I finally went out and test drove the P5 and the ES last night. I'm happy I did. I have to admit, that while the P5 has more back space, I prefer driving the sedan. I want to thank everybody who responded in my last thread, but I still have a new question for all fo you. Is it normal that you feel EVERY bump with the low profile tires? And is there anybody here that owns an ES WITHOUT the low profile tires and could tell me if they can still feel the bumps with it?

I was greatly impressed with the ES Sedan and I am thinking more and more of purchasing it, but I'd like to know if I switch tires (or not get the GT options group) if it would be better. The fact that it was a bumpy ride was teh ONLY thing that bothered me.

I've been told that the low profile 16" tires offer more performance than comfort. If I take the 15" normal tires, will I lose much performance? Sorry if I ask a lot of questions, but this is a big purchase and I don't want to make the wrong choice... (the only other car I'm interested in is the Sentra GXE)

Thanks.

 

I think the bump is more a factor of the tight performance suspension than in the tires... The trade off is in how the car handles, the tight suspension reacts very well to you commands, but it's a little bumpy... if you have a very cushy ride, you have to expect the response time of the car to be not so grand.

I think you'll probably get used to the bumpy ride over the course of a few weeks, particularly when you go digging hard into a corner you'll appreciate it a lot more.

someone else here said it first, but "If you want to float, buy a Buick."

 

My friend owns a buick...
it IS a boat...

I have to admit that the car could turn pretty tight

 

The fact that most North Americans complain about a "bumpy" ride on most (if not all) European and Japanese cars and then whine about why won't they bring all their best cars over here continues to boggle my mind. Almost all cars that come over here have had the suspension softened for the North American market! Imagine driving a Sport 20 in Japan. If you want a performance car you will have to make compromises, sure you feel the bumps and hear the thumps of uneven pavement, but I agree with Brubeck, it's worth it to not have your car feel as though it's going to fall over when you enter a curve at twice the posted speed limit. North Americans want their cake and they want to eat it to.

 

The tires will also be a factor. An ES with the standard 15" tires will ride a bit more softly than a P5 or ES GT with the 16" low-profile rubber. Mazda has tuned the car to ride very firmly and there's nothing wrong with you if you think it's too firm. I personally find my P5's ride to be fine on all but the bumpiest roads, where it starts to feel like it's riding on concrete tires. That's the trade-off. If you can't find an ES without the GT package to test drive, the LX also comes standard with 15" tires and the 2.0 engine.

 

I agree with your assessment of the ES's more bumpy ride. As others have said, much of that has to do with it being more performance oriented, even stock. I'm continually amazed how well my ES handles!

Despite that issue, I haven't found the ride punishing by any means. In fact, it's pretty common to note that people will speak of the somewhat stiffer suspension, but they'll also commonly note that it isn't bad enough to cause comfort problems. As with most things in life, it's a trade off, and is a characteristic common for small cars.

If there was a way to get the same performance out of the Pro yet have a smoother ride, I'd definitely prefer it. When cruising, I found my old '91 Nissan Sentra XE rode considerably better than the Pro, but, then again, it also didn't handle nearly as well. Not even close.

Anyway, in the U.S. the ES comes standard with 16 inch wheels, and I agree with others' comments that smaller wheels would likely improve the ride a bit. Most of it, though, comes down to the performance suspension. The LX trim level would likely ride more softly than the ES. And, indeed, you can get the LX with nearly everything that the ES comes with, except for rear disc brakes, the black front grill trim, the Charcoal "sport" interior, and the 5 spoke ES 16 inch stock rims (which I think are actually pretty cool for a stock get up). Aside from that you can get a rear spoiler, ABS, moon roof, etc.-- Just like the ES.

Hey, on a side note, anyone have any ideas why the Canadian and U.S. set ups are different? In the States we don't have that "GT" package, etc.. Seems to me to save costs they might as well make it all the same...

At any rate, sorry to ramble!

 

True, I got the LX 2.0 which is cheaper, and comes with the damn hubcaps and 55 series tires. I'm sure that you'll get used to the 16" rims if you get the GT package, and love them afterwards. I noticed the bumpiness too coming from an ugly car that I dare not mention, but I love the handling too much to even care or notice anymore.

 

I thought that my ES GT was bouncy at first now I love it. I do have 15's on it right now with winter tires and they do mellow out the ride, but they also make it alot less fun to drive.

As far as the GT package goes I definately wanted it as the base ES in Canada is lacking alot of nice features:
- air
- moonroof
- 16 inch alloys
- rear disk brakes

 

So what is it exactly that you like about the sedan than the P5. But don't think Im trying to persuade you. I like my cars originality. I almost don't like seeing others on the road. But since I have only seen 4 others I guess its ok.

 

Well, both cars handles pretty much the same. My girlfriend found the P5 to be more "bumpy", but I found no difference. I guess since I've been driving a sedan lately (Honda Civic), I've gotten used to it. I found the back visibility to be better with the sedan than the P5 (I know most of you will dissagree with me here considering it is a hatchback) and I found the P5 to be bigger than the ES (which it is). Overall, I preferred the ride in the ES than the P5. If I was still driving my old 323, I probably would have preferred the P5 though...

On a side note: As for my comments on the bumpiness in the first post, I probably felt it more than most people, because I've been driving a Civic with 14" tires and you don't feel the bumps as much. Also, when I test drove the car, I was specifically looking for the car's bad points (I already knew all the good points ), so I probably noticed it more than anybody who owns the car at the moment. I'm sure (like many of you have said) that I'll get used to it and won't be bothered about it.

 

Size-wise, the P5 may seem bigger than the ES due to the different body shape, but it isn't. Width is the same, and although the P5 is 1 cm taller than the ES, it's actually 9 cm shorter in length due to not having a trunk.

Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but one thing the ES definitely has going for it over the P5 is a much wider choice of colours.

 

Yes but all of the ES's colors suck! I wanted my ES GT in "classic red" but Mazda in their infinite wisdom sees no reason to offer it. Also some of the sedan colors are horible, like that light green. yuk.

 

The P5 might have less colours, but at least they are much better! The ES only has white, black, dark green, light green, red, gold, sand, and silver.

The P5 has, I believe, dark blue, black, yellow, red, and white...

I wish I could choose the blue colour of the MP3...

 

Yeah that blue is cool. I was playing with photoshop last night trying to get a blue car yellow. Didn't come out right. But I did get it that awesome shade of blue. Tight. I don't notice the bumpiness at all. My grand am had the worst suspension ever. I hated riding in that. The P5 feels so smooth.