Which Mazda 1300 version to buy
If the choice is this model at all, it is a choice between 1.3 MT and 1.3 AT. There is no second generation, no restyle listed as a separate generation, and no other engine. Both versions ran in the same window (1975-01-01–1977-12-31), both are Sedan, both are FWD, both use the same 1299 Gasoline unit.
If the choice is this model at all, it is a choice between 1.3 MT and 1.3 AT. There is no second generation, no restyle listed as a separate generation, and no other engine. Both versions ran in the same window (1975-01-01–1977-12-31), both are Sedan, both are FWD, both use the same 1299 Gasoline unit. The catalogue difference that actually changes how the car is driven is the gearbox: 1.3 MT is Manual with 5 gears; 1.3 AT is Automatic with 3 gears.
Power is identical: 60 hp (44 kW) at 5000 rpm and 103 Nm at 2500 rpm on both. Displacement is 1299 on both. Specific output is therefore 60 ÷ 1.299 ≈ 46.2 hp per litre on 1.3 MT and the same 46.2 hp per litre on 1.3 AT. Torque per litre is 103 ÷ 1.299 ≈ 79.3 Nm per litre on both. Compression is 9.5 on both. Bore × stroke is 74 × 75.5 on both. Cylinders are 4, layout is Inline, valves per cylinder are 2, boost is No. Fuel system on both is Central injection (single-point or single- point). Fuel grade is 95 on both. Ground clearance is 160 mm on both. Front suspension is Independent, spring on both. Front brakes are Disc on both.
That list is the point: extra money, if it bought the Automatic, did not buy more horsepower, more torque, a larger engine, all-wheel drive, or a different body. It bought three Automatic ratios instead of five Manual ratios.
Mazda 1300 generations compared
There is one generation to compare against: 1 generation, key 3124, Sedan, two versions. Start 1975-01-01, stop 1977-12-31. No later generation in this dataset, so there is no “which generation changed what” in the sense of a facelift that added power or a second body. What changed between the two catalogue lines is only gearbox: Manual vs Automatic, and peredach: 5 vs 3.
If you are choosing a generation, you are not choosing among 1975, 1978, and 1982 cars under this model key. You are choosing a 1975–1977 Sedan in one of two transmissions. Reliability folklore, crash scores, and used-market prices are not in this data and are not used here.
Mazda 1300 specs: engine, gearbox, drive
| Version | hp | Nm | cc | Fuel | Cylinders | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Gears | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.3 MT | 60 | 103 | 1299 | Gasoline | 4 | Inline | No | Manual | 5 | FWD |
| 1.3 AT | 60 | 103 | 1299 | Gasoline | 4 | Inline | No | Automatic | 3 | FWD |
Engine placement is not measured on 1.3 MT and not measured on 1.3 AT. Rear suspension is not measured on both. Rear brakes are not measured on both. Wheel sizes are not measured on both.
Peak power arrives at 5000 rpm on both; peak torque at 2500 rpm on both. The gap between those peaks is 2500 rpm. That is the same engine map twice, not two tunes.
Mazda 1300 mpg, 0-100, top speed — not measured
0–100 is not measured for 1.3 MT. 0–100 is not measured for 1.3 AT. Top speed is not measured for either. City, highway, and combined consumption are not measured for either. CO2 is not measured. Eco class is not measured.
You cannot rank these two on economy or acceleration with this catalogue. Anyone claiming 1.3 AT is slower in 0–100 here is inventing a figure that is not measured. Anyone claiming 1.3 MT uses less fuel here is inventing mpg that is not measured. The only drivetrain arithmetic that is allowed is gear count: 5 Manual steps versus 3 Automatic steps, with the same 60 hp and 103 Nm.
Mazda 1300 dimensions, weight, clearance
Kerb weight is not measured for 1.3 MT. Kerb weight is not measured for 1.3 AT. Gross weight is not measured for both. Tank size is not measured for both. Wheel sizes are not measured for both.
Ground clearance is 160 mm on 1.3 MT and 160 mm on 1.3 AT. There is no millimetre of extra height to buy. Weight per horsepower cannot be calculated: mass is not measured, so kg/hp is not measured. Do not treat a missing kerb weight as “light compact”; it is not measured.
Front suspension remains Independent, spring on both. That does not split the choice. Front brakes remain Disc on both. Rear axle hardware is not measured, so a “which has better rear brakes” answer is not available from this data.
Which version: 1.3 MT vs 1.3 AT
Choose 1.3 MT if the decision is control over ratios. You get 5 Manual gears against 3 Automatic gears on 1.3 AT. Power is the same 60 hp. Torque is the same 103 Nm. Displacement is the same 1299. Drive is the same FWD. Clearance is the same 160 mm. Fuel is the same Gasoline 95. Boost is No on both. The extra two gears are the only counted advantage in this table.
Choose 1.3 AT if the decision is Automatic instead of Manual. You give up two ratios (3 versus 5). You do not gain horsepower: 60 vs 60. You do not gain newton-metres: 103 vs 103. You do not gain a different cylinder count: 4 vs 4, Inline vs Inline. You do not gain a different injection label: Central injection (single-point or single- point) on both. You do not gain a different compression ratio: 9.5 vs 9.5. You do not gain a different bore and stroke: 74 × 75.5 vs 74 × 75.5. The Automatic is not a stronger engine; it is the same engine with 3 gears.
What the extra money would buy, in catalogue terms only: a 3-speed Automatic instead of a 5-speed Manual. Not more litres, not more hp per litre (both ≈ 46.2 hp/L), not more Nm per litre (both ≈ 79.3 Nm/L), not AWD, not a second body type.
If both cars in front of you are labelled the same year band, the generation does not break the tie. 1 generation is the whole production run in this dataset. There is no later Mazda 1300 generation here with more power to “save up for.”
Mazda 1300 problems and reliability — what this file does not measure
This launch data does not list failure rates, rust scores, or service intervals. Reliability as a ranking between 1.3 MT and 1.3 AT is not measured. Shared hardware that is listed: same 1299 Gasoline 4 Inline, same 2 valves per cylinder, same No boost, same Central injection (single-point or single- point), same 9.5 compression, same 74 × 75.5, same FWD, same 160 mm clearance, same Independent, spring front, same Disc front brakes. Differences that are listed: Manual 5 versus Automatic 3.
A paragraph taken out of this article remains true only if it keeps those names: 1.3 MT is 60 hp, 103 Nm, 1299, Gasoline, Manual, 5, FWD. 1.3 AT is 60 hp, 103 Nm, 1299, Gasoline, Automatic, 3, FWD. Production of both: 1975-01-01 to 1977-12-31. Body: Sedan. Generations: 1.
Practical pick in one line
With only these numbers, 1.3 MT is the version that adds counted mechanical choice (5 gears vs 3) at equal 60 hp and 103 Nm; 1.3 AT is the version that trades two gears for Automatic. Nothing else in the table is different, and acceleration, mpg, weight, tank, wheels, rear suspension, rear brakes, and engine placement are not measured on either.