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Toyota Matrix vs. Mazda Protege5
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Comments
OTOH, the XR (middle) trim level has standard pdl, pw, pm as well, and keyless entry as well, and at around $16.5K I think that is a pretty good deal. Most XR's however have the sport kits with rocker sill extensions, foglamps, and extended air dams front and rear. I paid $19K for mine, which had those packages plus moonroof and alarm, all of which I wanted. At that price, I still think it is a pretty good deal for what you get.
The simple fact is, Matrix is bigger inside than Pro5...which one you prefer seems to depend largely on whether you value that extra space or prefer a small sporty hatch. I test-drove both, and there is no way I would take four people from L.A. to San Francisco in the Pro5, for instance. For me, the space was a priority. Plus, I like the looks a little better, and where I live, Mazda dealer support is a joke, so I didn't want to get stuck with that.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I think the seats in the back of the P5 are plenty big. I've had large people that were surprised at how roomy it was. The headroom in a Matrix however is much better. I looked at the stats and it was about 2 inches taller. The leg room in back is about .9 inches better. That's no suprise though the car is about one inch longer. (GRIN) Of course the one measure that really matters is the hip room and it's not listed for the back seats for the P5. (Doh!)
Front Headroom 39.3 in/40.6 in.
Rear Headroom 37.4 in/39.8 in.
Front Shoulder Room 53.9 in/53.2 in.
Rear Shoulder Room 53.4 in/52.6 in.
Front Hip Room NA/51.7 in.
Rear Hip Room NA/47.8 in.
Front Leg Room 42.2 in/41.8 in.
Rear Leg Room 35.4 in/36.3 in.
**Maximum Luggage Capacity 19.8 cu.ft/21.8 cu.ft. Maximum Seating 5/5
It only has 34.3in of legroom. Of course it also has 34cu.ft of lugage space.
I agree, they are down there with Toyota.
Toyota - 5
Mazda - 1
Went to buy oil filters at my Mazda dealership for a short time I owned an RX-7 - they did not stock them, and had to be ordered. Same for every single thing I ever needed for that car.
Took that same car there for routine service, they managed to screw up a tune-up/tire rotation.
This may just be a phenomenon related to the individual dealers in my area, but on the flip side I will say that for a short time I had a 1969 Toyota Corona I was working on, and whenever I needed parts for it, they could be special ordered in a day. And when I needed oil filters and the like, they had them!
Until Mazda puts more of a focus on the quality of their dealerships - that is sales, parts, AND service - their cars are going to have to be the most rip-snortin'est, far and away the best cars around for me to buy one.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Mazda 8
Toyota 20
I don't know what the story was with your RX but here in So Calif, their parts warehouses are walking distance from each other and they both offer one day part orders.
According to surveys I've read, all the non-luxury Japanese brand dealers do a poor job of customer service; Toyota is no exception.
It's funny initially when I bought my P5 I didn't have any Mazda dealerships really close. Since then 2 have popped up within 6 miles or so. I've had good luck with service with the dealership I bought my car from but they went out of their way to sc**w you on price.
The only Toyota dealership I ever went to I vowed I would never go back. The salesman were such dorks that I gave up on them entirely. Years later I still won't go back.
With a year and 24k miles on my P5, I haven't ned a SINGLE repair or adjustment.
{looks for some wood . . .}
You can now get a supercharger for the vibe and I assume toyota will be offering soon also. The low end low rpm torque will be welcome.
Raymond (meinrad on here) has a Hidden Hitch on his P5 that he uses for a bike rack. I think he said the place that installed it said it could be used for towing, but I don't know what the limit is. Maybe he'll pop-up in here with his comments.
Have you considered the new Forester? It's towing capacity is 2400 lb (with 5-sp manual) or 2000 lb (with 4-sp automatic) with a maximum tongue weight of 200 lb.
The handling is very good (though not P5-good) the flat-4 is a nice match to the manual tranny and AWD. Plenty of cargo room too.
Keep the options down and you should be able to get into one for around $20k. Worth a look.
The trailer I want to get is justa light weight utility trailer. You know, trips to home depot for a couple of sheets of plywood that kind of thing. I sure as heck wouldn't try to tow more than a couple of hundred pounds with a vibe. But at least it has the option.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/product.jhtml?CATID=138373&BQ=jcw2&_requestid=28796
But I couldn't find anything for the P5. May be there is no strong secure place to put it on?
Bruno
Maybe the manufacturer doesn't want to deal with towing when it comes to warranty work. I mean towing isn't exactly easy on the tranny especially if it wasn't designed for it.
d.
The steering wheel feedback on Protege5 feels almost like computer joystick... err, "joy wheel". You can turn it 1/8 of an inch from neutral position and you feel immediate feedback.
The Protege seating was OK. I mean, after you managed to get inside, the position is fine. But because of the lower height the seats are positioned very low, so to get in and out is a separate task.
Protege dashboard looks classic and nice. Some may say that it is outdated, but I say that it feels like at home. I prefer the classic approach of pilot's cabine than Matrix's funky style. At least Toyota did not put instrumentation on the Matrix in the middle like on Echo.
Protege has much better shifter and brakes feels better too. When driving Matrix I always had a feeling that I would not be able to stop the car. Maybe the numbers are good, but the feeling is not.
It is harder for passengers to get on the rear seat in Protege. And there is no much space for their feet under front seats, because front seats are very close to the floor.
Protege has the same hard plastic on the dashboard which makes me wonder why even outdated Cavalier has soft plastic and Protege/Matrix/ZX5 do not?
The steering wheel on Protege does not seem to be that small, like it feels on Matrix. After driving Protege I did not remember any peculiarities about the wheel, the shifter or the pedals, which is, probably, the best compliment to the car.
The worst thing inside is the rear seat, in particular, the way it folds. To prepare the trunk for a TV set or a bike one needs to pull seat cushions, fold them, take off headrests, and finally fold the seatback. Now one needs to find where to store the headrests and the old-fashioned two-piece trunk cover. Also, the seatbelt for the middle passenger in the rear is strapped to C pillar and looks odd. While folded, seats provide for great luggage space, but front seat does not fold like on Matrix. By the way, euro-Focus now got the availability of folding front passenger seat, like Matrix.
Outside Protege5 gets the gen-Y treatment with front and rear underbody spoilers and side plastic skirt. While this plastic stuff could be ripped off from Matrix' bumpers, it is the solid piece on Protege5. One have to replace the bumpers as a whole to get clean 323F euro-look. Side markers also contribute in ruining Protege apperance. Ugly piece of amber plastic popping out of the bumper surface. To improve an apperance bigger wheels with smaller ET would do the job.
Looks like carmakers do not like to paint cars: both Protege5 and Matrix has door frames covered with black glue-on thin plastic. Take a closer look on your car. For Matrix black frames are not available on base version.
Protege drives very nice and enthusiastically waves its rear if getting of the accelerator in sharp turn.
But with all rigidity Mazda claim about, Protege gets pretty bad crash test scores. Matrix should be much better: it is a newer car and is build on bulletproof Corolla platform.
Protege 2-liter engine is both more potent than base Matrix motor, and revs happily, almost like XRS powerplant.
So... If not for rear seat quirky folding algorithm and poor crash test scores, Protege5 is way better and cheaper choice for a spirited driver. Matrix in its current form is just a hungry new kid on the block (27mpg on a highway for XRS -- the same as my 3-liter Camry). Its versatility is the main selling point.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Last summer I hauled everything my girlfriend and I had stockpiled from our apartment at college to our houses. I had the front and back seat filled, the trunk loaded with light weight stuff like pillows and what not, and the midsized Uhaul on the back loaded to the top with heavy stuff like furniture, speakers, and who knows what else. I had so much stuff I felt guilty passing the weigh station!
Anyway, even though the car burned oil and wouldn't stay in overdrive, my girlfriend in her 2000 Corolla couldn't keep up with me. I was cruising at 65-70 up and down the hills on the Mass Pike. And her car was empty! Moral of the story? If you want to tow, you don't buy a commuter car, because even the oldest of full size sedans can do the job better.