P5er

You sound like your Mazda is the the best car in the world.
It's just as underpowered as the Focus is.
Did you drive ZX3 with 16" tires?
I don't thing we can get anywhere with that kind of thinking, you must learn to be objective. I pointed to you all good and bad sides of Focus and same with P5. You are blindly critisizing Focus for it's very strong areas (handling, ergonomics, overall design)
Ergonomics in Focus are way better than cramped cheap feeling controls on Mazda. That's a fact not my opinion. The contols around A/C are just too small and knid of out of reach when compared to Focus, also stereo is not as good as in Focus (mostly due to superior speakers placement in Focus)
First, you must let P5 win all the awards that Focus won all over the world, than you can start bashing Focus in comparision vs. P5.
Read my posts again, so hopefully you'll understand better what I did mean.
I still did choose P5 over Focus but it was not easy decision.
My P5 was around $19K($3K more than Focus), and with only 130hp and weight 200 lbs heavier than Focus it feels very lazy and slow. Focus is not a rocket either (I think the weakest point on Focus is it's engine) But P5, because of it's rather heavy weight for a compact begs for 160hp. No it would not be asking for too much on a compact costing around $18K.
That's a lot of $$$ for so little Hp?
I still like it mainly for; very good handling (not as universal as Focus, though) and hopefully much better resale value than Focus, along with great Japaneese assembly quality( far superior to poor Ford N. America standards).
You can't get everything right in a car with price around $18K.
Did you get my point.
Does you P5 has any weak points in your opinion???

hihoslva

The only weak point I can find IS horses. Sure, I'd like to see some more power. But as far as quality goes, I'd choose a Mazda any day.

I do feel as though the P5 is a substantial value. If I wanted to, I could have bought a Hyundai Elantra GT - that's a hatchback, and has 140 horses. And it's got a 10 year warranty.

IMO, great handling almost always comes at the sacrifice of ride quality, unless you spend upwards of $50K for a BMW or similar vehicle. I've never been one to criticize a bumpy ride or lack of "compromise" in the ride of a car that handles as well as my P5 does.

The Focus I drove had the 16" tires, and I was unimpressed.

If you want to compare stereo quality, interiors, and horsepower, maybe the Focus can win. However, the Focus has been in the US for several years, and this is Mazda's first year of having the P5 here - give the Pro some time, and I'm sure the HP will increase - I've already read rumors about a Turbo for the 2004 model year. But I DEFINITELY feel as though I have purchased the meanest handling car in this price range - no contest. And whipping turns means a whole lot more to me than straight line power and highway float. And interior design is a matter of OPINION. While the Focus' interior is a bit more "edgy", I don't find the P5s styling to be bland by any means. I haven't found any of the controls to be "cheap" feeling or "out of reach" like you seem to find. And the first thing I noticed on the car during my test drive is how roomy it felt for a compact car. I regularly have passengers over 6' tall, and they even comment on how roomy the interior is for such a small car, even in the back seat.

And as far as the stereo - if you want great sound, you have to go aftermarket. I have yet to find any stock stereos that can compare with the aftermarket. The only car that even came close, IMO, was my 93 Miata - the car had ten speakers - including three in each seat - stereo headrest speakers, and a small subwoofer in the back of each. The system kicked pretty well. The speaker placement in the P5 may not be as good as in the Focus, but few cars are EVER manufactured with optimal speaker placement in mind. I'd bet that the better placement in the Focus has a lot to do with chance and luck, rather than strategic planning - particularly in an economy car.

Sorry if I am biased towards Mazda, but at least I state my bias as opinion, not fact. And my opinion is still that the P5 is gorgeous - I fell in love with the design the first time I saw it on TV, and owned it within 2 weeks. The Focus, especially the ZX3, is just plain ugly, IMO. If I'd have bought one, I would have had to "grow to love" the looks of it. Everytime I see one now, I smile knowing that my P5 is a much more attractive package, and out-manuevers the Focus any day.

Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to unsubscribe from this thread. We could argue these points forever, mainly because they are based in opinion. Nice talking to you. Please enjoy your car.

P5er

I'm glad you love your P5 so much, I do like it very much too.
Looks of Focus are either love it or hate it, P5's beauty lays in very standard, sporty not extravagant body style, only sporty touches around it are making it better than any other avarage car, it's very well ballanced and it's line is very classic.(completely different than Focus)
So let me end this discusion on a positive note, we did choose the same car and we both are members of the same forum so let's enjoy it a little more.
Later.