Ok, I have praised the 3 since it came out but now, I have a gripe. I drove the automatic last week and it was pretty nice for a slush box, the manual shift was clean & quick. Yesterday I drove the 5 speed and was very dissapointed. The cluch was a joke, I felt like I was driving a corolla. It was so soft and had no torque feel at all. I could barely tell when the engine actually engages. Along with the new hydrolic steering It feels nothing like the protege. The best part of the protege I might add. One more gripe, the engine is too quiet, definately need an intake and exhaust. :bs:
Dissapointed with the 5-sp.
- Thread starter RHAGEL
- Start date
New Phase!
Member
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- Integra (at the moment)
Really? I do agree everyone hold their own opinion. 
As far as I know, the Protege share the same transmission (5 speed), but I am not sure about the clutch. To the best that I could remember about Protege clutch, I think both P5 and Mz3 clutch are light as feather. Not a problem, just a very obvious different that my previous cars and a personal perference.
As for steering, I do like the feeling of Mz3 over the P5.
The engine is quite? Good, cause that's why I would expect from a family sedan/hatch, after all it's not a sports car.
Carson - who is deciding between P5 (cheaper) or Mz3 (more luxury with little more $)....
As far as I know, the Protege share the same transmission (5 speed), but I am not sure about the clutch. To the best that I could remember about Protege clutch, I think both P5 and Mz3 clutch are light as feather. Not a problem, just a very obvious different that my previous cars and a personal perference.As for steering, I do like the feeling of Mz3 over the P5.
The engine is quite? Good, cause that's why I would expect from a family sedan/hatch, after all it's not a sports car.
Carson - who is deciding between P5 (cheaper) or Mz3 (more luxury with little more $)....
Mm quiet engines and the way the car handles everyday routines is what will sell the car. It is a sedan first and formost, while trying to have a sporty quality to it. Therefore a quiet engine is important here. Opinions are opinions but if noisey engines sold cars then the first Saturns would have been praised for it, not marked negatively for it.
It can make the car harder to drive hard without that feedback from the engine, but again the general mass isn't looking for that.
It can make the car harder to drive hard without that feedback from the engine, but again the general mass isn't looking for that.
New Phase!
Member
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- Integra (at the moment)
RHAGEL said:
I did test drive it.... and to be honest with you, steering is one of the main reason why I am leaning toward getting a Mz3, it feels more solid. IMO.
Dre, chill out I never said that the 3 is a sports car, I am saying that the protege feels more like a sports sedan that the 3, and in my opinion I dont like it. I think they took a step in the wrong direction. And to REMillers, I am not taking about a noisy engine like Saturn (nobody likes that) but you need enough noise so that you can shift with the sound of engine speed instead of always looking at the tach. And again you were wrong about the sedan thing, quiet will not necessarily sell. The hatchback is made to be marketed for sport compact enthusiasts, people who like the sportiness more that quiet engines and wussy shifters. It doesnt make any sense to me. Mazda's R&D & Marketing department need to be more concious of their target market. You can argue with me all that you want but you are not going to change my opinion.
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- 2006 Shadow Blue GLI
Maybe the mazda 3 would benefit from Kartboy bushings , short shifter, and a nice exhaust. Just as the P5 does.
Personnaly, after driving much harder clutches in traffic for many years (I live in a big city), the easy light clutch is a nice change. And once you know your point of friction on a clutch, why not make it easier on you.
The engine noise....personnal preferences. If you want noise get an SRT-4. Maybe I'm just getting old but I always laugh when I smoke a little punk with it's standard car equipped with a loud exhaust. Like noise is going to make his car sportier and faster....right. Of course if you put some nice HKS kit then it will improve performance. Other than that it's just noise. And people complain about road noise....:wtf:
The engine noise....personnal preferences. If you want noise get an SRT-4. Maybe I'm just getting old but I always laugh when I smoke a little punk with it's standard car equipped with a loud exhaust. Like noise is going to make his car sportier and faster....right. Of course if you put some nice HKS kit then it will improve performance. Other than that it's just noise. And people complain about road noise....:wtf:
BinaryRotary
Member
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- 03 MSP, 85 RX-7 GS, 90 RX-7 TII
New Phase! said:Really? I do agree everyone hold their own opinion.
As for steering, I do like the feeling of Mz3 over the P5.
The engine is quite? Good, cause that's why I would expect from a family sedan/hatch, after all it's not a sports car.
Carson - who is deciding between P5 (cheaper) or Mz3 (more luxury with little more $)....
The transmission on the 2.3 is the same as used in the Mazda6.
I agree with the clutch issue to a certain extent because I sit in traffic quite a bit also. I just think that the clutch on the protege is very nice because it is not too stiff and not too soft. I definately like the lumbar support in the seats for those long traffic days. The SRT-4 is too noisy, I would say noise more like...an RSX, it is not too noisy but gives you the "sporty" sound.
M3-GT said:
CruzinAltitude
Member
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- 02 MP5
Im so glad that this is in the Mz3 forum. I saw this, Dissapointed with the 5 in the recent posts colume and was thinking, wtf, whos basing my baby! [sarcasm]But its all ok, just someone bashing the Mz3. That I can live with.[/sarcasm]
So it seems my biggest fear about the 3 has been realized. I was afraid it wouldn't have the same steering feel as the Protege. Too much isolation, not a direct mechanical feel to it.
That direct-feeling connection to the car is what (for me) makes the car so much more fun to drive than Hondas and Toyotas. Now I might as well get a Cibic for my next car. I'll probably nearly double my gas mileage anyway.
Overall the car sounds more isolated and refined than the Protege, and for me that is a big negative.
That direct-feeling connection to the car is what (for me) makes the car so much more fun to drive than Hondas and Toyotas. Now I might as well get a Cibic for my next car. I'll probably nearly double my gas mileage anyway.
Overall the car sounds more isolated and refined than the Protege, and for me that is a big negative.
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- 2006 Shadow Blue GLI
It has losts it roots. It's a smooth riding cruiser now.
I guess it is responsive but the protege feels like it doesnt have power steering, even though it is easy to turn. It makes you feel one with the road. I also do not have a modified suspension on my pro, just a strut bar. The Mz3 also has a mechanical drive on the power steering, so it is not attached by the drive belt. That is part of what gives it its, wussy feel.
