2012 mazda3i Skyactiv 2.0 question

[earlyre]

so my buddy recently acquired a 2012 Mazda3i Sedan for his new DD
(replacing the 2003 Pontiac Vibe w/250k mi, lots of rust, previous owner crashed and rebuilt, driver's door getting ready to fall off, etc..)
it's only got like 52k mi .... last owner didn't drive it for years, just sat in their garage... (infact, they bought it in Oct. 2016 w/ 48,408mi - thanks vehiclehistory.com!)
anyway... it seems like they (mazda) have it set up for an almost excessive amount of engine braking... like as soon as he lifts, you can feel it SLOWING down.
it almost seems like a hybrid system with the Regen setting MAXXXED out.... or like he's in L (or 2,1, whatever it has)

is this normal? I did a quick google, and found a reddit thread that seemed to indicate that's just the way these cars are engineered ( it's not a bug, it's a feature!)...one guy even talking about them utilizing "Aggressive Injector Cutoff" to save Fuel

this is both of our first Mazda experience.. so.... ????

 

[DBMaster]

I have a 2012 Mazda3 i hatchback I bought new. I have 117K on it. My previous car was a 1989 Accord LXi. The Mazda does seem to have a more pronounced engine braking effect (which I suspect has to do with the high compression - 12:1 in the 2012 Skyactiv engines) but it's never seemed excessive to me.

 

[Rand]

I dont know much about that particular car but
2 reasons you would "feel" more engine braking
most cars still run the fuel injectors quite abit when your foot is off the gas for emmissions.
Mazda might be more aggressive with this...
They also might not unlock the torque converter when coasting.

FWIW: 99% sure its by design and not to worry about it.

 

[PimTac]

I assume this has the automatic transmission? If so the torque converter stays locked until you are at a very low speed. Check to make sure it’s not in Sport mode.

The transmission also downshifts automatically.

 

[earlyre]

I assume this has the automatic transmission? If so the torque converter stays locked until you are at a very low speed. Check to make sure it’s not in Sport mode.

The transmission also downshifts automatically.

yes, auto w/ the "autostick" type feature as well..(I'm sure they have a different name for it, but hopefully you understand what I mean...) AFAIK, he's just putting it in "D"
but, I've only ridden in it once...we live 100 mi apart, I'm in retail, he works at a hospital,and with everything going on...yadda yadda yadda...
I could feel "pulses" in the throttle, like in normal driving "oh i'm getting too close to the car in front of me, I'll ease up on the pedal" and the sudden decel was enough to just be perceptible. ('m Terrible at descriptions..)
no where near pushing you back into the seat( Flooring it ), or pulling you forward out of the seat (Slamming on the Brakes), but those same feelings, just way down the scale, just enough that you could feel it... with every modulation of the pedal..

and maybe I'm overstating it after listening to his questions, and extrapolation from my own memories from that 1 ride i took in the passengers seat...

and heck, maybe after a year of eCVT driving, i've just become unaccustomed to how a trans with gears feels... who knows...