Interesting tidbit on the Protege5 headlights from Consumer Reports

J

jrodhotrod

Contributor

:

2003 Mazda Protege5 (Mine) 2002 Nissan Sentra GXE (Wife's)

• Mar 7, 2003

• #1

Hey guys,

I got my Consumer Reports auto issue in the mail today and they had a feature story on headlights. Addressing the differences between halogen and HID, conversions, the cheap blue tinted knock offs, glare etc... A good article.

In the middle of the article they did a test to see which cars threw light the furthest down the road. I quote:

We compared 31 cars and trucks with halogen lights and 10 with HIDs, measuring their ability to ligh the road ahead and along the sides as well as checking them for glare.

Six out of 10 vehicles with HIDs and 9 out of 31 with halogens reached the 400-foot marker on our test course with low beams, compared with an average of 335 feet for all models tested.

The farthest so far: the inexpensive, halogen-equipped MAZDA PROTEGE5 Its low beams illuminated our 600-foot marker without creating a glare problem.

Both types of lights produce our worst performers. The HID equipped Audi TT's low beams lit only to our 200-foot marker, while the halogen-equippped Chrysler Sebring and Pontiac Grand Prix provided weak, nonuniform light.


Not bad news for our Protege5 eh?

 

R

REMillers

The Cheat Says.....

Contributor

:

Mazda, RX8

• Mar 7, 2003

• #2

Yep, always amazed on low lite streets how far our lights reach.

 

G

ghetto waggon

Member

:

2003 Protege5, Yellow.

• Mar 7, 2003

• #3

Would this have to do specifically with the light fixture or the halogen bulbs used?

Would upgrading the OEM bulbs to, say PIAA, help the distance?

 

F

FrigginGLI

Member

Contributor

:

2006 Shadow Blue GLI

• Mar 7, 2003

• #4

Im thinking its the reflector. Its made perfect for the bulbs.

 

A

azeli73

Member

Contributor

:

2002 Protege 5 Turbo

• Mar 7, 2003

• #5

exactly why i don't plan on changing the lows/highs bulbs. They really are great! If anything just change the fog bulb. Stock ones are 35W I believe.

 

J

Jim Frye

Member

• Mar 7, 2003

• #6

milmoejoe said:

Would upgrading the OEM bulbs to, say PIAA, help the distance?

Click to expand...

I don't know about the P5, but I changed the stock headlight bulbs (9003) in my Honda with Silverstars and the new bulbs projected farther and brighter.

 

Last edited: Mar 7, 2003

J

jrodhotrod

Contributor

:

2003 Mazda Protege5 (Mine) 2002 Nissan Sentra GXE (Wife's)

• Mar 8, 2003

• #7

yeah after reading this article, I think I'll go the heavy duty harness and PIAA or HKS Power Beam route. Speaking of HKS power beam has anyone installed these and taken pictures yet?

 

Y

YellowMP5

Member

Contributor

:

2002 Mazda Protege5 YELLOW

• Mar 8, 2003

• #8

Surprised our headlights are the best in the test but not surprised that they are good. I always knew that. Thanks for the article.

 

G

ghetto waggon

Member

:

2003 Protege5, Yellow.

• Mar 8, 2003

• #9

I'm all for replacing the fog bulbs, but I don't want the colors to clash. The tuners around here are mostly
"mexican" '90s honda accords with one rim, where the headlights may be blue, with the fogs being white. I don't want this at all.

What color/model/brand would match up?

I thought maybe the PIAA replacement fogs with the black grille would look cool, anyone tried these?

What about the set of bulbs on protege5online.com for $70? anyone?

 

L

LA dreamer

Member

• Mar 8, 2003

• #10

Speaking of Consumer Reports, does anybody know if they have rated the 2002 MP5 yet? I mean, the whole deal where they say how the transmission, engine, safety, etc. is.

 

S

spankee

Member

• Mar 8, 2003

• #11

HA HA! I logged in to tell you guys about the lights but jrodhotrod beat me to it. LA dreamer, I've never seen a review in Consumer Reports on the 2002/2003 MP5. Has anyone seen a review for the MP5 or even a review dedicated to the entire Proteg line in its current iteration?

Here's the '03 profile for all Protegs: "The Proteg was displaced as our top-rated small sedan by the Ford Focus and the latest revisions of the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, but it remains a worthy choice. The standard engine is now the good 130-hp, 2.0-liter Four. handling is fairly nimble and secure, but the ride is stiff and choppy, and the cabin admits too much road noise. Interior room is relatively spacious, with a fairly comfortable rear seat. Reliability has been very good. A four-door hatchback/wagon, called the Proteg5, joined the line last year. It brought cargo versatility but little else :wtf:. Large fog lights, wide tires, and ground effects lend a sportier appearance."

They forgot to mention the red stabilizer bar, low-profile tires, and 16-inch rims, all of which add to performance. Or do all Protegs have these features? I don't think so.

The Proteg still has a big red "Recommended" check mark on its photo. In the back of the magazine they give the reliability ratings of all reviewed cars. The '02 Proteg, for those of you that read CR, has SOLID RED CIRCLES ALL THE WAY DOWN THE COLUMN, thank you very much.

 

Y

YellowMP5

Member

Contributor

:

2002 Mazda Protege5 YELLOW

• Mar 8, 2003

• #12

spankee said:

The '02 Proteg, for those of you that read CR, has SOLID RED CIRCLES ALL THE WAY DOWN THE COLUMN, thank you very much.

Click to expand...

Ahhh, life is good (drinks)

 

G

ghetto waggon

Member

:

2003 Protege5, Yellow.

• Mar 9, 2003

• #13

The 2002 PR5 was tested and rated, in a group of (don't quote me on this) :
matrix
vibe
Focus ZX5
Passat wagon

#1- Passat
#2-Matrix
#3-Vibe
#4-Focus
#5-PR5

(#4 & 5 may be vice versa- I dont have the article on hand)


Their big swings at the p5 had to do with the space, seating position, and the often repeated that it was hard to get in and out of the car.

On the other end of the spectrum, car and driver raved about it. So I guess its a matter of personal choice.

I personally test drove basically every car in it's class, and for a sport wagon, this car was by far the best. I did not originally expect to end up with a mazda. To me, many of it's "CUV" Competitors felt like a PT cruiser inside...not sporty at all.

In the 2003 consumer reports auto issue, the order goes:

WAGONS & HATCHBACKS

VW Passat (GLX 4 motion)$
VW Passat (4 cyl)$
Audi Allroad
Ford Focus wagon
VW Jetta 1.8T
Subaru Outback (V6)$
Volvo XC70$
Subaru Outback (limited)$
Matrix (XR)$
Vibe$
Focus ZX5
Volvo V40
PT Cruiser (limited)$
Mazda Pr5$
Saturn LW300
Subaru Impreza Outback sport $

$ = a reccomended car