Art of Gears
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Car Buying: Is A Used Mazda 2 A Steal?

By Mike Garcia

Photo credit: Screenshot via YouTube, AutoGuide.com
Photo credit: Screenshot via YouTube, AutoGuide.com /
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Third of all, I can find a manual transmission.

LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 2: The new Mazda 2 is debuted during press preview days of the 2009 LA Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center on December 2, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Auto makers are expected to unveil at least 30 North American and world debuts at this year’s show. The LA Auto Show will be open to the public December 4 through December 13. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 2: The new Mazda 2 is debuted during press preview days of the 2009 LA Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center on December 2, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Auto makers are expected to unveil at least 30 North American and world debuts at this year’s show. The LA Auto Show will be open to the public December 4 through December 13. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) /

Call me a bit of a purist, but I still prefer driving a manual transmission.  I have driven thousands of cars throughout my career, and only a Porsche PDK derives any kind of true satisfaction for a driver outside of a traditional manual transmission.  It’s a lot easier for me to drive in a specific mode without computer intervention.

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Let me explain.

My Subaru has three different settings for the automatic transmission; (I)ntelligent, (S)port, and (S#)port Sharp.  Depending on the setting, it’ll either shift as quickly as possible, or shift lazily to hold the revs a bit longer for more power.

I haven’t found a setting that I’m happy with.  I simply don’t want to touch the setting to do a pass on a vehicle.  It is easier to just downshift, make the pass, and go back to an overdrive gear.  That concept tends to confuse the computer and the automatic, both of which are constantly adjusting to what it thinks my driving style is for that time.  It is never right.

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