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Mazda Protegé

24043 messages,  Last post on Jun 10, 2012 at 12:01 AM

You are in the Mazda Protege Forum.

What is this discussion about? Mazda Protege, Sedan

Messages Page 1724 of 2405

#17231 of 24043 Focus ride by boggse

Oct 02, 2002 (11:33 am)

When I test drove a 2001 Focus ZTS, I found the ride to be quite nice. Firm, but not overly so. I like the Protege's ride better, but my wife probably doesn't. The problem I had with the Focus, which the Protege does so much better, is the seats. I hope the Procus gets Mazda seats, and not Ford. The whole Procus thing kind of scares me anyway. I fear that Mazda will become the next Mercury.

#17232 of 24043 Ding Ding! Score one vote in Meade's direction! by mdaffron

Oct 02, 2002 (11:36 am)

Thanks for playing, Ted!
 
Meade

#17233 of 24043 boggse by newcar31

Oct 02, 2002 (11:54 am)

In a perfect world, wouldn't you prefer the ride in the Focus and still maintain the Protege's excellent handling? I'm not talking about picking one or the other, I'm talking about having your cake and eating it too.

#17234 of 24043 Ed.... by vocus

Oct 02, 2002 (11:57 am)

I test drove 3 different Foci (is that correct pernunciation?) when I was looking at the Protege. I liked the way the Focus drove and handled (this was when I was still in VW denial). Anyway, the seats were the most uncomfortable thing to me as well.
 
Now I drove about 50 miles in this rental, and the seats were fine. This was a 2002 SE model, the same I had driven before (2000 and 2001 SE and ZX3 models). Maybe they changed the seats?
 
And before anyone responds, I can feel if a seat is comfortable within 20 minutes of driving. I have a very sensitive back that stems from a car accident injury I received in 1998. If the seat's not comfortable, I know it right away.

#17235 of 24043 Gee Todd, you really just can't accept a different opinion can you? by mdaffron

Oct 02, 2002 (12:04 pm)

What, you trying to talk Ted into changing his mind? Man!
 
Meade
 
P.S. My stepmom's 1999 Buick Riviera DOES have a nice, buttery-smooth, tomblike ride ...

#17236 of 24043 newcar31, vocus by boggse

Oct 02, 2002 (12:13 pm)

I think I already said that I preferred the Protege's ride, but that is just my personal opinion. My wife would prefer a softer ride from the Protege. However, with the spring & strut upgrades I have planned, I do not think that is in the cards. Still, from the factory, I think the Protege's ride is just fine. The MP3's ride would probably be just about perfect for me and the LX is probably perfect for my wife, so the ES is a good compromise for now.
 
Even if they did improve the seats in the Focus, I really disliked the whole seating position in general. The dash was in the way of my right knee, and I never felt like I could get the bottom cushion at the correct angle. I think the Protege has a far superior seating arrangement to the Focus.

#17237 of 24043 Ed... by vocus

Oct 02, 2002 (12:17 pm)

The dash was in the way of my right knee as well, and I wanted to be a little farther back as well.

#17238 of 24043 Meade by newcar31

Oct 02, 2002 (12:18 pm)

I don't think Ted understood the context of this discussion. If he did, I apologize. It isn't about choosing the Focus or the Protege. It's about picking the best attributes from each car to make the "perfect" $16k car. If you and Ted could choose between two cars that handle the same but one of them rides smoother, which one would you pick? It seems like an easy choice to me, but I guess that's just me. I'm all about a sporty ride (I did buy the Protege), but if it rode smoother and still handled the same, I wouldn't complain.

#17239 of 24043 the_big_h by chikoo

Oct 02, 2002 (12:27 pm)

I do see a little jump in my tach when the car comes to a stop, courtesy of shifting into first.
 
let me reiterate that this happens under moderate braking.
 
If I coast to a stop, I do not hear/feel a clunk nor the tach jump. Same if I perform an agressive stop.
 
It's when I modulate the brakes(why did they have to give such wonderful modulateable brakes?) to come to a stop perfectly that I see the tach jump and feel the 1st gear shifting. just a tad little fast braking and I can feel a clunk. But If I brake in zoom zoom mode(aggressive) I hear no clunk, nor does the tach jump.
 
So can anyone decipher what the hell is going on?

#17240 of 24043 Todd by maltb

Oct 02, 2002 (12:28 pm)

I hear exactly what you are saying and it makes perfect sense. In a perfect world we would all want to feel the road yet never feel a pothole.

Messages Page 1724 of 2405

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