manual transmission MAZDA MODEL MX-5 MIATA RF 2020 User Guide

Turning the Engine Off
WA R N I N G
Do not stop the engine while the vehicle is
moving:
Stopping the engine while the vehicle is
moving for any reason other than in an
emergency is dangerous. Stopping the
engine while the vehicle is moving will
result in reduced braking ability due to the
loss of power braking, which could cause
an accident and serious injury.
1. Stop the vehicle completely.
2.(Manual transmission)
Shift into neutral and set the parking
brake.
(Automatic transmission)
Shift the selector lever to the P
position and set the parking brake.
3. Press the push button start to turn off
the engine. The ignition position is off.
CAUTION
When leaving the vehicle, make sure the
push button start is off.
NOTE
The cooling fan in the engine
compartment could turn on for a few
minutes after the ignition is switched
from ON to OFF, whether or not the A/C
is on or off, to cool the engine
compartment quickly.
If the system detects that the remaining
battery power of the key is low when the
ignition is switched from ON to ACC or
OFF, the following is indicated.
Replace with a new battery before the
key becomes unusable.
Refer to Key Battery Replacement on
page 6-34.
(Vehicle equipped with Type A
instrument cluster)
A message is indicated in the display of
the instrument cluster.
(Vehicle equipped with Type B
instrument cluster)
The KEY indicator li ght (green) flashes
for approximately 30 seconds.
Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on
page 4-27.
(Automatic transmission)
If the engine is turned off while the
selector lever is in a position other than
P, the ignition switches to ACC.
▼Emergency Engine Stop
Continuously pressing the push button
start or quickly pressing it any number of
times while the engi
ne is running or the
vehicle is being driven will turn the engine
off immediately. The ignition switches to
ACC.
When Driving
Start/Stop Engine
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Manual Transmission ShiftPattern
Neutral position
The shift pattern of the transmission is
conventional, as shown.

Depress the clutch pedal all the way down
while shifting; then release it slowly.

Your vehicle is equipped with a device to
prevent shifting to R (reverse) by mistake.
Push the shift lever downward and shift to
R.

WA R N I N G
Do not use sudden 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.
Always leave the shift lever in 1 or R
position and set the parking brake when
leaving the vehicle unattended:
Otherwise the vehicle could move and
cause an accident.
CAUTION
 Keep your foot off the clutch pedal except
when shifting gears. Also, do not use the
clutch to hold the vehicle on an upgrade.
Riding the clutch will cause needless
clutch wear and damage.
 Do not apply any excessive lateral force
to the shift lever when changing from
5th to 4th gear. This could lead to the
accidental selection of 2nd gear, which
could result in damage to the
transmission.
 Make sure the vehicle comes to a
complete stop before shifting to R.
Shifting to R while the vehicle is still
moving may damage the transmission.
When Driving
Manual Transmission Operation
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NOTE
A natural driving posture can be
realized by lightly gripping the shift
lever from the side without having to
rest your elbow on the center console
box.

If shifting to R is difficult, shift back into
neutral, release the clutch pedal, and try
again.
▼Gear Shift Indicator (GSI)
The GSI supports you to obtain optimum
fuel economy and smooth driving. It
displays the selected gear position in the
instrument cluster as well as notifies 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 dis‐
played.
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 traffic conditions
have to be judged correctly by the driver
before shifting.
NOTE
The GSI turns off when the following
operations are performed.
The vehicle is stopped.
The vehicle is put in neutral.
The vehicle is driven in reverse.
The clutch is not fully engaged when
accelerating from a stop.
The clutch pedal remains depressed for
2 seconds or longer while driving.
▼ Recommendations for Shifting
Upshifting
For normal acceleration, Mazda
recommends these shift points:
Gear
Vehicle speed
1 to 2 23 km/h (14 mph)
2 to 3 39 km/h (24 mph)
3 to 4 53 km/h (33 mph)
4 to 5 61 km/h (38 mph)
5 to 6 77 km/h (48 mph)
When Driving
Manual Transmission Operation
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For cruising, Mazda recommends these
shift points:
GearVehicle speed
1 to 2 11 km/h (7 mph)
2 to 3 31 km/h (19 mph)
3 to 4 42 km/h (26 mph)
4 to 5 55 km/h (34 mph)
5 to 6 66 km/h (41 mph)
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or on a steep upgrade, downshift
before the engine starts to overwork. This
reduces the chance of stalling and gives
better acceleration when you need more
speed.
On a steep downgrade , downshifting
helps maintain safe speed and prolongs
brake life.
When Driving
Manual Transmission Operation
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Automatic Transmission Controls
Lock-release button
Indicates the selector lever can be shifted freely into any position.
Indicates that you must hold in the lock-release button to shift. Indicates that you must depress the brake pedal and hold in the lock-release
button to shift (The ignition must be switched ON).
Various Lockouts:
NOTE
The Sport AT has an option that is not includ
ed in the traditional automatic transmission
that gives the driver the option of selecti ng each gear instead of leaving it to the
transmission to shift gears. Even if you intend to use the automatic transmission functions as
a traditional automatic, you should also be aware that you can inadvertently shift into
manual shift mode and an inappropriate gear may be retained as the vehicle speed
increases. If you notice the engine speed going higher or hear the engine racing, confirm
you have not accidentally slipped into manual shift mode (page 4-38).
When Driving
Automatic Transmission
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N (Neutral)
In N, the wheels and transmission are not
locked. The vehicle will roll freely even
on the slightest incline unless the parking
brake or brakes are on.
WA R N I N G
If the engine is running faster than idle, do
not shift from N or P into a driving gear:
It's dangerous to shift from N or P into a
driving gear when the engine is running
faster than idle. If this is done, the vehicle
could move suddenly, causing an accident
or serious injury.
Do not shift into N when driving the
vehicle:
Shifting into N while driving is dangerous.
Engine braking cannot be applied when
decelerating which could lead to an
accident or serious injury.
CAUTION
Do not shift into N when driving the
vehicle. Doing so can cause transmission
damage.
NOTE
Apply the parking brake or depress the
brake pedal before moving the selector
lever from N position to prevent the
vehicle from moving unexpectedly.
D (Drive)
D is the normal driving position. From a
stop, the transmission will automatically
shift through a 6-gear sequence.
M (Manual)
M is the manual shift mode position.
Gears can be shifted up or down by
operating the selector lever. Refer to
Manual Shift Mode on page 4-38.
▼ Shift Position Indication
The selector position is indicated when the
ignition is switched ON.
Gear position indication
In manual shift mode, the “M” of the shift
position indication illuminates and the
numeral for the selected gear is displayed.
▼Active Adaptive Shift (AAS)
Active Adaptive Shift (AAS)
automatically controls the transmission
shift points to best suit the road conditions
and driver input. This improves driving
feel. The transmission may switch to AAS
mode when driving up and down slopes,
cornering, driving at high elevations, or
depressing the accelerator pedal quickly
while the selector lever is in the D
position. Depending on the road and
driving conditions/ve
hicle operations, gear
shifting could be delayed or not occur,
however, this does not indicate a problem
because the AAS mode will maintain the
optimum gear position.
When Driving
Automatic Transmission
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Manual Shift Mode
The manual shift mode gives you the feel
of driving a manual transmission vehicle
by allowing you to operate the selector
lever manually. This allows you to control
engine rpm and torque to the drive wheels
much like a manual transmission when
more control is desired.
To change to manual shift mode, shift the
lever from D to M.

NOTE
Changing to manual shift mode while
driving will not damage the transmission.
To return to automatic shift mode, shift the
lever from M to D.
NOTE
If you change to manual shift mode
when the vehicle is stopped, the gear
will shift to M1.
If you change to manual shift mode
without depressing the accelerator pedal
when driving in D range, 5th gear/6th
gear, the gear will shift to M4/M5.
▼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 th e selected gear
illuminates.

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 flash twice to
signal that the gears cannot be shifted
down (to protect the transmission).
▼ Manually Shifting Up
You can shift gears up by operating the
selector lever or the steering shift
switches
*.
M1 → M2 → M3 → M4 → M5 → M6
Using selector lever
To shift up to a h igher gear, tap the
selector lever back
once.

When Driving
Automatic Transmission
4-38*Some models.
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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
fingers.

UP switch (+/OFF)
WA R N I N G
Keep your hands on the steering wheel rim
when using fingers 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.
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 DSC
is turned off. However, if the vehicle is
continuously driven at a high rpm, the
gears may automatically shift up to
protect the engine.
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 sufficient amount
of time.
▼ Manually Shifting Down
You can shift gears down by operating the
selector 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.

When Driving
Automatic Transmission
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▼Shift Gear (Shifting) Speed Limit
For each gear position while in the manual mode, the speed limi
t 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 tha n the speed limit.
Shift down
The gear does not shift down while the vehicle speed exceeds th e speed limit.
If the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit and the gear does not shift down, the gear
position indication flashes 2 tim es to notify the driver that the gear cannot be shifted.
Kickdown
When the accelerator pedal is de pressed fully while driving, the gear shifts down.
However, the gears do not kickdown while the DSC is turned off.
NOTE
The gear also shifts down using kickdown while in the second gear fixed mode.
Auto-shift down
The gear shifts down automatically depending on the vehicle spe ed during deceleration.
NOTE
If the vehicle comes to a stop while in the second gear fixed mode, the gear remains in
second.
When Driving
Automatic Transmission
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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
position.
While in direct mode, the D and M
indication illuminate and the gear position
in use is illuminated.
Direct mode is canceled (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.

Gear position indication
Direct mode 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 canceled (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.
When Driving
Automatic Transmission
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