2017 MAZDA MODEL CX-5 ESP

3–61
Before Driving
Towing
Trailer Towing Tips
  Verify that your Mazda maintains a near-normal attitude when a loaded or unloaded trailer
is connected. Do not drive if it has an abnormal front-up or front-down \
position. Inspect
for incorrect tongue load, worn suspension parts, and trailer overloadin\
g.
   Make sure the trailer is properly loaded and the cargo is secure to prevent it from shifting.  Make sure the mirrors conform to all government regulations. If they do \
not, install
required rear view mirrors appropriate for towing purposes.

The three main causes of vehicle-trailer accidents are driver error, excessive speed, and
improper trailer loading.
Before driving
   Have your cooling and braking system checked by an Authorized Mazda Dealer.  Before starting out, inspect the operation of all vehicle and trailer li\
ghts and all vehicle-
to-trailer connections. Stop and re-inspect all lights and connections a\
fter driving a short
distance.

Driving
   Your Mazda will handle differently with a trailer in tow, so practice turning, backing, and
stopping in a traf fi c-free area.
   Take time to get accustomed to the extra weight and length.  Allow more room between your vehicle and the one in front because brakin\
g distance
increases with a trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of speed, allow at least one vehicle
and trailer length between your Mazda and the vehicle ahead.
   Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.  Avoid sudden braking. It may cause loss of control and result in jackkni fi ng, especially so
on wet or slippery roads.
   Shift the shift lever to the D position when towing a trailer in hilly t\
errain or when heavily
loaded.

The D position will allow operating the vehicle without frequent shiftin\
g.
Lane changes and turning
Avoid quick lane changes, sudden turns, and tight turns. Slow down before\
turning to avoid
the need of sudden braking.
A turning trailer will make a tighter arc than the tow vehicle. Compensat\
e with turns that are
larger than normal.
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3–62
Before Driving
Towing
Passing
Plan well ahead to pass other vehicles, and provide plenty of room befor\
e changing lanes.
Crosswinds from passing vehicles, especially larger ones, and the effects of rough roads will
affect handling.
If swaying occurs, fi rmly grip the steering wheel and reduce speed immediately, but
gradually.
Steer straight ahead. If no extreme correction of steering or braking is\
made, the
combination of less speed and fi rm steering will result in stability.
Backing up
Backing a vehicle with a trailer requires practice and patience. Back sl\
owly, and have a
helper outside at the rear of the trailer to reduce the risk of an accid\
ent.
To turn the trailer, place your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel and turn it in the\

direction you want the trailer to go. Make only slight movements to prev\
ent sharp or
prolonged turning.
Ascending a hill
Shift into a lower gear to reduce the possibility of overloading or over\
heating the engine, or
both.
Descending a hill
Shift into a lower gear and use engine compression as a braking effect.
WARNING
Always use lower gears to reduce speed: Holding the brake pedal down too long or too frequently is dangerous as it could cause
the brakes to overheat and lose power, resulting in loss of control and a serious accident.
Use lower gears to help reduce speed. Pull off the road and allow brakes to cool down
whenever braking performance feels reduced.

Overheated engine
The extra weight of the trailer may strain the engine on hot days and on\
long or steep
upgrades.
If the temperature gauge indicates overheating, turn off the air conditioner, drive safely
to the side of the road, park off the right-of-way and wait for engine to cool. Refer to
Overheating on page 7-18 .
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4–40
When Driving
Manual Transaxle Operation
Gear Shift Indicator (GSI)
The Gear Shift Indicator (GSI) 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
diff erent 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 (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 24 km/h (15 mph)
2 to 3 42 km/h (26 mph)
3 to 4 60 km/h (37 mph)
4 to 5 75 km/h (46 mph)
5 to 6 79 km/h (49 mph)

For cruising, Mazda recommends these
shift points:
Gear Vehicle speed
1 to 2 13 km/h (8 mph)
2 to 3 29 km/h (18 mph)
3 to 4 49 km/h (30 mph)
4 to 5 63 km/h (39 mph)
5 to 6 70 km/h (43 mph)

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4–60
When Driving
Switches and Controls
Auto-wiper control
When the wiper lever is in the

position, the rain sensor senses the amount
of rainfall on the windshield and turns the
wipers on or off automatically (off—
intermittent—low speed—high speed).

The sensitivity of the rain sensor can be
adjusted by turning the switch on the
wiper lever.
From the center position (normal), rotate
the switch upward for higher sensitivity
(faster response) or rotate it downward for
less sensitivity (slower response).


Higher sensitivity
Less sensitivitySwitch
Center
position

CAUTION
 Do not shade the rain sensor by adhering a sticker or a label on the
windshield. Otherwise the rain sensor
will not operate correctly.

 When the wiper lever is in the
position and the ignition is switched ON,
the wipers may move automatically in
the following cases:
 If the windshield above the rain sensor is touched or wiped with a
cloth.
 If the windshield is struck with a hand or other object from either outside or
inside the vehicle.
 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 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 most likely
that the engine is left running) this is
particularly important when clearing ice
and snow.

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When Driving
ABS/TCS/DSC
Antilock Brake System
(ABS)
The ABS control unit continuously
monitors the speed of each wheel. If
one wheel is about to lock up, the ABS
responds by automatically releasing and
reapplying that wheel's brake.

The driver will feel a slight vibration in
the brake pedal and may hear a chattering
noise from the brake system. This is
normal ABS system operation. Continue to
depress the brake pedal without pumping
the brakes.

The warning light turns on when the
system has a malfunction.
Refer to Warning Indication/Warning
Lights on page 4-33 .
WARNING
Do not rely on ABS as a substitute for
safe driving: The ABS cannot compensate for unsafe
and reckless driving, excessive speed,
tailgating (following another vehicle
too closely), driving on ice and snow,
and hydroplaning (reduced tire friction
and road contact because of water on
the road surface). You can still have an
accident.

NOTE
  Braking distances may be longer on
loose surfaces (snow or gravel, for
example) which usually have a hard
foundation. A vehicle with a normal
braking system may require less
distance to stop under these conditions
because the tires will build up a wedge
of surface layer when the wheels skid.
  The sound of the ABS operating may
be heard when starting the engine
or immediately after starting the
vehicle, however, it does not indicate a
malfunction.

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When Driving
Drive Selection
Drive Selection
Drive selection is a system to switch the vehicle's drive mode. When the sport mode
is selected, vehicle's response against accelerator operation is enhance\
d. This provides
additional quick acceleration which may be needed to safely make maneuve\
rs such as lane
changes, merging onto freeways, or passing other vehicles.
CAUTION
Do not use the sport mode when driving on slippery roads such as wet or snow-covered
roads. It may cause tire slipping.

NOTE
  When the sport mode is selected, driving at higher engine speeds increases and it may
increase fuel consumption. Mazda recommends that you cancel the sport mode on normal
driving.
  Drive mode cannot be switched in the following conditions:   ABS/TCS/DSC is operating  The Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) system/cruise control is operating.  Steering wheel is being operated abruptly

Drive Selection Switch
Press the drive selection switch forward
(“
”) to select the sport mode.
Pull the drive selection switch back
(“
”) to cancel the sport mode.



NOTE
   When the ignition is switched off, the
sport mode is canceled.
  Depending on the driving conditions
when sport mode is selected, the vehicle
may perform shift-down or slightly
accelerate.

Select Mode Indication
When the sport mode is selected, the select
mode indication turns on in the instrument
cluster.


NOTE
If the drive selection cannot be switched
to sport mode, the select mode indication
fl ashes to notify the driver.

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When Driving
i-ACTIVSENSE
*Some models.
Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) *
The Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) is designed to assist the driver in ch\
ecking the area to the
rear of the vehicle on both sides during lane changes by notifying the d\
river of the presence
of vehicles approaching from the rear in an adjacent lane.
The Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) detects vehicles approaching from the \
rear while
traveling in the forward direction at a speed of 10 km/h (6.3 mph) or \
faster and notifi es
the driver by turning on the Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) warning indic\
ator light and
displaying the vehicle detection screen (vehicles with multi-informatio\
n display and active
driving display).
If the turn signal lever is operated to signal a turn in the direction i\
n which the Blind Spot
Monitoring (BSM) warning indicator light is illuminated while the appr\
oaching vehicle is
detected, the Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) noti fi es the driver of possible danger by turning
on the Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) warning indicator light, and by act\
ivating the warning
sound and the warning screen indicator display (vehicles with multi-inf\
ormation display and
active driving display).
The detection area on this system covers the driving lanes on both sides\
of the vehicle and
from the rear part of the front doors to about 50 m (164 ft) behind th\
e vehicle.

Detection areas
Your vehicle

WARNING
Always check the surrounding area visuall
y before making an actual lane change:
The system is only designed to assist you in checking for vehicles at your rear when
making a lane change. Due to certain limitations with the operation of this system, the
Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) warning indicator light, the warning sound and the warning
screen indicator display may not activate or they might be delayed even though a vehicle
is in an adjacent driving lane. Always make it your responsibility as a driver to check the
rear.

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When Driving
i-ACTIVSENSE
Stop sign

40
Sign recognized and
displayed at same time
Active driving display indication

WARNING
Always check the traffi c signs visually while driving.
The Traffi c Sign Recognition System (TSR) helps prevent the driver from overlooking traffi c
signs and provides support for safer driving. Depending on the weather conditions or
problems with traffi c signs, a traffi c sign may not be recognized or a traffi c sign diff erent
from the actual traffi c sign may be displayed. Always make it your responsibility as a
driver to check the actual traffi c signs. Otherwise, it could result in an accident.

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