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Mazda Protege5
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Comments
We need a 2.0L engine option. Give me a P5 with the same seats, roof, safety (etc) options but with the clutch & turbo engine mods and price it competitively, and it would be a deal. They carconnection link says there is an internal debate on where Mazda will go next. This doesn't bode well for a turbo P5 anytime soon, I would think. Could be time for a Subaru, unfortunately.
I've been waiting for a turbo protege, but don't care for orange, black, the big wing or stereo. I guess just getting more power out of the protege (or P5) isn't likely. How about a midnight blue protege5 with 170 hp and nothing wierd tacked on? Anyone else wanna buy *that* car?
I don't know where in IL you live, but a few of us in the Chicago area are trying to get a meet together on April 27th at Busse Woods.
Details are over on protegeclub.com, in the Upper Midwest section...see the IL Meet thread.
--Dale
easiest way to avoid getting shocked is, before you put your foot on the ground, make sure you hold onto a metallic surface of the car before stepping out. I just grab onto the A pillar and pull myself out of the car, and no shocks!!
but I am kinda used to the shocking though... hmmm...
Jetta had nifty device: When roof was fully open a spring-loaded air deflector popped up, reducing noise and air rush.
And the static thing happens with most cars with fabric seats, particularly in dry weather. A-pillar trick is a reliable avoidance maneuver.
BBalla, I notice we're both replacing gigantor vehicles with the P5 (Your Silverado, my Durango).
I'm curious: All the P5 owners out there, what was your previous vehicle?
Demographic-36 year old male.
Demo: Male, 36, red with moon roof and auto, 13,400 problem free miles. Love the car, though if I forget to turn off over-drive, the auto can be a bit sluggish in traffic... No surprise there. Loved the 5spd, but hate the hour and a half of shifting involved with sitting in traffic each way every day.
Static: A good trick to cut down on the static problem, is to dilute liquid fabric softener in a spray bottle and mist the interior on occasion. I also use this to reduce static around my stereo and computers.
Silver face: Won't chip any worse than the black on the Protege DX!!!
Prior Vehicle: 97 Toyota 4Runner! The P5 carries my dogs and drums just fine. :-)
At any rate, I'm very glad I purchased the moonroof. It's very functional and it also has a pop up wind deflector that works fairly well until you get to speeds above 60 mph.
Some people ordered the extra wind deflector and said it works very well on cutting out wind noise.
p.s. - champaign/urbana, 2 hours from Chicago.
Brian
Blue is very very nice too!
And yes, getting the optional moonroof deflector is highly recommended! Really cuts down on wind noise.
-love train
--Dale
about the static. why not buy some seat covers. no more shock and the seats are protected, higher resale value down the road.
God Bless,
Larry
I purchased a mica blue protege5 in the middle of February. Now that the weather has warmed up, I washed and waxed my car today. I noticed that the hood and roof feel as smooth as glass to the touch, but the sides of the car don't have the same feel - they are almost a little rough and have considerable more friction as you move your hand across them.
Is it possible that there is a consistency problem with the clear coat on my car? Has anyone else noticed this with their paint job?
Thanks!
I guess the demographics suggest to Mazda that most people should be fine with the moonroof if they want ABS. I just don't fit that demographic.
I was wondering if Mazda would put in one of their new I4s (such as the base engine in the 6) as an option. No turbo, "regular" gas, plenty enough HP and torque for me. Also, the wheel and tire combo they have on the P5 now are plenty fine for me. I actually kind of dread the ride on the Mazdaspeed 3 with those 17in, 45-profile tires. Heh, of course, I wouldn't mind if they put the Renesis rotary in either. The RX8 looks great, but I like the packaging and utility of the P5 better.
Would you all mind answering a few questions?
1) How is the engine noise at highway speeds? I understand the P5 stick is geared such that there are much higher RPMs at speed than the auto. Does it bother you?
2) How about noise off the roof? Does the moonroof deflector really reduce the roof rack noise too?
3) What kind of hwy mileage do you get?
4) How is the car for long, higher-speed runs? Can you drive 80+ for a long stretch comfortably (yes I know it isn't a Lexus)
5) How's the noise/vibration/harshness?
6) We'd all like lots of power, but is the power adequate? I'm curious about a summer Mazdaspeed P5 but fear it will have a big wing, 900-watt stereo and purple seats...
7) I think I know the answer, but how is the handling for hauling through on/offramps at 20 over the posted speed?
Thanks,
Brian
I usually get between 28-32 MPG in my 5-speed P5 (13k miles). That is in mixed driving.
This weekend I made the trip to my wife's folks's house in Maine. 3.5 hours each way, about 60% highway, and 40% fast 2 lanes (Rt. 4 & 202, 45-55mph)
On regular 87 octane gas, I got 34 MPG. :-D
I kept the HVAC in fan positions that kept the AC Compressor off, and I think that made a difference. Anyway... just thought I'd brag.
It's noisier then my Passat was but not by much and certainly not uncomfortable. Tires are a big casue of noise and the SP5000's are pretty quiet. Unlike my snows (Arctic Alpins) which are quite noisey.
2) How about noise off the roof? Does the moonroof deflector really reduce the roof rack noise too?
No moonroof and I took off my roof rack the first week (thought I didn't find it noisy).
3) What kind of hwy mileage do you get?
Strictly highway and i'm hitting 32-34 easily.
4) How is the car for long, higher-speed runs? Can you drive 80+ for a long stretch comfortably (yes I know it isn't a Lexus)
I don't often drive that fast so I can't say. It cruises nicely at 70-75 though, with no problem passing slower traffic.
5) How's the noise/vibration/harshness?
Not bad, but it is an "economy car" so don't expect Lexus levels.
6) We'd all like lots of power, but is the power adequate? I'm curious about a summer Mazdaspeed P5 but fear it will have a big wing, 900-watt stereo and purple seats...
The only confirmed turbo Protege will be the limited edition sedan, at least until the redesign comes along. I think performance is perfect, especially for around town driving.
7) I think I know the answer, but how is the handling for hauling through on/offramps at 20 over the posted speed?
Nothing short of fantastic!.
No it doesn't bother me. I suppose it might be perception though. If I was driving a Caddy, I'd be upset with how loud the engine is, but with this car, I don't mind it at all.
2) How about noise off the roof? Does the moonroof deflector really reduce the roof rack noise too?
I don't know about the deflector, don't like the looks of it. I removed the cross bars b/c it was too loud when I opened the sunroof. With the sunroof closed it never bothered me. I have no problem with the noise levels with the sunroof open now that the cross bars are removed.
3) What kind of hwy mileage do you get?
Don't know. Never bothered to check. I usually go by feel, and it feels like I'm going long enough between fill-ups.
4) How is the car for long, higher-speed runs? Can you drive 80+ for a long stretch comfortably (yes I know it isn't a Lexus)
I don't know, only have maintained 75 for any length of time. Hit 90 once for a short period, felt great. I never maintain anthing over 80 for long periods so it's not an issue for me.
5) How's the noise/vibration/harshness?
Noise is average for the class of car, no real vibration. I think it rides kind of harsh, I can feel every crack in the road, but it's the tradeoff for handling I guess.
6) We'd all like lots of power, but is the power adequate? I'm curious about a summer Mazdaspeed P5 but fear it will have a big wing, 900-watt stereo and purple seats...
I feel the power is more than adequate for 95% of the driving most of us do. To me, it's not underpowered, it's just that sometimes you want more. Some cars are just plain underpowered. But, if more power meant more cost, I probably would not have bought the car, so I'm happy with the power as is.
7) I think I know the answer, but how is the handling for hauling through on/offramps at 20 over the posted speed?
Easy answer. Fantastic. I have a favorite right, left, right, ramp near my house, and it's a blast to fly through. The car flat out corners, I don't think anyone tries to dispute that.
I'm crabby. Went to use the cruise control for the first time this weekend and it doesn't work! It'll stay steady for a few minutes, but then eventually start slowing down and then the cruise will turn off completely. And I realized how annoying it is to not know if the MAIN cruise button is in or out. There should be some sort of dash light showing that along with the 'cruise' light. I'll be taking it in this week and also checking on the availability of the cargo tray.
vf
2) I don't have a moonroof.
3) 30+ on highway
4) My daily commute is 70 miles each way (80% highway, 20% rural roads) and I find P5 very comfortable to drive. I routinely drive 80 mph and occasionally drive at 90+ mph and find my P5 very stable and comfortable at those speeds.
5) Pretty good balance between road feel and smooth ride. No complaints.
6) You're not going to blow away a WRX from traffic lights, but I find the power adequate and it's "peppy" enough with manual transmission.
7) I have no problems following "sportier" cars off ramps at 20+ mph over posted speed limit. Plus, I routinely go 20+ mph over posted speed limit on rural roads in my daily commute...has therapeutic benefits.
Haven't seen too many P5's around Boston yet, but saw at least 15 in my weekend in Montreal, 3 reds, 2 blues, a mix of silvers and blacks and finally another yellow besides my own! Saw more P5's in Montreal than I have since last July in Boston. Kinda cool. First time I have seen another yellow on the road.
Actually came up on a blue one with 4 guys cooking down the 2-20 on the west island.
i do agree that its hard to figure out if "main" button for cruise is on or off but when i use the cruise, i always turn of the button now so i know its off next time i wanna use it. i am glad the cruise is not on a stalk like toyotas. but the buttons should be illuminated. also on p5's next to the fogs and dimmer button there is one empty slot that is not used. why not put an aditiional coil holder there? is that so hard mazda? why not put an additional power outlet. why do automakers take so long to figure things out?
Thanks!
It's pretty safe to assume that when the light comes on, you've got <= 50 miles let. Mine usually comes on between 2 and 3 gallons, so you've got whatever you can get out of that much gas. I try to not let it go below 1/4 tank when it's warm and a 1/2 tank when there's any possibility it might freeze up. There's little in life worse than being stranded without gas.
The Pro5 would make an excellent commuter car and should be quick enough for most people, but is no WRX if you're just looking for blinding speed. Still, it handles like a dream and has power where you really need it, so it's hard to hold it against the Pro5 when it runs out of breat around 5000rpm or above 85mph. If you do normal, sane driving you'll never even notice. If you like to push the envelope or street race at all, you might really find yourself wanting more power. The fun in the Pro5 is that it handles well and needs to be wrung out to be fast. The practicality of the Pro5 is in its gas mileage, roof rack, hatch area, big backseat, 4 rear doors, etc. etc. etc.
The light came on, then i drove about 20 miles to the gas station. It took 12.385 gallons to fill up the fuel tank. Then I did the math, 14.5 - 12.385 = 2.2 gallons. So therefore I believe the light comes on when there is 2.5 gallons of fuel left.
I wouldn't drive more than 50 miles when the light comes on
2) I do have a moonroof. I had the car for about two weeks before getting the deflector and the deflector makes a marked difference.
3) I rarely drive pure highway, but lately I've been getting around 28 with about 60/40 highway/city.
4) Hmm, the only long stretch like that where I've wanted to go 80 for long stretches was on a road trip to San Antonio (I live in Houston). Unfortunately, there was too much traffic and I generally had to stay around 75-80. It was fine for that.
5) Similar to other cars in its class. As others have noted, the suspension is a little stiff, but I like that. Of course, Houston is mostly pretty smooth concrete, not the choppy asphalt of the midwest.
6) I find the power adequate. Of course I'd love another 20-40 horses, but I don't find myself cursing the lack. Now, my wife's 99 LX with the 1.6 in it, that's underpowered.
7) Heh, the handling is the best point of the car's performance. I routinely ignore yellow speed signs for curves--the P5 handles them without difficulty.
If you go to MazdaUSA.com you can see the what sort of stock is available at your local dealership. Go to the "Locate a Vehicle" section. It shows the color, transmission, options, MSRP, etc. It also tells you if the dealership does deals on the net.
The rear seats fold approximately flat after you undo the seat cushions, but the trunk space is still lower than the seatback area so it's not completely level and flat. The cargo tray is a tray that covers the trunk floor to keep it clean, there's already a privacy cover (removeable) on the trunk lid to keep the contents hidden. You can probably still order a car but any dealership is going to try and get you to buy what's on the lot first.
vf
I really don't see the point in running the gas tank till there's only fumes left. Not that you're shaving seconds off laps while going to pit stop like those Nascar racers.
So when the light comes on, just try to get to a gas station at your earliest convenience