MAZDA MODEL CX-9 2017 Owners Manual (in English)

4–43
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
Manually Shifting Up
You can shift gears up by operating the
selector lever.
M1 → M2 → M3 → M4 → M5 → M6
To shift up to a higher gear, tap the
selector lever back
once.



NOTE
 


 When driving slowly, the gears may not
shift up.
  Do not drive the vehicle with the
tachometer needle in the RED ZONE
while in manual shift mode. In
addition, manual shift mode switches
to automatic shift mode while the
accelerator pedal is completely
depressed.
 This function is canceled while the TCS
is turned off. However, if the vehicle
is continuously driven at a high rpm,
the gears may automatically shift up to
protect the engine.

Manually Shifting Down
You can shift gears down by operating the
selector lever.
M6 → M5 → M4 → M3 → M2→ M1
To shift down to a lower gear, tap the
selector lever forward
once.



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 tire speed could
cause the tires to skid. This could
lead to loss of vehicle control and an
accident.

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. However,
the gears do not kickdown while the
TCS is turned off.

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4–44
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
Second Gear Fixed 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 canceled.
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4–45
When Driving
Automatic 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.
However, the gears do not kickdown while the TCS is turned off.
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.

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4–46
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
Recommendations for Shifting
Upshifting
For normal acceleration and cruising, Mazda recommends these shift points:

Gear Vehicle speed *1
M1 to M2 24 km/h (15 mph)
M2 to M3 40 km/h (25 mph)
M3 to M4 65 km/h (40 mph)
M4 to M5 73 km/h (45 mph)
M5 to M6 81 km/h (50 mph)
*1 Always observe local speed limit regulations.


Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traffi c or on a steep upgrade, downshift before the
engine starts to overwork. This gives better acceleration when you need more speed.

On a steep downgrade, downshifting helps maintain safe speed and prolongs brake life.
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4–47
When Driving
Automatic 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
 

 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.
 




 While the selector lever is in the M
position and the TCS is turned off,
manual shift mode does not switch
to automatic shift mode even if the
accelerator pedal is completely
depressed. Operate the selector lever.

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.
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4–48
When Driving
Switches and Controls
Lighting Control
Headlights
Turn the headlight switch to turn the headlights and other exterior lights on or off.
When the lights are turned on, the lights-on indicator light in the instrument cluster turns on.



NOTE
 


 If the light switch is left on, the lights will automatically switch off approximately 30
seconds after switching the ignition off.
  The time setting can be changed.
 Refer to Personalization Features on page 9-11 .



 To prevent discharging the battery, do not leave the lights on while the engine is off unless
safety requires them.

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4–49
When Driving
Switches and Controls
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 On
*2
Daytime running lights On *1 Off On *1 Off Off Off
Taillights
Parking lights
License lights
Side-marker lights Off Off On On
*2 On On *2
*1 The lights are turned on while the vehicle is driven.
*2 The lights are turned on for the specifi ed period by the auto headlight off function.


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4–50
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
*2 Auto *4 Off Off On On *5
Daytime running lights On *1 Off On *3 Off On *1 Off Off Off
Taillights
Parking lights
License lights
Side-marker lights Off Off Auto
*2 Auto *4 On On *5 On On *5
*1 The lights are turned on while the vehicle is driven.
*2 The lights are turned on by the auto light function.
*3 The lights are turned on while the vehicle is driven, and turned off when the headlights are turned on by the auto
light function.
*4 The lights are turned on continuously if the ignition is switched from ON to any other position with the lights
turned on. The lights are turned on for the specifi ed period by the auto headlight off function.
*5 The lights are turned on for the specifi ed period by the auto headlight off function.



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4–51
When Driving
Switches and Controls
*Some models.
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
and other exterior lights on or off.
CAUTION
 


 Do not shade the light sensor by adhering a sticker or a label on the windshield. 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 windshield 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 could be
damaged when the wipers activate automatically. If you are going to clean the windshield,
be sure the wipers are turned off completely when it is particularly tempting to leave the
engine running. This is particularly important when clearing ice and snow.

NOTE
 


 The headlights and other exterior lights may not turn off immediately even if the
surrounding area becomes well-lit because the light sensor determines that it is night
time if the surrounding area is continuously dark for several minutes such as inside long
tunnels, traffi c jams inside tunnels, or in indoor parking lots.

 In this case, the lights turn off if the light switch is turned to the position.
 If the headlight switch and the windshield wiper switch are in , and the wipers are
operated at low or high speed by the auto wiper control for several seconds, bad weather
conditions are determined and the headlights may be turned on.
 






 The sensitivity of the auto-light control may be changed.
 Refer to Personalization Features on page 9-11 .
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4–52
When Driving
Switches and Controls
Headlight High-Low Beam
The headlights switch between high and
low beams by moving the lever forward or
backward.


High beam
Low beam

When the headlight high-beams are on,
the headlight high-beam indicator light is
turned on.



Flashing the Headlights
Can be used when the ignition is switched
ON.
T o fl ash the headlights, pull the lever fully
towards you (the headlight switch does not
need to be on).


OFF
Headlight
flashing

The headlight high-beam indicator light
in the instrument cluster illuminates
simultaneously. The lever will return to the
normal position when released.



Coming Home Light
The coming home light turns on the
headlights (low beams) when the lever is
operated.
To turn on the lights
When the lever is pulled with the ignition
switched to ACC or OFF, the low beam
headlights turn on.
The headlights turn off after a certain
period of time has elapsed after the doors
are closed.


NOTE
 


 The time until the headlights turn off
after all of the doors are closed can be
changed.
  Refer to Personalization Features on
page 9-11 .
 


 If no operations are done for 3 minutes
after the lever is pulled, the headlights
turn off.
 


 The headlights turn off if the lever is
pulled again while the headlights are
illuminated.

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