The Young MP5

[+ friction]

After shamelessly jacking CruzinAltitude's thread regarding the new MZ3's, I am posing the same question here:

Being new here & to Mazda, just curious: Did everyone feel the same way (that is, negatively) about the MP5 when it first came out as they do about the MZ3 hatch? Some cars have to grow on people and, while the MP5 is a somewhat unique auto, I just can't imagine that Mazda fans had similar reactions to the '5.

Anyone remember back to its debutante days?

 

[alexlitov]

Protege 5 was never an ugly car!!

 

[CruzinAltitude]

but the question is, what was everyones reaction.

 

[mctoone]

I loved the look of the P5 right away...it never had to grow on me. The Mazda 3 Hatch may be OK in the future but right now I do not like it. The Sedan is OK but I still don't like it that much.

 

[DrAsperigus]

I fell in love with the P5 from the first moment I saw one. There are quite a few cosmetic things I am not crazy about concerning the new 3. The 3 is adopting the "edgy" design of the Matrix which I don't care for. The rear fender edges of the car are to edgy for me. However, I may just have to get used to edgy cars since that is all that is in development lately.

 

[REMillers]

Actually I never knew the P5 was out till I saw it at a dealer.

But the thing that is different about the P5 is there is almost nothing out there like it, in ways of looks. The SportCross is close but not fully and is a whole lot more.

The 3 series looks like alot of other cars out there. Everything else about the car is great, but not digging the new style. Still would think of owning one though.

 

[CruzinAltitude]

I know the moment I saw the Zoom Zoom commercial I wanted it bad. I fell instantly in love.

Was this forum (or an earlier form) up and running before the MP5 came out? If so, are there any original members that remember what the reaction to the MP5 was?

 

[+ friction]

Actually I never knew the P5 was out till I saw it at a dealer.

LOL I didn't really know it existed until driving through the dealer a couple of months ago. Love at first sight (or, at least, first conscious sight).

I traded in my Honda for the '5 less than a month after seeing one at the dealer.

 

[cbcbd]

I searched some old old posts and it seems that people already knew of the Protege5 when the site was up.

Plus, this site had MP3 owners coming to it. Our cars are basically an MP3 wagon in looks, so you'd think they'd already like the look.

 

[MarkSpark]

i never liked a wagon before the Protege5, so at first I dismissed it. I would never ever buy a wagon EVER, but the Protege5 is cool.

 

[sidpro5]

When my wife became pregnant, we went to trade my 200 SX in on a Grand Cherokee Sport (you know, for room and safety) but the dealer was a jackass. So I talked her into something that had less room, basically knowing it would be mine sooner than later! 8 months later we trader her Z24 in for her minivan and the 5 is now ALL MINE! " I love it when a plan comes together"

 

[Monstermile]

I was drooling over the P5 the very first time I saw it back in August 2001. They had just got them in. I was looking at an ES at the time and didn't know anything about the P5. Saw it and it was instant attraction. Unfortunantly they were brand new and the few on the lot were fully loaded with ADM. And the dealer wasn't budging off the price. I ended up with my ZX3 but knew I would eventually get my P5. And I did.

 

[+ friction]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I suspect opinion will change on the MZ3 hatch as we start seeing them on the road - before you know it, everyone will be craving one and forgetting about the poor MP5.

After all, the new MZ3 doesn't quite invoke nausea like, say, an Aztec.

Thanks again for sharing your initial thoughts on the MP5. It is cool to know others truly liked this car the first time they saw it.

 

[PeaB0dy]

I had to get rid of my Neon, so I made a list of cars to look @..

Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Mazda Protege
Hyundai Elantra

I knocked the Hyundai out quickly from the list, forget why..

I then went to test drive the Corolla, got in, and eech, was uncomfortable, and wasn't a nice drive.

I then went and tryed a Civic, was a little disappointed, liked some of the features, but everyone had one (everyone I know, except for me have owned a honda), hated the head lights, and jast didn't feel right on the inside.

I then went to mazda, and was looking at the protege ES, it's a good looking car, but my friend and the dealer gave me some good reasons to look @ the P5 . The strut tower bar, the skirt package, and the thing that really did it for me were the headlights..

When I look at a car, it has a face to it, and the dual beam headlights just clicked something in my head, and bang, I will take one..

This car has an amazing apeal to it, I drove the new 3, the top of the line hatch, and wasn't impressed, it felt cheap too..

I like cars with distinct lines, and this cars got them all over..

 

[clownphish]

When I first saw the ads for the P5 on TV I thought it was too big and (forgive me) station wagony. Then a year or so later I went and test drove one not realizing it was the same car. So yeah, initially I didn't like it, but I hadn't seen it in person so I couldn't give it a fair judgement at that time.

Besides, I was all into the PT Cruiser... that is until I drove one, blechh. They're cool to look at but not my kind of driving machine... i.e. the P5!!!

Edit: One thing I have to say about the newer Mazdas in general: they look like nothing else on the road - they stand out for some reason. I saw a couple 6's the other day - beautiful. Don't even get me started on the RX-8 - a dream. Mazda's got that flair for making cars stand out in a crowd, I like that.

Edit to Edit: Ooops! Sorry REMillers, I didn't realize you'd said basically the same thing about Mazdas not looking like anything else on the road.

 

[EticketP5]

When I first saw the P5 I had flash backs to my VW Fox Wagon (try to find one of those today........) It was the re-birth of what got me hooked in the Auto-world. Still miss the VW, only cuz it was my first car, and one of a kinda much like my P5 will be....

 

[808*MP5]

From the beginning i loved the Protege5...at the time i owned an MX-3 V6 which was also a great car, but i wasn't willing to give up the sport for a wagon.... i went from '93 MX-3 to a '88 RX-7 to a 03.5 Protege 5. My true passion is the rotary engine but i just couldn't get over how good the P5 looks.

 

[gman_P5]

The thing that makes the MP5 "unique" is his low roof line, with all this "tall wagons" comming out (including the Mazda3) it looks sportier !! not just another wanna be "corssover", I'll stick with my P5 for a long time. The only thing I like on the mazda3 is the interior, it is much nicer that the MP5.

 

[scott42]

sidpro5: nice A-Team Quote

 

[redwagon02]

I liked the protege5 so much that I bought mine on it's first day of release.