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I would have to disagree.
We test drove the Protege up to 70MPH. At 70MPH the Protege is fine. But the faster you go above 70 the noisier it gets. And it's not more noise accompanied by a rush or even a dose of power. It's just noisier. Had Mazda left the 1.8L engine in the Protege we probably would have kept it. And had a deal to good to refuse not presented itself after 7 months we would have kept it a bit longer. I didn't hate the car, I hated the engine.
If anon and gee had asked me before they bought the Protege which car they should get for highspeed freeway cruising, I wouldn't have recommended the Protege. I could have told them that even if I have never driven or owned a Protege. I would have told them to look for something along the lines of a used Maxima, Acura TL, or something like that. Would have saved them a lot of money.
Our 1996 and 1999 Civic EX 4 doors also handled 90 no problem. The Protege would DO 90 but the engine was thrashy at that speed because it was running near 5000 rpm. The chassis was in heaven at those speeds however. I'm sure a pre-2.0 Protege wouild have fit the bill quite nicely.
I owned a 1996 Celica that would cruise 110. On the cruise control.
We owned a couple Integras that were very quiet at 90 until I put a Flowmaster muffler on them. Then the exhaust was boomy but the engine was smooth as a sewing machine.
As we discussed in the Protege room at that time, that engine either needs longer gearing, hydraulic engine mounts, or balance shafts like the 2.0 in the Civic Si if they are going to have it run like that.
The Accord DX, base Camry, base Galant and Mazda6 base model are all close to $15k cars here in Atlanta. And I know any of those are great 90 mph plus car. I've driven all of them. Actually I'd say of those, the Accord and 6 are 100 mph+ cars.
Anyway my point is that it was the engine not the car. As usual in here folk get a little defensive. Just like the Leganza room(when it existed).
Late addition.....
I know the previous version of the Protege would fly on the highway. I drove several of them and they were awesome cars for the highway. In fact I would buy one of those today if a nice one came my way. They looked kinda sporty too.
Now, can we get back to talking about the 6?
Time for an MZ6 oil change.
In New Jersey your car insurance rates can be raised if you get a ticket for jaywalking.
And most highways are straight. So 90 is no problem in many cars as far as suspension capability.
Lately I had been seeing more minis than 6's and wondered why that was.
About New Jersey Insurance rates I got into an accident with my 1st car. A month later I purchased the 626 back in 98 as a lease purchase. 200 dollars a month for a 4 door car. Crazy! People on 287 and the New Jersey Turnpike they like going 90 mph. At least drving in New Jersey is better than driving in NYC.
They are trying to get to their dealers before they conkout on them. LOL!
By the way, the phrase is, "...their Jettas are...".
fowler3
As for the recent Jetta infatuation, my Golf is a Jetta hatchback. It's decent at highway speeds, but it can't do anymore than my previous car- a '91 Chevy Cavalier. I admit that the Golf has better tire grip (due to the suspension), but in general it feels almost TOO leisurely- probably because of the amount of time it takes to get to 60mph!
I've got a video on how a car is built. I plan to watch it tomorrow. It shows how a Mustang is built, but it will give me some idea of what might be taking place when my MZ6 is built next week. Either way, it should be interesting stuff.
BTW, I had not heard about an extra warranty for Toyota owners who buy a MZ6. That's hard to believe. Why would Mazda offer an extra warranty to Honda and Toyota owners? Anyway, too bad it's over, as I'm moving from a Toyota to a MZ6. Oh well. I'm still eagerly anticipating my MZ6 next month. I can live with the current 4/50.
====================================================
In the world of automobile engines, Ford Motor Co.'s new Duratec V-6 line is proving to be a huge success. Introduced on April 4, 1994, this 24-valve, overhead cam unit has already won impressive accolades.
For example, in March, 1996, the original 2.5-liter version came in second in a national customer satisfaction survey by J.D. Power & Associates, a California market research company. Duratec was topped by only a slight margin by Cadillac's established Northstar V-8 engine. Surprising many, Duratec edged even the best units offered by Saturn Corp., Toyota Motor Mfg. Co., and Honda of America Mfg. Co.
.........
http://www.manufacturingcenter.com/qm/archives/0197/197fordengine- .html
I'll say it again, if you want a freeway car you don't get a compact 4 cyl sedan, period. Even if the Civic is better on the freeway, it is only marginally better and not better enough to warrant dumping a brand new Protege for a Civic.
Besides, here in Minneapolis/St. Paul, being able to do 90 mph on the freeway is rare. There is usually traffic preventing you from doing that and if there isn't, then you are BEGGING for a speeding ticket. I just put 1000 miles on a rental car in LA and those people haul [non-permissible content removed] when there's no traffic (rare), but most of the people still keep it below 90 mph. Atlanta must be unique.
Again, it's not the revs or even the noise. It's the buzziness accompanied by a complete lack of power once you get past 80 MPH. Maybe I was spoiled by being able to cruise 100 MPH all day long in my Accords but we just couldn't deal with the Protege. Loved that little car to death. We actually considered it to be our reliable Jetta because it drove THAT good. But that engine....
Is the Protege Engine really that loud? I didn't notice the engine to be loud in my 98 626 yet auto reviewers attacted the last generation 626 for that.
On a sunny, cop-free day you will often see lines of people doing at least 100 MPH. Strangely, they are usually Hondas, BMWS, Benzes, and Expeditions/Navigators. Look for us near the back of the line. That's the safest place to be. I won't do 100MPH by myself but if you are behind 6 other people you have nothing to lose.
I don't think so, and I used to own a 92 Integra VTEC. Not a big difference in engine noise or smoothness IMO. Different power delivery? Yes.
I don't think there's a big difference between my brother's 1.7L in his 2002 Civic EX and my Protege either with regards to engine noise. They're both dogs on the freeway. He gets better mileage though.....
I dunno, maybe I was just spoiled by my Mustang that would do freeway speeds below 2000 rpms and if you downshifted to 3rd, you could blow away 99% of the cars on the road. Next the Mustang, pretty much all 4 cyl economy cars seem the same to me with regards to freeway performance. Being concerned about acceleration above 90 mph in a 4 cyl economy car seems silly to me.
We didn't have a GS-R Integra. We had the base 1.8L engine vs. the 1.7L VTEC engine that you had.
PAT -- Can you direct me to the MZ6 Board please?
Not true. Sometimes it's easier for them to pick off the last one in the pack. I know first hand, because I got my last speeding ticket that way. He clocked us from the median, then came up behind and got me.
PAT -- I seem to be lost. Can you direct me to the MZ6 Board please?
Besides at 100mph the cop would have to be trolling at over 100 to notice you. If a policeman comes up to get you at 100 he would have to had been notified by radio. Most times it's the car in the front that was seen and got reported. At least that's what has happened in our experience. We've seen countless lead cars get what had to be a horrific ticket, if not jail time.
To bring up the 6. On our test drive I got the 6 up to 95 mph. Rock solid. In fact I think the 6 would be perfect for that since the gearing is so long. Nice low rpm cruise with plenty of reserve up top for great passing power. I've always been a fan of higher revving top end power cars. Guess that's my Honda roots showing through.
This is a topical discussion and the topic is the Mazda6. You need to keep that in mind.
Thanks.
From one who knows, as I've been a police officer for 17+ years. If you have a pack traveling at any high rate of speed, usually the last car in the pack is the one that will be stopped and ticketed, although in my time on the road I have actually stopped two vehicles at once-that's a rare thing though. (I've done it twice, once with two cars and once with two truck tractors.)
As far as stopping someone going 100+ by radioing ahead, I've seen it done and have been a part of it, but I also know of countless times that vehicles traveling at very high speeds have been stopped by a single patrol car, it's not that hard and depends much on the roadway demographics as well as the officers driving experience and the departments rules and regulations concerning high speed pursuits.
BTW I'm also an accident reconstructionist if anyone (hopefully not) has any questions concerning that topic.
The fastest vehicle I have ever stopped was a Suzuki sportbike at 117 mph. Crazy people...
PS I am the proud owner of a redfire 6i, sport, leather, premium, mt.
"This is a topical discussion and the topic is the Mazda6. You need to keep that in mind."
Hmm ... there is an ECHO in here and it surely ain't of the Toyota variety because that too would be off-topic.
Comments, questions, opinions on the Mazda6 please folks?
The dealer had mine inflated to 33 to 33.5 (cold). I had to let some air out, getting it down to 32. Just wanted to make certain that was right.
You do get the lights flashing when you press the lock button once. If you want audible notification, press the lock button a second time within 5 secs of the first press. The horn will sound.
http://michelinman.com/catalog/tires/MichelinPilotMXM4.html?tiret- ype=3&tire=9
At 32 it does seem too soft. Maybe it should be 33-34.
Earlier tonight (after giving my baby her first bath ), I was merging onto the freeway. I was doing about 50 or so on the onramp, and once I actually got on the freeway and over into the fast lane I looked down to check my speed. It was 75mph. I actually have to watch myself with this car because I don't feel the speed in it like I used to in my Protege. I often find myself going well above the speed limit without even realizing it.
I decided against the 6 cylinder for a couple of reasons. First, the fuel economy is definitely better in the 6i. Second, I know myself and I know that I did not need that extra power and would only end up getting myself in trouble with it. I'm really happy with my choice and I still end up beating most people off the line.
Just my two cents.
Tank 1: mostly city driving, stop and go traffic with a/c on, 25.8 MPG
Tank 2: 90% freeway driving, speeds around 85 w/some stop and go, a/c on half the time, 29.4 MPG
Tank 3: 80% freeway driving, same speeds as above w/more stop and go, a/c on about half the time, 28.5 MPG