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Comments
Why does everyone want to be able to go 70 MPH uphill in a wind storm in first gear. Don't people enjoy running through the gears and actually driving their cars?
These folks must HATE the Miata. Not enough torque to start from a standing start in 4th gear.
I drove both at a very-low-speed closed course sponsored by the Mazda Rev It Up. So I can't tell much about the power. But a friend of mine who test drove both felt that the 6s got a huge power jump above the low range rpm compare to the 6i. I didn't say the 6i got more low end than the 6s.
I also noticed that the Protege after '94 all got very firm springs! At least my '90 sport model LX rode quite comfortably after I replaced the original non-gas struts w/ Gabriel GasRyders.
And the TSX is 3300lbs. or so right? And 166lb/ft of torque? With an automatic I bet that thing is pretty slow. And it costs $25,000? It has a good looking interior but not sure if that justifies the price. The Mazda6 and Mazda3 are looking better all the time.
Chances are, if any, smaller space might restrict the exhaust flow a little, but that mainly only sacrifices the high-rpm performance. Rest of the output curve shouldn't be affected much.
I hope Edmunds is right about the "crisp styling" because even though I think the current Jetta sedan is nice it could easily turn ugly at the hands of Mazda. The sedan is suppose to favor the Jetta which I don't really mind, I just hope the exterior comes together and works. Mazda seems to be going very European, a lot of people say the Sportif reminds them of an Alfa Romeo. And on top of that the interior reminds people of an Audi. So now the sedan will look like a Jetta? Let's hope Mazda can pull this off.
The next bodystyle off the Mazda3 platform will be the Mazda4. It is the replacement to the current Mazda Premacy and won't be sold in N. America. The Mazda4's bodystyle is like a miniature version of N. American minivans. If you want to get an idea of how the Mazda4 looks like, just look at the Ford Focus C-Max that debuted at this year's Geneva autoshow. The side and rear of the Mazda4 is almost identical to the C-Max. The Mazda4 will make it's world debut at the '04 Geneva auto show.
The Protege5 is the only competitor for the IS300 SportCross, look wise. It even looks like a lower-height version of the BMW X5. I don't like any one of them, especially look wise.
Well, at least this kind of styling can steal the sales from the SUVs, & therefore, help us "clean up" the road.
The Pro 5 hatch is just an ugly wagon-looking car, so what if it looks like a sleeker version of the clumsy SUV? You want today's youth-on-drug type of loser design? Try the vertical-windshield Scion. Welcome to the 19th century. Ugly or not, let's hope the Mazda3 hatch will sell in high numbers & keep Mazda profitable so there's gonna be good varieties of choice on Mazda vehicles we're gonna buy.
Have you seen the 5-door 323 hatchback before and after '95? Both generations of these hatchback 5-dr "Proteges" are making the regular Protege sedans grandpa-ish. I never felt sorry for not able to own any one of them 'cause I still prefer the notchback's wider rear visibility for lane change ease.
When the Mazda RX-8 was just an RX-Evolv concept, there was another Mazda 2-seat concept. It looks like a cute compact version of an Italian exotic. I can't believe Mazda scrapped it.
I'm not sure what you guys are talking about. Those look just like the headlights on the MX show car and appear to be projector style like the current Miata. The general shape of the clear plastic cover over the headlights might resemble the Camry, but so do half the new sedans on the road. Personally, I am glad they did not rake the headlights too far back like the Focus and Accord.
Will look great as a 3 door.
I hope Mazda doesn't start to be very italian like with their styling now like Lexus was trying to be Mercedes with their styling in the mid 90's. Thew current Mazda styling theme is very Japanese with touchings of Euro styling with the 6 and Pro(sedan and hatch.) I like their current styling theme. I don't want Mazda getting to Euro while losing their Japanese Styling roots.
Thank you also for your complimentary remarks regarding our upcoming
c-class vehicle that you referred to as the "MAZDA3" (yet to be
officially named). This vehicle is not expected to be released within
this calendar year. No release dates have yet been estimated for this
vehicle but it is not expected until after the first quarter of 2004.
So I am guessing the Mazda3 will be a 2005 model and debut at the dealerships sometime from Sept. to Nov. of 2004.
So if the Mazda Protege and Pro5 last year is 2003 want that means there wont be any 2004 model? But if thats true Mazda have did this before with the Miata there wasnt a 1998 model. The new 1999s came out early 1998 around April. There were left overs 1997 models till the 1999s came out.
Thanks in Advance!
even if they release it in the 2nd quarter of 2004 it'll STILL be considered a 2004 model.
usually only if a car is released AFTER 2nd quarter (eg June-July release) can it be considered for the next model year.
Only the introduction of the very 1st Camry is an '83 on March of '83.
sort of like what Mazda did when they were transitioning from the 2nd gen to 3rd gen RX-7
the 91 RX-7 was the last 2nd gen model year, and during mid '92 the 3rd gen RX-7 came out as a '93 model.
so if you look into the records, there never was a '92 RX-7, but they didn't stop selling them during that time.
Maybe there'll be no 'official' '04 Protege/3???
I believe the current Protege is styled in Germany, w/ conservative looks & something I hate - a rather narrower rear glass for the sedan like the current BMW 3-series, but not as bad as the Acura TSX.
I like the way Mazda6 looks.
Hopefully it won't have any blatant cost-cutting though. To me the 2001 Civic had too much obvious cost-cutting going on, but at least now they have addressed a few of those problems. I read an article the other day how the Mazda 4-cylinder engine cost them about $1,200 a piece to make. It didn't mention how much the one in the current Protege cost but I got the impression that it cost them more to make than the new one does. And since 60% of the car will be related to the Focus and S40 then maybe that's how they're saving some money to keep the price in line with the current one. It just seems the car overall is moving up a level in every way. Unlike for example the 2001 Civic, which lost the wishbone suspension, no body-colored mirrors, door handles, 14" wheels, very little power gain, and a fairly cheap-looking interior on the LX. When it first came out I couldn't understand why anyone would pay even close to MSRP for it, didn't seem like a good value at all except if the reliability held up and someone took advantage of the high resale value.
I expect/hope to get details on this car for the next allocation cycle...which is mid july. I will post the details when I get them.
Thanx!
Dinu
PS: Mazda3. Mazda6. Which one should I get???
Dinu
- Will be out for September '03 (Newspaper and dealer)
- Will be out in March '04 (another dealer)
- Will be out in November '04 (Another newspaper and another dealer)
I've been shopping for a P5, as my car is getting really old... the 36 month rental being the cheapest option (even if I have the money to buy.. go figure). But unfortunately, we're far from having the incentives you got in the US. 0% for 24 months (buy)... but no cash incentive or options, ...
I guess I'll wait for next month's promotions (as the sales have been decreasing for Mazda). Meanwhile, maybe we'll have more hint wether or not the Mz3 will be coming out in the next 5 months in Canada.
At least the sedan, not sure about the hatch, although it was introduced the same time as the sedan in the foreign markets.
Anyway, I find the 6 w/ sport package, especially in white, looking like an expensive exotic when viewed in person. The P5 is so wagon-ish. If you check out the previous generations, both pre & post '95, you'll know what I meant. They really look like 4-door fastback sports cars & belong to the Mazda6's family looks:
http://www.carsurvey.org/modelyear_Mazda_323_1995.html
& like the MX-3, 1.8 V6, & 2.0 V6 after '95.
The roomy(even check out the absence of center tunnel!) '01 Civic was degraded on purpose so people would go for the Accord instead. But when CR rated the Hyundai Elantra superior in quietness & ride comfort, Honda immediately did something for '02 w/ better sound insulation & tightened suspension tuning. Well, too late, this strut set up couldn't be improved very far, & C&D ended up calling it "a loser".
1st, p9, the high hope of this "It will be a true BMW in the way it drives" new BMW 1-series is - "A hot hatch mixing the VW Golf's quality with the dynamic talent of a Focus, topped off by a BMW badge and a (uk$)15,000 asking price..."
Well, how about the classic-Audi-A4-like-dashboard Mazda3 w/ a Focus-II steering/suspension & a reputable reliable Mazda badge?
P37, the 1st Focus II - C-Max 5-seat minivan - test ride:
"There's no chance I'll be behind the wheel but Reynell(a Ford guy) promises we won't be disappointed. Despite the switch to electro-hydraulic assistance and the isolated front subframe that come with the new Focus platform, he reckons the steering will be as good as that of the Focus. 'For me the steering is your prime interface with the car. If it's wrong your whole perception of the car will be adversely affected.'
He takes us over some poorly surfaced roads around Saarlouis, the car sitting on the optional firmer sports suspension and 17-inch wheels. Despite this it's amazing how well it rides. Its filtration of unpleasantness from the road surface is near-complete, but as with the current Focus you aren't completely isolated; it leaves you with a sense of the road beneath. Body control is tight and it corners flatly for a tall car. Add the ride to the trim quality and you'd think you were in something much more expensive."
So w/o a tall body, the Mazda3 can corner flatly w/o a sport suspension & rides even better especially w/ 16"?
Pp46-51 - Alfa 147 2.0 vs Audi A3 2.0 FSI vs BMW 318ti SE vs C180 coupe:
The Alfa w/ 16" is simply an unrefined forget-it, due to its hard ride w/o the expected body control.
The (new-Golf based)Audi w/ 16" may be quiet, but rides even worse than the unsettled-riding BMW hatch w/ 17" & provides a lifeless and oddly weighted steering, not to mention the awkwardly over-servoed brakes.
This hatchback BMW w/ std sport suspension - "It's busy at low speed on the optional 17in alloys, too, and never fully settles the way its saloon and coupe relatives do on our roads. In fact, coupled that with plenty of wind noise at a motorway cruise and the BM is a restless machine..."
The Mercedes hatchback w/ 16" is the winner in this group comparison mainly due to its best ride, quietness & Kompressor power - "Its chassis is composed and fun, its drivetrain offers something a Focus owner could only dream of."
I don't think owners of the Mazda3 w/ normally-aspirated Japanese engines will envy Mercedes' Kompressor units. A true driver's car like BMWs will never force-fed their gasoline engines.
But no matter how prestigious or expensive these 4 European cars are, AUTOCAR quoted "(accepting, as we now must, that a Ford is dynamically superior to them all)", p.49.
As for the 01+ Civic Honda wanted people to buy the Accord instead so thats why they took out the double wishone suspension? Honda management should know the Civic and Accord targets different customers. That was a mistake by Honda.