New mazda 3 skyactive x

[speedy mazda]

What are peoples experiences of the new mazda 3 skyactive x ?. Keep thinking of upgrading to one but undecided on manual or automatic.Does anyone know if the new mazda skyactive x have an oil dipstick?.

[pillred]

What are peoples experiences of the new mazda 3 skyactive x ?. Keep thinking of upgrading to one but undecided on manual or automatic.Does anyone know if the new mazda skyactive x have an oil dipstick?.

I have the new e skyactiv x yes it has a dipstick, I have the 6 speed manual it's a brilliant gear change, personally I would not bother with the auto as it is slower and knocks the fuel consumption my average economy is 50mpg on shorter journeys and in excess of 60mpg on a half decent run the interior quality is as good as anything Audi or BMW do and me I have been pleasantly surprised how quick it feels and that's coming from a I30N so yes I would thoroughly recommend you go for it let me know how you get on.

[Engineer Andy]

What are peoples experiences of the new mazda 3 skyactive x ?. Keep thinking of upgrading to one but undecided on manual or automatic.Does anyone know if the new mazda skyactive x have an oil dipstick?.

I have the new e skyactiv x yes it has a dipstick, I have the 6 speed manual it's a brilliant gear change, personally I would not bother with the auto as it is slower and knocks the fuel consumption my average economy is 50mpg on shorter journeys and in excess of 60mpg on a half decent run the interior quality is as good as anything Audi or BMW do and me I have been pleasantly surprised how quick it feels and that's coming from a I30N so yes I would thoroughly recommend you go for it let me know how you get on.

Given the performance of the SA-X is a decent step-up from the equivalent 2L SA-G (even when looking at the gen-3 car), the TC auto is still a decent option and doesn't lose that much performance [5%] or mpg [5-7%] compared to the much higher losses [10%, possibly more] when mated to gen-1 and 2 cars.

They are especially good if you do a lot of urban driving or regularly have to endure heavy stop-start traffic more generally.  It takes the hassle of lots of gear changing out of the equation, and the auto box is smooth and reliable.

Sure, not as 'dynamic' and efficient as the DCT units in other makes, but more likely to last.  Speaking personally, I would consider one for my next car for those reasons.  Hassle-free driving and still decent performance and mpg.

[pillred]

What are peoples experiences of the new mazda 3 skyactive x ?. Keep thinking of upgrading to one but undecided on manual or automatic.Does anyone know if the new mazda skyactive x have an oil dipstick?.

I have the new e skyactiv x yes it has a dipstick, I have the 6 speed manual it's a brilliant gear change, personally I would not bother with the auto as it is slower and knocks the fuel consumption my average economy is 50mpg on shorter journeys and in excess of 60mpg on a half decent run the interior quality is as good as anything Audi or BMW do and me I have been pleasantly surprised how quick it feels and that's coming from a I30N so yes I would thoroughly recommend you go for it let me know how you get on.

5% to 7% equates to around 3 to 4 mpg, which was ok when it was £1.20 a litre now it's nearer £2 over a year at 10,000 miles that adds up to quite a bit extra on your fuel bill, unless you really need an auto such as doing over 75% of your driving in urban areas the Mazda 3s gearbox is so slick and the clutch so light it makes driving a pleasure but I live in the UK where manual gearboxes are still the most common.
What are peoples experiences of the new mazda 3 skyactive x ?. Keep thinking of upgrading to one but undecided on manual or automatic.Does anyone know if the new mazda skyactive x have an oil dipstick?.

I have the new e skyactiv x yes it has a dipstick, I have the 6 speed manual it's a brilliant gear change, personally I would not bother with the auto as it is slower and knocks the fuel consumption my average economy is 50mpg on shorter journeys and in excess of 60mpg on a half decent run the interior quality is as good as anything Audi or BMW do and me I have been pleasantly surprised how quick it feels and that's coming from a I30N so yes I would thoroughly recommend you go for it let me know how you get on.

Given the performance of the SA-X is a decent step-up from the equivalent 2L SA-G (even when looking at the gen-3 car), the TC auto is still a decent option and doesn't lose that much performance [5%] or mpg [5-7%] compared to the much higher losses [10%, possibly more] when mated to gen-1 and 2 cars.

They are especially good if you do a lot of urban driving or regularly have to endure heavy stop-start traffic more generally.  It takes the hassle of lots of gear changing out of the equation, and the auto box is smooth and reliable.

Sure, not as 'dynamic' and efficient as the DCT units in other makes, but more likely to last.  Speaking personally, I would consider one for my next car for those reasons.  Hassle-free driving and still decent performance and mpg.

What are peoples experiences of the new mazda 3 skyactive x ?. Keep thinking of upgrading to one but undecided on manual or automatic.Does anyone know if the new mazda skyactive x have an oil dipstick?.

I have the new e skyactiv x yes it has a dipstick, I have the 6 speed manual it's a brilliant gear change, personally I would not bother with the auto as it is slower and knocks the fuel consumption my average economy is 50mpg on shorter journeys and in excess of 60mpg on a half decent run the interior quality is as good as anything Audi or BMW do and me I have been pleasantly surprised how quick it feels and that's coming from a I30N so yes I would thoroughly recommend you go for it let me know how you get on.

Given the performance of the SA-X is a decent step-up from the equivalent 2L SA-G (even when looking at the gen-3 car), the TC auto is still a decent option and doesn't lose that much performance [5%] or mpg [5-7%] compared to the much higher losses [10%, possibly more] when mated to gen-1 and 2 cars.

They are especially good if you do a lot of urban driving or regularly have to endure heavy stop-start traffic more generally.  It takes the hassle of lots of gear changing out of the equation, and the auto box is smooth and reliable.

Sure, not as 'dynamic' and efficient as the DCT units in other makes, but more likely to last.  Speaking personally, I would consider one for my next car for those reasons.  Hassle-free driving and still decent performance and mpg.

[Engineer Andy]

One thing to note, pillred, is that the higher reliability of the TC auto over a manual or DCT when predominantly used in heavy traffic will likely more than offset the higher fuel efficiency of the latter two, even when fuel prices are as high as they are now.

An extra 4mpg over (say) 10,000 miles equates at present to a saving of around £150pa.  A few years ago, I changed jobs to one where I was commuting through a decent sized town with very heavy, stop-start traffic.  After just six months and with no issues beforehand, my gen-1 car's clutch wore out due to the huge amount of low speed gear changing and pull-aways.

A replacement clutch (including fitting) cost me nearly £600 in 2016 - I'd suggest that with the large price increases for both parts and the cost of running deleaships, the price would be nearer to £900.  For the cost to be neutral, that clutch would have to last 6 years in that sort of usage, which I seriously doubt.  I'd say it would last 2-3 years at best.

Of course, if you drive mainly on free-flowing roads, then a manual (or DCT if Mazda did one) still is the better option, because the amount of wear and tear is far lower for that type of use, and it would be more efficient.  The other reason why automatics are more popular is the more relaxed drive, plus also it can be easier physically for the infrim (older) driver as long as they can cope with the changeover from manual to auto.  I've suffered from back problems over the years, and lots of clutch use doesn't help (the main cause is a poor driving position, which fortunately isn't an issue in my current car, but was in others).

Essentially horses for courses - what works well in one situation doesn't so much in another.

[pillred]

I'm definately thinking about an auto for the next change of car as my wife has health issues. I do indeed live in an area that is mostly free flowing roads most of the road tests on the new 3 praise the manual gearbox as one of the highlights of the car and say it's one of the few cars that is actually a better driving experience with a manual gearbox but yes some people will obviously prefer an auto and with the new generation of DCTs there is practically no loss of power or increase in consumption.

[Engineer Andy]

Manual Mazdas always get high marks for their slick gearchanges.  That and the generally great handling always puts them at the top end of being 'drivers cars', although the lack of proper sporty models in the UK since 2014 (like the MPS) has tarnished that 'Zoom-Zoom' image somewhat.

Whilst the Skyactiv-X 2L is a decent improvement over the Skyactiv-G 2L in performance, it has yet to be used in any other engine size or mated with a turbo (or bigger supercharger than existing).  I've said it before but it's a real shame that in the UK the Mazda3 and CX-30 don't get the SA-G 2.5L (equivalent performance to the SA-X 2L with less need to thrash), and especially the same with the turbo, which seems to be available in North America and perhaps one or two other countries.

Add to that the high prices makes even the SA-X out of reach for many people.  Before the bad inflation kicked in earlier in the year, I noted that in the US and Canada, you could buy a new top end Mazda3 2.5T for less than the UK's Mazda3 2L SA-X GT Sport.  I still contend that Mazdas are overpriced in the UK, especially when compared to cars of similar size/performance from what are considered 'premium' (that attract a premium for the name) brands like BMW, especially as Mazda sell far less of them.

[StevenRB45]

I'm not entirely sure how much I'd trust a SA-X longer term.

Gearbox wise in Auto terms Mazdas was designed by papyrus by a man who wrote in pictures. It's very much a torque converter from old-school with most of the advantages and disadvantages that brings.

A friend of mine has a CX-5 163 auto and it manages 38mpg which can't decide is impressive or not. For a 2.0 petrol auto SUV that is good...for a modern car that's pretty awful.

But it's a case of whether or not going SA-X and gaining maybe 5mpg would just end up with a bunch of other bills in the future for stuff the basic 2.0 doesn't have.

Having recently spent some time and money dealing with "modern car problems" (inlet coking) I can safely say that saving a few MPG doesn't necessarily balance the books over time if it comes at the expense of additional complexity.

Thankfully in my case I managed to beat Citroën UK into submission and they picked up 70% of the bill but Mazda has a terrible rep for goodwill out of warranty and the superchargers etc seemed problematic early doors.

[Engineer Andy]

I'm not entirely sure how much I'd trust a SA-X longer term.

Gearbox wise in Auto terms Mazdas was designed by papyrus by a man who wrote in pictures. It's very much a torque converter from old-school with most of the advantages and disadvantages that brings.

A friend of mine has a CX-5 163 auto and it manages 38mpg which can't decide is impressive or not. For a 2.0 petrol auto SUV that is good...for a modern car that's pretty awful.

But it's a case of whether or not going SA-X and gaining maybe 5mpg would just end up with a bunch of other bills in the future for stuff the basic 2.0 doesn't have.

Having recently spent some time and money dealing with "modern car problems" (inlet coking) I can safely say that saving a few MPG doesn't necessarily balance the books over time if it comes at the expense of additional complexity.

Thankfully in my case I managed to beat Citroën UK into submission and they picked up 70% of the bill but Mazda has a terrible rep for goodwill out of warranty and the superchargers etc seemed problematic early doors.

For those reasons, I never buy cars with brand new engine tech - I would wait at least 3-4 years until it was reasonably proven. The Skayactiv-X tech has been around since 2019, so it would be 'on the cusp' if I were currently in the market for a new car.  As yet, I have not come across the level of problems associated with the SA-X tech as with Mazda diesels, in fact nowhere near as much.  More problmes (seemingly common with almost all modern cars) from electronics because of all the complex systems and tech cars now seemingly come with.

I fully appreciate the lack of enthusiasm about Mazda UK / many dealerships and warranty claims, given past experience.

The above is precisely why I'd avoid diesels or high trim level models with all those so-called 'safety' gadgets and other bits I don't need.

I'm far less concerned about their use of 'traditional' TC autos, as they are both a proven design for reliability, smoothness / ease of use and have improved quite a bit in terms of mpg.  The CX-5 is quite a big brick of a car and thus 38mpg (presumably average) from an auto version is quite decent, especially when compared to the cost of fixing a DCT 'auto' and their much lower reliability over the medium to longer term.  To date, I've not heard of any problems with Mazda auto boxes, unlike with Ford (with dropped theirs and went back to TCs), VAG and Renault/Nissan DCTs.

Yes, the current high fuel prices will tilt the balance towards DCTs, but nowhere near enough to matter, at least to me.  But then my 'aged' Mazda3 1.6 petrol is supposed to do an average of around 38mpg (I get 40.5mpg), so 38mpg for a more powerful, quicker, larger/heavier car in auto form is quite good.

One application of the 'newer' tech combining with established, reliable designs is that used by Toyotas where the use both port and direct injection to avoid problems associated with inlet valves getting gunked up.

Mazdas with the SA-G tech (the SA-G does as well) seem to fair better than some other makes on this front even though they only now use direct injection, but I suspect the level of the problem is related to the driving pattern (repeated short trips from cold far worse than mostly longer trips).