By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
I have one other question... does one have more negotiating strength at the dealer if they buy a 2002 at this stage, since this is almost "last year's model" or would that not be a factor.
Really appreciate the input. Thanks so much!
As Vocus points out, you can improve the performance by insulating the refrigerant line from the compressor to the air-cooling unit (located in your dashboard). Just make sure the insulating material you use is suitable for use in high-temperature environments and does not contact any engine or exhaust components (don't want to start any engine fires).
We've had temps int eh 90's with high humidyt for the last month up here.... no complaints.
So I think the AC is fine.
Bruno
Bruno
We averaged 31 mpg over the trip (mostly highway with some back roads and city driving during rush hour and construction backups). We were very happy with the car...
AC worked just fine. A really stupid comment, but something to check when you are test driving....
Make sure the vents are open and aiming where you would normally have them blowing. The P5 I test drove had the vents closed when I first turned on the AC. It was about 95 degrees and I thought the AC was poor... until I asked the salesman and he took a look and opened them up...duh!
AC is fine for my Black P5. I really love this car and would buy one over an accord.
Well Leroy, I guess the midwest is a different place as 78 will get you run over by minivans out west. After hauling the kids around in a 200hp minivan for the weekend and then getting back into a P5, I realized just how lacking the P5 is in the power department. Other than that, the car was pure joy with bit much noise at 80mph.
As an antenna I got a through-the-glass type antenna that I installed on the left rear window. Being 2 m, the antenna length was a lot more reasonable than equivalent CB antennas, but maybe they have something available.
The more I saw them, the more I liked them, enough to seriously consider purchasing one by April 2003 when the lease of my 4Runner Ltd is up. Started reading this board, (yes, ALL of the msgs, ummmmmm, maybe I DO need to get a life...Nevermind, that's a whole 'nother story!
Took a test drive in a red 2002.5 sport-AT, was impressed w/ the very smooth shifts. Then this last weekend, while visiting St Lucie West area, stopped by the dealer in Vero Beach with a friend of mine (shall we say large? 6'3" 275-290+) who sat in the driver's seat. Said he felt like he had more room in it than my 4Runner had! I was really surprised at that! Also, btw, this dealer had 2003 MP5's fresh off the truck, they still had the white plastic sheet wraps, (some previous msgs were wondering when the '03's would be arriving).
Thanks again for the great info here, it's appreciated.
Allen
this only proves that we did not post enough... Don't worry, you'll get a life after getting your P5.
Welcome
Bruno
just wanted to share my first "oh, wow, what kind of car is that!" experience today at the local mall. guy and his girlfriend thought it was a toyota. "mazda" he said incredulously, "i didn't know they made cars like that." it's nice to get into a car that eye-catching even when it's just you and the empty parking lot.
Incidentally, a few months back a fellow at a gas station thought it was a Lexus Sportcross.
Derrick
Floor mats standard.
ABS/Side Air Bags option no longer requires Moonroof option (hey, they actually listened).
Moonroof and 6-CD in-dash changer options tied together.
The big changes are to the DX and LX sedans (standard single-CD player and standard 15in alloy wheels, respectively). Floor mats standard across the board.
On the subject of the auto, whoever designed the shift gate pattern must have been on drugs. Moving the shifter from drive to park is way way too difficult.
The biggest downer for the car IMHO was the ride quality. Anytime the road gets a little rough you get pounded by the suspension. I think Mazda cut corners on the shock valving. The car handles well with traditional FWD torque steer and push but once the road gets a little rough you pay the price.
I would hope Mazda is going to dish up a little more torque and little better suspension tuning for the P5 at some point. I can't get too excited about the car until they do.
Gas mileage ranges between 29-33. My wife uses the car most of the time, I have to beg for a chance to use it. She absolutely loves this car, and I must admit I am quite impressed with it myself. It handles great, and seems fine on all types of road surfaces. The air conditioner has been getting quite a workout, and works well, though if you sit in traffic, it is not as strong.
The temperature mirror is also pretty accurate.
The sound system is fine, though I am not an audiophile. The car shifts smoothly. Radio reception is adequate, though we don't listen to the radio that much. It is a lot of fun to drive, and the power is adequate, though it would be nice to have a little more horsepower. All in all, we are thrilled with our car and would highly recommend this car to anyone considering purchasing one.
Bill Mc.
Bruno
For me it's a biggest upper! ;-)
Bruno
2002.5 P-5, 5 speed
2001 Protege ES, 5 speed
2001 Protege LX, Automatic 2.0 litre
groups.yahoo.com/group/intenseperformance.
btw, we will be staying at this hotel:
Hometown INN Atlanta Riverdale
http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=dspv&flag=l&itid=&itdx=&itty=&from=f
if anybody is interested.
When driving the car really hard you tend to overlook the kicks and jolts the suspension feeds back to the body. When you are driving at normal highway speeds in traffic it becomes much more noticeable.
Enjoy, neat car for the bucks but could be a little better; as could any car.
I take your word for it on suspension design sophistication. Suspension designs can be tuned though.
Cheers,
Bruno
What is wrong with non owner test drive reports? Many people use these boards to help them evaluate cars. They get a much bigger window into what it is like to drive a particular car. I think the more opinions expressed about a car the better. That way when you spend your hard won dollars you know exactly what you are buying. In many cases you aren't aware of good or less than good things about a car during a short test drive.
I am also pretty sure somebody from Mazda is following the boards on Mazda cars and providing feedback to their design teams. If everyone said the P5 was perfect then Mazda would have little incentive to improve it.
So it goes.
Kris loves it and I love the way it drives. Plus it is quick around town and takes regular gas. Mileage is 25-30. My car is a 2000 Civic SI and Kris allway's gives me grief about needing premium gas. BTW, we are 48&49 years old and like sporty, small and manual trans sedans. We live in Detroit,MI. Email me if you want more info at rdm925@yahoo.com
I am interested in other members comments about how well (4) wheel disc brakes perform in winter conditions. Please assume that I do not try to break the Indy records during bad weather conditions.
If it is a concern for you then I think you should get one with ABS. You say it should be mandatory, but also say that Mazda makes you invest in it. Well, if it was a standard feature of the car the base price would just increase by the cost of the ABS option. So whether it's an option or standard it isn't going to affect the price. Therefore I like the option not to have it and save money.
Bruno
http://www.carbuytip.com/reviews/2002_mazda_protege5.html
"With the 60/40 split rear seats folded, there's 24.4 cubic feet of cargo space. Mazda measures at a height level with the top of the rear seats, as per EPA guidelines; some manufactures measure to the ceiling, making specs sometimes skewed."
It's about 2/3 of the way down.
I appreciate you looking, thanks.
Mazda was conservative on their numbers. I took a number of measurements when the P5 first came out and modeled the space in CAD. These are up to the bottoms of the windows/tops of the seatbacks, and include the areas on either side of the wheel well protrusions:
W/ cargo cover, rear seatbacks up: 12.9 cu ft
W/o cargo cover, rear seatbacks up: 14.2 cu ft
Back seats down, front seats up, about mid-way through fore/aft travel (where my seat usually is): 33.5 cu ft
The numbers would be bigger if I measured up to the headliner, but I didn't take those measurements. These numbers take the angle of the seatbacks into account. The last figure assumes you also fold down the rear seat pans in addition to the seat backs, to get a flatter load floor.
But mazda has made some changes to the roof rack to address some noise complaints...
Mazda has made two changes to the roof rack to address this problem. Regretfully these changes are not retro...so they are only on the new ones leaving the factory. There is no service bulletin on this so its FYI...
step 1. wind trap height on cross bar was changed from 2.5mm to 2.8mm for production after 9/01. this decreased whistling noise under 70mph...but some noise still heard above 70mph.
step 2. add a wind trap sheet and camfer on bottom trap of cross bar...units after 4/02 production. Wind tunnel tests showed a drop in noise to job#1 standards.
for 2003 mazda will install the side rails at the factory and not install the cross bars. The cross bars will come with the car and installed at the dealership.
I think this message board is great. Keep up the good work!
The dealer surprised me by diagnosing the clicking sound I heard in the clutch area upon launch as a bad strut. (His mechanic described it as a groaning sound.) OK, it's still under warranty: 4 months old, 3800 miles. But they just replaced the strut, test drove the car, and now hear the same sound from the right front. They're ordering a new strut for that side.
I haven't run over any prostrate telephone poles or Oldevai Gorge-like potholes, so I wonder if this might be a common defect. If you're hearing a clicking or groaning sound and are still under warranty, better get it checked pronto.