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Hyundai Elantra GT vs. Mazda Protege5
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Comments
anticipated preferring the Pro5. I found the Pro5 to have a good steering feel. It was responsive
and tight, taking the curves well and keeping me in touch with the road. The wheel itself also felt good. I did not find the acceleration particularly good. The car complained
when I floored it and move sluggishly. The front seats were comfortable and the rear seats adequate. This is not a five-seater. Nor was the luggage space anything but tiny with the
rear seats up. Moreover, the dashboard is flimsy--pushing a button on the climate control moved and bent the entire panel. I also did not like the italicized gauges. Mazda has a good
stereo--I have a 1992 626 LX, and I know the radio is strong and has good tuning programming. With respect to price, the Mazda dealer offered to beat the Edmunds TMV for a no-frills Pro5,
explaining that he would want invoice plus $500.00 or less, because there is a $500.00 cash-back offer right now.
I ended up preferring the GT overall. Only the steering wheel let me down--it was thin, slippery plastic. I thought the car handled nearly as well and rode more quietly and evenly than the
Pro5. Although I wouldn't be doing any racing, the acceleration was better than the Pro5. The dashboard and controls were more solid and I prefer the less contemporary dark gauges on the GT to the cheap-looking fake metal on the Mazda. Although in the bright sunshine I had trouble reading the trip computer. I found the seats to be firmer with less side support on the GT, but they were fine and I used the adjustment controls to contour them to my 5'6" frame. Strong smell of leather, though! The cargo space in the GT is much bigger with the seats up. Without seeing them side-by-side, it would be difficult to compare them with the seats down. The GT does, however, have a much cheaper mat in the cargo space than does the Pro5. The GT radio did not pick up stations my 9 year old 626 could get, but it sounded okay to me. A month ago, the dealer's manager, who was on vacation at the time of my test drive, had quoated me $13,800.00 (including the $495.00 destination fee) for a GT with only floormats. The guy who handed me the keys for the
test drive, which I took alone, noted this offer, said that there weren't many GTs out there and that the 2002s would be in soon, but said that the manager would get back to me. I hope that the
dealer will not say that they can only sell me the red automatic I test drove--I hate red and I hate automatics! From these boards and my own research, it seems like $13,800 is a decent price, since it's only about $300 over the TMV and less than $400 above the invoice, as reported by Edmunds. I am in the New York, New York area, and I have received higher quotes from others. I would be interested in other peoples' reactions to the price.
While I have some doubts about the GT's build, reliability and resale value, I think I will probably end up buying one. I really appreciate people's many comments. I cranked this one up
to 60-70, to check the shimmy. I also pushed the buttons to lower the seats, thinking about mpgman while I did it. As advised on the boards, the buttons popped up when I firmly returned the seats to their upright positions. Further, from the Mazda boards and my own experience with Mazda, I am not convinced it's as well-crafted as some other Japanese brands, and my experience with the Mazda service people has been horrendous.
http://www.mazdausa.com/protege5/gallery/pop03.asp
http://www.canadiandriver.com/roadtest/02elantra_gt.htm
http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/02protege5.htm
I don't care much for the bland look of the Elantra GT, and I worry that the resale value will be vastly lower for the Elantra, but for the money its definetly worth a look. Then again, I'm happy as hell with my P5
However, the Elantra's fastback design means that it will hold less than the Pro5 when the rear seats are folded, and it won't hold bulky items over a certain size at all, that the Pro5 can easily handle. This was an important consideration for me. The Elantra is more difficult to park, and the visibility out the rear window is clearly worse. Also, the Protege5 holds corners better. The 130 HP of the Pro5 is fine for normal driving, though I wouldn't race with it.
As far as intangible qualities go, where reasonable people will differ, I found the Pro5 more fun to drive because of its handling characteristics. I've also gotten a lot of favorable comments from people on its appearance. Lastly, although there were differences of opinion about how good Hyundais are, the mechanics I talked to unanimously preferred Japanese to Korean cars, including Hyundais.
I don't think the Pro5 is the least bit "suburbun and soccer mom-ish."
Either way, an observation... I am 30, but look much younger (shaved head, chin-beard, etc.) When I drove my '99 Passat, I felt "too young" for that car. Most of the people I caught checking out the Passat where grey-haired men.
My wife said to me the other day... "Teenage boys LOVE this car." I asked here what she meant by that. She said that every backwards-hat-wearing, Fred Durst look-alike in a slammed Civic gives us the once-over.
So now I feel "too old" for my car! :-)
Engines need to break in.
$12k for a GT is practically highway robbery! :-) good for you. Enjoy your ride.
Performance also needs to be mentioned. Suffice to say neither car is suitable to be a drag racer (but you know that), nor will a lack of acceleration endanger the lives of the occupants in either car. If you really wanted speed, would you pick a low-end sedan based vehicle?
BTW, I've seen "professional reviewers" pick about small buttons and other such trivialities. Seriously, you are driving a car not playing DJ. A big volume knob and an easy way to change stations should make most people happy. I'm not going to go into detail about the location of the reading lamps and such, just know all the important items are easy to get to (after all, we have been making cars for decades now...you would think designers would know where to place arm rest by now).
So who "wins"? Well since there is about a 2 to 2.5 grand difference between the two, money and looks (picking up chicks) are more important than any other variables. If you’re in your 20s and care about coolness, go with the p5. If you’re maybe a little more mature and are more concerned with saving a couple of bucks, go with the Hyundai. Remember, both of them are “different”, relatively inexpensive, and comfortable. Go with the one you like better.
Jim
So it mainly came down to the P5 and the GT. The P5 is slower, but not by to much. With the seats up it does have the same 'trunk' space of my old festiva. All the extra 'boy racer' plastic trim panels and interior colors are very much pointed at the young ones. It was comfortable to drive. Mazda's name has been around with good reviews for years.
If you haven't guessed by now I went with the GT. I liked having a bigger engine....smoother and has a nice 'kick' when pushed past 4000rpm. The interior is more traditional without fake metal appointments. I fit better in the seats (5'11", 195lbs), and the leather feels/smells nice. Personally I like the look of the GT.... friends of mine thought I bought a Saab 9-5. I got the car loaded for 15K, and of course that's with the great warranty (and 5 oil changes).
What, I guess, it comes down to is this... If you want a little station wagon, and plan on selling it in a couple years get the Mazda. If you want a european looking 5 door, and plan on keeping it more than 4 years go with the GT. Bang-for-the-buck it's hard to beat the Hyundai.
My battle was between these very two cars . . . and the Elantra GT won! I got my 2001.5 5-speed with sunroof for about $14,300. A similarly equiped Pro5 (WITHOUT leather seats) would have cost about $3500 more at the time I was buying.
My Elantra GT has about 23,000 miles on it. The only real complaints I have had are (1) cheap wiper blade material (easily replaced) and (2) ome issues with the CD player (skips and freezes some). Plus I enjoy the smoother ride of my Elantra to the stiffer ride of the Pro5.
However, if pure road-hugging curves are what you like to drive, the Pro5 is obviously the better car. Our 1999 Protege ES 5-speed (65,000 miles) is quite the curve-hugger as well!
Choose carefully!
No offense to those who enjoy there leather...I just don't understand why.
If you want leather in a cheap car, you're better off to have an aftermarket comapany do it. For $1k or less, you get a MUCH higher quality leather then what the factory puts in.
People have a misconception about how leather performs in sun. Because it's a natural skin, it's more like cloth and not at all like vinyl. Leather AND cloth will be hot to the touch when in direct sunlight but won't burn your hand. We just had a few 90-degree days here in Seattle and my 02 GT was parked in the direct sunlight all day. The steering wheel was very warm but the heat dissapated quickly when touched. My previous car had a tan plastic steering wheel and would get so hot that I couldn't even touch it.
I love my LEATHER interior. I prefer the look of tan to grey and hope that will be an option on future generations of the GT.
If I have owned a car with leather, is it still a misconception?
My experience is that my dark grey leather is not much different than dark cloth, which can be VERY warm in direct sun, although not sticky. Even in our (rare) 90-degree weather or during my road trip to So Cal, my GT leather has never been hot or sticky. Maybe it's better quality leather than either of us thought. Or it could be the arctic blast from the AC.
leather is a dry smooth surface... does not melt like plastic... so it sure as heck wont be sticky...at least not without adding some fluids to the mix...
I tend to wear shorts often and this is what I noticed in the california sun. I guess my experience doesn't count and I must be full of gizz. Enjoy your leather and I'll enjoy my cloth.
The best one, by far, was a '83 Oldsmobile Tornado. That car, aside from handling like a couch, was the most comfortable car I driven! The leather (a light cream color) was always cool to touch and never gave me that sweaty feeling like vinyl or some cloth seats. It always smelled great in that car.. Even with 42k miles when I sold it!
My Hyundai GT's seats feel good to me as well. Even when baking in the sun I can sit without the scorched cheeks....the heat quickly dissipates! Not as strong a sent as the oldsmobile, but pleasant.
My '90 Toyota MR2's seats were ok. They held me in nice and tight, but I think the leather was a crappy grade. They felt the most like vinyl.
I like having the leather. It breaths (guess because it's natural skin), and wears better than cloth. It's easier to keep clean, and With the application of Lexol at ever oil change it looks great for a long time. If you let your dog run around on it (with long nails) you might want to stay with cloth.
A good heater and air conditioner, however....
Anyone have comments on Hyundai Elantra GT vs. Mazda Pro5 when comes to pumping out the BTUs or flicking on the max air?
Now for the down side. This AC system pulls the most power from this 4 cylinder of any car I have owned. I thought my old Civic Si was bad. Some people are hitting the AC button to pass and then turning it back on (I find myself doing this). I use the power sapping feature of the AC system as Traction Control in the rain and snow. Turn it on and your wheels rarely spin. OTOH turn the AC off and I am very happy with the power (5 spd).
160+110+134+130+229 lbs
first of all the a/c came on strong anytime the car sat for a bit and the humidity built up...
usually my da sits in front and has the ac on the coldest setting at the second or third highest fan speed with recirculation function on... today...he complained that it was too cold... even at the minimum fans speed setting with the temp at coldest setting...so I turned the a/c tempt to aboout quarter way back to warm... everyone was wearing long sleeves and pants... except me...even rear seat passenger compalined for me to turn up the temp at lowest setting...
and the car did feel like it was missing 20-25 hp when moving with a/c on.. especially noticeable in stoplight launches... there were a few merge battles i would have won if i had the A/C off with the five people in the car... and i found out my car can go off road onto dirt paths with no traction problems (even with low profile z rated 45 series 17 inch tires) the dirt road leading to the peach farm was pebble and rock strewn with a few large dips that were about 10 inches deep and a foot and half wide that my car was able to navigate at its lowered stance (because of the human load onboard) with some caution... my dad was more concerned than I was...who needs an SUV when you've got an Elantra GT?
I did the ac button thing a few times this week especially when I want to merge and knowingly stick my car into a risky situation...
the car rarely spins/chirps its sticky rubber in dry condition but turn the steering wheel a bit and its another story... i regularly break loose the inside tire in a curve/turn... (maybe that explains my mpg according to the comp of 19.9)
We are about to go for 18,750 mile oil change. Betsy looks and runs like new.
I should say something in this thread about the Protege5: it looks SO good in bright yellow!