Test drove Dpmmsp's MSP - impressions inside (long and detailed)

Grimace

Member
First off, a little background. Currently Im driving a 93 Asuna Sunfire, 5-speed, Lotus handling package. Its got 130,000 kms, and has all the rattles and problems youd expect from a 10 year old car built by Isuzu. Still runs strong though, but it needs a rest (I commute 100 kms/day).
So about 2 months ago I began to get really serious about my search for a new car. Need a useable back seat, 4 doors, a larger trunk, and better reliability than what I have now. My choices were narrowed down to a Mazdaspeed Protg, a Spec V Sentra, and the WRX. I have never driven an MP3, so consider me a clean slate reviewer.
Anyway, you can see why I jumped at the chance to see Dpmmsps MSP, one of 2 in Ontario (see the thread entitled Anyone in T.O. want to see my MSP??). When I showed up at the meeting place, there was the car. At the time, it was cloudy, but the paint colour still looked 10x better in person than anything in the pictures Ive seen. Later in the visit, after a test drive, the sun came out, and WOW! The metallic flakes in the paint are amazing. This is the best orange colour Ive ever seen on any car, even custom jobs. When the sun is on the paint, the flakes turn a wonderful shade of goldish-yellow, and really sparkle. Fantastic colour. Anyone who has reservations about getting the MSP just because of the orange colour, fear not you wont be disappointed. Dpmmsp was nice enough to wash the car for us the previous night, too.
Exterior:The orange colour really attracts attention from all age groups. At one point, an elderly couple driving by in a Grand Marquis stopped to stare. :) There were lots of curious onlookers as we crawled over in the parking lot too. One guy noticed the car from from his house across the street, and came over to get a closer look at the car (turns out he has a MP3 himself!) He was impressed with the better packaging job of the trunk electronic support package for the stereo in the MSP compared to his MP3. Much more useable trunk room apparently (his car came from the factory with the bazooka tube-type sub). Overall, the whole car was tasteful, yet aggressive. Ive seen pics of the 2003.5 titanium MSP, and I much prefer this cars styling. Just aggressive enough. The satin finish emblems were a nice touch, better than chrome for sure.
Compared to the Sentra and the WRX, the styling of this car wins hands down, but thats subjective and I wont go into that.
Interior: The interior was top notch. Compared to the WRX and Spec V, this car doesnt look like it was taken from a lower-level trim and bits and pieces were added to make it sport. The interior was more than a fancy steering wheel and brake pedals. The attention to detail made it feel very special inside. Orange stitching on the seats was very nice, and something that doesnt show up well in pictures. The shift knob sits lower than in a standard Protg or even MP3, but still falls easily into hand. Shifter feel is much better than a Spec, and a bit better than a WRX. Gauges are much more mature than a Spec V. I really like the silver accents in the interior, something that some magazine critics have said was overdone, but I disagree. Arkitek and I thought the side bolstering of the seats could be slightly stiffened up, but its a minor quibble. The seats themselves were very comfortable and did hold you well in quick turns (well, not the back seat, but how often will you be back there anyway?) Back seat room was very good for a car of that size, even with a tall driver at the helm and me behind him (Im 6 ft) I had adequate knee room.
Stereo: One word: Unbelievable. Awesome lows, crisp highs, just fantastic. The customization you can do with the EQ settings, cutoffs, etc. is mind boggling. I can understand some of the flack the car has taken in the press about the stereo controls being difficult to use while moving, as the buttons are small, but the volume is easy to hit without looking down. And if you use the stereo remote, it would be even easier to use I imagine (thats what I do with my car stereo with tiny buttons). The best sounding car stereo Ive ever heard, and it hasnt even been tuned fully to suit the music we were listening to. The Sentra stereo is a close 2nd, and the WRX stereo is a very distant 3rd.
Under the hood: The turbo and intercooler installations are very nicely done. This doesnt look like a hack job, this was a well thought out package. I thought it would be really tight in there, but it wasnt bad. For the tuners who read this forum, it shouldnt be too frustrating working in that engine bay.
The test drive: After crawling around the car for 30 minutes, Dpmmsp asked if I wanted to go for a drive. Thatd be great I said, and walked around to the passenger side. No, I meant, do you want to take it for a drive he said, and handed me the keys. Thus began my 25 minute giddy smile.
Now, Ive driven tons of cars. I used to work for Canadian Tire, and part of my job was picking up/dropping off customers in their car, and diagnosing driving problems. Let me say nothing comes close to this car. Driving dynamics are superb. There is very little to tell you the front tires are doing the pulling, which is a feat in itself. Clutch feel is very good, shift feel is close to the Miata (the best shifter Ive ever rowed), with a little less of a mechanical feel than the Miata. I cant imagine anyone but the most ham-fisted drivers ever missing a shift. The steering feel was just right, very direct, just the right amount of boost. It made my car feel very sloppy off center and overboosted, and most people who have driven my car comment on how direct my steering feels. The MSP feels like you have a tie rod in each hand.
Not being my car, I didnt go over 4 or 5/10s (at most), but during those turns, my car would have been at 9/10s. The car BEGGED for more over a bit of twisty road we tried out. And this was on taller 16 winter tires! I cant imagine the handling with the stock 17s and some warm pavement! Although there was next to no body roll (even later on when the 3 of us were in the car) the ride remained very comfortable and composed over bumps, especially in mid-turn that would have had my cars rear end doing the jitterbug. That was the most impressive thing for me: excellent ride quality (much less punishing than WRX/Spec V) but still can corner like no-ones business. Something both I and my non-car enthusiast girlfriend can both enjoy!
I also tried to keep revs below 4000 RPM since the car is still in the break-in period, which was difficult to say the least. At 3500 RPM, the turbo is starting to really come on boil, and the revs build quickly after that. Below 3000 RPM, it feels like the standard Protg 2.0, no slouch in itself. Low end torque and driveability was awesome, lugging the car in traffic at 1200 rpm was no problem at all. Not as response as the Spec V down low, but better than the WRX, which feels very heavy until the turbo spools up.
All too soon my test drive was over, as we thought it would be a decent idea to return to the parking lot to see if anyone else had shown up, and sure enough, arkitek was there. He also had many favourable things to say about the drive, but I think we disagreed in steering feel (see his comments in the thread I mentioned above).
The test drive, part 2: Dpmmsp asked us if wed like to have a drive with him at the wheel, since he would wring it out a bit more (after all, it was his car). I thought the car was impressive before, but the curves it was handling at the speeds we had it at was amazing. And it still didnt even squeal a tire or protest in any way. Id love to have this car out on a track. With 3 of us on board, acceleration was still impressive, all the more so since we werent taking it to redline. While we drove along, some guy in a modified Civic tried to goad us into a race. I imagine that would happen a lot if I bought this car. :D Since I wasnt driving, I could see all the heads that we were turning, especially with the sun out and the paint gleaming.

Summary: This car is worth every penny. Is Mazda making any money on these? Its got to be one of the performance bargains of all time. To turn a regular Protg into an MSP, the cost would be astronomical. I am really trying to figure out a way to work one of these into my budget, since I want to get one before they are snapped up. I suppose if I miss the boat, I can get the 2003.5, but I just dont like the looks as much.
Without a doubt, it is worth the extra couple grand over the Spec V, even if its not as fast in a straight line. Its more refined, better thought out, and arguably prettier. Is the WRX worth the extra $8000 Canadian over the MSP? Hard to say. The WRX is fearsome when driving hard, but sluggish when off the boil. Sometimes you can really feel its weight (3100 lbs). And it doesnt have much in the ways of options for $34995 (you have to shell out to get 17 rims and tires, for example). The 4WD is great for our climate, and if you are a big rally fan like me, you can slip behind the wheel and pretend you are Solberg. :) They are both fantastic bits of machinery, but if you are on a budget (like I am) than its really hard to justify the extra money.

Phew! Didnt mean to make it that long. A big thanks to Dpmmsp, that was extremely nice of him to let two virtual strangers behind the wheel of his car, and to take a couple hours out of his busy day (Christmas shopping no less) to let us try out his new wheels. I owe you a beer or twelve next time our paths cross!
Not many forums have this kind of tight-knit community. I shouldnt have lurker here so long before I started posting!

(Edited fer bad spelin')
 
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Thanks, Grimmace, for that long and excellent review. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.

Makes me want to drive one NOW!

Jonny
 
Grimace .... Well met....Thanks for all the kind words .... I'm glad the car made such a favorable impression. Mazda should be paying us for this.
When you get your new ride, I'll take you up on your beer offer(drinks)
 
Nice article!
Are you adverse to having it posted on the toprotege website in the reviews section? We need new content :)
 
Great write-up Grimace. I was trying to contain my giddyness in my write-up for fear of credibility since I've ordered one already.

I pretty much agree with all that you wrote up.

I wish I had shown up on time to get the most out of the opportunity. But maybe that's a good thing to save for when my car finally arrives.

And I did forget to factor in the fact that we were on winter tires and 16" rims too. So my minor complaint on the light steering feel is nullified, thanks to Newf for pointing out this fact. Man, this thing will be a handful at limits with the stock 17" rims and boots bolstered by the lack of lateral support, no pun intended. There's enough side bolster material but it was just too soft and giving. I'm thinking it can be modified somehow to stiffen up the sides a bit. That would be good as I don't want to replace the stock seats with a racing one like I was planning to having read all the complaints about it. They're just so comfy and look too damn nice stock.

I've driven a few cars at the Shanonville track before and I must concur with you on how much I would love to take the MSP there to do some laps.

I've been contemplating on a new car for a few years and have considered the usual suspects like Celica GTS, RSX Type S, and Spec V. To get these cars up to specs similiar to what you get with the MSP, I'm looking at spending quite a bit (except for the SPec V). So for Cdn 27K, the MSP is a quite a bargain indeed. I just wish it came with a stock moonroof as I just don't like the idea of putting on an aftermarket one after the fact.

I owe you a few beers too dpmmsp even though I'm not much of a beer drinker myself. Thanks again.
 
Very nice review guys!!!

I can't wait to meet someone with an MSP, I'm the only one Turbo Protege around here!!!
 
rowan said:
Nice article!
Are you adverse to having it posted on the toprotege website in the reviews section? We need new content :)

Not at all, feel free to copy/paste it over there!

Thanks for all the compliments on the review, it was the least I could do given the opportunity. And in the future, if anyone else has a car they'd like me to drive and do a quick write-up, by all means. :D
 
I love it!!! More positive posts about the capablities of the ride! (thumb) That was a great review!!
 
arkitek said:

I've driven a few cars at the Shanonville track before and I must concur with you on how much I would love to take the MSP there to do some laps.


Hey Arkitek...i've always wanted to take a car to Shannonville..
But i never had a car good enough for it. My previous car was civic sedan 5spd with minor mods. I never felt that i would feel right in place if ever took her to the track. But until i take delivery of the MSP i always thought of taking the MSP to the track where she belongs, just to see what her capibilities are...
Anyway, you are probably more fimilar with the track set-up and how to arrange a date for this kind of event. So, if you ever plan on heading up there this spring, tell me about it! Cuz i'd like to come too!:)
Anyway, until spring, we'll just have to rip around The T.O for the time being. :D
 
Hey L.E.,

Just consider this winter as a nice way to break in the MSP gently. Now that I think about it, it actually worked out rather nice for us to be getting the MSP in the next few weeks.

Come spring time, the car is nicely broken in with the 17" rims and boots are fresh still. So we have a whole spring/summer/fall to truly enjoy this little beast. Consider this winter to be like foreplay basically.

Regarding Shannonville, a friend of mine knows these guys that regularly schedule track dates in the warm months. I'll be sure to let you know when I know more of dates and stuff. I've driven both track layouts at Shannonville though I can't recall their names.

It was quite bit intimidating before showing up with my measly civic si with very little mods. I get my ass handed to me on plate basically as many of them guys there are pretty serious with their rides in terms of mods and all. You do have the usual few that show up in their NSXs, 911 turbos, etc. that I can actually keep up with in my Civic as they're too afraid to let their cars rip.

If anything, one should take one's car to such events just to find the limits of one's car and how it behave under extreme conditions. You'll end up a better driver for it as I've discovered, especially in the wet.

But the ultimate experience I had there would have to be driving my friend's heavily modified BMW 325. Man, I still remember it so well. My civic felt like a very loose bus after that.

And if you want the ultimate experience, try the Mosport track. It is one scary track with all that elevation changes. I haven't driven it yet but I've been a passenger on it in a 400+ HP M3 with slick tires reaching 250+ km/h on the back straight. A very religious experience it was...
 
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