It's a Sad Day for this PR5 Owner
 

So I blew out one of my sidewalls going threw a turn into a little potthole the other day, so I got to drive around in the wife's brand new Tribute for the past few days until my tires could be ordered. It's the Mazda 3/6 2.3L 4cylinder 5speed version and was a ton of fun to drive. I got my car back last night and after taking it home a driving it to work this morning, I'm almost wishing I had her truck back. To me...that just makes me sad. I loved my protege, and now that I know Mazda has even further improved on their "Zoom Zoom" feel, I just wish I had waited and gotten a 3/6. Everything in the Tribute was tighter than the PR5 I'm ridin in. The Clutch was much "grabbier," the stick was much more positive with a shorter throw (in an SUV....?), the engine sounded smoother and more beefy, and it doesn't run at 10,000RPM at 70MPH. If the 3 rides like the same car 3 feet lower to the ground and 500lbs lighter, I can only imagine how much fun it'd be to drive. I've been considering doing a plethora of mods to my PR5, but now I don't think it'd be worth the 1/2-3/4 second off my quarter mile...may as well just save the $1000 in mods and put it towards a 3 or even a 6 with the 4 banger. Has anyone else out there driven one of Mazda's new vehicles after driving a Protege? What was your impression? Also, does anyone have any information about the Mazda 6 with the 4 cylinder? How's it run in the qtr, 0-60,e tc?

the only way you should buy a 6 would be V6-5spd....anything else is DOG slow. FWIW, the 3S will outrun a V6 6S.

less weight is your friend

I never thought I would see the day when someone lusted for a Tribute over a Protege. You know, that Tribute is built on the same line as the Ford Escape, using a ton of Ford parts (even the same body shell and most hardware). Sure, the engine, dash, and some of the other stuff is Mazda. And you can get that same Mazda 2.3L in the Ford. But compare those power seat switches, window switches, and other hardware to that in an Explorer or other Ford SUV. Yep, there's some parts bin sharing going on. I don't think that Fords are bad cars, it's just that I don't think the Tribute is the most representative of the new Mazdas. In fact, if I was in the market for an SUV, I would look at an Escape due to its best-in-class manners. Another thing, that Tribute might be new to you, but it's been on the market for years now (despite this year's underhood updates). Could it be that you just wish you had a new car? Gauranteed, any new car you get your hands on will someday have rock chips, squeeks and rattles, and will lose that new car smell.

I drove the Tribute, Mazda 6, Mazda 3, and then some at Mazda Rev It Up. Granted, they were all automatics (except the Mazdaspeed Miata and RX-8), but I wasn't impressed. The 6 was a dog and really slushy. The 3 was not as tight as the P5. The 3s on the course, with the Bosal exhausts, Falken tires, and Eibach springs weren't too bad. The Tribute was okay for an SUV. . especially, in comparison to my Suburban. The quieter engine is a nice perk though. Now that there's a Mazdaspeed 3, I may head down the same road, but then again, I also wouldn't mind making car payments a thing of the past.