your friends are tools.
Car and Driver says "the engine revs so willingly that the car feels quicker. And wagonizing did nothing to blunt the Protegs terrific steering and handling." stock the car pulls about .8 g on the skidpad!
that and the first place victory it took out of six in that same magazine:
http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=2338&page_number=6
copied below.
We talk a great game. We invite you along on an in-depth evaluation of a new class of extra-roomy carryalls, then what do we do? Right, we fall in love with a low-roof model offering the least interior space. That's the kind of guys we arelots of promises upfront about deep conversations and pursuing the well-rounded life, but when the pretenses drop away, same as always, we're here for the heavy breathing.
This Mazda, like the Proteg four-door on which it's based, is really fun in the twisties. Ride is taut, body roll is tightly controlled, the 50-series Dunlops respond crisply, and they bite (0.79 g). You can set up a happy understeer with light braking on the way into turns, or push in hard under power, then lift a bit when you need to tighten the line. The knee bone is connected to the thigh bone, with no wobbles and no excuses. Precise. Predictable. Press on!
Not that you need to be on fast forward all the time to have fun. The clutch takes up with the trusty smoothness of the Supreme Court. The gearbox throws are short and succinct. The seat fits, the sports-car driving position says excitement, and the off-white gauges are legible and all business. The engine is rather loud, it's true, and you feel it buzzing the wheel most of the time in a way the PT Cruiser's never does. It's an emotional thing with car guys. Some engines make you feel right, even though they don't deliver special numbers. In fact, the husky-voiced Mazda and the laid-back Chrysler run side by side in the acceleration tests all the way to top speed, where the Mazda, at 113 mph, has a thin-sliced advantage of just 1 mph.
<TABLE width=210 align=right bgColor=#eeeeee><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>Mazda Proteg5</TD></TD><TR><TD>
</TD></TD><TR><TD align=middle>Highs: Athletic stride through the twisties, taut control responses, sporty cockpit feel, console perfectly shaped for painless bracing of your right leg.
Lows: Same low eye point as in a sedan, buzzy vibrations at most speeds, loud engine.
The Verdict: A sports car in station-wagon clothes.</TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
In concept, this is a notchback sedan redrawn into a hatchback. The roofline has been extended rearward some, but not far enough to give real station-wagon capacity. Still, the original notch is a darn good people hauler, an advantage that enables this Proteg5 to do well in comparison with the others here. It can't match the space in the PT Cruiser and the twins, but there's plenty in just the right places for two adults, and the seat is exceptionally comfortable, enough to earn our top rating.
For cargo, the rear seat folds station-wagon style, creating a small step down to the load floor behind. Frat boys may have to make two trips; capacity is only 18 beer cases, least of all. But let's talk barbecue skewers; the Mazda transports 117-inchers, two inches longer than in the second-best Suzuki.
Okay, maybe the numbers add up to a weak case, but check that red paint.
