Went out test driving today. Only had a chance to test 3, the Pontiac Vibe, the Mazda Protege 5, and the new Mazda 3. Some fun. Aside from with the odd ignorant salesperson, most people were pretty good and allowed us to drive and feel them out without constantly trying to close. So... the clear loser was the Vibe. The engine was a bit rough and noisy, and it was pretty gutless. All sound, no fury. What it had going for it was room. Very well designed cargo area with protective hard plastic covering any surface likely to be scuffed up. The driving position wasn't bad, and the dash was logically laid out, but the side bolsters on the front seats were too narrow. I'm not a big guy, but I was pinched in the seat. Back seat room was quite good, and there was enough glass there to keep the kids from getting too claustrophobic. Had a 115 volt outlet in the dash for laptops, coolers, whatever. Not a big deal. No ABS brakes in the model I looked at, and steel wheels with covers. Not much in the way of standard features. Air, CD, tilt wheel, were about it.
My wife liked the look of it, but anything compared to our current vehicle looks great.
Next up was the 2003 Protege 5. Fun car. Nowhere near the same space as the Vibe, but much more of a driver's vehicle. Great seat, and full load minus sun roof, which I hate anyway, and leather which I also don't like in cars. Mags, PW, PL PM, Air, tilt, and cruise are all there. I was just looking at cars so I don't know how much movement there is on price with the Vibe, but the Protege 5 would probably end up being a few dollars cheaper despite all the additional equipment. So, what did I like... The handling was first rate, and the initial jump of the line was a lot of fun. The transmission can be up or downshifted, and all the controls were right to hand. You sit low and the suspension is quite stiff though, which could be a real problem with the kids.
The Mazda 3 is similar, but a more refined car. A little more room , a higher driving position, and a bit softer overall. My wife liked the styling a lot. Although the engine is up to a 2.3 from 2 liters, and there is about 20 more horsepower, it isn't as torquey low down as the 2003. It doesn't leave the line as quickly, although it catches up quite fast as the revs build. Very nice engine, good note, and very smooth. I think it sticks as well, but it has less of the boy racer feel of the Protege 5. The 2003 seemed to turn in a little quicker. The Mazda 3 is more refined and relaxed. Neither of the Mazdas have anywhere near the cargo room, but they kill the Vibe on value. They took off the power mirrors on the base model Mazda though. You have to go up $1200 to get them along with better sound, bigger mags, anti-theft alarm, cruise, a small spoiler, and a couple of other doodads like a leather covered shift knob.
The salesman said that despite the bigger engine and more power, fuel economy is better, but who knows?
Anyway, it was fun, and even my wife who cares more about colour than any other attribute, had a little fun by the end of the day.
Tomorrow we try the Ford Focus, and possibly the Suzuki Aerio, No point checking out the Toyota Matrix after the poor showing of the Vibe. The adventure continues. Just like buying speakers, except the price point is magnified 10 or 20 times.
