Test drive impressions and questions...

[buster]

It wasn't my comments, I quoted someone else...

My mistake, the Altima and G35's are independent. Only the Maxima and Sentra have the multi-link beam.
So what exactly are dealers telling you guys about:
1) The clunking in the MSP and MP3
2) The availability of the 03.5's (Canada)

I really have three new cars that I am interestd in: The SRT4, MSP and the Spec-V, in that order. I would still consider a SIR, even though it may not be the top handler out of these three. I would still consider the SVT 3 or 5 door if I knew the quality was getting a little better.

 

[AGR]

It wasn't my comments, I quoted someone else...

My mistake, the Altima and G35's are independent. Only the Maxima and Sentra have the multi-link beam.
So what exactly are dealers telling you guys about:
1) The clunking in the MSP and MP3
2) The availability of the 03.5's (Canada)

I really have three new cars that I am interestd in: The SRT4, MSP and the Spec-V, in that order. I would still consider a SIR, even though it may not be the top handler out of these three. I would still consider the SVT 3 or 5 door if I knew the quality was getting a little better.

MAZDASPEED

 

[OrangeAppeal]

So what exactly are dealers telling you guys about:
1) The clunking in the MSP and MP3
2) The availability of the 03.5's (Canada)

I asked my dealer about the clunking in the MP3, and they knew about it, and the head service guy said that he fixed it by replacing the bushings (we know where that gets newf), and he said that a different company makes the bushings on the MSP and we'll have to see where that leads. I told him that some people are experiencing the clunk with the MSP, and he said that he'll take care of it if it shows up.

As for the availability of the 03.5's, well, i'm in USA and they knew less than I did about them.

 

[gb5mx]

I drove an SVT Focus and was pretty impressed with it. The ride was smooth and quiet and the exhaust note (stock) must have barely passed the EPA inspectors and Ford beancounters. It sounded good.

My test drive was with a dealer and the route included no curvy roads, but the car did feel pretty tall and tippy, but it could have simply taken some getting used to after driving there in my Protege5.

Were the "11 recalls" specific to the SVT Focus or are you counting all of the recalls that they had on the regular Foci a couple of years ago? Haven't these initial problems been taken care of by now?

I was shocked to read that the junk Chevy Cavalier outold all Ford Focus (foci?) sold in the U.S. last year. That's pathetic... even a regular Focus is much superior to the Chevy (when did they last redesign that car... 1982?). Then again, with some hefty rebates and dealers willing to make some deals, an SVT could be the performance bargain of the decade.

 

[AGR]

I drove an SVT Focus and was pretty impressed with it. The ride was smooth and quiet and the exhaust note (stock) must have barely passed the EPA inspectors and Ford beancounters. It sounded good.

My test drive was with a dealer and the route included no curvy roads, but the car did feel pretty tall and tippy, but it could have simply taken some getting used to after driving there in my Protege5.

Were the "11 recalls" specific to the SVT Focus or are you counting all of the recalls that they had on the regular Foci a couple of years ago? Haven't these initial problems been taken care of by now?

I was shocked to read that the junk Chevy Cavalier outold all Ford Focus (foci?) sold in the U.S. last year. That's pathetic... even a regular Focus is much superior to the Chevy (when did they last redesign that car... 1982?). Then again, with some hefty rebates and dealers willing to make some deals, an SVT could be the performance bargain of the decade.

Impressive is the MAZDASPEED. Pay a little more and get the MAZDASPEED.

 

[MSP Pro]

Hey Greg:

If he wants a Ford SVT Focus, let him get one. He will soon find out what an open diff does when accelerating out of corners. It will definitely be cheaper to buy than our MSPs. My dealer is now marking them up $5k...ridiculous.

GB5MX: I don't know what the 11 recalls were about, just read it in Autoweek. I do know that Ford extended the warranty on the Focus to 4 years for 2003 models. It's your money, it's your choice.

 

[Grimace]

Most of those recalls were for the first model year cars. My friend has a ZX3, and the only things that have gone wrong on his car is condensation in a headlamp housing and a slightly noisy throwout bearing. He's at 80,000 kms and drives it pretty hard.

 

[gb5mx]

I like the MSP... don't get me wrong. I was just commenting that the SVT Focus is a much higher volume production car and thus, is subject to the normal market discounts and rebates as regular Foci, which apparently are tanking on the market. The MSP and SVT provide an interesting comparison because the horsepower figures are the same (170 hp) and their MSRPs are fairly close. If one loads up the SVT with a good stereo, though still not as good as the MSP unit, list prices are fairly close.

That said, the Mazdaspeed Protege is a much more highly tuned vehicle, looks great, handles amazingly well and will likely always be a much more desireable vehicle that you won't see parked next to you at the shopping mall (or Hertz rental car lot!).

This is definitely an amazing time to be a car shopper. Products on the market are nearly all better than ever from a reliability, quality and value standpoint. Performance cars are now available at nearly every price point and even "standard" cars like a Protege ES will out acclerate and outhandle even dedicated sports cars from 10-15 year ago, provide great fuel economy and meet ever more stringent pollution standards. It's a great time to be a car enthusiast!