[Sarah]

Hi,

I'm Sarah from Philadelphia. Test drove a CX3 and loved it, but the paddle shifting just isn't quite as fun as driving a true stick shift with an actual clutch pedal.

I'm hoping to learn that Mazda will bring the manual to the US soon. Any news yet?

Thanks for this forum.

 

[anchorman]

Welcome Sarah.

I don't want to tease you but it's a really nice, smooth, positive manual box too.

It often takes to the first revision/face lift before the spec gets fully established but the fact is that a volume producer rarely imports a model for a minority market.

I'm hoping to strike up a relationship with Mazda US where we can use the forum as a platform to feed back customer experience and aspirations. We need a lot more members first.

You and any other would be manual transmission buyers might do some good by writing to them. They can get some feel for the market.

 

[Cuzlarry]

With are traffic who wants a manual,,,, this is not the autobon

 

[Snoogie]

Currently there is very little news on any transmission updates for our CX3s as of now or the following model year. I will definitely keep everyone up to date on any new developments of having a manual trans for our cars as i will pester my district trainer who has influence with MazdaUSA and my sales people as i like annoying them too.

 

[Sarah]

With are traffic who wants a manual,,,, this is not the autobon

I love driving a manual, perhaps *especially* in slow, city traffic. I feel like it keeps me paying attention to what I'm doing more than when I drive an automatic. I also feel like I have more control. It's more fun and more focused for me, in any traffic situation. (I live in Philly, where there's a lot of start/stop, but I work in New Jersey, where there are stretches of open, fast road that require no shifting.) Every car I've had has been a stick shift, on purpose. It's what I like.

I'd love for Mazda to make this sporty-ish little monster available in a manual and plan to write a letter letting them know that there is a market for it. Sure, it's a tiny market that they probably can afford to ignore, but we're here. If anyone feels like signing it, I'll figure out to whom I should send it / where I can post it.

-Sarah

 

[greaseman85]

With are traffic who wants a manual,,,, this is not the autobon

Yep, I would love a manual too, but hell no not in the traffic I deal with.

 

[Sarah]

Yep, I would love a manual too, but hell no not in the traffic I deal with.

I think that's why I like the manual. My traffic SUCKS, and the manual keeps me from thinking I have a hand free to monkey with the radio or whatever. I just like it, in all conditions. But I understand why some people get bored with the constant clutch / first gear / clutch / first gear dance for an hour every night.

 

[greaseman85]

Unfortunately the market in the US especially for stick shift is so small (and shrinking) it is not beneficial for a small company like Mazda to dedicate resources to. Bigger companies all still offer stick in some models while eliminating them from other models, but Mazda simply can't afford to offer it. Probably the cost to develop and build new manual transmissions for the North American market would be too much and not make them money.

 

[santa]

Unfortunately the market in the US especially for stick shift is so small (and shrinking) it is not beneficial for a small company like Mazda to dedicate resources to. Bigger companies all still offer stick in some models while eliminating them from other models, but Mazda simply can't afford to offer it. Probably the cost to develop and build new manual transmissions for the North American market would be too much and not make them money.

But Mazda is already selling the CX-3 with manual transmission in Europe (in combination with petrol/diesel and AWD/FWD).
So it shouldn't cost extra, since the cars are build in the same factory.

 

[greaseman85]

There are different laws and regulations to deal with. I'm not an expert on transmissions by any means, but they may need to build a new one to comply with US/Canada regulations. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong on this. Otherwise I don't see any other reason for not offering manual transmission.

 

[santa]

There are different laws and regulations to deal with. I'm not an expert on transmissions by any means, but they may need to build a new one to comply with US/Canada regulations. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong on this. Otherwise I don't see any other reason for not offering manual transmission.

That's the only reason I can see as well. If that's not an issue, they are just lazy and don't want the hassle of selling a small number of cars with manual transmission.

 

[Sarah]

So would any of you be cool with signing a letter I write to MazdaUSA, requesting a manual in North America (I'm in the US)? There are other CX-3 forums and I plan to ask there, too.

 

[greaseman85]

Let me know where to go to sign, I'll be surprised if it actually gets their attention but it never hurts to try.

 

[Ron Goldman]

This is an old thread but I got my CX-3 last year and realizing there was never going to be a stick shift model. So, I got a black Touring model and it's great except of course, for the lack of a stick.
Anyway, looking around the other day and discovered that there is now a stick model in Canada! Wow - but wait, upon closer inspection, it appears that it only comes in a new super base model that has 16" steel wheels with hubcaps, as well as a super cheap interior with seat material that is below the plain cloth level; also no red trim or stitching. Man, what in the hell are they thinking? It's beyond me.