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Mazda Protege5

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Comments

  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    My '82 Jetta Diesel went for 250K with very little more than REGULAR fluid changes and typical repairs. The engine itself was still in great shape when we got rid of it. My brother-in-law's Rabbit was over 300k when he smashed it. Those were truly economical cars!

    :)
  • mpgmanmpgman Member Posts: 723
    My 78 Rabbit Diesel had over 200k when I traded it. It was the first year that they were certified for A/C but the unit had to be dealer installed. The bracket holding the compressor kept snapping every 15k miles, due to the vibrations and poor design. Tried all kinds of braces but those snapped too. Averaged in the mid 40s and hit 63 mpg once driving at 55 for a long stretch. Now this engine was economical and needed a lot less care and feeding than the turbos now.

    Just came back from test driving an 01 Pro ES. Firm, reasonably quiet, responsive. Had the luxury package with the roof (boo), ABS and side air bags. Dealer says the 5 doors will arrive in July....this is northern VA. Another said June. I'd love to see the Elantra GT and the Pro-5 side by side, and then compare them to the Golf. Don't know if I can wait that long though. Would also like to see the ZX5 Focus...just wish their reliability was as good as Mazda's.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    That HUGE York A/C compressor on the early rabbits weighed a TON, but the beat goes on....

    :)
  • scottdudescottdude Member Posts: 177
    Mazda actually ran TV commercials this past weekend on Saturday Night Live teasing the new P5 and saying it arrives at dealers on May 17th. Stay tuned!
  • atatuatatu Member Posts: 12
    Well, I requested a price quote on an automatic with the Moonroof, ABS, etc. and my dealer emailed me a price quote of $18,567, sticker was $19,615...they also said it would be the first week in june...
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    Nice price!.. what region is this dealer in?
  • tatu1tatu1 Member Posts: 50
    Austin, Texas to be exact....
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    I just talked to my nearest dealer (Gyro Mazda in Toronto) and they have received their first P5!! This one is currently in the showroom, but since I don't think that I can get in until Saturday he said there might be one to test drive then. (I have of course taken the ES for a test drive already.) Even if I can't test drive it, I can look at some of the things like the length of the hatch area that no one has been able to tell me until now.

    Nomi
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    I'd be interested in the amount the glass in tinted (if it is) and seeing if we get the fold-down front seat like they have on the other side of the ocean. (MaltB u must know!)


    example: http://www.mazda.fi/startti/kuvat/juttukuva_323_4.jpg


    ciao -Mark

  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    Mark

    I know nothing about tinting, and it might not be the same in Canada as in the US (different regulations perhaps) but I expect that the seat will be the same. I'll keep you posted when I see it.

    Nomi
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Fold down seat...looks cool though. I would think that the seat would need to move back pretty far to allow that.

    % of tint: who knows..........
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    Actually what I meant to say was that Canadian and US seats would likely be the same, but I don't know if we (either of us) get the folddown seatback. I'll let everyone know.

    Nomi
  • zupsterzupster Member Posts: 20
    My Mits.Expo was totalled some weeks ago and I've been waiting for the P5's to come out before making a purchase. Looking for ideas that will solve my transporation needs. What I really need is a small wagon type vehicle, 125lb Newf in the back, small kids in the middle, and I'm a big and tall guy up front.

    Subaru Outback: too small.

    Focus wagon: liked the way it drove, especially the way the rear seats fold flat, but every person I've talked to in the office say they will never buy another Ford product again.

    Golf 4 door Hatch: I fit fine and like the feel, but worried that the dog may not fit - she's a big, big dog.

    Passat Wagon: to pricey

    Jetta Wagon: heard these are coming out

    PT Cruiser: haven't really considered this

    I test drove a Protoge LX sedan 2.0, and really liked that car, and have been anxiously waiting for the Protoge5 to hit the showroom so I can see if it will work. Protoge5 is at the upper edge of my budget but would consider.

    Also, do you think the Protoge5's resale value will be similar to other Protoge's or do you think it will retain more of its value due to limited supply.

    Its amazing how few vehicles fit what I need.

    Any other ideas or warnings would be appreciated.

    Matt
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    The P5 may be a bit small for your dog.
    The cargo area with the rear seat up is rather small and you would have to remove the rear deck to have your dog in there.

    :)
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    The jetta wagon is out.. looks nice.. (not as sporty as the p5 but nice) :)..

    the jetta 2.0L GLS would probably fit into your p5 budget considering ABS, side airbags, alarm, are standard.. it's got more cargo room than a p5, yet the car is only 3 inches longer.. might be more up your alley..

    good luck
  • atatuatatu Member Posts: 12
    Do you mean the Outback sport ? Because I think the Outback is bigger than all the other cars you mentioned....
  • hkchanhkchan Member Posts: 420
    Outback as in the Impreza Outback, not the Legacy-based Outback.
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    is the Outback Sport as atatu pointed out.

    Stephen,
    WRX wagon owner
  • hepworth1hepworth1 Member Posts: 8
    Just wanted to let people know that the Mazda dealer near me in Montreal, Canada has one in yellow on display in the front of his dealership, so I assume that they are now available.
  • jstandeferjstandefer Member Posts: 805
    Took pics of this gorgeous Protege5 at my favorite dealership here in San Diego. It had just come off the truck about three hours prior and they rushed it through PDI (PreDelivery Inspection) and detail to get it in the showroom!

    image


    image


    image


    image


    image


    It has the automatic tranny, power moonroof (note, NO side airbags/ABS), and floor mats. The pic of the MSRP is a little screwed up, but it was around $18,500!!! What a cool car! It looks much better in person than it does in any pic I have ever seen! And the yellow!! Blinding!! Striking!! I want one!!! But with a 5-spd!
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    17" alloys, 45 series tires, dropped about an inch and tinted windows: I'll take one!

    :)
  • hkchanhkchan Member Posts: 420
    Is that color on the "regular" Pro sitting next to the Protege5 Seabreeze Green (second picture)? I've never seen one in person.
  • jstandeferjstandefer Member Posts: 805
    Yep... that ES next to the P5 is Seabreeze Green... Although that guy looking at it? He drove it home that night!
  • jstandeferjstandefer Member Posts: 805
    Malt? Do I smell an MPS version???? :-)
  • hkchanhkchan Member Posts: 420
    That's the third picture of the Seabreeze green that I've seen and every one looked different (not even close). I like the one you took the best.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Far be it from me to know that although I smell a Miata MPS in the air. See Motor Trends article here: http://www.motortrend.com/jan01/mp3/1.html


    Just a small mention, but Mazda will take any ball and run with it if it generates entusiasm.


    :)

  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    wow that p5 looks hot! i like the standard alloys better than the polished. thanks for the pics!

    -Mark
  • atatuatatu Member Posts: 12
    Great pics ! Got the call from my dealer today, they have 3 P5's in stock...I'll try for a test drive tomorrow...
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    I saw a protege5 tv commercial yesterday on Leno.. was real quick, maybe 15 seconds.. and it seemed 2/3rds of the time they were focusing on a skateboard for some reason :).. anyways..

    it was on in the background but by the time I got to the TV i heard them say at the end "Coming May 17th".. so hopefully we'll have em on the east coast soon!

    -Mark
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    For those that are interested, Mazda Canada has the Protege5 up on their web site www.mazda.ca now. I noticed a few changes from the specs I received at the Canadian International Auto Show earlier this year.

    Windshield wipers have gone from variable intermittent to fixed intermittent, although the rear wiper now says it is intermittent.

    The roof rack is an accessory in Canada. (It wasn't mentioned on the original specs.)

    There is a remote trunk release (again not mentioned in the original specs) however I assume that this is just from the driver's position, not the keyless remote. I will confirm.

    The specs say "Tinted glass (Green Pen Glass for all Windows)" although I have no idea what this means.

    References to seatback pockets have disappeared. Again, I will check this when I see the car.

    That's about it for now.

    Nomi
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    Went to look at the Protege5 today, and to look at a few things and ask a few questions.

    Mark wanted to know about the seatback. There is nothing on the back of the passenger seat that would make a table if it were folded forward, so it doesn't look like we have that. The seatbacks, as I mentioned in my previous post do not have pockets, so the back is quite smooth.

    I asked about the trunk/hatch release. What we have is that the hatch locks exactly the same as any other door. The remote when pressed once unlocks only the driver door; when pressed twice it unlocks all doors including the hatch. This however does NOT open the hatch; there is a handle that still has to be squeezed like any other door to open it. When you lock all the doors, the hatch will also lock.

    When you fold back the rear seats, there are 2 stages. The first is that the seat itself folds forward; this creates sort of a front bumper for the hatch area. Then the seatback folds down. It folds fairly flat, but not totally flat. We measured approximately 54" from the bumper to the back of the hatch. The door opening is about 34" wide (although I forgot to measure the total width of the hatchback area).

    I had problems getting information on the modular CD, but I think ultimately this is the correct answer. The car comes with a single CD player. Below the CD is a space. If you get the in-dash 6 CD player, it replaces the single CD. This is not a magazine changer, the CDs just go into the machine and it stores them somewhere. In the space below you can put in a cassette (or an MD player). Does anyone have any suggestions about whether I should bother with a cassette player at all? I have some old cassettes, but even in my current car I hardly ever listen to them.

    As I noted before, the wipers are only a single speed intermittent. That is a bit of a pity. It is what I have on my current car, and there are times I miss either a slower speed intermittent, or a faster speed, but that won't stop my purchase. I discovered that the rear wiper is also a washer, i.e. it does spray fluid. For some reason I just assumed that it was just a wiper arm.

    I wondered about mud guards. The US web site listed them as accessories, but the Canadian site doesn't. There are attachment points on the car for them. When I talked to the service manager he suggested that they aren't required on the car because of the lower body and the side sills. That makes sense to me.

    Anyway, the car looks really sharp. I saw a black one, and 2 silver ones. The black looked really good, but I don't want to get a black car. I find the silver just looks a bit dull. I'm still hoping to see a classic red, since that is the colour that I really want.

    Nomi
  • aardvark_markaardvark_mark Member Posts: 95
    Thanks very much for all the information!.. I think I'm leaning towards the red as well.
  • the_rock73the_rock73 Member Posts: 8
    I checked the Mazda Canada website to see what colours are available, but it doesn't list any.
    Does anybody know all the colours that will be available for the P5.
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    If you go into MazdaMaker from the Get In. Be Moved section, and select the Protege5 you will see the 5 colours.
    Classic Red (the only colour that doesn't cost extra in Canada, all other colours are an extra $105)
    Black Mica
    Midnight Blue
    Sunburst Yellow
    Sunlight Silver Metallic

    Nomi
  • prostfanprostfan Member Posts: 6
    Hi all,

    I have been waiting to see this car since I got a peek at the Chicago Auto Show. I have been checking the local dealerships but no one, as of yet, has one. I am still waiting.....
  • atatuatatu Member Posts: 12
    Went to see the P5 yesterday, but due to time constraints could not test drive. The dealer I went to got three in stock and they've already sold one. The salesman told me that the models with the ABS and moonroof won't be available for a couple of months. He also said that Mazda was offering financing on the P5, 4.9 for 60 months, which sounded good to me...
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    Another sign that things are different in the 2 countries. Here in Canada ABS is standard, and all 3 of the P5s I saw had moonroof (which I don't want). Canadians seem to be more inclined to put lots of options on small cars rather than get a bigger car. Witness the Acura 1.7EL (a glorified Civic) that is only available in Canada. Americans, on the other hand, still seem to feel that a small car should be a cheap car (I know, not all of you!) and so to a certain extent more basic models are directed your way.

    Mazda seems to have directed the production according to what they think will sell in each country. Whether they are correct or not is subject to debate.

    Nomi
  • atatuatatu Member Posts: 12
    Yeah, that's definitely interesting, they way I see it, if you're going to pay more than 15K for a car, you should go ahead and get a few amenities.
  • the_rock73the_rock73 Member Posts: 8
    Thanks tocan. Now only if the colour I want was available, which is WHITE!!!! I know in the U.S.
    will get it. Maybe we'll get it later in Canada???? I hope????
  • lszabolszabo Member Posts: 8
    I have seen the silver, red, black and yellow P5, so far.
    They are at:

    Red P5 at Albion Mazda (Wilson Rd. and Weston Rd.)
    Silver one at Dufferin Mazda (Dufferin and Eglington)
    Black and Yellow P5 in Scarborough Mazda, (Lawrence and Kennedy).

    These are all dealerships in Toronto.

    The red one looks best so far, anyways the wife picks the colour, I pick the transmission.
    5 speed, of course!

    It would be a sin to drive this car with an automatic transmision!
  • tatu1tatu1 Member Posts: 50
    OK, spoke to the other dealer in town today (same company, but one dealer is on the north end or town, the other is on the south end) and asked about test driving the P5. The guy told me they won't be in until the third week in June. I told him the South dealer has had them in since Friday and he said he'd call me back. He just called me back , they got three in today, including one with ABS and a moonroof (the south dealer told me that those models wouldn't be available for a couple of months..) He also said they have one with a moonroof, but no ABS, so apparently you can get one without the other. Anyway, going in for a test drive on Wednesday...
  • hkchanhkchan Member Posts: 420
    The point was never that you needed to get ABS with the moon roof, but rather that you needed to get moon roof with ABS. So:

    Moon roof - yes
    Moon roof and ABS (actually SAB as well) - yes
    ABS - no
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    But that blows. I may be in the minority, but I don't really care for sun roofs/moon roofs. Had one before and hardly used it. Also it cuts into the structual integrity of the vehicle a little also. Though not as bad as a convertable.

    I may be getting older (or nerdier) but I like to have the safety features of ABS, but don't want pay for the moon roof. And to those that care, yes I know that in some cases ABS can increase stopping distances, but it's saved my bacon too many times not to have it. I won't go back to not having it.
  • SporinSporin Member Posts: 1,066
    I'd liek ABS but really don't want a sunroof. Side airbags I could take or leave.

    I'm not positive, but I think I would go without ABS before I would get a moonroof. I *need* the headroom.
  • nemecanemeca Member Posts: 1
    I just went to look at the Protege 5, as I am in the market for a wagon soon. I am 5 feet 10 inches tall and had only 2 inches to spare in the driver's seat. My hubby is 6feet 3inches, so forget it for us. I opened up the back hatch and it has about the same room as my 97 Corolla, so no improvement there at all. I think it is just a Protege with a different back-end. We drove a Protege in 1998 and it was very roomy, what happened to the car?? The pricing is right, but not competitive with the Ford Focus Wagon I am looking at. They aren't flexible on the options either, pretty much the sporty look only...
  • hkchanhkchan Member Posts: 420
    Was two inches to spare with the seat adjusted all the way down?
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Seems strange, I have a 6'6" freind who hasn't complained about the same problem in his '00 Protege. I'll have to get his opinion of the P5 and see if it works or not.

    :)
  • hkchanhkchan Member Posts: 420
    Does your friend's Pro have a moon roof?
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    and she didn't mention that either...I don't think at least. I'm too lazy to go back and look.

    :)
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    Well to be honest with you...it is a protege with a different end. Not a totally new vehicle.
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