Comparison : Mazda6 v/s Protege5

[gunners]

I've been eyeing the Mazda6 (2.3L) for quite a while although my original first choice is the Protege5 (2.0L).

Anyone could provide any data, opinions on which one is better in terms of ride, comfort and acceleration?

I'm opting for the automatic transmission eventually

[Rider69]

why not just wait for the Mazda6 wagon to come out, then you can have the best of both worlds!
http://www.mazda.com.au/articleZone.asp?articleZoneID=1691

[gunners]

thanks mate for the reply.
I was in no way planning to get the Mazda6 wagon. I should have said this in my first post
I am opting for either the Mazda6 Hatch 2.3 Auto OR the Protege5 Auto.
But in terms of performance, which one is better?

[BruceW]

My girlfriend is looking at the 6. I drove one earlier and it is very nice. I really wanted a wagon to haul my bikes and stuff around, so I opted for the P5. The 6 will have more power obviously. Good luck!!

[Rider69]

Yeah, performance wise, the 6 will have better performance, especially if you are going auto. You will beed as much power you can get. Unless of course you go with the Protege5 and turbo it!

[MadBiker]

For comfort, acceleration, and ride I'd go for the 6 hatch with a V-6. They have a leather seating package which is really nice.

Currently in the US, the P5 doesn't have a leather seat option, and the ride can be bumpy (but that makes it fun to drive), and it's only got 130 or so HP. But really fun to drive.

[bilihor]

I notice one big difference. Mazda6 is made in Michigan, some parts are from mexico. Mine protege5 is 97% Japan, made in Hiroshima.

[Patio]

i thought the p5 was 95% Japan?

[bilihor]

97%. I have original dealer's label. Mine is 2002 Second Edition (April).

[MadBiker]

Yeah, that's right and that's a big difference.

If you were going to get a Mazda6, how comfortable are you with Ford's manufacturing quality - remember, Mazda is owned by Ford.

The original Protege5's are mostly made in Japan by Mazda. Actually I forgot to mention the above - you might want to wait a year or 2 before getting a brand spanking new Mazda6 - you know, wait for it to be 'debugged' and get version 2.

[chuck]

If I would get a Mazda6 I would also wait........

LOOK AT ALL THE CHANGES THE P5 went through

[chuck]

I forgot to mention that the 2.3L is a new engine

[KYREDP5]

Originally posted by MadBiker
<snip>Currently in the US, the P5 doesn't have a leather seat option, </snip>

Yes it does.

[gb5mx]

Actually, the PR5 does have a leather option in the U.S. and it's reasonably priced at $490 IMHO. I have it on my car and like it a lot. However, if you load up a Protege5 you aren't far from the price of a 4 cylinder Mazda6. (within $2k or so).

I don't believe that the 2.3l engine in the 6 is entirely new. I know it's a Mazda designed and built engine as opposed to the 3.0l engine which is based on the Ford Duratec. How different is this engine from the one they put in the B2300?

I would guess that the Mazda6 has a much more comfortable ride than the PR5. The magazine tests have uniformly raved about the handling of this new car. The PR5 also handles extremely well, but has a fairly choppy ride and is noisier than the larger 6.

I think the Mazda6 wagon looks beautiful... I think it will make a great addition to my family car fleet next year when it comes out. I currently have a 1991 Miata, a 2002.5 Protege5 and a 1999 Saab 9-5 (which will likely be replaced with the 6 when the time comes).

[krillin]

Originally posted by MadBiker
Yeah, that's right and that's a big difference.

If you were going to get a Mazda6, how comfortable are you with Ford's manufacturing quality - remember, Mazda is owned by Ford.


hmm, i always thought that ford owned part of mazda but mazda was still mazda, and as far "quality" was concerned, both were their own separate entities. kinda reminds me of people bitching at others for saying ford is mazda and mazda is ford. so wouldn't the quality be BETTER with mazda?

[Kincaid]

Originally posted by krillin


hmm, i always thought that ford owned part of mazda but mazda was still mazda, and as far "quality" was concerned, both were their own separate entities. kinda reminds me of people bitching at others for saying ford is mazda and mazda is ford. so wouldn't the quality be BETTER with mazda?


Ford owns 33.3% stock which gives them controlling interest. The I4 is 100% Mazda from the ground up. In the V6 the 3.0L Duratec block was used and an engine of Mazda's was built around it.

[Kincaid]

And Mazda benchmarked the 3 Series BMW for the quality standards. Honda and Toyota were never the direct competition of this car in Mazda's eyes.

[MadBiker]

I thought the guys in Hiroshima benchmarked the A4. I think I have a brochure for Mazda dealerships that describes that effort.

Anyway, when I purchased my P5, my dealership didn't have a leather option otherwise I would have bought that. That was in Feb. 2002. Maybe they have a leather option now. Bummer...

The above experience is all the more reason to wait for the next model year for the 6. You'll have more options to select from compared with the 1st year (guinea pig) version.