Even if Mazda adds the turbo and AWD to the P5, it is not going to be able to keep up with the WRX with only 170hp. And the price would be about the same as the REX too, so maybe they don't wanna fight a losing battle...
And I don't fit in the darn thing. I tried to fit, but I just couldn't. Too little legroom, too little headroom, too little shoulder room. Nice seats though. Very snug yet comfortable. Too bad the rest of the interior fits like a glove 2 sizes too small.
But you're right, most folks will look at the paper specs and won't even take a Sport20 for a test drive.
"And I don't fit in the darn thing. I tried to fit, but I just couldn't. Too little legroom, too little headroom, too little shoulder room."
I'm assuming you fit in a P5? If so, this doesn't compute. I own a WRX wagon and sat in a P5. They are very similar in dimensions other than cargo room. I'm 6'1" and 185 lbs, 34"inseam. Plenty of legroom and headroom in the WRX. The rear seat is a bit snug but no worse than the P5. Additionally, the WRX doesn't even offer a sunroof which would rob even more headroom.
Oh yeah, to each his/her own, w/styling being a subjective thing. I happen to think my WRX wagon is well-styled...dare I say...phat! :-) Stephen
What are those? Enkei RS-5's or Rota Attacks, or something else? Consider painting your calipers silver with that color combo - would look great!
As for the car, I still maintain its (front end is) ugly as sin, but that does not detract from the fun that can be had driving one - I've tried it :-)
A redesign is due out as the 2004 model year Impreza, the ugly old ones are bound to become collectors' items (partly because no one will buy one used
As for space, absolutely no comparison - the way the seats are set up in these two cars - the P5 is roomier by a whole lot, particularly in the back. The front is certainly more comfortable as well.
WRX. But I also have to say it felt really cramped inside compared to my P5. I sat in the drivers side, passenger side and rear, and they all seemed small for me. Whereas in my P5 I can sit anywhere and be comfortable, even with a sunroof!
"As for space, absolutely no comparison - the way the seats are set up in these two cars - the P5 is roomier by a whole lot, particularly in the back. The front is certainly more comfortable as well."
Same thing here, test drove both and the P5 had way more room front and back. I've a really big guy so this was a partcular concern.
especially after I took out the amber inner lense and changed the turn signal bulbs to silver ones that blink amber. It's called the "headlight mod" of which a lot of WRX owners do. I don't care a bit about the supposed re-style. The pics I've seen thus far have only been creative folks' photoshop efforts anyhow. :-)
We'll just have to disagree about interior room. I looked at the interior room of both the WRX wagon and P5 alot before buying my WRX. I've found the WRX to be just as roomy w/even more cargo capacity.
My wheels are Rays Gram Lites, 17x7.5 on 225/45x 17 Toyo T1-S. The wheels weigh 16.2 lbs each. I also have Whiteline swaybars front and rear, front is 22mm, rear is adj (set @ 22mm) from 20mm to 24mm. A Cusco 40mm rear strut bar and STi front strut bar complete the suspension mods.
The main selling point for me over the P5 (btw, I love the look of the P5) was the WRX's power and, even more importantly, the AWD. Having said that, I've actually upped the power w/the Vishnu Stage 0 pkg. I'm putting out about 275 crank HP. All this and the ugly one (LOL!) is still docile around town.
My main beef w/the P5 is that it's a wonderful car (chassis especially) looking for the power to match. Just my opinion though.
But I don't feel cramped in a P5 or Protege sedan.
The dash just feels too close, it feels like it's narrower inside, and perhaps the footwells aren't as roomy. I'm 6', with an inseam of 32in, so maybe the dash and wheel feel too close when I've got the seat adjusted so I could comfortably reach the pedals. Anyway, it doesn't fit my body proportions, I guess. Just like the Corolla and Focus steering wheels feel too far away for me.
Your post prompts an interesting question: which color is most flattering to the P5? I like the silver and the yellow, and I would probably pick the former as the latter might seem gimmicky after a few years. Thoughts?
Given that color is entirely personal preference, of course I think red looks best (haha)! Yellow looks great, but is to conspicuous for me. However, if I had it to do over I would have bought silver in the hopes that it would hide gravel nicks a little better than the red. The only color that doesn't do it for me is white (apologies to those of you that own one). My ranking in how they look would be:
Yellow, Red, Blue, Silver, Black, White.
I haven't seen the new blue yet.
I think it would be an interesting poll if someone knows how to do one.
Stopped by the Melbourne (FL) Mazda Dealer yesterday (unplanned, I hadn't shaved in a few days, "very" casual clothes - trust me, not pretty!) to check out what they had on the lot....saw several 03's, one was a Laser Blue Mica, which just grabbed us! BEAUTIFUL! No salesman around, KEY IN THE DOOR...ummm...let's check it out. We sat in it for about five minutes, cut the engine on, checked out the stereo, (actually, not really too bad!), the seat adjustments, the A/C, etc...btw, my friend Ron commented how quickly the car cooled down. So Nyma, (msg #5043), you might try another P5 for a test drive, this ones A/C worked great!
Darn! A salesman finally sauntered by. Ron asked if any '03 sticks available, the salesman says "we have no 03's in yet." Uh, excuse me sir, look at the sticker (please)! Thought we were gonna be in for a real treat with THIS salesman! (we ARE talking major brain-fart territory here!). He apologized, said no, no sticks...and to make a long story short, (sorry, if I'm rambling), we took a test drive. Now with me, 5'7" 175lbs, Ron 6'3" 250+lbs, and the salesman, about 5'6" 160lbs), the car had adequate+ pickup (and was quite peppy), and the engine sounded REALLY sweet when we punched it. Very smooth shifts. Liked it enough, would have bought it on the spot! Have to wait until April when my lease is up. Damn! that seems sooooo long from now. It will pass quickly enough, (I hope).
Noted that jmess rented a P5 (msg #5071). Which car rental company???? We are thinking of renting one the first week of Oct to go to the Ashville NC area, to see how it REALLY handles in those twisties!
Their website still shows LAST years date (10/26/01-11/04/01). Assume it will be the same approx time frame this year. Went to the Auto Shows in Orlando and Tampa last year, wasn't impressed. Methinks the Miami show would be MUCH better! BTW, you mentioned in a msg many many moons ago that your P5 leaned to one side, is that resolved now? Did that large tire piece you hit damage your suspension?
Well, time for my afternoon nap, (life IS tuff!). Later,
If I'm not already married and have a kid, then Red would be my first choice. Everytime I see a red one on the road, I always wish that's my P5's color. Anyway, since I can't have red, then I think silver is the next best, then Blue, black, yellow (too tacky for me), white
BTW, allen53fl, does the Laser Blue Mica color looks like this color on the miata on this link?
As reported by mazafun in msg #5069, Mazdausa now lists 2003 specs:
>New color (Laser Blue Mica on the MP3).
>Floor mats standard.
>ABS/Side Air Bags option no longer requires
>Moonroof option (hey, they actually listened).
>Moonroof and 6-CD in-dash changer options tied >together.
>The big changes are to the DX and LX sedans >(standard single-CD player and standard 15in >alloy wheels, respectively). Floor mats standard >across the board.
If you haven't seen the Laser Blue Mica on a MP3, it's like a "bright blue" such as the Audi A4. The Miata link you posted above appears to be the same or at least very very close to it....
My favorite colors for the P5 are Red, White and then Midnight Blue, until I saw the Laser Blue! It just stands out, but not in an "see me! see me!" way, such as the yellow, although yellow still looks sharp!
I liked the laser blue mica on the MP3, but this is a different body shape, so I'd have to see it first. For instance, I don't think the sedan would look nearly as nice in yellow as the P5 does.
I finally put the Mazdaspeed strut tower brace into my Pro LX (took about an hour, after I'd gathered pictures and images of how the parts should fit since no instructions were included). Wow, what a difference! It feels so much more solid in tight turns. Zoom zoom.
1. Yellow: my absolute favorite and by a large margin 2. Silver: very classy 3. Black: mysterious and so masculine 4. Red: classic sporty color 5. Dark Blue: too close to the black 6. White: may be good in some others cars, but not very suitable for P5
I have seen them at Hertz airport lots in several Cities. I rented the one I had from Hertz at SFO. I didn't know I had the P5 until I saw it parked in a Hertz Gold slot with my name on it.
As far a colors go the Yellow is quite striking. I would tend to go for something a little more sedate like the White to draw less attention from all the street racers and traffic cops.
I wanted red, my wife wanted blue, but the only one we could find with the options we wanted (ie: none) was silver. Good compromise and I am VERY happy with it.
I love the yellow, but could never own one. It's just "too much" for me.
Hopefully Hertz carries P5's here in sunny FLA. Would love to drive one to to NC...my all time favotite road is RT 129 south of Knoxville TN through the very western tip of NC. Very beautiful and VERY twisty! Allen
I agree with peeps who say ABS should be optional. Especially because Mazda uses a good system. However, at best its only a theoretical option. Try finding a dealer who has an ABS car!
I think that Mazda North America is the real culprit and i think it is graveyard for bozoos that Ford doesn't have the guts to get rid of but wants out of the way and someplace harmless.
INCIDENTLY supposedly MAZDA will be lead design on the next platform from which the next Focus/Mazda3/Volvo V20/40 will spawn. May it be all the better for it!
Most of the P5s up here are optioned with ABS. I didn't want it and found the car just as I wanted. Look at dealer pages, there are more ABS equiped p5s than you think out there...
I was out enjoying the last of our late summer up here in Ontario Canada and drove up to Tobermory from Toronto on the back roads with the roof/windows open to do some hiking plus enjoy some time in the P5. Sometimes its nice to get off those busy hwys zooming along at high speeds and slow down and enjoy the scenery around. So I set the cruise at 100kph (60mph) and took my time. I don't know if I got a tail wind both ways but I managed to achive my best tank of gas ever (28,000kms on the car) to date. Here is what I got: Ltr/100km 6.05 MPG Cdn 46.14 MPG US 38.82
Hope everyone is out there enjoying this wonderful weather.
The best I've ever gotten is around 36.5 mpg, taking it REAL easy with my (auto) 1.5l 95 :-) But it was a really boring drive!
But 38+ with a P5 - now that's something! Mazda obviously did something 'special' with your engine, perhaps you should donate it back to them for research!
Curious - have you removed the roof rack, some people claim a 1-2mpg improvement (and less wind noise!) upon doing so. Maybe you can cross 40 yet and show those Civic boasters
I'm glad to see that everyone is as impressed as I was. I do agree that this is above normal for this car. I think one reason people never see high numbers is that this car is so hard to drive 'normal' because it is so much fun to drive. Remember, I was on back roads taking my time and the car would only see the north side of 100kph (60mph) only when I had to pass a slower moving vehicle. I might be going back up north again this weekend and will try to repeat or break these numbers. I will admit that when I'm driving on the freeways my mileage is on average 35-38 Cdn mpg (28-31 US mpg) as I do drive with traffic. In Canada we don't get the roof rack on our cars nor do I have one yet (still looking for the right one). I did have the sunroof open on the way up and all five (four doors and sunroof) windows open on the way back. I really think I could have done better but as we all know, it is very hard to drive that slow in the P5. Maybe it was the weather (I did get to see the northern lights that night, very cool) or I had some really good gas (no pun intended) but I will keep tracking it to see what happens. I actually think I can break the 50 (Cdn) or 40 (US) mpg in this car. I was so close. Cheers.
Hi! I'm new to this board (as far as posting goes). I will be taking delivery of a laser blue MP5 in about 2 weeks. I have some pictures that I've found on another website (of the LB MP5), that I would like to post here, but do not know how to. If interested, I can send someone here, the pics, so that he/she can post them. My e-mail is DTKWOK@yahoo.com if you're interested in helping out. Thanks.
Or you fine folks can show me how to post them myself.
Like I said I'll be happy to post/send pictures of the LB MP5. However, I understand that I need something like www.photopoint.com to load the pictures from. (I don't have any sevice like that.) Anyone volunteering? Anyhow, the color looks a little like the Rally Blue on the Subie WRX.
I wish I could get that. I get around 30mpg with my ES.
On your next trip you could try it with your windows up. I read an article saying that having a window down will decrease your mileage more than using AC.
Thats hard for me to do. I love the feeling of driving with all the windows down and the sunroof open on a sunny day.
This is how to post a picture, according to TownHall help file
Posting a Photo
You can post a photo directly into the body of your message using HTML tags. While composing your post in the Post box, type in the location of the photo on the Internet with the img src="http://url-location-of-photo" enclosed in the < > characters. When you click on , you will see your photo in your newly posted message.
The photo's URL must be shorter than 100 characters.
As a courtesy to your fellow Town Hall Community members, do not post extremely large photos, as they decrease the page's download speed.
However, for some reason, this doesn't work for me last time. A confusing help file. Or you can just post the link to the website where you found that picture of Laser Blue Mica P5.
Hi, I've just e-mailed you the pics (qty 4). CSU Fullerton huh? Cool, I went to Cal Poly Pomona and am working in Anaheim right now. Anyway, thanks for your service.
Here's a link to the pics of Laser Blue Mica P5 that DTKWOK sent me. Looks like they started using a blackened headlight housing, which looks pretty cool IMHO.
I was just at Morrie's Mazda this morning and was looking at a laser blue P5 and I'm pretty sure the headlights were chrome. What's up with the one in the picture being black?
Just took a 160 mile trip on two lane secondary roads. Mostly 60 mph, with a head wind of about 5-10 mph, some passing with pedal to the floor, and some travel through small towns with stop and go traffic. Averaged 32.5 mpg with AC on, automatic, and carrying a dog and luggage. Before trip had found in-city mpg lower than usual and checked tire pressure. Sure enough, tires were reading about 28lbs. Increased to around 33lbs before the trip. Check tires, p5 drivers, for good pressure if u want good gas mileage.
I bought an eibach pro-kit for my Pro5, but it didn't come with any instructions. Has anyone dropped their Pro5? If so, please give me some tips / directions on how to do it.
Comments
The juicy little details we get on this page.
Where's the Mazdaspeed P5? Afraid of the WRX?
Bruno
But you're right, most folks will look at the paper specs and won't even take a Sport20 for a test drive.
I'm assuming you fit in a P5? If so, this doesn't compute. I own a WRX wagon and sat in a P5. They are very similar in dimensions other than cargo room. I'm 6'1" and 185 lbs, 34"inseam. Plenty of legroom and headroom in the WRX. The rear seat is a bit snug but no worse than the P5. Additionally, the WRX doesn't even offer a sunroof which would rob even more headroom.
Oh yeah, to each his/her own, w/styling being a subjective thing. I happen to think my WRX wagon is well-styled...dare I say...phat! :-)
Stephen
As for the car, I still maintain its (front end is) ugly as sin, but that does not detract from the fun that can be had driving one - I've tried it :-)
A redesign is due out as the 2004 model year Impreza, the ugly old ones are bound to become collectors' items (partly because no one will buy one used
As for space, absolutely no comparison - the way the seats are set up in these two cars - the P5 is roomier by a whole lot, particularly in the back. The front is certainly more comfortable as well.
But looks wise, I have no problem with the WRX.
Same thing here, test drove both and the P5 had way more room front and back. I've a really big guy so this was a partcular concern.
We'll just have to disagree about interior room. I looked at the interior room of both the WRX
wagon and P5 alot before buying my WRX. I've found the WRX to be just as roomy w/even more cargo capacity.
My wheels are Rays Gram Lites, 17x7.5 on 225/45x 17 Toyo T1-S. The wheels weigh 16.2 lbs each. I also have Whiteline swaybars front and rear, front is 22mm, rear is adj (set @ 22mm) from 20mm to 24mm. A Cusco 40mm rear strut bar and STi front strut bar complete the suspension mods.
The main selling point for me over the P5 (btw, I love the look of the P5) was the WRX's power and, even more importantly, the AWD. Having said that, I've actually upped the power w/the Vishnu Stage 0 pkg. I'm putting out about 275 crank HP. All this and the ugly one (LOL!) is still docile around town.
My main beef w/the P5 is that it's a wonderful car (chassis especially) looking for the power to match. Just my opinion though.
Stephen
Seriously, the WRX is a great car... just too rich for this guy. :-)
The dash just feels too close, it feels like it's narrower inside, and perhaps the footwells aren't as roomy. I'm 6', with an inseam of 32in, so maybe the dash and wheel feel too close when I've got the seat adjusted so I could comfortably reach the pedals. Anyway, it doesn't fit my body proportions, I guess. Just like the Corolla and Focus steering wheels feel too far away for me.
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/indopirate/vwp?.dir=/Our+Protege5&.dnm=2P5.jpg&.src=ph&.view=t&.hires=t
P.J.Heff
Yellow, Red, Blue, Silver, Black, White.
I haven't seen the new blue yet.
I think it would be an interesting poll if someone knows how to do one.
Darn! A salesman finally sauntered by. Ron asked if any '03 sticks available, the salesman says "we have no 03's in yet." Uh, excuse me sir, look at the sticker (please)! Thought we were gonna be in for a real treat with THIS salesman! (we ARE talking major brain-fart territory here!). He apologized, said no, no sticks...and to make a long story short, (sorry, if I'm rambling), we took a test drive. Now with me, 5'7" 175lbs, Ron 6'3" 250+lbs, and the salesman, about 5'6" 160lbs), the car had adequate+ pickup (and was quite peppy), and the engine sounded REALLY sweet when we punched it. Very smooth shifts. Liked it enough, would have bought it on the spot! Have to wait until April when my lease is up. Damn! that seems sooooo long from now. It will pass quickly enough, (I hope).
Noted that jmess rented a P5 (msg #5071). Which car rental company???? We are thinking of renting one the first week of Oct to go to the Ashville NC area, to see how it REALLY handles in those twisties!
mustnag87: Since you are from the Miami area, do you know when the International Auto Show is? http://www.sfliautoshow.com/info_main.cfm
Their website still shows LAST years date (10/26/01-11/04/01). Assume it will be the same approx time frame this year. Went to the Auto Shows in Orlando and Tampa last year, wasn't impressed. Methinks the Miami show would be MUCH better! BTW, you mentioned in a msg many many moons ago that your P5 leaned to one side, is that resolved now? Did that large tire piece you hit damage your suspension?
Well, time for my afternoon nap, (life IS tuff!). Later,
Allen
BTW, allen53fl, does the Laser Blue Mica color looks like this color on the miata on this link?
http://www.zensurweb.com/cars/miata/miata.htm
>New color (Laser Blue Mica on the MP3).
>Floor mats standard.
>ABS/Side Air Bags option no longer requires
>Moonroof option (hey, they actually listened).
>Moonroof and 6-CD in-dash changer options tied >together.
>The big changes are to the DX and LX sedans >(standard single-CD player and standard 15in >alloy wheels, respectively). Floor mats standard >across the board.
If you haven't seen the Laser Blue Mica on a MP3, it's like a "bright blue" such as the Audi A4. The Miata link you posted above appears to be the same or at least very very close to it....
My favorite colors for the P5 are Red, White and then Midnight Blue, until I saw the Laser Blue! It just stands out, but not in an "see me! see me!" way, such as the yellow, although yellow still looks sharp!
Hope this helps,
Allen
I liked the laser blue mica on the MP3, but this is a different body shape, so I'd have to see it first. For instance, I don't think the sedan would look nearly as nice in yellow as the P5 does.
I finally put the Mazdaspeed strut tower brace into my Pro LX (took about an hour, after I'd gathered pictures and images of how the parts should fit since no instructions were included). Wow, what a difference! It feels so much more solid in tight turns. Zoom zoom.
2. Silver: very classy
3. Black: mysterious and so masculine
4. Red: classic sporty color
5. Dark Blue: too close to the black
6. White: may be good in some others cars, but not very suitable for P5
Bruno
As far a colors go the Yellow is quite striking. I would tend to go for something a little more sedate like the White to draw less attention from all the street racers and traffic cops.
I love the yellow, but could never own one. It's just "too much" for me.
The new laser blue is FABULOUS.
Allen
I think that Mazda North America is the real culprit and i think it is graveyard for bozoos that Ford doesn't have the guts to get rid of but wants out of the way and someplace harmless.
INCIDENTLY supposedly MAZDA will be lead design on the next platform from which the next Focus/Mazda3/Volvo V20/40 will spawn. May it be all the better for it!
Xeones
Ltr/100km 6.05
MPG Cdn 46.14
MPG US 38.82
Hope everyone is out there enjoying this wonderful weather.
Cheers.
Talking about weather, we have another hurricane alerte coming after the Fray's one last week in Houston/area. Lucky you.
Bruno
But 38+ with a P5 - now that's something! Mazda obviously did something 'special' with your engine, perhaps you should donate it back to them for research!
Curious - have you removed the roof rack, some people claim a 1-2mpg improvement (and less wind noise!) upon doing so. Maybe you can cross 40 yet and show those Civic boasters
Cheers.
Or you fine folks can show me how to post them myself.
I'm not sure how to post them here, although you can certainly post them elsewhere and put the links here easily enough.
On your next trip you could try it with your windows up. I read an article saying that having a window down will decrease your mileage more than using AC.
Thats hard for me to do. I love the feeling of driving with all the windows down and the sunroof open on a sunny day.
Posting a Photo
You can post a photo directly into the body of your message using HTML tags. While composing your post in the Post box, type in the location of the photo on the Internet with the img src="http://url-location-of-photo" enclosed in the < > characters. When you click on , you will see your photo in your newly posted message.
The photo's URL must be shorter than 100 characters.
As a courtesy to your fellow Town Hall Community members, do not post extremely large photos, as they decrease the page's download speed.
However, for some reason, this doesn't work for me last time. A confusing help file. Or you can just post the link to the website where you found that picture of Laser Blue Mica P5.
http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?selected=88349
I'm torn, the blacked out headlight looks good, but so does the all-chrome ones. dang it!
1. The color of my Protege5 is:
Yellow 2 17%
Red 2 17%
Black 0 0%
Blue 2 17%
Laser Blue 2 17%
Silver 3 25%
White 1 8%
Total 12 100%
2. My favorite color for the Protege5 is:
Yellow 3 25%
Red 1 8%
Black 0 0%
Blue 1 8%
Laser Blue 3 25%
Silver 4 33%
White 0 0%
3. My transmission is:
Manual 6 50%
Automatic 3 25%
Sport Shift Automatic 3 25%
4.I have a moonroof.
Yes 4 33%
No 8 67%
5. I think the horsepower is adequate.
Yes 8 67%
No 4 33%
6. I have replaced the stock wheels or tires.
Yes 1 8%
No 11 92%
I'll try to update this once a day.
Thanks a lot.
1. The color of my Protege5 is:
Yellow 4 13%
Red 5 17%
Black 4 13%
Blue 5 17%
Laser Blue 2 7%
Silver 9 30%
White 1 3%
30 100%
2. My favorite color for the Protege5 is:
Yellow 8 27%
Red 5 17%
Black 4 13%
Blue 4 13%
Laser Blue 4 13%
Silver 5 17%
White 0 0%
3. My transmission is:
Manual 17 59%
Automatic 9 31%
Sport Shift Automatic 3 10%
29? 100%
4.I have a moonroof.
Yes 16 53%
No 14 47%
5. I think the horsepower is adequate.
Yes 21 70%
No 9 30%
6. I have replaced the stock wheels or tires.
Yes 1 3%
No 29 97%
Thanks