2017 MAZDA MODEL MX-5 RF automatic transmission

4–55
When Driving
Transmission
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 the 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 À ash twice to
signal that the gears cannot be shifted
down (to protect the transmission).
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4–57
When Driving
Transmission
*Some models.
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
¿ ngers.
UP switch (+/OFF)
WARNING
Keep your hands on the steering wheel
rim when using ¿ 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.
  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 cancelled 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 suf¿ cient
amount of time.
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4–58
When Driving
Transmission
*Some models.
Manually shifting down
You can shift gears down by operating
the selector lever or the steering shift
switches
* .
M 6
: 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
¿ 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 ¿ 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 transmission will shift to
a lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed. However, the gears do not
kickdown while the DSC is turned
off.
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4–60
When Driving
Transmission
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 À 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 DSC is turned off.
NOTE
The gear also shifts down using kickdown while in the second gear ¿ 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 ¿ xed mode, the gear remains in
second.
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4–62
When Driving
Transmission
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.
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4–70
When Driving
Switches and Controls
*Some models.
Headlight Levelling
The number of passengers and weight of
cargo in the luggage compartment change
the angle of the headlights.
The angle of the headlights will be
automatically adjusted when turning on
the headlights.
Running Lights
Some countries require moving vehicles to
have their lights on (running lights) during
the daytime.
The running lights turn on automatically
when the vehicle starts moving.
They turn off when the parking brake is
operated or the selector lever is shifted
to the P position (automatic transmission
vehicle).
NOTE
(Except countries prohibited by law)
The running lights can be deactivated.
Refer to Personalisation Features on
page 9-10 .
Rear Fog Light *
The rear fog light can be used when the
ignition is switched ON.
The rear fog light helps your vehicle to be
seen.
The headlights must be turned on to turn
on the rear fog light.
To turn the rear fog light on, rotate the fog
light switch to the
position (the fog
light switch returns to its original position
automatically).
Fog light switch
The rear fog light indicator light in the
instrument cluster illuminates while the
rear fog light is on.
To turn the rear fog light off, do any of the
following:
 


 Rotate the fog light switch to the
position again (the fog light switch
returns to its original position
automatically).
 


 Turn the headlight switch to the
position.
The rear fog light indicator light in the
instrument cluster goes off when the rear
fog light is turned off.
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4–84
When Driving
Brake
Emergency Stop Signal
System
Your Mazda is equipped with an
emergency stop signal system that is
designed to determine whether you are
depressing the brake pedal with greater
force than during normal braking such
as in a situation requiring emergency
braking. If the system determines that such
a situation is occurring, it À ashes all the
direction indicators rapidly to caution the
driver of the vehicle following behind your
vehicle of the sudden braking situation.
The system turns off when it determines
that the brake pedal is released or that an
emergency braking situation no longer
exists based on the reduced vehicle speed.
NOTE
  If you bring your vehicle to a
complete stop while all the direction
indicators are À ashing rapidly, the
rapidÀ ashing of all the direction
indicators changes back to the
normalÀ ashing pattern.

 The emergency stop signal system
does not operate at vehicle speeds
under about 60 km/h (37 mph).
  If the brake pedal is depressed
while driving on slippery roads, the
emergency stop signal system could
operate causing all the turn and lane
change signals to À ash.
Hill Launch Assist (HLA)
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is a function
which assists the driver in accelerating
from a stop while on a slope. When
the driver releases the brake pedal and
depresses the accelerator pedal while
on a slope, the function prevents the
vehicle from rolling. The braking force is
maintained automatically after the brake
pedal is released on a steep grade.
For vehicles with a manual transmission,
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) operates on a
downward slope when the shift lever is in
the reverse (R) position, and on an upward
slope when the shift lever is in a position
other than the reverse (R) position.
For vehicles with an automatic
transmission, Hill Launch Assist (HLA)
operates on a downward slope when the
selector lever is in the reverse (R) position,
and on an upward slope when the selector
lever is in a forward gear.
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4–85
When Driving
Brake
WARNING
Do not rely completely on Hill Launch
Assist (HLA):
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is an
auxiliary device for accelerating from
a stop on a slope. The system only
operates for about two seconds and
therefore, relying only on the system,
when accelerating from a stop is
dangerous because the vehicle may
move (roll) unexpectedly and cause an
accident.
The vehicle could roll depending on
the vehicle's load or if it is towing
something. In addition, for vehicles
with a manual transmission, the vehicle
could still roll depending on how the
clutch pedal or the accelerator pedal is
operated.
Always con¿ rm the safety around the
vehicle before starting to drive the
vehicle.
NOTE
  Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does not
operate on a gentle slope. In addition,
the gradient of the slope on which
the system will operate changes
depending on the vehicle's load.
  Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does
not operate if the parking brake is
applied, the vehicle has not stopped
completely, or the clutch pedal is
released.
  While Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is
operating, the brake pedal may feel
stiff and vibrate, however, this does
not indicate a malfunction.
  Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does not
operate while the TCS/DSC indicator
light is illuminated.
 Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on
page 4-42 .

 Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does not
turn off even if the DSC OFF switch
is pressed to turn off the TCS/DSC.
 (Automatic Transmission) Although the Hill Launch Assist
(HLA) does not operate during idling
stop, the vehicle roll prevention
function operates to prevent vehicle
roll.
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