Handling of the P5

[kenny_dilger]

I am in search of a new car. I currently drive a 95 Jeep Cherokee and am tired of SUV's. I really love the Mini Cooper but am considering other cars as well. How does the Protoge 5 handle? I plan on eventually test driving but wanted to here other peoples opinions and comparisons. Does it have much body roll, does it have a nice and tight steering system?

What about power? I read 0-60 in just under 9 seconds which sounds respectable and still fun. What about above 60? Does it feel fast?

I am also thinking of the Subarus Impreza 2.5RS. Would love the WRX but until insurance comes down for me its out. Although paying the high premiums is not a problem I don't think anything over $1500 a year is worth it.

Thanks,
Kenny

 

[KYREDP5]

Handling is great. If you get a P5 you will be able to outhandle about 95% of the normal cars you will comeacross everyday. The power is enogh to be fun, it's no speed demon, but it's still a ton of fun. The P5 is also scored a perfect 10 in Car& Drivers fun to drive category.

 

[I_Vtec]

Welcome to the board.

The car feels faster than its HP number would lead you to beleive. Above 60 it's a very smooth ride in my opinion. There is very little body roll, you can really sling this car into the turns.

 

[KYREDP5]

Yeah, and it's near impossible to slide the car lateraly. I've yet to slide while tossing it around in the twisties, whereas my probe would slide fairly easily, even with new tires.

 

[jdm_mp5]

yes! it handles incredibly well!!! and its really fun to drive!!! BUY BUY!!!

 

[sundevilMP5]

aren't insurance premiums on the mini cooper high too?? anyways...the p5 handles great. i love throwing the car around because no matter what you do it always seems to stick to the ground (well most of the time)...lots of fun...the impreza is a fun car to drive to but i think the p5 is still more fun. the impreza is higher priced and in my opinion it's just not as much fun to drive...and i can live without the awd since i'm in az...

 

[kenny_dilger]

I got a quote from USAA on the Mini Cooper of just over $600 every 6 months, and that is before a multicar discount which helps a lot. (I am 25 and just married, the married part dropped my premiums a lot). Now the Cooper S had premiums close to $800 every 6 months which is the reason I can't get an MCS, and the fact that its a 12 month wait for the MCS...

Oh, you made me think of something else. How does it handle in the snow with the stock tires? In Colorado where I live we get snow but it does not hang around long.

 

[<<MP5DuCe>>]

kenny_dilger : I too used to drive a Jeep before i got my P5 ... I used to have a 96' Cherokee .... great car and they have a lot of power, being that they have 4.0ltr. I6's in them... and they weigh basically nothing.... So when I first test drove the P5 i wasn't expecting much in the way of power.... BUT ... I wuz pleasantly suprised! The real amazing thing about the P5 is the handling though.. from the jeep to the P5 ... THEY ARE TOTAL OPPOSITES! .. oddviously ;-]

Once u've test drove it .. you will be hoooked ... for sure!

 

[kenny_dilger]

Oh, how much over invoice should I expect to pay? Is it possible to get close to invoice + tax out the door?

Being a member of the IMBA I can get an Imprezza at invoice which makes the car affordable...

 

[Jim Frye]

I tried one out for a few days...

I had to go to White Plains, NY earlier this year for business and when I went to pick up my rental car (Tarass SES), I spotted a red "02 P5 in the parking lot. I went back in and got myself "downgraded" to the P5. I think Hertz charged me $36 a day with no milage. I spent a week thrashing the living daylights out of the little beast. I even got to chase a few Subies and Civics around the hills and dales there. One day in the car sold me on it's merits.

As for price, I'd advise finding a Mazsa Elite, or a large volume dealer (one that moves 30-40 or more Mazdas a month), use www.carbuyingtips.com, and some of the other internet resources. Then you'll be prepared to do battle with the dealers. The P5 is not limited production car and the dealerships are really starting to load up on them, so dealing should be doable. I did. If the salesman starts shoveling the BS, thank him/her politely for their time and head for the door. There are other salesmen and other dealerships. Unless you live in East Overshoe, Iowa, there should at least one Mazda dealer close by to compare with. Jim

 

[JunkPunch]

See if you can find a 2002.5 (2002 with mid-year upgrades) at a dealer somplace. You should be able to get it BELOW invoice, and it is identical to the 2003 (for the most part).

If you go the Mazda website (mazdausa.com) you can search the inventories of all the dealers near you and find one.

As the person above mentioned, Hertz rents them. It might be worth the $35 for an "extended test drive" for a day.

 

[Sir Nuke]

Kenny, welcome to OUR club and our happy home away from home....

the P-5 handles remarkably....like a slot car....in testing, it has OUTHANDLED many many cars that cost as much as 6 times as much.....it has even been tested against vettes in 600 foot soloms and although not by much...but they still ran the 600 foot faster than the vette. (reference last julys Car and Driver or Road and Track...can't remember which....the Protege and P-5 were two of 259 cars they had tested in the last year...and only 39 cars of that total ran the 600 foot solom faster. that included ALL cars they tested....not just stuff in the econobox market)

Okay....for an all out straight liner the P-5 is NOT a rocket...but its pretty darn peppy for a 4 banger.....it CAN get you in trouble...it will cruise on the highway at 85 easily if you want....I did this last summer on a 4800 mile trip and with the car loaded and the a/c runing...still got 29-30 mpg.....and at high speeds the car is as smoothe as glass.

the car draws stares where ever you drive it...its a true eye catcher.....ESPECIALLY if you get one of the bright colors (red or yellow)

I believe you can NOT go wrong getting a P-5.

 

[kenny_dilger]

Thanks for all the great info! I really like the yellow but am concerned about resale value of yellow. Its a hot color now but not sure if it will be in 5-7 years...

Yet silver never goes bad... What about the polished alloys. Are they worth it?

Thanks,
Kenny

 

[azeli73]

I personally feel the polished wheels are not worth the sticker price. If you look around polished just isn't the "IN" thing right now either. That's just my opinion though...


The two colors that look the best are black mica and sunlight silver matallic. If you go with a 2003 try to get the new laser blue mica. That is a sharp color!

I went with the Black Mica myself and love it. Throw a dark tint on and a few mods and you got one sweet ride.

I tell this to anyone that is looking into buying a new car. Check out http://www.consumerreports.org and get a full break down on the protege 5. This helped me get my P5 at $15400 w/ $1200 in tax and license.

<font size="3">GOOD LUCK! (thumb)</font>

 

[KYREDP5]

I love my polished alloys, but it's not for everyone. And it looks better on the brighter colors. That's the same reason I didn't get yellow. Yeah it's cool not but it will be played out in a couple of years. Go with red. Nothin' beats red.

 

[BK's black P5]

IMO - save the money you would spend on the polished oem rims and go for some 17 or 18 aftermarket wheels.

 

[Sir Nuke]

2 more cents from me....as for resale, probably the red, silver, and the blue will hold up best. maybe not the yellow...which I have.....but then I don't intend to ever get rid of the car. :{D

The polished rims were on the car I got and didn't have them removed...as I got two P-5s and the one I got for my wife had the standard wheels...and she likes the polished ones....and she will get the polished ones put on her car when I get some new wheels. so we BOTH win.

 

[MP5driva03]

Really? You too? I had a nice 96 Jeep Grand Cherokee with all time 4wd and a 5.2 L V8 before I got my red P5. Overall, she handles really great, much more than youd expect after driving a Jeep for so long! I drove both the Mini and the P5 before I made my decision, and though the MC handles with grace, there is just not enough room to accomodate my needs. The back, in case you havent noticed, is incredibly cramped, yet its styling and flashy appearance do a great job of making us forget that. Even so, the P5 is sooooo much more fun to drive, not to mention it'll handle on an almost equal level with the MC. The P5 has everything I could want...and more!

Good luck with your decision,

Chandler Ellis,
Fredericksburg Virginia

 

[Phoenix5]

As far as handling,the Pro5 is very predictable thanx to F/R strut bars.If you do decide to get one either get Classic Red(don't about the whole myth about red cars,I don't!!) or the 2003 Laser Blue Mica,which is really a tight color...I wish I could have waited get it,oh well!!

 

[pingdum]

If you do decide to get one either get Classic Red(don't about the whole myth about red cars,I don't!!)

I'll pretend I understand that sentence and ask, what myth?