Corolla, Focus and Elantra handle worse than the Protege does. Do you have any proof of this "marketing" FUD that you're trying to spread? I am willing to bet that designing a suspension that handles really well, yet provides ample comfort DOES cost a lot of money. Otherwise, wouldn't Ford, Toyota, and Hyundai be using such suspensions? You said Mazda is financially challenged, but none of the aforementioned 3 are.

You say that the Protege ride is comparable to that of a Hyundai Elantra. Well I would EXPECT that to be so. I can eat Elantra's for lunch on the twisties. It is quite laughable to even compare the handling abilities if the two cars. Have you been in a 1990-1995 Corvette? It rides like ****. Nonetheless it can kick major *** in the handling category.

See what I am getting at? Wouldn't GM design a suspension for the Corvette that handles greatly and gives it a nice ride? Logic says yes.

On a side note, I think the stiffer ride adds to the overall character of the car.

As has been said, YGWYPF.

 

I hear you mnkyboy. I argued against his blantely baseless posts but gave up since his limited intellect was seriously inhibiting him from formulating any decent arguments, and it got boring trying to enlighten him.

Oh well, he can keep trolling.

 

this thread is so dead, but here i go

i love the quality of my car, noise doesnt bother me much, focus handling SUCKS but is super quiet and smooth (i work for Ford, drive them all the time) SVT focus handles good, but then the ride quality is back to the level of my P5.
it cost alot for GREAT quality struts and other suspension components to make it both smooth and handle good.
no other car in its class handles as good, and if u want a quiet car for 16 grand go buy an elantra...i almost did, but i know what i rather have.

 

My sister has a 2001 Elantra that I drive frequently. It handles NO WHERE NEAR the Protege and the on center feel is very GM truck. The breaks aren't as good either. What it does do better is:

1. Overall finish-Tighter body panels, more finished engine bay.
2. Better noise control
3. Warranty and initial cost.

Its a darn good car for the price. But I still like the overall Pro experience much better. The Elantra feels like a highly refined Cavalier. Not a bad thing, just not my bag. Plus it looks kinda goofy. Although the hatchback looking one in black with leather aint too bad...

 

You can make a lot of other similar comparsions as well. Ever driven a BMW 30 or E36 M3? They ride like a Corvette.
How about a Porsche Boxster or Carrera? Better than a Corvette, but the Protege is smooth and quiet in comparison to a Porsche.
Ask me how I know. BTW, I think a Boxster or Carrera handles better than a Corvette, but that is just my own biased opinion.

Although a Protege has nowhere near the ride or quiet of an E46 BMW I don't find the Protege tiring on long trips. My commute is 45 miles one-way and it is not tiring. Neither are 12-hour driving days on long trips.

 

Ok I don't even know what the hell we're arguing about. I see people in here comparing apples to oranges. Comparing Protege's to BMW's... to Buick's... whatever. Bottom line is, Protege is cheap, i payed 15k and 5 year 0%apr financing with a 6 year warranty bumper to bumper.

Sh**, it I had the money to buy a BMW 3 series I would. And anyone of you who would rather have a protege versus a BMW, you're on crack.

And whats you all's defintion of nice ride? Smooth?? Well cars with stiffer suspension doens't mean that its a bad ride, because suspension with good handling is suppose to be stiff. Thats why luxury cars don't handle well because they have "smooth" rides. Ibachis, fordmotosports, momo... whatever... all expensive suspension (for good sport handling) is stiff as hell. So that should clear that up... and btw not all models of GM and Ford suck. i.e. Corvette, Mustang Cobras, Camaro SS... sh** these are all classics, and they last a butass long time too. Just because you were dumb and bought a cavalier doens't mean you just dismiss all domestics because of that one bad experience. And in my opinion, (i work part time at Avis) Domestic cars on average have more comfortable interiors than japanese cars. Japanese cars are most of the time compact and conservative (except for the lexus and LE models).

Well thats all i'm gonna put on this thread.... peace

2002 Protege ES
1995 Cobra Mustang
1983 Corvette T-Top

 

None of my posts should be considered "trolls". I'm simply stating what I dislike about the Protege. No, I don't own a Honda. Never did. Hondas ARE excellent cars, though, regardless of how many of them get riced out all of the time.

Also, you don't have to drive a Ford Focus for several months to note it's superior ride and level of quiet refinement. It took me several months to notice that I in fact get fatigued by driving the Protege on long trips because the ride sucks (yes, that's an appropriate word) and the noise level is irritating.

Regarding handling, the Ford Focus handles as well as the Protege. It's shown in Consumer Reports testing, BOTH for routine and emergency maneuvers. But that's another comparison. If you had really read what I said, I said I was comparing the quality of the Protege's ride, not handling characteristics. I never said Pro doesn't handle well.

I DID say that I believe Protege could be much more comfortable and still handle equally as well, but Mazda didn't choose to do that for whatever reasons they had. Once again, FORD FOCUS. It costs about the same, it's in the same small car class, yet it has an excellent blend of handling/comfort characteristics.

What I want is the comfortable, quiet, excellent ride of the Focus, and the appearance, equipment options, tactile feel, and reliability of the Protege.

What I'm saying is Mazda could have built the Protege with ALL of these characteristics. If they had, no one would be complaining about it, nor would they be getting all hot and bothered about someone who says the car should have been that way in the first place, but wasn't .

I make no apologies for being demanding. I expect and demand it all, at all times, and if I find a manufacturer didn't deliver on something they very well could have, I say it. I don't blindly love a car, unable to stomach when someone else berates it-- Especially when these are valid, factual complaints.

And here they are, in plain English:

The Protege's ride quality sucks.
The Protege's noise control characteristics suck (compared to other mainstream Japanese competitors).

It's as simple and factual as that.

Now, to appease those who are frothing at the mouth because I've ripped on our cars, please allow me to note what's excellent about the Protege:

The Pro is among the most reliable vehicles you can buy. It's so good, in fact, that there isn't a Toyota, Honda, or Nissan that surpasses it. They're all on the same playing field. This is most excellent, as I consider reliability the MOST important quality of a car.

The Pro is the best looking small car available from ANY manufacturer. Mazda has that equation totally right-- I'm impressed every day when I see my or another's Protege (including the P5) out there. Why can't Toyota or Honda build a car that's this cool looking!? Bastards!

The Pro has an excellent interior configuration (not including the center "armrest", which sucks). It's very roomy inside, the feel of the interior components is awesome, controls are logically placed, and the fold down rear seats allow for excellent cargo capacity; especially for a small car.

I've long agreed that the Protege handles with aplomb. It's among the best handling cars I've ever driven.

The steering is quick and well weighted, providing an excellent, tactile feel for the road.

Protege is a good value. For the money, you get a lot of options you might not otherwise get for the same amount in a Toyota or Honda.

 

Saying the ride quality "sucks" is not factual, it is an opinion. What do you expect from the ride? Do you not want to feel the road? Do you want to feel like you are driving a Cadillac? Because to me, that would suck. Perhaps you want a "floaty" ride, but that's not what the car is meant for. You need to define what "ride quality" is for yourself.

If you want, put 15" (or 14") wheels and tires on the car. Instant ride quality "improvement" for you. Also, instant DECREASE in handling and road feel. Put softer springs and struts on there while you are at it, IF that is what you want.

 

I have to agree with JunkPunch. Ride quality is a matter of personal taste. Hehehe... some pple like it rough

And the reason why people buy differenct cars is that they have different needs and wants. Everyone goes for test drives and buy one that's suitable for him or her-self. If they don't like it, then it's not the car for them. It doesn't mean that the car sucks or sucked, but it's not to their liking or it doesn't meet their expectation.

And ProtegeMaster, i think Toyotas are the most reliable cars in the world, not Mazdas. Even the Germans (who build great cars) think so too.

 

Ah, reliability is my forte--

You're right, as a whole, Toyota builds the most reliable vehicles in the world, by far. That goes across their *entire* vehicle line up.

Mazda, as a whole, doesn't build cars nearly as good as Toyota, but a lot of that is because of the screwed up Ford rebadged vehicles in their lineup-- Such as the Tribute and B-Series trucks. If, however, you look at the exclusively designed Mazda vehicles like the Protege and Miata, you'll find that their respective reliability records are on par with Toyota. I'd expect non-functional characteristics like body integrity (rattles, squeaks, etc.) aren't as good as Toyota (and it sure hasn't been in my experience), but mechanically, the Protege, for instance, is just as good as Toyota.

Characteristics that I hate about the car notwithstanding, I bought my Protege because it has a proven, decade long record of outstanding reliability.

 

I would prefer Protege to BMW and I don't smoke crack.
I can afford one, but instead I am getting turbo for my cheap, noisy, stiff, laughed at Protege.
BMW, in my opinion is too mainstream-university, job in finance, BMW, stock options, frigid career-woman wife-screw that life style, I wanna stay young and have fun.
This is total bullshit you may say, yeah, sure, same goes for this thread. What is strange is that people not happy with their cars just keep whining on and on-there's another thread about same things. Trade the car in for something else. Cannot afford to loose few grand? Shoot yourself! It's not my or other Mazda enthuziast fault that you got car you don't like!
Alex

 

I expect to buy a car for 19K and expect BMW ride, handling and refinement!

 

Oh and Mazda didn't choose to build such a car because it will either cost more than 19K or have corroding brake drums and extensive recalls.

 

If any y'all wanna go out and get a Corolla, Hyundai or better yet a Focus then you go right ahead. Personally, I like to feel the road and think my P5 rides fantastic. One of the main things I was looking for was a more "sports car" kind of ride in a wagon. I was replacing an 83 Scirocco that didn't even have power steering. The P5 had the best handling while giving a good comfortable ride. And I deliver pizzas, so my *** is in that seat 10 hours at a time 4 days a week. I love every minute. It's a little noisy when cold but as soon as I get my Sparko wires on it and put Amsoil in next change I'm sure this will pass.

 

Ok... if you can afford 35k for a car, why don't you just get an impreza or something similar? They aren't mainstream-university finance whatever... kind of cars, and look the same as Proteges and perform a hella lot better. They have higher hp, etc etc. which could probably ride and race your turbo charged protege as well.

So staying young and having fun??? Yeah, you seem to be doing that and to go along with being young... laking some common sense, as well as having these silly ideological dogmas about hating the mainstream (normal people).

But hey, we have our lifestyles and you have yours... and you may not be on crack... but you might as well be. And by the way I take your post, you didn't go to college.... because you're not "mainstream university"?

Peace-
P.S. One thing I do agree with you, is that this thread is Bullshi t and people whine too much.