When Driving; Manual Transaxle Operation; Gear Shift Indicator (GSI)- Page 195

▼

Gear Shift Indicator (GSI)

The GSI supports you to obtain optimum
fuel economy and smooth driving. It
displays the selected gear position in the
instrument cluster as well as notifies 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 dis‐
played.

 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 different
from indication. To avoid the risk of
accidents, the road and traffic conditions
have to be judged correctly by the driver
before shifting.

NOTE

The 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)

Downshifting

When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or on a steep 

upgrade

, downshift

before the engine starts to overwork. This
reduces the chance of stalling and gives
better acceleration when you need more
speed.
On a steep 

downgrade

, downshifting

helps maintain safe speed and prolongs
brake life.

When Driving

Manual Transaxle Operation

4-63

Mazda6_8HK6-EA-19A_Edition1

2018-11-15 9:36:06