what should the protege5 have?
 

from the factory,

i think it should have

- 40 more Hp (as an option and keep the base 130HP engine) so maybe 170HP and 170TQ
- Larger sway bars (i want zero body roll :))
- rear cup holders
- rear window can roll down (pwr of course)
- rear 115v (or what ever the matrix has) plug in
- rear view mirror should be attached to roof and not glued to windsheild
- dual projector lights rewired like the Rav4's lights (the lights closest to the grill are DRL, outside lights are the main lights, and when you throw highs on the DRL's light up with an additional element)
- full sized spare tire, no dounut crap
- rear speakers that use REAL mounting templates not 3 holed.... things...

that is all :)
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Kawasaki kdx400a

I think it's fine as is. Add all that you list and I probably wouldn't be able to afford it. Sure its not the fastest car, with the most room, or the best handling (though it is damn nice in the corners) it is a great car for $16K and change.

Remember, there aint no free lunch :) If I had another $5-8K I probably would have been shopping elsewhere (WRX etc).

like nramsey said for the price its a helluva deal. That is what attracted me to the p5. All it had to offer w/out the high sticker. 40hp would be nice but i can live w/ the 130 as of now. bUT FOR A simple change that would be nice i'd go w/ the back cup holders or the rear power window like a 4 runner.

all that would be good and nice, but you're probably talking upwords of the 22k range if they just added the performance side and such.....

for that id be sittin in a new jet black WRX, runnin on 18s, with a new exhaust and tint.

A couple cheap things they could do:

* Variable intermittent wipers
* Defrost timer
* Rear window lifts up (like the Matrix)

This wouldn't add much to the cost (other cars in this class have these) but would really be convenient.

A couple more cheap things to do...

*A better sounding horn
*Auto-full-open moonroof switch (don't have to hold the button)
*Don't have the a/c turn on when you put the selector on feet

IMO - I wouldn't pay extra for a full spare. Pr5owner, why is that so important to you?

The moonroof on my Contour wasn't one touch, but a person by the name of Chris Hightower made a switch that you wired in to make it work. Took maybe 20min at the most to do, and I love it.

Why would you need a full size spare, it just adds weight and takes up room? I puntured the sidewall of my OE tire and I was in a location that there was no replacement tire to be found.I had to drive 45 miles with the donut on the front until I had the oportunity to put it on the back, then drove 150 miles at 70-80mph with no problem

A 6th gear would be nice for highway driving. If you combine that with another 40 hp or so, I would be more content with the performance.

Not that I'm complaining of course!

6th gear has more bragging rights than usefulness.

The overall gearing could be a little more on the short side than long. Part of what makes the car feel underpowered is the gearing. If you could have closer gears to keep you closer to the powerband the car would be better. It zips when you beat the snot out of it, you just have to be aggressive. Yeah Baby!

If you swap out your cams you'll get that 40hp you're looking for. $500 and a perma-smile. :D

I just think for fuel economy's sake, if you had a 6th you wouldn't be pulling 4000 rpms while doing 65 or 70 mph.

Cams and 40hp ???

Man that's dreaming. think more like 10-15 max

Personally I would like a REAL spare too....I HATE DONUTS!!! for the simple reason...if you are out on the road....the last thing I want to be doing is spending time hunting down a REAL tire to put on the car after a blowout....its bad enough that I had to change the tire on the side of the road to start with.

Variable intermittent and the horn are two of my biggest gripes. I don't think the car is exactly slow but it could use a little more power (THE ES/5 SHOULD HAVE A BETTER ENGINE THAN THE FRICKIN DX!!!!). And the 6-speed would be very useful since Mazda seems to gear fifth so low, the sixth gear could be a fuel economy gear for on the highway.

I've never had a flat so I can't agree.

The one problem with a full size spare is that it is either used as part of your rotation or never used at all.

If you use it as part of your tire rotation, you'll always have one tire out of wack (tread depth wise) with the rest of the tires. So when the time comes to replace your worn out tires do you buy 5 or buy 4 different tires (who replaces oem rubber w/ oem rubber)?

If you never use your full size spare what a waste of money with a 5spoke 16" wheel/tire rotting away in the trunk.

I'd just keep that scraggly ugly donut under the carpet and call AAA ($20/year do it!) when you get a blow out.