the CX-5 had to be ATX. Really, I'm not complaining, because I agree with CX-SV in that it is a great slushbox and I appreciate what Mazda has done with it. But I still prefer a good MTX. The fact that she cannot drive my Speed6 has proven several times to be an issue, so sadly, my next vehicle will probably be an auto, so she can drive it...

 

[Bcdad182]

Yeah, what's with these women not learning to drive manual transmissions? My Mom was a clutch popping, gear grinding maniac and helped to teach me to drive a stick! I guess automatics are so prevalent these days people never learn, but they should! Guess I'm turning into a cranky old man!

I don't mind the auto, it just surprises me at times. I've been driving for 26 years, and only the last 3 exclusively on automatics so guess I am having to learn to adapt even as the transmissions themselves adapt to us!

 

[CX-SV]

The issue here is the unique characteristics (some might view these characteristics as annoying) of the Mazda CX-5 auto transmission.

It is not the same old tired discussion about those preferring old-school manual transmissions, or 3 speeds on the column for that matter (3 on the tree), lol. I'll admit, I enjoy Porsches and Mustang GT's only with manual trannys, not that it matters here.

 

[DKaz]

I don't really know enough about automatic transmissions to contribute anything, but the Canadian CX-5 GS is the equivalent to the American CX-5 Touring, whereas GX = Sport and GT = Grand Touring.

 

[jeisensc]

...what Mazda was out to do when they conceived it and what the outcome was in the finished product. The whole point of this and most other newer design slushboxes (including CVTs) is to get the drivetrain into the highest gear as quickly as possible for fuel economy purposes. That probably won't come as a great surprise to you or others. What does seem to baffle most reviewers though is that the car can seem reluctant to shift down and most driver's response to this is to mash the throttle, causing the tranny to shift down two or even three gears which can be quite startling. What this transmission really craves is LINEAR throttle input so that it can drop a gear or two at a time, resulting in much more satisfying acceleration. It takes some practice to develop this tecnique, but it pays off in driving satisfaction and improved performance.

The most succinct assessment of the SkyActive transmission I have ever read.

I've been back and forth with Mazda since 4 days after I picked up my car: this transmission is so hesitant to downshift, that it can create a number of unsafe driving situations. At speed, I've observed an almost 3 second lag between hitting the gas and the car being in the lower gear (e.g. if you are doing 60, and traffic is coming up behind you at 75 because you just merged out into the middle lane...). That same lag is obvious if you set the cruise control and drive a relatively hilly landscape: as it decides it needs to downshift, the lag between being in the too-high gear and the desired gear can cause it to need to downshift yet again, creating a race condition where you're just decelerating going up a hill until it's finally in 2nd gear.

The 2.0 liter engine is, in my opinion, more than sufficient to move the CX-5 around, but the transmission's over-agressive desire to downshift to conserve fuel can ruin the experience. If I'm driving in automatic (not sport-shifting to being with), and I perceive the transmission is on the verge of doing something stupid, I just take over for it. And I won't let anyone who doesn't work for Mazda drive my CX-5, I don't feel it's safe.

 

[BRIAN_MP5T]

I wish they sold the upper models with a Manual.

It is the one thing that prevented me from buying one.