i just put a down payment on the 2001 protege. but before doing so i test drove the mazda 3. what i noticed was the protege seemed quicker, im just wondering if this would be something normal, i would have thought the 3 to be better. maybe the car im buying just has some toys i havent noticed. your thoughts on this matter would be aprreciated

 

was it the 2.0 or 2.3L Mazda3? I test drove a 3 2.0L before buying my ES. Pretty sure the weight-HP ratio is about the same on the ES/2.0 3. The 2.3L should definitely be quicker though...

 

I think the 3 is heavier too!

 

sorry forgot to mention the 3 was the 2.0L

 

the 2.0L 3i is a 148hp car where-as the 2.0L protege is a 130hp car. I do think they weigh about similar for their respective power outputs though. Maybe if the 3 was an auto and the protege was a 5spd they'd feel night and day different. My wife has a 3S 2.3L automatic and my stock P5 5spd would hang with it.

 

sorry im new at the forums thing, but the cars were both 5 speed standards, both were the 2.0L, the protege specs say it comes 130hp stock, and 3 comes with 148hp stock. im canadian so i dont know the i version but from what i can gather i think it i equivalent is the 3s

 

I may be nuts, but I'm pretty sure that the 3 is quite a bit heavier. My wife's 5-door 3 is around 2800 lbs., my 2002 Pro is something like 400 lbs lighter. With the 2.0, I'd expect the Pro to be quicker than the 3.

 

thnx, i just got my car today and i love it, almost had a heart attack when they didnt like my out of province liscence, but i got it, and have been playing all day