Mazda Protege5

phoenixmp5

I had to double check before posting but my Red P5 definitely shed some clearcoat when the bumper was scraped with a cardboard box :-( Fortunately, it waxed up real nice. :-)

I asked Mazda customer service about the availability of the Sport Shift Auto and they said mid July. Not sure, but sounds to me as though the transmission change will occur for the 2003 model year.

I should have asked them how long the transmission has been in production, so as to determine it's level of reliability.

It won't make much of a difference to me, as I'm going to drive my P5 till the doors fall off! Judging by the way it's built, it'll be a long time! I'm still waiting for my 83 Celica's doors to fall off!!!! :-)

shrique

I know what you mean my Silver one looks different under the hatch as well. I could never quite pin down what the difference about it was through. Now that you've said it that stands to reason. The paint under the hatch looks quite a bit more dull and gunmetal-ish.

audia8q

I expect our first 2002 P5 with the sport shift and leather to arrive around the second week of april....just a few weeks away.

protege_fan

http://www.canadiandriver.com/roadtest/02protege5.htm

jsmin

29/39 miles/gallon? Is that right? Let's revive the whole gas mileage thread...whooooo! Seriously, is that correct? I was considering the P5, but was a little turned off by the whole small car/mediocre mileage aspect.

esto

Those numbers are for Imperial gallons - bigger than US gallons.

Erik

coznefx

I'm not even close to the American estimate of 25-30 (I'm doing closer to 19 in the city). So far I'm hoping this is just part of the break-in and my numbers will improve over time...even so, I'm taking the car in to the shop tomorrow. I'll let you know what happens.

I should however note, that in spite of my often "negative" sounding posts around these parts, I do actually dig the car. I don't think there is anything comparable in the same price range. In Southern CA, where we don't see too many P5's, my friends are amazed I only paid about $16k for the car.

sharonf

Audia8q,
Are you an employee of Mazda? I'm confused about the conflicting information. Just a couple posts above yours and again Mazda customer service is saying July(as the one dealer told me) and possibly 2003 models. Any clarification? Also...can you tell me what exactly the difference is between the current auto on the P5 and the sport shift? Worth the wait? Taking a risk on a new thing? I'd like some feedback so I can decide which way to go.
Thanks lots!
Sharon

qddave

Here's a little math to help the American's that see those numbers and get shocked.
1 US Gal = 3.78 litres
1 Imperial Gal = 4.5 litres
Ratio of 0.84
Therefore, 29/39 mpg (city/hwy) in Imp. Gal actually is about 24/32 mpg with US Gal. About the same as what Edmunds claims. Hope this helps to clarify.

apatia

The mazda p5 looks like a nice little car. I admit I haven't driven one. I'm interested but I need more before I could consider moving foward - namely crash tests where the p5 (not the sedan) is tested and more horses.

elec3

a couple days ago by a guy admiring my P5. He said he had been considering buying one. He also said no less than 5 times that he really likes the styling and thinks they look awesome (I'd put him in his early 30s). He also asked about price and I told him what I paid. He had no idea that this model has been out for nearly a year now. He also said the only thing that turned him off about it (big surprise) was a lack of horsepower. I get the feeling that if Mazda dropped a bigger engine, turbo, or SOMETHING producing more power into this car they'd sell a lot more of them (especially with the sportshift coming out).

I need to start tracking my gas mileage again. What bugs me most is the non-linearity of the gas gauge. I get almost 75 miles before the needle gets from overly full down to F when I tank up. Then between F and 3/4 of a tank seems to be 50-75 miles. Between 3/4 and half a tank is only like 25-30 miles. Then it seems to work about the same way going down from a half. Usually I fill up at or a little below 1/4 tank and have 3-4 gallons left. It just sucks that where the gauge is widest (3/4 to 1/2 and 1/2 to 1/4) you get the least miles.

mudflat

My P5 w/automatic now has a little over 6k miles on it. I keep mileage records for every tank of gas used and note whether it's city, highway, or combined driving. I'm getting 23.5-24.5 around town and 28-29 on the highway. This is about 1-1/2 mpg better than it got when it was brand new. Best mileage to date was 32.5 on an extended highway trip.

cbmorton

I also keep track of every tank of gas. I've only filled my (five-speed) P5 up twice so far, but fuel economy for each tank was 25 mpg (US). That's with 90% short-trip city driving. I'm looking forward to seeing what it can get on the highway -- my previous Jetta VR6 could do 32 mpg highway so I'll be disappointed if the P5 with its much smaller and lower-powered engine can't beat that.

meinrad

I haven't bothered to check my mileage yet, but maybe I will just to see how I compare. It never seems to run out of gas too fast so I haven't been concerned.
As for the HP issue. My biggest thing is price. I'm not willing to pay for more horsepower, and my guess is with 160 or more HP the price heads to 20K or more. They aren't going to give it to us for free. So I'd love more HP if it comes in an optional engine, but I think it would be a big mistake to just put in the extra HP and take the price up. I know I wouldn't be driving one if the price was 20K. I still think, at least with a 5-speed, that there is more than enough power for 95% of driving. Yeah, I miss the power in the other 5%, but thats the tradeoff I'm willing to make for the price.

en5

In the brochure I noticed that the pro5 doesn't have the rear window washer nozzle, just the wiper, Do you find it hard to clean the rear window? I have a wagon right now and I know that sometimes when the rear window gets covered with salt and grime there is no way I can clean it with just a wiper.

onboost91

Actually the P5 does indeed have a washer nozzle on the back window. In fact whenever I try to use the front windshield nozzles I ALWAYS accidentally wet the rear first. I'm not sure if its a confusing design or I'm just a backward type of guy. In any event its there and it works fine.

-Mark
Protege5 - Silver

mp5freak

Definitely has a rear washer nozzle - and I'm very glad it does!

perosk

did anyone get the warranty? I'm thinking about the 7yr 160,000Km plan - they say its transferable so it sould add to the value of the vehicle on resale too.

Kirstie_H

Just a reminder that the Town Hall chat is on for Wednesday evening (5-7pm Pacific/8-10 pm Eastern). Hope you can join in this week to meet and greet with your fellow Town Hall users and have a little fun with The Return of Car Trivia!

Hope to see you there!

http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/newsviews.html

kirstie_h

Roving Host

Edmunds.com

riopelle

The Mazda 3, the replacement for the 323 aka the Protege, was unveiled at the 2002 Geneva show. There are thumbnails on the carpoint uk website. Anyone have more info on this, and if Mazda will streamline names by calling it the 3 here as well?(wish they would) I love the orange Mazda MX concept on this site, BTW. Mazda stylists are on a role.

For what it's worth, with 8,000 miles I'm getting 23-24 mpg city, 30-31 mpg highway, driving it like a sports car.

And now the big question - I know this has been asked before, but would some audiophile please provide an "abc's of how to improve the stereo sound"? Do I go to Bestbuy, or someplace else? Is getting speakers from Crutchfield and installing them myself as an intelligent person but admitted electrical novice a reasonable alternative? Can I keep it to $250? Speakers suggestions? Thank you in advance.

protege_fan

I only extended my warranty for an extra year. However, as I understand it, you can go back and extend the warranty for the full 7 years at any time before your current warranty expires. Since I'm planning on keeping this car for awhile, I will probably do that later.

the_big_h

the thumbnail of the red Mazda on Carpoint UK is actually the Mazda 6 wagon unveiled at the Geneva auto show.

take a look at Edmund's review and the pics and you'll see it's the 6, not Protege/323:

http://www.edmunds.com/news/autoshows/articles/49774/page012.html

pciskowski

Hi,

I've had my Red P5 for two days now. There is a slight "roar" that seems to be coming from the right side of the car that starts at 30 mph. Has anyone else experienced this? I haven't had time to check tire pressure, etc. Could it be the alignment?

I also have the whistle at 60mph, but I'm going to remove the rack and make sure that is what it is. If it goes away with it off I'm going to put it back on and just live with it because I like the way it looks.

Other than that I love this car. I bought the 5 speed, and it has plenty of power for me. But I'm also the person that managed to get a speeding ticket in my old '93 70 hp Civic CX (I loved that car!)

Phil

protege_fan

Is it like wind noise? Can you please explain further?

riopelle

Big H, the thumbnail says that it is the 3, but I see your point and now believe that you are right and carview is wrong. Oh well, for what it's worth, here's the link:

http://specials.carview.msn.co.uk/autoshow/geneva/photocats/Day_One/default.asp?selected=DayOne

Any audiophiles up to my challenge yet? :-)

mazdafun

The Kenwoods listed in Mazda's accessories brochure seem to be approved by a recent poster on the sedans board.

I replaced the speakers in my '99 with Pioneers. Makes a big difference. I'm very happy with them (TS-A6858 up front, TS-A6999 in the rear). Most folks will probably be happy with just a speaker upgrade. Those looking for more volume are looking at upgrades of the head unit and/or an amplifier.

coznefx

OK, took the car in today, and big surprise...no codes came up. I guess I'm going to have to learn to live with 19 mpg for now...

One other thing I've noticed about the car...man, do I ever get a whopper of a shock everytime I exit it. Anyone have any suggestions?

maltb

Spray some anti-static spray on the seat. Everytime you slide out of the car you charge up.

protege_fan

Or you can touch the metal tip of your key to the rubber weather stipping on the door when you get out of the car. Make sure you're using a key with a plastic holder and that you're holding the plastic holder.

the_big_h

consider it a free daily shock treatment for your mental & physical wellbeing.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzap!

protege_fan

The bright side, with all the snow we've had up here, I haven't had a single problem so far with static shocks....On second thought, I'd rather be rid of all this snow and just gimme the shocks!!

pciskowski

It's a roar like you would have with a flat.

elec3

When I can remember to do it is to simply grab the top edge of the door and use it to help myself get out. You ground yourself by touching the metal on the door BEFORE you stand up, then when you get out of the car, static is discharged through the door instead of building up and being released in one heroic ZAP when you close the door.

As for the sound system, here's my professional diagnosis. This is the stock system with no mods. Bass is fairly tight and punchy but there's not much of it. Need to either add a sub or replace the stock speakers with better ones that have heavier magnets or handle more power. The midrange is very full and lush - almost overpowering at times. It is this quality that makes you think the sound system is better than it is at first listen because voices and many instruments are detailed, clear, and have great presence. Treble is just plain weak. You can't get enough clarity and power in the high end without the sound becoming harsh. It is this defect plus the overbearing midrange that makes the overall sound of the system dark and thick. It's not a bad sound signature if you get used to it, but it's almost the opposite of the shimmer and sparkle I'm used to in audiophile headphones. It's great for some dark and heavy music on a rainy day when you're in a bad mood.

If you like ample bass, you probably need to add a sub or two. Other than that, your best bet is replacing both the speakers and head unit (sigh). The stock speakers are Pioneer (good), but they're only rated at 25 watts and are thin paper with small magnets (bad). The head unit also apparently does not put out enough power to drive better speakers, so a head unit/speakers combo is the best way to go. Unless you want to retain the stock head unit for looks - then you could add an amp for new speakers. Crutchfield is a good place to start but it wouldn't hurt to peruse local electronics stores. There's something to be said for buying speakers because you like the way they sound, even if it is in an artificial store environment. I always advise people to buy a sound they like rather than specs they like - you tend to be happier with your choice that way.

coznefx

both ideas seem to work equally as well.

I was starting to have a conditioned response before closing my door, I was wincing.

sunbyrne

As someone recently mentioned, this car gets a lot of looks. I was recently at an event for the residential college with which I'm affiliated (faculty duties and all that) and was parked in a driveway right in front of a dorm. I noticed walking to and from the car several people stopping to check out the car, and one of the kids even asked me about it.

Heh, I love that. I've never had a car that other people checked out...

Sporin

I've had my P5 since Sept. 1, and have just over 12k miles on it. Manual tranny. I've never had less than 27mpg or more than 32 MPG. That is a mix of rural and urban driving.

I use nothing but 87 octane gas and folow the manufacturer's 5k mile oil-change intervals.

----------------

I get accosted in parking lots too. :-) People LOVE this car and ask about it nearly everywhere. I used to get the same thing in my Passat as they were brand new when I got that too. ('99)

meaford

I was about to buy my MP5 when I noticed a 94 Toyota Corolla Wagon 4WD at the Toyota dealer acroos the street. $740/mth for 36 months or $6,500 for a 4WD Toyota with only 82,000 kms (50K miles). This car is mint. The MP5 still rocks, but I think I will be happy with this cult classic.

perosk

I want to buy a second set of rims for my P5 I live in Toronto - anyone know any good shops that sell quality wheels at a good price? I'm looking for a 5 spoke white or aluminum finish rim.

Thanks

mdaffron

It's called www.tirerack.com! You can even preview what the wheel looks like on your car in your car's color!

Meade

hpulley4

I don't know about shipping tires and rims over the border.

protege_fan

I'm pretty sure they'd ship it, but it may cost you quite a bit of money.

sharonf

I'm curious....Don't even have my car yet...but, has anyone found clear altezza syle tail lights for the P5?

Sharon

protege_fan

Yes there are Altezza style lights available...check out Ebay....lots on there all the time!

protegextwo

10,000 posts about Mazda Protege's Sedans....
Can we post 200 messages today at the Mazda Protege Sedan Board and break the 10,000 mark? Folks, I know we can! Every regular needs to post about 2 times today! Come on PRO-5 owners help us out. We need to stay kinda on topic, however. Please come over and help us break 10,000 on Friday 3/22/01!!!!

A sincere thank you in advance.

-Larry

douglam

NO! NO! NO! ... those Altezza style lights are for the Protege Sedans and are NOT compatible with our P5s. knowledge, Altezzas for our P5s are not out yet, so don't buy them without making absolutely sure that it's for a P5.

shrique

I don't know that I would like the Altezza styles on our cars. I would really have to see them before I would make hte purchase. Plus I would definetly try and get high quality ones. If they scratch or break easy it's money out the door.

protege_fan

Sorry bout that misinformation...Shame on me
But anyway, the P5 lights are kinda "styled" already...If I had a P5, I wouldn't feel the need to change em.

protegextwo

10,000 posts about Mazda Protege's Sedans....
Can we post 20 messages this afternoon at the Mazda Protege Sedan Board and break the 10,000 mark? Folks, I know we can! Every regular needs to post about 2 times before 3:00 pm! Come on PRO-5 owners help us out. We need to stay kinda on topic, however. Please come over and help us break 10,000 on Friday 3/22/01!!!!

A sincere thank you in advance.

-Larry

revka

After you break the 10,000 mark over there, I'm expecting you to come over here and start working on this discussion.... Let's see, we have 6,852 more to go. ;-)

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards

shrique

We put all our effort into the other one. (GRIN) I myself managed to contribute a mere 6 posts. (chuckle)