Mazda Protege5

dixarone · October 2001

Have only seen a baby seat in the P5 in my condo parking lot, but it does seem to be jammed in there somewhat. This is a possible concern for my wife and I as well, as we are expecting children shortly.

Personally we are looking at the standard 3 compact hatches: P5, Elantra GT, Focus ZX5...trading in a '97 Explorer (big downsize, but gas prices are killing us!). Hoping to purchase something sometime in the next 4-6 months, so have been lurking on all boards, and researching so far.

Sporin · October 2001

Seth ,
I paid about $400 under sticker, but there were 10 other silver ones on the lot. If I had wanted the 1 blue or 1 red one they had, it would have been sticker.

Given that the difference between Invoice and MSPR is less than $1k, it's a pretty small mark-up IMO.

reitrof,
They won't go on until the end of the month, but plan to try out a front one just to make sure it fits well. (just in the driveway, not to drive with.) The only thing that I worry about is brake fit within the 15" steelie, but the TireRack people know thier stuff and this is their recommended setup.

The width and rolling diameter of the 195/55-15 Alpins is almost identical to the stock 195/50-16s.

ateixeira · October 2001

I suggest you take the baby seat to the dealer and try it. That's the best way to find out.

My concern would be leg room for the child. If they can kick the back of your seat, you may find that annoying. So check for a reasonable amount of room in front of whatever seat you chose.

The Outback has great crash test scores, though, and you're not going to recover what you paid if you trade it in. You sure you want to trade it in just for a couple extra mpgs?

-juice

sunbyrne · October 2001

Well, this is a fun discussion! One of my excuses to get a new car (my Pro5) is that I have a ten-month-old, and his Evenflo infant car seat didn't fit in my old car if you put it on the snap-in base.

However, it fits just fine in my Pro5. The passenger seat is a little far forward for some passangers, but my wife is 5'2" so she doesn't mind. Putting it in the middle of the back seat would help with this, but then it's harder to get him in and out.

My wife drives a 1999 Protege LX, which has basically the same rear seat geometry, and the new Century seat (probably about the same size as your Britax, Seth) fits in there OK as well. It's a little tight, but not bad. When he hits 20 pounds (which will be soon), that one will be turned around to be front-facing, and then there'll be tons of room.

One more thing for Seth and Paul: if you get the Pro5, get the moonroof. My son loves looking out the moonroof.

elec3 · October 2001

I love the idea of bright red painted brake calipers a la Porsche and it sounds like the price is right (few bucks for a can of spray) but how hard was it to actually do this? Did you mask off the actual disk so you only got the calipers? Did you have to jack up the car (I saw vocus did)? How long did it take to get all 4 wheels? This sounds like a fun and easy project for me but I want to know what I'm getting myself into first

mustang87 · October 2001

>I've got over 5K on my P5 (I've had it since the >last week of May

Damn. I have mine since Aug.19 and i have over 5K on it. Is anybody here in south florida? Zoom Zoom

ateixeira · October 2001

The rear middle is the safest place for a kid, though. That's one thing I like about the Outback - it's a bit higher up so it's easier to load an infant carrier in the middle.

Still, I think the best thing would be to try your actual seat in the P5 before you test drive it.

-juice

onboost91 · October 2001

Spraying the calipers is easy. You will have to jack the car up 4 times unless you can manage to get more than 1 wheel of the ground and get the car onto stands. Here is what I did:

1) Loosen lugnuts on tire you are going to remove.
2) Block opposite corner tire.
3) Jack car up so the wheel is off the ground. I use a hydraulic jack and then I use the standard jack as a backup in case the hydraulic one were to fail (I don't have jack stands).
4) Remove tire.
5) Lay out some cardboard or plastic underneath the car to catch any drips.
6) You can clean and sand the caliper if you want. Since the car was so new I just wiped the caliper down with damp paper towels and then dried it.
6) Put some masking tape in the holes in the caliper (kind of a pain) and a little underneath the caliper where the disc is.
7) Take a whole bunch of plastic bags (like the kind you get from the grocery store or trash bags) and tape them around the wheel well behind the caliper and just under the caliper (it should cover the whole disc). I put the bags all around the back of the caliper so they even covered the rubber portion on the rear of the caliper. Isolate that caliper as best as you can!
8) Get close and apply the paint. Use short strokes carefully spraying so as not to create a cloud that blows all over. Be sure to work in a well ventilated area. After applying a coat I positioned a fan to blow on it. After it dried (usually <30 minutes) I'd then apply another coat or two filling in the parts that the paint doesn't fill as best I can (there will be these small parts).
9) Once its dry and you are satisfied, Remove bags and tape and put the tire back on and repeat.

The first time you drive the car just be careful in case you got any overspray on the brake disc itself. You really shouldn't have if you masked it well but any that you did have will come right off the first time you brake (just like the rust always does).

I did two a night. The paint is easy to find and should be at most autostores. I don't remember the name right now but its in a silver can, is 500 degree resistant and comes in a wide range of colors. I think the red I just applied was Ford Red (ha!). It was a close match to the strut tower brace. I applied a more crimson like Universal Red to my 1991 Toyota Mr2 Turbo like 3 years ago and it still looks great to this day, even with infrequent autox'ing which heats the brakes up.
-Finn

bluong1 · October 2001

It sounds a fun project for me too! That's a bad thing about the P5: before you know, you realize you spend a great deal of time taking care of this baby!

Bruno

vocus · October 2001

Here is a photo of the caliper painted on my 2001 ES after it was done. (Scroll down to "Paul's 2001" at the middle of the page and click on the 3rd pic down to see it.) You have to look closely to see the yellow, but it does look pretty cool.

http://scorpius.spaceports.com/~protege/mapp2.htm

bluong1 · October 2001

Pretty cool looking Paul! I also notice Jason's P5 has red-painted caliper (just the front ones). Question to Paul and Finn: did you painted also an inner side of the caliper?

Bruno

boopoppa · October 2001

they are offering pre-orders on an exhaust system for the pro5. more mods to come, i hope.

vocus · October 2001

The exhaust system is $495 through Racing Beat. You can get the muffler only through your local Mazda dealer right now for about $200 or so.

Calipers: I just painted the front part of the caliper, and also around the inside of the rotor itself, near the wheel hub. It turned out a little sloppy, because I didn't realize that part moved with the wheel when I painted it.

elec3 · October 2001

Thanks for the info. Sounds more involved than I realized but I may want to give it a try anyway. It definitely looks cool and I envision myself doing some other enhancements to my Pro5 before it's time to pass it along to another happy owner. Which shouldn't be too hard to do because of this:

Edmunds picks Protege5 as best small station wagon under $20,000. http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/mostwanted/2002/47583/article.html

magilla · October 2001

Get this - we just went through this. Have 3 munchkins now and before the last one was born, asked the dealer to let me "borrow" a P5 for the day. They love that arrangement. Do it. They give you the car for the day (I was nice enough to put some gas in it) and you can try whatever car seat you need to without a salesman hovering over you. My wife appreciated this treatment so much. I went in, signed the borrower agreement, brought the white P5 home, tried it out, drove it around for quite awhile (without some goofy salesman in my ear), and then took it back to them. My boys (7 and 3) fit fine in there and loved it. The 3 yr old is still in a car seat. I can't think of any vehicle (aside from a limo) where a kid's feet won't be whacking the back of the passenger or driver's seat - so forget about that question. This is also a easy way to find out if your dealership is an accomodating one or not. Good luck.

bluong1 · October 2001

Wouah, 2 adults and 3 kids in a P5, pretty impressive! Be careful, the cargo space may be a little bit limited in volume for toys and stuff.

Bruno

mazdadude1 · October 2001

Made a run to Lowe's to get some cinder blocks to raise my futon off the floor. Got six. Fit neatly in hatchback part. Figured I had about 200lbs back there. No prob. Does anyone know of any liners for that space? Got to get the vacuum out now. Also, bought a new bike; a Giant city cruiser. Fit in the P5 with the back seats down. Had to remove handle bars, but easy enough. Advised a student today at the college where I teach. He told me he had a long way to commute in his Toyota 4runner. I said gas was eating him up. He agreed. I told him of my new P5. He said, "Oh, the silver one in the faculty lot? Cool car!"

boopoppa · October 2001

am i missing a switch to flip, or is there no light in the cargo area? it'd be nice to have some light back there at night when u open the lid and the regular interior light cuts out.

khoa_98 · October 2001

There is a switch for the light. Look on the left hand side. There's a light there, and right on the light is a little black switch. In the off position, it stays off. In the on position, it turns off and on with the hatch.

mjudson · October 2001

has anyone been able to adjust their clutch, mine definately catches in 2nd and 3rd gear. If I cant figure this out, ill have to have the dealer do it. considering its only 2 weeks old, they better not charge me.

has anyone found mud flaps that work for the front tire?

adjustment of fog lights. ok, it appears that adjusting the fog lights using its own mounts is very effective with out having to bend the metal lense cap. i now have them adjusted in the center or you could say having the same gap on top and bottom from the bumper.

I adjusted them in the driveway which has a little hill allowing the front end to be high enough to fit my head under. you dont need to stick you whole head under the car to make the adjustment.

bluong1 · October 2001

you should probably post your question also on the sedan board. The clutch of both cars are identical.

westy5 · October 2001

Long time reader, first time to post...

With prices and financing at the levels that they're at, I'm ready to get serious about buying a new car. This will be my first new car purchase.

From what I've read on the technical side and from reading what owners have to say, the P5 seems to be the real deal. I have eliminated the Focus ZX3/ZX5 and the Hyundai Elantra GT.

I have also looked at the Subaru Impreza 2.5 TS Sport Wagon. I have yet to drive either the Subaru or the P5, but both are in my price range (with the P5 being cheaper).

Did anyone check out the Subaru Impreza 2.5 TS Sport Wagon during their search for a new car?? Any thoughts??

I will be test driving and hopefully buying sometime this month. Your help and takes are appreciated.

protege_fan · October 2001

Here's what Edmunds had to say about the P5 vs the Impreza

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/mostwanted/2002/47583/article.html

It's not really a comparison, but it shows which car they liked better.

douglam · October 2001

Thanks mjudson, I'm gonna try to adjust the fogs maybe tomorrow or over the weekend.

Anyway, does anyone use overwatt bulbs in their P5? The stock bulbs are 55W H7s and I was thinking if it would be okay to use 100W ones (well, actually I bought a pair of 100W H7s by accident). I've heard that you might melt the lighting harness if it's made of plastic.

mazdafun · October 2001

They might deform them. Perhaps maltb on the sedans board might know someone who can answer this. Also, the local constabulatory might not like them, those higher power bulbs not being DOT-approved for public-road use (off-road and track only).

the_big_h · October 2001

The Familia S-Wagon Field Break

Don't worry about the Japanese, just look at the numbers and specs. 4WD and 180hp! That'll never make it here in the States! that's almost Impreza WRX wagon-fighter status!

Click around a bit more and you'll see some pics of this special edition Pro5.

ashutoshsm · October 2001

head to

http://babelfish.altavista.com

and plug in the above URL for the 4WD Familia S-Wagon, and choose Japanese to English translation.

You can drool some more :-)

"Active Matic" - perhaps a pseudo-manual shift mode?

Oh, and long as you're using babelfish, you can keep browsing and it'll translate the series of URLs you click through! Scroll to the bottom, click on 'Top', then click on 'Enter', then the first of four buttons on the bottom, for a four more pix, including a nice interior shot that shows the MD player, and the sport-matic-type transmission. At the bottom of the same page, the third button takes you to page with MANY more thumbnails that link to larger images.

Interesting to note that they have 15 and 17" wheel options. Although the no-choice 16" in North America is quite acceptable too! The exterior lights by the doors are a nice touch too!

If Mazda brings this car over to this side of the Pacific, people will line up to buy one (I would!).

Its fun browsing pages in a language you don't understand, you tend to explore more!

ashutoshsm · October 2001

Its listed in kW (some countries are silly enough to switch to a nice metric system of measurement, making things difficult for us in America!).

So 125kW = 168HP (kW/.75 = hp)

lots of conversion factors avaialable at

http://www.catalog.com.hk/tatming/select/5.html
and at
http://members.aol.com/mpgregor/private/metric.htm
or just plug it in to
http://www.minibearings.com.au/tools.htm
Don't you just love google.com?

ashutoshsm · October 2001

I get 125 -> 167.7 at your link too.

Umm, are you entering the power (kW) rating or the torque rating (which is NM, newton Metres)?

This post was in reference to a since-deleted post ;-)

the_big_h · October 2001

yeah I deleted my previous post, I got the numbers mixed up and didn't realize the number outside the angle brackets were the kW/rpm rating. 168hp out of that engine is a much more realistic number, it being a FS-ZE engine and all.

check this out:

Discharge headlight (low beam)

again run it through Babelfish, HID on a Pro5? now THAT's a great idea!

and here's that conversion site again:
http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/power

westy5 · November 2001

Has anyone used the factory roof rack on the P5 to carry bikes, basket carriers, etc.?? I have checked Yakima and Thule's website to see if they have bike racks that directly mount to the factory rack. It appears that you have to purchase Yakima's/Thule's roof rack to use their bike mounts.

Has anyone been able to find a bike rack that directly mounts to the P5's factory rack??

Thanks.

ateixeira · November 2001

I didn't drive a TS, but I did drive an Outback Sport. It's the same but with a few more goodies than the TS. I liked it - the 2.5l has good torque and the AWD is a big bonus. Size is about the same, handling similar.

I'd give the nod to the P5 in styling and price. The Subie would be more at home in the snow belt and for folks that don't like to rev the engine to redline to get the most power out of it (no replacement for displacement).

Both are nice and I don't think you'll go wrong with either. We have a Subie and two Mazdas in our driveway, in fact.

-juice

mazdafun · November 2001

Look for "factory rack" adapters. Thule and Yakima do make these. Most places sell complete rack systems, but some bike shops can order the adapters for you. Mondial also makes them for its carriers.

These are just clamps that interface between their bike carriers and the load bars (the cross-wise bars).

westy5 · November 2001

Mazdafun,

Found them on Yakima's website!! I knew they had to have something for factory racks; I must have overlooked them. Thanks for your help.

Ateixeira,

Thanks for the input. I'm leaning toward's the P5 but would still like to test drive the Subaru. There may be possibility I'll be moving to Colorado in the next year or two. How does the P5 handle in the snow (if you've driven it in the snow)??

maltb · November 2001

I wouldn't go over 65w with the stock harness. If you decide to use 100w bulbs, I'd reccomend putting in relays and using 14 gauge wire and bulb sockets with heavier gauge wire as well.

douglam · November 2001

Thanks maltb, but I heard that those HID look bulbs don't really draw as much wattage as they claim. I know they are only for the coolness factor and produces less light than OEM ones, but a lot of people like white lights...

ateixeira · November 2001

Hmm, if you are moving to Colorado, I'd really be leaning towards the AWD. People in the snow belt buy Subies for a reason.

I've only test driven the P5, and it was nice and sunny. Our 626 is not good in snow, because a powerful V6 with V-rated tires and an open front differential tends to spin the front wheels.

The P5 is probably a little better, but AWD wins in snow easily. I wish Mazda would offer traction and stability control on the P5. Don't laugh - the Focus offers it.

-juice

sunbyrne · November 2001

I'd recommend going to the Subaru Web site, going to the page for the Impreza, and clicking on "compare." The side will show you a great side-by-side comparison of many of the features of the TS and the P5.

They are not dissimilar cars, really; I looked at both when I bought my P5. I went with the P5 in part because the back seat is bigger and because I have no need for AWD in Houston (perfectly flat and gets zero snow), but I think the Subaru is a fine choice as well. I think you'll be happy either way.

After you've driven both of 'em and decided, do let us know which one you bought and why! I'll be interested to hear your thoughts.

maltb · November 2001

if the bulb is marked 100w, it should draw somewhere around 100w.

BTW, I see the term HID used often to describe ricer blue light bulbs. They are nothing near High Intensity Discharge lights which use high voltage and low wattage.

douglam · November 2001

Thanks maltb, but I heard that those HID look bulbs don't really draw as much wattage as they claim. I know they are only for the coolness factor and produces less light than OEM ones, but a lot of people like white lights...

douglam · November 2001

Ignore the repeat post... i clicked refresh and it posted twice...

Anyway, yeah, that's why it's called HID "look" bulbs. Those bulbs really try to confuse people by saying things like 55w/80w... (i know it's b.s.) They try to say that they give out 80w watts of light with just 55w real watts... that's why i'm not sure when they say 100w, it's the real wattage or "perceived" wattage...

shrique · November 2001

Watch out for the one thing you CAN'T get on the TS. Cruise Control. I was very seriously thinking about a TS last year and started comparing that to an OB Sport. That's the only differnece that I could come up with. (besides suspension and the like) I don't know how much you need it but I know my friends in CO tend to drive long distances up to their favorite mountain spots regularly. CC is a big help.

Even though I live in MN I'm going with a P5 and snow tires. I like the Sub but I'm very stuck on the handling of the P5. Tight and Clean. Plus they do a good job of clearing the roads around here.

maltb · November 2001

Those are dual filament bulbs. When you see 55w/80w that's the wattage for Low beam and High beam respectively.

ateixeira · November 2001

It's not hard to add cruise to a Subie. In fact, I did exactly that. The dealer ordered the kit and installed it for me. It was a couple hundred bucks, no big deal. The cut-out and cruise buttons are identical from my '98 Forester L to the new TS, so I know for a fact that it would fit.

Though I would recommend an Outback Sport for the 16" wheels, fog lights, two-tone paint, and other content, were you to choose a Subie.

Snow tires on a P5 are a good alternative, for sure. Make sure you get one with ABS. And while that requires a moonroof, I'd want a moonroof anyway, and the Subaru doesn't even offer it as an option.

-juice

shrique · November 2001

Your thinking exactly what I'm thinking. However with the new 2002 P5 you can get ABS without the Moonroof but that's what I would order anyway. However if you need to the extra headroom it is possible. I've seen a few on the lot that way. (right off the truck) (sigh) Now I just have to sell my car so I can get a new Silver P5!

ateixeira · November 2001

The dealer I went to had none with moonroofs (and therefore no ABS either). I test drove one without it, just for kicks. It was a nice blue 5 speed IIRC.

The Outback Sport I drove was a black 5 speed. No moonroof, either, but it did have ABS (all Subies have ABS standard).

-juice

douglam · November 2001

Yeah, if it's a dual filament bulb, then it makes sense saying 55w/80w.. but i've seen single filament bulbs (H7, for example) saying 80w/100w... that's the confusing part...

elec3 · November 2001

people always seem to want to race my P5. Where I'm living now, there are a ton of ricers (they were out in force last night - something was going on because I saw no less than 10) and they just cruise around town at night looking for races. Now my P5 is silver (not red, not yellow, but a mellow and humble silver) with the regular alloys, not the polished shiny ones, no tint, the normal (perhaps even smallish) exhaust, and automatic transmission for the love of god. But even stock, this thing looks the part enough that people want to race.

So sometimes I humor them and the result is either that I find out their car has no place on the road because I can keep up easily or else that they beat the crap out of me (duh!) because they've got 60 more horsepower than I do and a 5 speed. Somebody in a red Corvette Stingray wanted to race at a light the other day. And I'm thinking - hmm, he's only got what, 3 times more horses than I do? It's still fun but it's also funny because the looks of this car almost don't go with the performance. If someone were willing to drop the cash for a J-spec engine, a turbo, intake and exhaust, you'd have a stupidly fast car that would even be a sleeper if you didn't also do all the tint, neon, chrome, and other requisites for a ricer.

Oh yeah, and I had the hatch full of groceries while pretending to race around town last night

ateixeira · November 2001

That may be due to the sporty styling. Wagons are back in a big way.

-juice

douglam · November 2001

Mjudson, when you took out your fogs, did you disconnect the wire connector? The connector was secured to the bumper with a plastic clip. After I took it out, I can't seem to secure it back in the clip... any ideas? I know it's supposed to slide and snap back on, but i've tried for 15 min and still can't get it.

Mazda Protege5

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles