was: drove a Civic Si yesterday/ performance review; now: mazda protoge 5

[nealtovsen@yahoo.com (Neal Tovsen)]

I got to drive an early-90's (two generations ago)
Protege prepped for STS-class autocrossing. The owner
also spent quite some time in my 16v. We came away
feeling that the two cars are very close in terms of
potential. Both almost the same weight and power. We
both thought that the 16v was a bit more tossable,
while the Protege has more mid-range torque and a LONG
2nd gear that is nice for autocrossing. We haven't run
head-to-head yet (well, we did but I was on CRAPPY
tires at the time), but we will soon.

That generation and the next were based on the same
platform, shared with the Ford Escort. The new P-5/MP3
are based more on a mini 626 platform, so I wonder how
much different they are...

Neal

--- WaspHwy@aol.com wrote:
> my roomate just bought a new PR5. I drove it last
> night and was incredibly 
> impressed. the engine is shite, and the shifter
> leaves a little to be 
> desired, but the suspension left me suprised. I
> figured it would be sporty 
> for a small wagon, but I was truly impressed. there
> was much more grip 
> available than I expected, and the chassis seemed
> very well tuned. all this 
> from a factory??? I would love to see what the MP3
> drives like. any comments?
> 
> 
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=====
~Neal

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