Quote:
Originally Posted by fliptuner
Aside from power and space, what makes the 3 better? My GF has a 3 GT and I'm thinking of getting a P5 for commuting.
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I'm comparing on the basis of having owned a P5 for 7 years and having driven about 5-6 Mazda 3s including the one my brother owns on a fairly frequent basis:
The 3 is better at:
- Much quieter, especially on the highway. The P5 gets real buzzy above 120kph, after a while I just stopped going past 120kph. The P5 is noisy, noisy, noisy!
- Higher limits with the handling.
- Better ride. Much smoother. The P5 (and the Mazdaspeed Protege) were at about the limits of stiffness for a commuter car.
- More "mature" drive. It's not the frisky puppy that the P5 is, it's not looking to dart around all the time so it's relaxing to drive.
- Way better motor (2.3L). Spins up quickly and will rev all day. The P5 sometimes reminded me of a tractor motor in comparison.
- Nicer seats (although the P5 has a very sporty driving position).
- Better amenities.
The Protege 5 is better at:
- Perfect weighting of the controls. Everything feels like it requires the same amount of pressure and weight to use. I drive a TSX now and the P5 beats it hands down in the controls department. Car and Driver called it a Miata in a station wagon body and I don't doubt it.
- Bigger rear seat. I'm not sure what they measure out at but the rear seat of the Protege definitely feels bigger and is easier to get in and out of.
- It's a blast to drive, it's like owning a puppy. Just wants to play all the time.
- Great driving position and pedal placement. I can easily match revs on downshifts because of the setup.
- Better manual. More precise shifter (the throw to fifth is a bit long though) and the clutch has a pickup in the middle. The 3 has a really high pickup that I could never get used to and it feels very unnatural.
Case in point: I borrowed my friends' 3 for a couple weeks recently and while it's a smooth driver I ended up browsing Craigslist for an old Protege to pick up as a spare car because I was reminded why I loved the Protege 5 so much.
As a city car I LOVED the P5, short of a sports car it's as much fun as you'd need. As a highway car I couldn't wait to sell it.