Is there any advantage the P5 has over the Protege ES(or vice versa), other than looks and the convience of the hatchback? Just curious, I'm look to get one and am not sure, its a matter of cost. Oh and does anyone here have anitlock breaks? I've never had a car that had them. My boyfriend has them in his Cougar and he hates them. Do they really make a significant difference??
Thanks!

 

Let's see... the P5 is heavier, has a shorter track, has worse aerodynamic drag, and has an annoying roof rack. It's also a WAGON.
Oh wait.. you were asking for advantages...

The P5 has a front strut tower brace. Other than that the ES is better.

ABS makes a difference if you don't know how to use your brakes properly. Other than that, I consider it just one more thing that could break (and cost money to fix).
Just my $0.02

 

Is the P5 heavier? I forgot the numbers, but, I thought they were close in weight. The P5 is shorter than the ES.

If you want to haul stuff by putting down the rear seats, you have more clearance as the roof line pretty much extends all the way back to the hatch back.

The ES' trunk space stays a bit wider further back from the bumper. The trunk in my friend's '02 ES can easily hold two golf bags sideways while my P5 can only hold one --- without putting down the rear seat.

If you don't like the roof rack, you could always remove it. It doesn't sound all that bad (I got the '03 P5 which supposedly has some minor improvements to lower the noise from the rack).

The biggest reason why I bought the P5 over the ES (and I was intending to buy a ES) was that I felt the P5 looked nicer than the ES; it stood out more while not looking like a mini-mini-Van as some of the other small wagons do.

So yeah, if you don't care for the P5 look, save yourself some money and buy an ES.

 

I think the weight difference is only 200lbs for the p5.

And it's not a just a wagon, it's a SPORT Wagon!!!

 

If you want to see things for yourself check it out here

KBB side-by-side comparision

 

Great site. I compared my 2003 P5 against the 2003 ES and the 2003 6. It has the P5 only 82lb heavier than the ES.

Wish I had the V6 power of the 6. 90hp more for $4000 more and 5 mpg less gas mileage than the P5 might may be worth it.

Anyone know anything on the handling characteristics, noise, etc., of the M6 vs. the Proteges?

 

Just wondering why it has a shorter track, and btw can someone explain to be what "track" means?

And the drag conefficients are the same between the P5 and ES, so why does why have more drag?

 

Exactly what he said

I got the sedan because of financial issues, it was cheaper.... love it so far.

Good luck

 

The P5 looks cooler than the sedan (and I have the sedan). You get more attention with the P5 than the sedan. Its has more space. Has the strut bar as someone said earlier. You can take the back seats out in the P5. Has a more variety of colors. Looks a lot cooler suped up. A lot of room for a sound system. P5 comes w/ chrome wheels.

ES is lighter, not by much. Better rear view of road while driving.

If your wondering why I didn't get the P5, my mother bought my car as a surprise for doing absolutely nothing. If I was there, I would have gotten the P5 in yellow.

 

I have a PR5 and if you have the money, it's a better choice. It has:
[list=1][*]roof rack[*]hatchback, for more storage capacity, can store 8 flats of beer without seats folded[*]fog lights standard[*]front sway bar standard[*]"sport matic" transmission for $100 more than standard auto[*]"sporty" styling. when my in-laws approved, I know I made a great choice[*]16" alloy wheels with dunlop sport tires standard[*]shorter length[*]less than 100lb heavier than ES[/list=1]

If the MazdaSpeed package came for the PR5, I would've waited and got that instead, but still a great ride.

 

The sedan is not just a sedan, it's a SPORT sedan. If you can call the P5 a sport anything than so is the sedan. Eitherway neither of them are sports cars.




The ES can hold longer things than the p5.
The ES also comes standard with fogs.
The ES also has the "sport matic" transmission.
The ES also comes with 16" ally wheels and dunlop sport tires.
The ES is cheaper so you can spend the money you save on an intake, exhaust, and a strut bar. Then the ES will have the strut bar and will be faster.

 

P5 has back windshield wiper! I really like those things.

P5 has more attention grabbing colours... if u want them...

if you are considering an ES.... why don't u get the DX? same engine.... much cheaper... no tach though.... dunno if the suspension is the same? but with the money u save u can put it on a lot of mods.....

the P5 is better in one way... when u are backing into a space or something... it is much easier to judge distance of your butt to the wall because the glass of the hatch is right there... with a trunk u have to guess the distance.

P5 has more room within vehicle cabin = more air = harder to cool on a hot day

 

I really doubt the strut bar does anything, if nothing at all. It won't make the car FASTER.

Since it only benefits cars with a relatively flexible chassis, which is not the Protege/P5.

It's an appearance thing I think.

This is coming from a person that drives a P5.

 

I meant the intake and exhaust would make it faster. Not the strut bar. Sorry for any confusion.

 

One can have a shorter wheelbase, or a narrower track (dimension between wheels on the same axle), but there is no such thing as shorter track! Both sedan and P5 have identical track, which makes sense, as both seem to share design and parts.

According to the referenced comparison site, both sedan and P5 have same wheelbase, but the P5 is of course about 5" shorter in overall length.

Regarding the CoD, both are .32 . Not the slickest on the road, but typical for cars with an upright design.

As most of the posts note, it's really a question of preferences in body style and hatch vs. trunk. Personally, I like the P5 option to take out the rear seat bottoms, fold down the backs, and have a big space available.