Test drove an mp5... Orlando / Classic Mazda

[LilPowWow]

Background:

After 7 years of being home with the kids, my wife is returning to work. Starting next month I get to take the kids to school in the morning. They won't fit in my M Coupe (2dr, 2 seater), so I'm looking for a practical / sporty 4 door. I went to Classic Mazda on SOBT to look at the P5 and the WRX. Obviously different cars, with different price tags. Both are very nice for what they are. I was particularly impressed with the P5 in terms of "bang for the buck."

I'm not looking to start any kind of holy war here, so I'm not asking for comparisons, only answers to a few questions:

- The clutch on the P5 seemed really soft / light to me. Is this normal? Is clutch work a common upgrade?

- Carpoint says you can't get the ABS and side impact airbags without the moonroof. Can someone confirm this?

- Any word on when the new model year will be available and what changes are on tap?

- Is the engine in the P5 shared with any other mazdas? What I'm looking for here is any overlap with the miata... visions of a Flyin' Miata turbo setup dance in my head.

Anything else I should consider?

thanks,
- Dan

 

[njaremka]

welcome!

- well, the clutch in the pro5 is lighter than an m-coupe, that's for sure. but i have 21,000 miles on mine and it is still holding good. this is an economy car and the clutch will seem light to appease the masses. (that's my opinion)

- i would get with a reputable dealer to ask if they can get you a car without the moon roof, if that's the way you want it. persoanally, i have it and i love it!

- mazda seems to keep good wraps on new models and updates, and there doesn't seem to be any good information on the next model pro5, yet.

- the pro5 only shares it's engine with the protege sedan. however, if you like the flyin' miata kits, they are working with BEGI to produce a kit for the protege/protege5 soon to be released. should put out about 200+ hp when they are done with it.

so, enojoy this forum and feel free to ask as many questions as you may. (you might also check www.protegeclub.com/forum for more intrigueing conversations.)

 

[noodles]

Background:

After 7 years of being home with the kids, my wife is returning to work. Starting next month I get to take the kids to school in the morning. They won't fit in my M Coupe (2dr, 2 seater), so I'm looking for a practical / sporty 4 door. I went to Classic Mazda on SOBT to look at the P5 and the WRX. Obviously different cars, with different price tags. Both are very nice for what they are. I was particularly impressed with the P5 in terms of "bang for the buck."

I'm not looking to start any kind of holy war here, so I'm not asking for comparisons, only answers to a few questions:

- The clutch on the P5 seemed really soft / light to me. Is this normal? Is clutch work a common upgrade?

- Carpoint says you can't get the ABS and side impact airbags without the moonroof. Can someone confirm this?

- Any word on when the new model year will be available and what changes are on tap?

- Is the engine in the P5 shared with any other mazdas? What I'm looking for here is any overlap with the miata... visions of a Flyin' Miata turbo setup dance in my head.

Anything else I should consider?

thanks,
- Dan

1) The light clutch is normal. If you drive a stick like how it's meant to be driven, you shouldn't have a problem. In Canada the 2003 (2002.5 in US) will have different alloys, side blinkers, deeper cup holders, 2 xtra tweeters, auto is a semi auto, but practically the same.

2) I have a 5 speed with A/C as my only option and i DO have the ABS on my brakes. I've tested it.

3) There are turbo kits available for the Pro 5. They share the same engine with the Ford Focus Zx3 and Proteges. Only thing is, Protege Engine/parts are assembled in Japan while the Ford line is assembled in North America.

 

[njaremka]

Re: Re: Test drove an mp5... Orlando / Classic Mazda

3) There are turbo kits available for the Pro 5. They share the same engine with the Ford Focus Zx3 and Proteges. Only thing is, Protege Engine/parts are assembled in Japan while the Ford line is assembled in North America.

the focus has a COMPLETELY different engine from the protege. the only similarities are the displacement, and thet is where it ends. they are COMPLETELY different.

did I mention they are COMPLETELY different?

 

[TexP5]

I'll take a shot...

1) Some folks are doing clutch work, but I wouldn't call it a common modification. Yes it's light but two things to consider, this isn't really a sports car so nothing is SERIOUSLY performance oriented. Second thing is you get used to it and it's a good car to drive. One of the things virtually everyone complains of is the shifter and there are a bunch of options for fixing the sloppiness there. KartBoy shifter bushings being the fastest, easiest, cheapest and probably the best thing you can do.

2) As far as I know (and I'm NOT an expert) But I think they're still bundled together. You MIGHT be able to come across one somewhere but I believe in normal production they're still bundled and you get all or none.

3) The P5 was introduced mid-year 2001 as a 2002. They just did a 2002.5 upgrade that folks here are calling a "mid-year upgrade," but realistically the model year started in mid-year so it seems the "mid-year upgrade" is essentially the 2003. Canadian dealers didn't get the 2002.5 and they are going to get the upgrade as an official 2003 later on. The upgrade was pretty much nothing. Cup holders changed, new wheels and added side marker lights.

4) I'm not positive about engines, but I haven't heard of anyone swapping out Miata engines and I think I would have seen those posts if they were around. Everyone is looking for more horsepower in the P5. The new Mazdaspeed Protege sedan is coming soon with a factory turbo. There have been all sorts of rumors about HP on this car, but it looks like a low boost 170hp turbo is about what everyone expects. Many P5 folks are hoping the turbo becomes available as a "kit" from the dealer.

Finally, the P5 isn't a perfect car mostly because it's not an expensive car and it lacks some polish that you can find on more expensive cars. But for the price it is perhaps the most fun car you'll ever buy. It won't win any drag races, but for sheer smile on your face driving this is a neat little car.

OK, Nuke et. al. correct all my errors and help this guy.

 

[Rider69]

Cool, another Orlando P5er? Yes the clutch is light, but it seems pretty stable. Sure it will not hold up to extensive powershifts, but it is not made for that. The shifter is very soft also. I am about to to the KartBoy Shifter and bushing in my P5 today. The engine is not the same as the Focus as someone mentioned, but there are turbo kits slowly starting to come about and I am holding out for a supercharger kit. I think you can get moonroof without ABS/SIAB, but cannot get ABS/SIAB without moonroof. I got the moonroof and ABS/SIAB. The safety of the family and the enjoyment of the moonroof.

BTW, in my experience with Classic Mazda on OBT. They suck! I, along with many others from this area (there was a post about it on protegeclub.com, I think) purchased our cars from Fairbanks Mazda in Longwood. Sure it is a little bit of a drive, bu they have an extensive selection of cars and I had a decent experience from them. Classic didn't seem to want to deal, they didn't have to as their selection was limited. At the time I got mine (a little over a month ago) they had no 2002.5 models (only 8 total), where Fairbanks had mostly 2002.5s and I think 53 on the lot.

Also, check out the Protege Network by clicking on the link in my sig. We have a central Florida Chapter and we welcome you to come and talk to owners and check out what some have done when we have our next meet in a few weeks. We will try to pursuade you from the Subaru

 

[MP5Raycer]

turbo makers for MP3 & 5

www.tripointengineering.com

 

[LilPowWow]

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

To clarify - I'm not looking to powershift or drag race or etc. I don't harbor illusions that the P5 is a more expensive sports car for less. I did say that I'm impressed with what it is for the money. Even the shifter seemed not too shabby, if a little loose.

The only thing that stood out to me was the clutch. Not that it was bad, it just didn't give the feedback I would prefer. I agree with njaremka's assertion that the lighter feel better suits the target market.

I'm not a big fan of moon/sun roofs, so would hate to pay $500 or whatever for it as a required component with the ABS / SIAB option, which I do want. I assume that the SIABs were designed for the headliner config with the moonroof or power availablity or something. I'll look into this at the dealer.

How do I confirm that the model I'm looking at is a 2002.5?

 

[njaremka]

2002.5 models have turn signal repeaters on the front fenders near the door jambs

 

[TexP5]

Simplest sign of the 2002.5 is that it will have two sets of side markers. One set yellow down near the bumper, andother set clear closer to the doors and higher up. Original 2002's just had the yellows up front.

Second, the cupholder on the 2002 has a cover. 2002.5 cupholder doesn't.

I think we all knew you understood the car wasn't a dragster. We were just pointing things out. You'd be surprised how many people on here complain about thngs based on totally unrealistic expectations. One guy the other day said the seats suck cause they're not as good as Recaros!!! Yeah and Two Recaro front seats cost almost as much as the whole dang car, lol!! So we were all jsut being paranoid about making sure you know what you're looking at.

Go buy it!!!! You'll love it I guarantee.

 

[nramsey]

Also, if the car is on a new car lot, the window sticker will have an item in the options column labeled "mid-cycle refresh" with a price of $0.

 

[colnago1331]

With regards to the ABS question:

In the states, ABS and side airbags are packaged together. Furthermore, a Protege5 will not be equipped with the ABS/side airbag package unless it is also equipped with the moonroof. IOW, to get ABS/side airbags you MUST get a moonroof. The opposite, however, is not true, in that you can get a moonroof without getting ABS/side airbags.

In Canada, ABS/side airbags is STANDARD equipment. However, A/C is not (as it is in the states). This is why Noodles has the ABS, though he may not have the moonroof.


With regards to 2002 vs. 2002.5:
2002.5 has
-side turn signals near front door jambs
-deeper, uncovered cupholders
-tweeters in the front doors where the outside side mirrors meet the door
-leather shift knob (vs. aluminum golfball-style shift knob)

 

[Captain KRM P5]

I have heard that the clutch is different due to the fact that it is a hydraulic and not mechanical clutch...in any case it was easily the lightest clutch I've ever driven. My father's Dodge Neon even had a helluva stiffer clutch.

 

[Silver-P5]

P5's in Canada have side airbags?

 

[Red Baron]

P5's in Canada have side airbags?

No side airbags in mine either.

 

[colnago1331]

My bad

I thought that Canadians got the ABS/side airbag package standard, but it's only ABS. You can't even get side airbags. That kinds sucks.

 

[Silver-P5]

I know all Protege5's in Canada have standard ABS, with moonroof and A/C as options.

That's why I was surprised to see one of the members saying side airbags is standard on Canadian models.

 

[Red Baron]

And where I live, white is not offered as body colour...