Mazda3 on Car & Driver Spike TV!

[acidbbg]

Yeap it's coming up..they are going to do a review..on a yellow mazda3 5 door.

Can't wait to see what they think.

Chas(wrc)

[acidbbg]

They said the protege still handled way better!

Chas

[dhl]

Umm... yeah, lets take what they said within the context of their statement, they said "they thought the protege handled better because they felt they had a better connection to the feel of the road, but that could have been because of the quiter interior, and less engine noise in the Mazda3"<--Their statement, not mine. So if the Mazda 3 was louder and the engine was noisier then they would have felt more of a connection to the road? I'll take quieter....

Here is a quote from their online article that says the same thing...
"The 3 dances to more sophisticated music. Although it responds to driver commands as promptly as its predecessor did—more so, in fact—the puppyesque playfulness of the Protegé has given way to a more serious demeanor that's more purposeful, polished, and substantial. The exuberant teenager is gone, replaced by a hip young adult."

"although it's almost two seconds quicker to 60 mph than the Protegé5, it doesn't convey that sense of quickness to its pilot, due to the combination of a quieter cabin and the electric-motor operation of the 2.3-liter engine, which is devoid of any peakiness, pulling smoothly and steadily right up to its 7100-rpm redline."

[speedhawaii]

maybe it does. i didnt try the 3 yet.

[acidbbg]

Many people who have test drove the mazda 3 say that it has some body roll when compared to the protege5/msp/mp3.

Chas

[cochizzle]

Many people who have test drove the mazda 3 say that it has some body roll when compared to the protege5/msp/mp3.

Chas
i wouldnt say body roll, thats the wrong word... i would say that there is understeer, where you feel disconnected, then all of a sudden, woosh, you kinda just whip around (not like tire skidding whipping, though). I've taken turns going 45-50 (not a 90 degree turn; the fun sharp ones), and the chassis feels solid, but its just different than a protege (i had a p5).

if anyone is from houston, the best turn is right off beltway 8 going north from 45, exit genoa red bluff... genoa red bluff is primarily for 18 wheelers, so they made the turn amazingly fast. The speed limit is 55, its tight to fly around that turn...

[BlueMonsta]

Many people who have test drove the mazda 3 say that it has some body roll when compared to the protege5/msp/mp3.

Chas

if ur talking about body roll, go Test drive a stock matrix... lol (XR)

[Newf]

[QUOTE=dhl]Umm... yeah, lets take what they said within the context of their statement, they said "they thought the protege handled better because they felt they had a better connection to the feel of the road, but that could have been because of the quiter interior, and less engine noise in the Mazda3"<--Their statement, not mine. So if the Mazda 3 was louder and the engine was noisier then they would have felt more of a connection to the road? I'll take quieter....
QUOTE]

yeah that was just another half assed attempt by them to try to say something that sounded smart. I"m so sick of the opinions of those old farts I could care less about them anymore.

Hmmmm, ok, so if the car was loud, rough, and you could feel every bump in the road That's better. Bullshit, they'd be complaining then that it was....loud, felt to many bumps and so on. I've seen this 1000 times from those assholes. So I guess we can't please em eh. Yet, the dough heads give a pos like the Ford Focus the 10 best awards over and over?? Like wtf are these guys smoking.....hmm.....maybe their sponsered by Ford? sure seems like it because the focus I drove was horrible. build quality was typical ford crap, it was rough, felt every crack in the road and the steering was all over the place. Oh, and the stereo and seats were horrible. Yet, that's a 10 best car?

Whatever man.

[Replica]

I don't care, I'm still not paying 20k for a fancy Protege....*cough* Mazda3 *cough*

[Glowspeedp5]

Mazda 3 handling sucks..... I test drove the Mazda3 5 door hatch.. Also For having a 2.3 manual it was slow... The throttle response was very slow compared to my protege5.

Now the one I drove at Mazda rev it up were nice. Still even with the lowering springs and racing beat sway bars.. It handle like a lemon.. The ecu made a better throttle response..

[Replica]

The comp cars at Rev-it up had Bosal exhaust which might have made that throttle response difference. Yes, for a 2.3 that power rating sucks! The Honda H22 makes 200hp and 155 trq...and it was a motor designed in the really early 90's....

[Glowspeedp5]

The sway bars were protege fab to fit the mazda3.....
Bosal exhaust did help, but the guy I talked to said the Ecu reflash helped the car too....

[Replica]

The sway bars were protege fab to fit the mazda3.....
Bosal exhaust did help, but the guy I talked to said the Ecu reflash helped the car too....I just priced one out....$18,500...hahah, for a puffy Protege, no thanks!

http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/selectConfigOptions.action?buttonAction=finish&mscCode=BP8RNAJ&packages=TP_1AB&packages=SP_1SP&options=SE_LS1&options=DE_FLA&x=78&y=9

[Newf]

someone look up the skid pad and slalom numbers and compare the 3s to the p5


I'm too lazy.... I mean busy.

[Da 6]

how could a manual 2.3 be slow? a manual 2.3 in a mazda 6 chassis is almost as fast as the automatic v6 version? only thing wrong is the tb is electronicly challenged a lil. get an intake and you will fully hear and understand that quote. "Woooosh.......vrooom"

[dhl]

(eek2) Yeah, I guess trying to have a Mazda3 forum on the "msprotege.com" forum causes too much conflict.... since it seems the Protege guys have some sort of pent up rage against the new MZ3. See ya guys... I'll go back to friendly territory at the mz3forums.... (dark)

[Mazda3]

Some of the posts in this thread are hilarious!!!!

Protege5:

skidpad: 79g

1/4 mile: 16.8-17.2

Mazda3:

skidpad: 87g

1/4 mile: 15.5-16.0


The Mazda3 rides, drives and feels light years ahead of the Protege. Some of you Protege guys need to get a grip on reality. I drove a Protege5 for 2 years so this isn't a biased opinion. It is a fact.

[Touch of Grey]

Ya no crap...I mean if you're emotionally attatched to your car...ok...but ours is faster...so...take a seat...somewhere in the back

[IllBinfrontofya]

The sway bars were protege fab to fit the mazda3.....
Bosal exhaust did help, but the guy I talked to said the Ecu reflash helped the car too....

Where did he get tyhis ECU reflash? My throttle response has been shit, as has other on this board!! If you could ask him, what version flash he did, if any version, so I can call my dealer and ask if they can flash that for me!!

[Replica]

Some of the posts in this thread are hilarious!!!!

Protege5:

skidpad: 79g

1/4 mile: 16.8-17.2

Mazda3:

skidpad: 87g

1/4 mile: 15.5-16.0


The Mazda3 rides, drives and feels light years ahead of the Protege. Some of you Protege guys need to get a grip on reality. I drove a Protege5 for 2 years so this isn't a biased opinion. It is a fact.79g's on the skipad is really hard to believe.

[acidbbg]

I heard that the reason why the Mazda3 has better grip on skid pad..was b/c mazda used a stickier tire...Not sure if there is any truth to that though.

I am plannin on test riding the Mazda3...this weekend.

Unless someone in NJ would let me test ride theirs!
:p

[jeffmsp]

the protege seems more nimble to me than a 3, however the protege5 just sucked compared to a 2.3L 3 5 door in pretty much every department. Yes I have driven the pro5 and 3 many times, my msp seems to always have something broken and I dont leave a dealership without a rental car.

[Da 6]

drive them both and then decide...remember the raters always go for whoever paid them the most...many has rated the 6 way lower than need be and nit picked things that had no reason to be nit picked. as stated before the elect tb is the limitation and the pcm is sensitive to mods(I still have my cel). reflash is possible but w/o a problem the dealerships rarely just reflash the pcm. some are running outdated WDS (Same or lower program than what you got from factory) so it would do nothing. Find a dealership that will and post the results for fellow new gen moders.

[ZippityZoomZoom]

79Gs around a turn would have me splattered across the road and the car in pieces across the countryside. (evil)

.84 to .87 Gs is pretty damn good for an "econo car".

The thing about the Mazda3 is that it has some usable torque, unlike the mentioned Honda engine and Protege I can scoot up a hill without any effort. My only complaint is that only has the 4 speed automatic, I would've paid an extra $200 for a fifth gear in the slushbox.

[Replica]

unlike the mentioned Honda enginePlease please please know what you're taking about....

[1sty]

(eek2) Yeah, I guess trying to have a Mazda3 forum on the "msprotege.com" forum causes too much conflict.... since it seems the Protege guys have some sort of pent up rage against the new MZ3. See ya guys... I'll go back to friendly territory at the mz3forums.... (dark)And here we are again, bring back any memories from the addition of msprotege.com to the original site protegemp3.com?

This kind of statement is no less pure crap now then it was then. Its called an option, if someone likes one aspect of a car better then another, so be it. It doesn't mean they have an agenda or "pent up rage" (god that sounds stupid) against a make model or manufacturer.

Statements like this are littered wth the same ego trip BS agenda, they acuse other of having.

Thats it, IN THE STORAGE LOCKER!

(rofl)

[maitai92]

79g's on the skipad is really hard to believe.
no its not...The stock Dunlops on the P5 really sucked!!!!!