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Mazda Protege5
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Comments
mazdafun
In case you're serious, I live north of Cincinnati, OH. Mazdas seem to be finally catching on in this region.
The gap is closing, but it is still there.
It doesn't make anyone un-patriotic or anti-American to point that out.
It's funny... I dropped off my Protege ES sedan for an oil change and to have the rear window weatherstripping "glued" on (thanks everyone for the TSB number), so my coworker came and picked me up. She just happens to have a two month old Focus Wagon. What's even funnier, is that she had me drop her off after lunch and had me take her car so I can pick her up afterwards and head over to the dealership to pick my car up.
Here are my impressions of the Focus Wagon: Is there a telescoping feature on the steering wheel? I have short legs and was very uncomfortable driving it. The pedals are placed very close to the driver while the wheel is quite a reach. With my legs comfy, I had to drive with my arms straight out to reach the wheel! With my arms comfy, my knees were way up by the dash!
Acceleration is ok (automatic, ZETEC engine), but it doesn't have the spunk the Protege has. The transmission shifts wonderfully smooth but hesitates on the downshifts a bit too much. Why isn't there a tachometer? The car handles confidently with a good amount of body roll, but it's turn-in is not very quick. It doesn't have the confidence-inspiring response of the Protege and it is not a car I would be happy with on a twisty mountain road. On the plus side, the ride is very smooth and quiet.
Cargo area is where the Focus shines over the Protege5. The Focus Wagon is built more like a big box and it shows inside. Most of the ergonomics are excellent and the switchgear has a quality feel to it. However, there are a few gripes: the fold-down armrest really gets in the way of buckling the seat belts and operating the hand-operated parking brake. And the center stack protrudes over the cupholders, severely limiting the height of any beverage containers (you must carefully struggle to put a Venti Starbucks coffee in it, just to give an example).
Overall, I think the Protege5 is the better of the two cars, unless you need that extra cargo room. The Protege5 and Focus are definitely designed with different markets in mind, and it just matters what you prefer: sportiness and style (Protege5) or cargo-hauling and economy (Focus).
At the Mazda dealership she looked at the MPV and walked away saying, "I should have bought that instead." Of course, when she was shopping for a car, she would have nothing to do with a minivan. Now that she's actually taken a look at one, she regrets her purchase. She said, "You should have dragged me to the Mazda dealership by the hair kicking and screaming and sat me down in one of these." Oh well... she should have listened...
The "All-American" Dodge Ram is built in Mexico. Who would have known? Meanwhile, the "Japanese" Camry, Accord, and 626 are built in the U.S., along with the Mercedes M-Class and the BMW Z3 and X5.
Erik
Many thanks from a buyer 1 day away from what is turning out to be a difficult decision.
And now back to the subject of the Mazda Protege5. Thanks for your participation. ;-)
Pocahontas
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons Message Boards
Also, I get real tired of people suggesting that there is something about the character of people in certain countries that results in the production of superior or inferior cars. The quality of cars being produced has everything to do with a manufacturer's commitment to superior design and quality control, and nothing to do with the nationality of the person screwing bolts on the thing.
It won't have any first-year-model problems since the ZX3 is entering its 3rd year of production without any significant change.
Erik
Would you please point me to some posts where someone actually claimed that the reason Japanese cars are better built, more reliable, etc is that the Japanese are born to build cars better, it's in their blood etc? As has been mentioned before, many "Japanese" cars (not Mitsubishi) built in North America are of high quality. I would like to see a US manufacturer doing the same thing.
Well, what if a Dodge Ram owner tells you his truck has 200K miles with 0 problems, will you change your mind about Chrysler's quality?
You want a Subaru WRX or an Audi A4? Why? What's wrong with a Mustang V6 Coupe beside having no AWD and only 2 doors? Or get a Mustang GT.
"As has been mentioned before, many "Japanese" cars (not Mitsubishi) built in North America are of high quality. I would like to see a US manufacturer doing the same thing."
I'll bet you dollars to donuts that if Ford put a plant in Japan they would turn out good cars, so that kind of shoots your theory! LOL!!!! One thing you have to realize, and I am being serious now, is that Japanese do NOT buy American cars, Koreans do not buy American cars, Europeans do not buy American cars. Americans are the only ones that seem to be happy with American cars, they are designed and tailored to our wants and needs. It would be nice if some American companies could sell more cars overseas, but they can't no matter how hard they try.
Back to non-serious now... I'll bet the Japanese can build such good cars because they have such cute little dextrous hands! That was just a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!
" 'I suppose there are unreliable cars from everywhere, but besides Chrysler (J/K, LOL, flameproof suit on...) I don't think American cars are that much worse than foreign cars any more.'
Well, what if a Dodge Ram owner tells you his truck has 200K miles with 0 problems, will you change your mind about Chrysler's quality?"
Did you not see the "(J/K, LOL, flameproof suit on...)" in that post? Try to lighten up a little bit, or I may have to start ignoring you!
As far as my next vehicle choice, I guess I'm wrong about the WRX or the A4, why don't you tell me what I want.
The typical European or Japanese consumer lives in a highly urbanized area. Fuel also costs 2-3X as much as here. Whatever parking exists is pretty tight. Thus, most of them choose something that is usually smaller and more economical than what is usually designed in the US. What small cars US companies do offer usually don't stack up well against the native offerings. There is still some nationalistic leanings (same as here), but they feel the bottom line ($$$ value) as we do, so if they have a compelling choice, they WILL choose it.
What US-designed cars I've seen are usually the larger (think Crown Vic) ones, purchased by those who want to flaunt their affluence ("see how much money I can waste on fuel and space"...kind of akin to the seeming US affinity for ever-larger gas-guzzling SUVs when most hardly ever go off-road or haul more than can be handled with either a station wagon or a moderately-sized minivan).
It's just like anything else. If your product fits the needs and desires of the consumer (and there aren't any glaring faults), they will at least consider purchasing it.
Another hatch-related question: how's refilling the washer fluid for the rear? I wasn't able to find it when I checked out a P5 at a local dealer.
Also, does Mazda yet offer kits for the roof rack to carry bicycles or skis?
Of course, it DOES have AWD... and that's a lot if you need it. But even living here in VT, I don't. A FWD with snows will take me anywhere I need to go safely and securely in winter.
Also, it's only a couple hundred dollars cheaper, it's almost 400lbs. heavier, and the added driveline loss of the AWD means it's no faster despite having 35 more horsepower.
Still, if you need/want AWD, it's about your only choice. :-)
"I'll bet you dollars to donuts that if Ford put a plant in Japan they would turn out good cars, so that kind of shoots your theory!"
Actually, if you reread hkchan's message, he stated that the country of manufacture has little to do with the quality of the car. He stated that many Japanese cars are built in the U.S. and retain their high quality, so therefore, just building a factory in Japan wouldn't make Ford cars any better, since Japanese cars built in the U.S. are not any worse.
"Did you not see the "(J/K, LOL, flameproof suit on...)" in that post? Try to lighten up a little bit, or I may have to start ignoring you!"
I am sure he did read that line. He wasn't flaming you, he was refuting your argument that Ford builds reliable cars just because *your* Ford has had no problems with 115K miles. He was using your argument against you, just like you using the phrase "I may have to start ignoring you" against the people who threatened to ignore you.
"As far as my next vehicle choice, I guess I'm wrong about the WRX or the A4, why don't you tell me what I want."
This was another example of hkchan using your own argument against you. You chimed in in support of cross shopping the Ford Mustang on the Protege5 board, and he was asking why you were not cross shopping the Mustang with you car choices. Someone shopping for the Protege5 is more likely to also look at the WRX or the A4 before they would consider a Mustang.
Someone shopping for a Protege5 has no interest in a Mustang. Just because the demographics are the same doesn't mean that a "young male" shopping for a Protege5 has any interest in a Mustang and vise versa. Once I reach middle age, am I supposed to suddenly like Buicks and Lincoln Town Cars because I move into their target demographic? I would probably slit my wrists before voluntarily driving one of those mushmobiles.
Please, don't get defensive. When someone is defensive, they tend to overreact and usually make themselves look worse. I know this from experience. I am not trying to attack you, I am just trying to point out how you misunderstood hkchan's posts. Sometimes you read what you want out of a message, instead of reading what is really there.
Respectfully,
Tom
P.S. This is unrelated to davidb72. I don't like American cars because they choose to not make anything I like. Most of the American cars that I might be interested in do not come with a manual transmission, so they are automatically disqualified from the cars that I am considering. Reliability has nothing to do with it. None of the cars I own is manufactured by a company renowned for their reliability.
Things to note about my review is that I mention that highway passing power is a bit limited but I think that can mostly be attributed to the fact that its an auto and has an inherent delay (low end is great however). I think the manuals will accelerate quite nicely.
My only additional complaints so far are that the arm rest isn't really usable since its small and set back and that there is no remote trunk release. One thing to note is that the roof rack does not interfere with the sunroof in the slightest (except for creating more wind noise). Also be warned, the user manual states that you shouldn't put the Protege5 through an automatic car wash with the roof rack on or it may be damaged. Judging by the roof rack instructions (especially the putting it back on) I would expect that if you buy it you should probably expect to hand wash it.
-Mark
-Mark
-Mark
Also, "Mazdafun" had a good question relating to the little bee stinger antenna. Can the antenna retract or fold down flatter if I want to haul a sheet of plywood home?
If the antenna is anything like the one on my old VW Corrado, it won't be adjustable.
-Terry
-Mark
The rear is a little differnt. Remove the cover the same way. I think the rear has the main bolt, and two more screws to take out. Then slide the washer the bolt was in out of the railing. The plugs will snap right in.
I thought it looked ok without them, but it would look super cool if instead of putting plugs in them, the black rails were gone altogeather. Maybe the rack should have been an option. Sometimes its nice to have a choice. I ended up putting mine back on...the black rails just look out of place without the rack attached.
The antenna just screws out of its base. If it was ever standing in the way of putting cargo on the roof, it can easily be taken off.
Nomi
Most after-market roof racks look out of place. The stock rack is nicely integrated and feels quite substantial. Aftermarkets also compromise the integrity of the weatherstripping (as they usually hook between the top edge of your door and the roof).
I want it mostly to haul my bicycle around, but it can come in handy for hauling plywood and drywall. And no, I don't want a truck, SUV or minivan. I don't like how they handle (or don't). Once you've used the rack, you'll appreciate it. It sounds easy enough to remove it (might be too easy...if you've got stick-fingered people around). I think they're ABS/PC, so should take paint easily if you want to do that.
Can these be removed easily on the Pro5? That would just leave the rails running the length of the roof and should be a lot quieter.
Also, thanks for checking the antenna. Hope the parts department at my local dealer stocks those, just in case I forget to remove it before loading drywall onto the rack.
Of course, I have to get a P5 first. Still working on that...I have to convince my wife to get one herself or accept my 99 Pro as a hand-me-down to replace her 91 Saturn SL2 so I can get one.
My first impression of the car is that it's very well built, very high quality; maybe even better than my 2000 Millenia S. Love the sound of the door closing, very solid. Also love the look of the car; very aggressive and clean. The Mazda dealership that we got this from also sells Subaru. I showed my wife the Impreza wagon and her reaction was "Eiuuuuuuuuu; ugly butt"; enough said.
More to come as we drives the car more. Planning to take our Golden Retriever to beach this weekend, we'll see how she fits in the hatch area of the car.
BTW, anyone knows how to set the perimeter alarms so that it's not too sensitive?.
zoom,zoom
It is great to know that the bee-stinger antenna can be unscrewed. I have played with it at the dealership and it also has a very flexible rubber mount that allows it be "bent" down to the roof without breaking. I have tried this bending it backwards... I don't know if it will allow this going forward or sideways.
csuftitans, good luck getting your dog in the back. I have a pretty large Lab, and wouldnt think of stuffing her back there. I guess its so small because of the rounded shape of the hatch. If it was square like a focas wagon, there would be much more head room.
I could put my dog in the back, but I might smash her when i shut the hatch.LOL
Anyway, I got a call from the dealer yesterday. The car is in!!!! I will pick it up on Saturday. (Unfortunately, I can't get there before that.) Not bad, it will be 3 weeks to the day since I bought it. And actually, since I bought on a long weekend and they couldn't start looking for the car until Tuesday, arrival at the dealership took only 2 weeks. I can't wait to drive the new beastie.
Nomi
If the dealership can't tell you for certain, you will have to take off the rear door trim panel to measure the one installed.
This dealer is selling this Pro5 for only 1000 over MSRP. LOL .... Is anyone going to bid?
I really doubt it. Please people if u are lookig to buy a Pro5, do not pay one dollar over MSRP. This is not a limited production vehicle.
The Subes handle like shopping carts, and nose-dive severely under hard braking (love those rear drums)! The base suspension tuning in the TS/OBS makes them wallow all over the road. They are quiet, though, and ride pretty smooth.
The friggin' TS doesn't even have cruise control, which (to me)is the automotive equivalent of a hair shirt.
The P5 interior is much nicer, with clean lines and matching textures. The P5 cupholders will hold a large DD iced coffee. The holders in the Subes are not useful due to their poor locations.
My wife liked the interior grab handle on the passenger-side door--it's just like the doors in her 2.5RS (white-faced instruments,too). The new Subes now lack these touches.
I found the seats in the three cars to be roughly equal in comfort, but the lower cowl in the P5 meant that the seat didn't need to be raised as high as the others. Too bad Subaru didn't put the seats from the WRX in the other wagons.
No bodyside moulding on the TS (say "cheap")! No mudflaps for the P5, but with the side sill extensions, you don't really need them.
Notice that I have not compared the P5's exterior styling with that of the Subes'. Enough said.
I will wait to purchase a P5 until after the Toyota Matrix debuts. The Matrix is not as clean in design, but it will have an all-aluminum engine that will merit a comparision.
Reading everyone's reviews has helped pass the time while waiting for my P5 (still 3 to 4 weeks to go).
-Terry