2017 MAZDA MODEL 6 Owners Manual (in English)

4–45
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
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 transaxle shift
points to best suit the road conditions
and driver input. This improves driving
feel. The transaxle 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/vehicle 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.
Manual Shift Mode
The manual shift mode gives you the feel
of driving a manual transaxle 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 transaxle 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 transaxle.
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.
Mazda6_8FH2-EA-16F_Edition2.indb 452016/07/07 13:44:51

4–46
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
*Some models.
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.
Manual shift mode indicator
Gear position indicator
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 transaxle).
 If the automatic transaxle fluid (ATF)
temperature becomes too high, there
is the possibility that the transaxle
will switch to automatic shift mode,
canceling 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.
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 higher gear, tap the
selector lever back
once.
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)
Mazda6_8FH2-EA-16F_Edition2.indb 462016/07/07 13:44:52

4–47
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
*Some models.
WARNING
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.
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
fingers.
DO WN switch (-)
Mazda6_8FH2-EA-16F_Edition2.indb 472016/07/07 13:44:53

4–48
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
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.
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 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
DSC is turned off.
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 fixed mode. The gear is fixed
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 fixed
mode, the mode will be canceled.
Mazda6_8FH2-EA-16F_Edition2.indb 482016/07/07 13:44:53

4–49
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 spe\
ed limit.
Shift down
The gear does not shift down while the vehicle speed exceeds the speed l\
imit.
If the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit and the gear does not shift\
down, the gear
position indication flashes 2 times to notify the driver that the gear cannot be shifted.
Kickdown
When the accelerator pedal is depressed fully while driving, the gear sh\
ifts 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 speed during\
deceleration.
NOTE
If the vehicle comes to a stop while in the second gear fixed mode, the gear remains in
second.
Mazda6_8FH2-EA-16F_Edition2.indb 492016/07/07 13:44:53

4–50
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
Recommendations for Shifting
Upshifting
For normal acceleration and cruising, Mazda recommends these shift point\
s:
Gear Vehicle speed*1
M1 to M224 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 traffic 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 prolong\
s brake life.
Mazda6_8FH2-EA-16F_Edition2.indb 502016/07/07 13:44:53

4–51
When Driving
Automatic 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 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 indicator
Direct mode indicator
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.
Mazda6_8FH2-EA-16F_Edition2.indb 512016/07/07 13:44:53

4–52
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 difficult 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 DSC 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.
Mazda6_8FH2-EA-16F_Edition2.indb 522016/07/07 13:44:53