Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Mazda Protege5

12467154

Comments

  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    Anyone know if the USA version of the Protege5 will have the fold down front seat like the europeans? this looks like a handy feature..




    http://www.mazda.fi/startti/juttu_sporttispurtti323.html




    (3rd picture)
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    Thanks for the link. I'm not sure I've seen that tray back feature in many/any American vehicles front passenger seats; only seen those on rear seats. Anyway, that would be a nice feature to have. Guess it's to wait and see... Talk later. ;-)

    Pocahontas
    Host
    Hatchbacks/Station Wagons Message Boards
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    The Canadian specs talk about pockets on the back of the front seats, so that would seem to negate using the back as a tray. But who knows. We'll have to wait and see.

    Nomi
  • jstandeferjstandefer Member Posts: 805
    Hmmm... I just priced an Impreza 2.5 Sport Wagon on Subaru's website and got a price of $19,443 equipped as much like the Protege 5 as possible:

    Impreza 2.5 Sport Wagon
    Base MSRP $17,495
    15" Alloy Wheels $525
    Fog Lamps $298
    Rear Spoiler $350
    Floor Mats $75
    Keyless Entry $175
    Destination $525
    Total MSRP --> $19,443

    Mazda Protege 5
    Base MSRP $16,335
    ABS/Side Airbags $800
    Moonroof $700
    Floor Mats $80
    Destination $480
    Total MSRP --> $18,395

    The difference is that the Impreza has all-wheel-drive, while the Protege has side-impact airbags, 4-wheel disc brakes, and a moonroof. Oh, and the Impreza 2.5 Sport Wagon only comes with 195/60R15 tires, not the 205/55VR15 as stated above... those are the WRX tires.

    The Subaru has more power, but also 300lbs more weight to pull around. However, they really can't be compared until the Pro5 hits the market next month... Also, IMHO, the Pro5 looks much better than the Subaru...
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    I'm with you jstandefer.. I'm torn between the Protege5 and Impreza. Thanks very much for the info!..

    besides the better looks, I'm hoping the mazda will have more cargo room, and better MPG.. but like you said we'll have to wait and see..

    I called a mazda dealer (Northern New Jersey) today and they told me they expect the protege 5's to arrive in 4 weeks.
  • vadpvadp Member Posts: 1,025
    The Protege does get better gas mileage: it's lighter and its drivetrain is more efficient (mileage wise) without the AWD system. I don't remember the exact numbers, but it should be able to achieve 30 mpg/Highway, in comparison to 27 mpg for the Impreza.
    And I suspect that the Protege is roomier too.
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    I too was doing some comparing of the Protege5 with the Impreza Sport Wagon. For me, one drawback of the Impreza is that (at least in Canada) it does not have cruise control available at all, which is something that I personally like.

    Nomi
  • vadpvadp Member Posts: 1,025
    Have you checked the Impreza Outback Sport Wagon?
    It comes with cruise control and an ambient temperature gauge as standard equip.
  • hkchanhkchan Member Posts: 420
    No side airbags.
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    The Outback version is a lot more expensive than the TS here in Canada (an extra $4,400). I also don't like the 2 tone look.

    Nomi
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    God, I hope not. I hate the looks of it. (Actually, it probably won't matter to me since I still intend buying the 2002 Protege5.)

    Nomi
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    It looks like a shorter hatchback version of the Lincoln mk 9 concept.. I'm not a big fan of the styling either Nomi.. even more reason to buy the 2002!! :) w00 w00! hehe.. good catch vadp
  • MiroMiro Member Posts: 15
    A colleague claims that he saw an ad in a local newspaper "the Metro" stating the arrival of the P5 in Montreal, QC area dealers this Friday Apr. 27. Is this true.. because I haven't seen any press releases or news that would back this up.
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    I haven't heard anything either. I keep checking Canadian Driver, Autonet.ca, and the Mazda Canada site for a press release announcing officially the MSRP (which I posted a while back in this discussion).

    I also haven't heard anything from the dealer I took a test drive (of the ES sedan) with, who knows that I am interested in the Protege5.

    However, Maltb says that cars have arrived in Seattle, so it is possible. I can't wait.

    Nomi
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Did hit the West Coast ports last week so they may go to dealers as soon the end of this week or next week. Be watching for those car carriers with a slick hathcback on them.

    :)
  • tabairdtabaird Member Posts: 1
    Forget the Protege 5, check out the shot of the new 323 Estate recently posted in the News section of AutoExpress.


    http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/guest/php3/openframe.php3?page=newnews/newsarticle.php3?id=2456

  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    That's a nice focus...oh, it's a Mazda? YUK!!!!!

    Ummm, I'll settle for the P5.

    :)
  • vadpvadp Member Posts: 1,025
    Supposedly, this is going to be the next Mazda '04 Protege hatchback in N.A.
    Looks very nice.
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    Did you get my email? I sent you a copy of your message, so you'd have the opportunity to re-post it. We appreciate your participation in our Town Hall discussions. ;-)


    To everyone- To avoid copyright infringement in our Town Hall discussions, it's alway safer to post a url to someone else's property/photo rather than embedding it into the message. For more detail please read our Town Hall Terms of Use. Unfortunately, hosts do not have the ability to edit participant messages, so if there's one small problem in the message, we have to delete the entire post... losing all the valuable information. Please note: we usually send you a copy of the message, with an explanation, so you'll have to opportunity to re-edit and repost. Thanks for your participation.


    Pocahontas
    Host
    Hatchbacks/Station Wagons Message Boards

  • vadpvadp Member Posts: 1,025
    I got it.
    Thanks.
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    Hello everyone! Hope you are all enjoying this nice spring weather. I got another call from my local mazda dealer today.. so that prompted me to do a little research regarding what I would expect to pay for a protege5 in a couple weeks..

    I last bought my mazda a long long time ago (a 91 mazda mx6) so I was wondering if anyone could recommend what a reasonable price is regarding documentaion fee and license/title fees at a mazda dealer these days.. I'm hoping to pay max 100 documentation, max 150 license + title.

    Also, I hope to negotiate a price at least halfway between invoice and msrp.. do you think this will be hard to do because the protege5 is a new model?

    They have 10 protege5's coming in, 9 will be automatic transmission, so I'll probably have to order one (dealer said that would take 6 to 8 weeks).. does this hurt or help my final price?

    (I would guess help it garuntees their dealer holdback and no space to take up on the lot, but you guys probably know a lot more about this stuff than me)

    Thanks as always for your posts, I enjoy reading them.
  • tmundartmundar Member Posts: 70
    The documentation fee is set by the dealer, and is basically what you pay the dealer to file the paper work for you. I recently bought a used car, and the dealer documentary fee was $10. The license and title information is set by the state. Here in Arizona, the registration fee on a new car is 2.4% of base MSRP for the first year, and it goes down by 16.5% every year afterwards. Therefore, on a $16,500 new car, you pay $396, and then some nominal fee for the title (I believe it is around $10). And that doesn't include the sales taxes you pay.

    I prefer buying a used car from a private seller. No sales tax, and if the plates are up to date, then there is only a $12 transfer fee for the title and registration. The only other cost is the time you spend in line at the DMV.

    Tom
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    You pay the sales tax on a used vehicle when you transfer the title. Some try to cheat on the reported sales price, but the seller sends in separate liability release documents that list the sale price.

    Doc. Fees:
    I have never understood why dealers charge a separate documentation fee. Isn't that why there is mark-up on the vehicle?

    :)
  • vadpvadp Member Posts: 1,025
    Yes, everything is negotiable, excluding the destination charge and taxes (and maybe the regional advertising charges in some places).
    Are you going to try the S-plan?
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Until you get to the dealer. Chances are they are not going to want to deal until those cars come off the truck. My guess is that the dealers will sit on them until the car is launched in the media and then they will get a sense for consumer demand.

    :)
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    thanks for the feedback.

    I'm probably not going to try S-plan since participation by the dealer is voluntary.. I am very doubtful they will accept s-plan on the new protege5 for a while. If I bought cars more often I'd probably look into joining EAA..
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    Mazda marketing..

    I've watched a lot of TV in my day and I have yet to see a protege featured in a commercial..(sometimes a protege happens to help form some kinda 'V' formation behind a tribute or miata but thats all I've seen) With the limited run of protege 5's I'm wondering if Mazda will spend much money on advertising the "5-door sport".. if that's what they finally decide to call it :)

    Magazines like car&driver, motortrend, etc will probably pick a car like the imprezza or VW Golf over the protege5 due to the lack of horse power in the p5 when they do their "2002 sport-wagon showdown".

    So I'm counting on low consumer demand baby! :)
  • tmundartmundar Member Posts: 70
    I have seen a Protege TV commercial. They had it following behind a Miata on a twisty mountain road. I don't watch much TV, but I think that I have seen that one as often as the lame Tribute one.

    Tom
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    hmm.. maybe it's a NYC area thing.. man if I could get a dollar for every nissan maxima commercial :)
  • tatu1tatu1 Member Posts: 50
    OK, I called my local dealer (Roger Beasley in Austin) and asked when the P5 would arrive, the first guy I talked to said "not until the fall." He went on to say that RB is the No. 1 dealer in the USA (based on what ?) and that if the P5 were coming soon, they would definitely know. Anyway, just for fun I called the other RB dealer across town and asked the same question, the second guy said the P5 would be in within "30 days"....
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    and the former should be fired! LOL

    Maybe you should ask the lot porter next time. They tend to have more time in their positions than the "change like underware" sales people.

    Thinking back to Coke's Santa adds:
    "The P5s are coming, the P5s are coming!"

    All that and I haven't even had my 1st cup-o-joe.

    :)
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    last month 2 dealers by me (New Jersey) said they expect the first shipment of p5's in May.
  • SporinSporin Member Posts: 1,066
    174 of 182  Re: preparing to deal. by vadp
    "Yes, everything is negotiable, excluding the destination charge and taxes... "

    You can negotiate al the fees, but you certainly can't negotiate taxes. That's up to the state, not the dealer.

    Here in VT, it's 5% of the selling price. Or, on leases, 5% of the value between the MSRP and the set residual value.

    :-)
  • vadpvadp Member Posts: 1,025
    Yes, everything is negotiable, EXCLUDING the destination charge and taxes...
  • SporinSporin Member Posts: 1,066
    Man! I am so sorry... my brain must have been on the blink. My bad. :-)
  • mpgmanmpgman Member Posts: 723
    Someone mentioned that the Pro was a great economy car. Economy? The Pro's gas mileage has a hard time topping that of Accord or Camry, both of which are bigger and heavier. Put it up against the Civic and it is no contest. The Pro is a great lower priced performance car....as to economy.....that is a bit more of a stretch. the Mercedes C320 gets nearly 30 on the highway.
  • tatu1tatu1 Member Posts: 50
    Are we defining economy strictly by gas mileage ? I don't know, but I have this loose defintion in my head of an economy car as being something less that 15K....I can't speak to comparing the new models, but in 1999 when I compared the Pro to the Civic, the Pro was the better buy, and Consumer Reports agreed.....
  • SporinSporin Member Posts: 1,066
    For me, economy encompasses many things. Certainly MPG is a big one, but also initial price, rate of depreciation, insurance cost, cost of maintenance, and overall reliability.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Would be finding the right vehicle to fit your needs while being fiscally responsible. So, what is economical for one, may not be for another. BTW, my needs include the need to Zoom.

    :)
  • mpgmanmpgman Member Posts: 723
    I agree that there are many components to the topic. However, the only thing that is going ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM right now is the price of gas. Hard to swallow the posts of people getting in the low to mid 20s with a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine.

    By the way, the 5 door is 170 inches long. Where did they take the room from? The trunk or interior leg room? Perhaps you have more headroom in the rear seat because of the roof line so they took it from rear legroom? Thanks.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    I love how when gas goes up $0.15, people freak. Our gas is cheap at $2.00 a gallon. The only way it will go up to three is if the media hypes it up then the oil companies have the opportunity.

    They took it out of the trunk. BTW, low to mid 20's reflects how you drive the vehicle. Drivers of boring cars drive, well, boring.

    :)
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    word up! :) you can build your own p5 on www.mazdausa.com .. must be arriving at dealers soon.. when will there be an edmunds page??

    -Mark
  • eurowagoneurowagon Member Posts: 1
    My idea of what a hatchback is a vehicle you cant fit my German Sheaprd in. The Volvo V70, Passat Avant, both are wagons, this mazda reminds me of a 5-door Chevette. Why cant these auto manufactureres make a wagon that actually has cargo room not just some great slant in the back. My other complaint is that I want my wagon to have high Torque and a manual shift. Outside of Volvo and VW, the field is empty.
  • mescotmescot Member Posts: 1
    Hatchbacks, while smaller than station wagons, can still have decent utility in a sporty package. I am interested in the P5 BECAUSE my 75lb. Shepherd was very content to have the back of our '96 Golf GTI (with seats up!) all to herself. If a dog can stand up, turn around and lay down comfortably, it is big enough.
  • mpgmanmpgman Member Posts: 723
    True enough..but when you drive over 30,000 miles per year the pennies add up. I know our gas is cheap relative to Europe, but in Europe most of the cars they sell here come with several additional engine option choices, including diesels that nearly double mpg if you want to eat the maintenance and the fumes.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    I would love to see more diesels here! Maintenance? You change the oil & filter, fuel and air filter. Diesels are far more reliable than gasoline engines and with the newer direct injection, the soot levels are way down.
  • cjaccettacjaccetta Member Posts: 236
    In post #182, you wrote that NJ dealers should be expecting their first shipments of the P5 in May. Can you tell me which dealers? I live in Northern NJ (NYC suburbs) but I am willing to drive a little to shop.

    Also, with respect to your post #192, I wrote a mini-review of the P5 for Edmunds (contest winner deal). Go to the NY Auto Show Coverage section and look in the reviews pages. There probably won't be anything new to your eyes but I thought you may be interested anyway.

    My wife and I are shopping for a new car soon and I'm really digging the P5. It's near the top of our list. We saw a few RHD models in Bermuda last summer and I remember thinking "why can't I buy this car back home?" Now I can. The Midnight Blue color is very sharp; my better half hates the yellow, unfortunately. I saw the P5 again at the NY auto show and was extremely impressed. Based on the Protege's reliability and durability record, the P5 wagon appears to be a solid deal for the $17,615 MSRP. I only hope that dealers will be willing to negotiate on price a little or I may wind up with an Elantra GT.

    Thanks in advance for any info.

    CJA
  • leomortleomort Member Posts: 453
    sorta look like compact station wagons, yes/no?

    When someone say economy car, I think of the car's size= compact. Compact cars usually equate to cheaper price and good gas mileage.

    Leo
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    In post #182, I was refering to information given to me by "Schwartz Mazda", in Shrewsberry NJ. When I stopped into their showroom in April, they told me they were expecting the first 2 p5's (A manual transmission yellow, and an automatic blue) the first week of May.

    So I called them again today, the saleman I spoke to was on vacation, and the story has changed :).. now they are expecting p5's in the first week of June, all 4 are automatics, 2 blue, 1 black, 1 silver..

    I then called Toms River Mazda, and they also told me their p5's were coming in first week of June.. So I doubt we'll see any in May.. but we'll see :)..

    For me the MSRP will be a little lower since I'm only interested in a manual transmission which I think is going to be a real headache to find.. I might end up ordering one and waiting the 6-8 weeks..

    As for colors I'm with your better half :).. Not into the yellow either.. The red and silver look best to me on mazdausa.com..

    I read your article last week and enjoyed it..

    TO NOMI: any word on the p5's in Canada yet??
  • mpgmanmpgman Member Posts: 723
    Please see my post under the TDI engine. Diesels, especially the VW type, are far from maintenance free. In fact, if you go to the dealer, they can cost a bundle and negate all of the advantage gained from high mpg.
This discussion has been closed.