MAZDA MODEL CX-3 2015 Owners Manual (in English)

4–51
When Driving
Transaxle
Indicators
Manual shift mode indication
In manual shift mode, the “M” of the shift
position indication in the instrument panel
illuminates.
Gear position indication
The numeral for the selected gear
illuminates.
Type A
Manual shift mode indication
Gear position indication
Type B
Gear position indication
Manual shift mode indication
Type C
Manual shift mode indication
Gear position indication
NOTE
  If the gears cannot be shifted down
when driving at higher speeds, the
gear position indication will fl ash
twice to signal that the gears cannot
be shifted down (to protect the
transaxle).
  If the automatic transaxle fl uid
(ATF) temperature becomes too
high, there is the possibility that the
transaxle will switch to automatic
shift mode, cancelling manual
shift mode and turning off the gear
position indication illumination.
This is a normal function to protect
the AT. After the ATF temperature
has decreased, the gear position
indication illumination turns back on
and driving in manual shift mode is
restored.
$9@&;&&%@&EJUJPOJOEC







*Some models.4–52
When Driving
Transaxle
Gear Shift Indicator *
The gear shift indicator supports you to
obtain optimum fuel economy and smooth
driving. It displays the selected gear
position in the instrument cluster as well
as notifi es the driver to change to the most
suitable gear position corresponding to the
actual driving condition.
Selected gear position Suitable gear position
Indication Condition
Numeral The selected gear position is
displayed.
and numeral Shift up or down to the indicated
gear position is recommended.
CAUTION
Do not rely solely on the shift-up/
shift-down recommendations by
indications. The actual driving situation
might require shift operations different
from indication. To avoid the risk of
accidents, the road and traffi c conditions
have to be judged correctly by the driver
before shifting.
NOTE
The gear shift indicator turns off when
the following operations are performed.
 
 The vehicle is stopped. 
 Manual shift mode is cancelled.
Manually shifting up
You can shift gears up by operating the
shift lever or the steering shift switches
* .
M1
: M2
: M3
: M4
: M5
: M6
Using selector lever
To shift up to a higher gear, tap the shift
lever back
once.
$9@&;&&%@&EJUJPOJOEC







*Some models.4–53
When Driving
Transaxle
Using steering shift switch *
To shift up to a higher gear with the
steering shift switches, pull the UP switch
(
) toward you once with your
fi ngers.
UP switch (+/OFF)
WARNING
Keep your hands on the steering wheel
rim when using fi ngers on the steering
shift switches:
Putting your hands inside the rim of
the steering wheel when using the
steering shift switches is dangerous. If
the driver's air bag were to deploy in a
collision, your hands could be impacted
causing injury.
NOTE
  When driving slowly, the gears may
not shift up.
  In manual shift mode, do not run the
engine with the tachometer needle
in the RED ZONE. When the engine
rpm is high, a gear may shift up
automatically to protect the engine.
  When depressing the accelerator
fully, the transaxle will shift to a
lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed.
  The steering shift switch can be used
temporarily even if the selector lever
is in the D position while driving. In
addition, it returns to automatic shift
mode when the UP switch (
)
is pulled rearward for a suffi cient
amount of time.
Manually shifting down
You can shift gears down by operating the
shift lever or the steering shift switches
* .
M6
: M5
: M4
: M3
: M2
: M1
Using selector lever
To shift down to a lower gear, tap the
selector lever forward
once.
$9@&;&&%@&EJUJPOJOEC







*Some models.4–54
When Driving
Transaxle
Using steering shift switch *
To shift down to a lower gear with the
steering shift switches, pull the DOWN
switch
toward you once with your
fi ngers.
DOWN switch (-)
WARNING
Do not use engine braking on slippery
road surfaces or at high speeds:
Shifting down while driving on wet,
snowy, or frozen roads, or while driving
at high speeds causes sudden engine
braking, which is dangerous. The
sudden change in tyre speed could
cause the tyres to skid. This could
lead to loss of vehicle control and an
accident.
Keep your hands on the steering wheel
rim when using fi ngers on the steering
shift switches:
Putting your hands inside the rim of
the steering wheel when using the
steering shift switches is dangerous. If
the driver's air bag were to deploy in a
collision, your hands could be impacted
causing injury.
NOTE
  When driving at high speeds, the
gear may not shift down.
  During deceleration, the gear may
automatically shift down depending
on vehicle speed.
  When depressing the accelerator
fully, the transaxle will shift to a
lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed.
Second gear fi xed mode
When the selector lever is moved back
while the vehicle speed is about 10 km/h
(6.2 mph) or less, the transaxle is set in the
second gear fi xed mode. The gear is fi xed
in second while in this mode for easier
acceleration from a stop and driving on
slippery roads such as snow-covered
roads.
If the selector lever is moved back
or
forward
while in the second gear fi xed
mode, the mode will be cancelled.
$9@&;&&%@&EJUJPOJOEC







4–55
When Driving
Transaxle
Shift gear (shifting) speed limit
For each gear position while in the manual mode, the speed limit is set as follows: When the
selector lever is operated within the range of the speed limit, the gear is shifted.
Shift up
The gear does not shift up while the vehicle speed is lower than the speed limit.
Shift down
The gear does not shift down while the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit.
If the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit and the gear does not shift down, the gear
position indication fl ashes 2 times to notify the driver that the gear cannot be shifted.
Kickdown
When the accelerator pedal is depressed fully while driving, the gear shifts down.
NOTE
The gear also shifts down using kickdown while in the second gear fi xed mode.
Auto-shift down
The gear shifts down automatically depending on the vehicle speed during deceleration.
NOTE
If the vehicle comes to a stop while in the second gear fi xed mode, the gear remains in
second.
$9@&;&&%@&EJUJPOJOEC







*Some models.4–56
When Driving
Transaxle
Direct Mode *
Direct mode can be used for temporarily
switching gears by operating the steering
shift switch while the vehicle is being
driven with the selector lever in the D
range.
While in direct mode, the D and M
indication illuminate and the gear position
in use is illuminated.
Direct mode is cancelled (released) under
the following conditions.
 


 The UP switch () is pulled
rearward for a certain amount of time or
longer.
 


 The vehicle is driven for a certain
amount of time or longer (time differs
depending on the driving conditions
while operating).
 


 The vehicle is stopped or moving at a
slow speed.
Type A
Gear position indication
Direct mode indication
Type B
Gear position indication
Direct mode indication
Type C
Manual shift mode indication
Gear position indication
NOTE
Shifting up and down while in direct
mode may not be possible depending on
the vehicle speed. In addition, because
direct mode is cancelled (released)
depending on the rate of acceleration
or if the accelerator is fully depressed,
use of the manual shift mode is
recommended if you need to drive the
vehicle in a particular gear for long
periods.
$9@&;&&%@&EJUJPOJOEC







4–57
When Driving
Transaxle
Driving Tips
WARNING
Do not let the vehicle move in a
direction opposite to the direction
selected by the selector lever:
Do not let the vehicle move backward
with the selector lever in a forward
position, or do not let the vehicle move
forward with the selector lever in the
reverse position. Otherwise, the engine
may stop, causing the loss of the power
brake and power steering functions,
and make it diffi cult to control the
vehicle which could result in an
accident.
Passing
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing steep grades, depress
the accelerator fully. The transaxle will
shift to a lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed.
NOTE
(Some models)
The accelerator pedal may initially feel
heavy as it is being depressed, then feel
lighter as it is depressed further. This
change in pedal force aids the engine
control system in determining how
much the accelerator pedal has been
depressed for performing kickdown,
and functions to control whether or not
kickdown should be performed.
Climbing steep grades from a stop
To climb a steep grade from a stopped
position:
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Shift to D or M1, depending on the
load weight and grade steepness.
3. Release the brake pedal while gradually
accelerating.
Descending steep grades
When descending a steep grade, shift to
lower gears, depending on load weight and
grade steepness. Descend slowly, using the
brakes only occasionally to prevent them
from overheating.
$9@&;&&%@&EJUJPOJOEC







*Some models.4–58
When Driving
Switches and Controls
Lighting Control
Headlights
Turn the headlight switch to turn the headlights, other exterior lights and instrument panel
illumination on or off.
When the lights are turned on, the lights-on indicator light in the instrument cluster turns on.
NOTE
To prevent discharging the battery, do not leave the lights on while the engine is off unless
safety requires them.
Without auto-light control
Switch Position
Ignition Position ON ACC or
OFF ON ACC or
OFF ON ACC or
OFF
Headlights Off Off Off Off On Off
Running lights
* On Off Off Off Off Off
Tail lights
Position lights
Number plate lights
Instrument panel illumination Off Off On On On On
*1
*1 If the driver's door is opened or 30 s have elapsed with the lights turned on, the lights turn off.
$9@&;&&%@&EJUJPOJOEC







*Some models.4–59
When Driving
Switches and Controls
With auto-light control
Switch Position
Ignition Position ON ACC
or OFF ON ACC
or OFF ON ACC
or OFF ON ACC
or OFF
Headlights Off Off Auto
*1 Off Off Off On Off
Running lights * On Off Auto *1 Off Off Off Off Off
Tail lights
Position lights
Number plate lights
Instrument panel illumination Off Off Auto
*1 On *2 /
Off *3 On On On On *4
*1 The headlight and other light settings switch automatically depending on the surrounding brightness detected by
the sensor.
*2 While the lights are turned on, they will remain on even if the ignition is switched to a position other than ON .
If the driver’s door is opened or 30 s have elapsed with the lights turned on, the lights turn off.
*3 When the ignition is switched to a position other than ON , the lights will not turn on even if the light switch is
switched to
.
*4 If the driver’s door is opened or 30 s have elapsed with the lights turned on, the lights turn off.
$9@&;&&%@&EJUJPOJOEC







4–60
When Driving
Switches and Controls
Auto-light control
When the headlight switch is in the
position and the ignition is switched ON, the light
sensor senses the surrounding lightness or darkness and automatically turns the headlights,
other exterior lights and instrument panel illumination on or off (see chart above).
CAUTION
  Do not shade the light sensor by adhering a sticker or a label on the windscreen.
Otherwise the light sensor will not operate correctly.

  The light sensor also works as a rain sensor for the auto-wiper control. Keep hands and
scrapers clear of the windscreen when the wiper lever is in the
position and the
ignition is switched ON as fi ngers could be pinched or the wipers and wiper blades
damaged when the wipers activate automatically. If you are going to clean the
windscreen, be sure the wipers are turned off completely — this is particularly
important when clearing ice and snow — when it is particularly tempting to leave the
engine running.
$9@&;&&%@&EJUJPOJOEC