Subaru Impreza vs. Mazda Protege5

[zoltan]

It's time for a new (used) car, and I can't deal with trunks any longer so I'm looking for a 5 door. The only ones I've found so far within my price range are the Protege5 and the Impreza. I need something that will be reliable, won't require a lot of expensive maintenance, and won't ever leave me stranded. During winter I routinely haul people and gear to the mountains. It's my impression that Mazda probably has a little better quality, and I like it's simplicty as well (FWD vs AWD and I4 vs boxer), but the Protege5 is fairly hard to come by around here and tend to cost more as well. I've also heard that Subarus like to eat their clutches.

I like how both drive.

Which one do I go with?

[Allee]

I went on a boarding trip in the Impreza and found it tiny. Roomwise the Mazda would be a much better choice. They're both nice cars and will hold their resale about the same, I'd guess, but after a few days we found the Impreza a pain to get gear in and out of, and just too small for four people and all their stuff.

[skipuppy]

There's the Impreza Sport which is a hatchback and I believe one or both of the rear seats fold down- great for gear and dogs.

[Speedzilla]

We have nearly 75,000 miles on our '02 P5, no issues at all.

[Derf]

My dad owns a Protegé5 and I have a Protegé sedan. Both car have a good format, but the Protegé5 has an edge in rear seat comfort as the wheelbase is longer, so it is easier go get in and get out and there is good leg room. Like you mentionned, the Protegé5 will be easier and less costly to maintain because of the inline 4 engine and the front wheel drive. The interior is little more modern and the stock radio sounds good. Some say the heater is a little slow, but after 5 minutes of driving, it's OK. Even if everyone says that AWD is better in the winter, a FWD is also good with good winter tires and smart driving. Don't forget that even if not all cars have four wheel drive, which is good for rolling, all cars have four wheel breaks, which is good for stopping.;) I never drove a Subaru, but a thing I can tell you about the Protegé5 is that is does not have very much torque at low RPM.

I don't know where you live, but here Protegé5 are VERY common. It was a battle between the Civic and the Protegé for the most selling cars here.

[Paulk]

Disclaimer: I've owned 2 Impreza's.

I put over 100k on a 1999 2.5 Rs and yes, it ate a clutch at 90k when I got stuck in a heavy wet nor'easter screwing around. BUT, parts were plentiful and inexpensive. Thank you for SCCA rally. Lots of aftermarket support for the subaru.

Sold it after purchasing a WRX in 2004. Only oil changes, air filters, antifreeze, and one new set of snow tires in 65,000 miles.

Both cars, very reliable..even with a heavy foot behind the wheel.

IMO, The abundance of stuff available for the subarus makes it more affordable to own. And when you're ready to sell, someone, somewhere will want it for rally racing.

Don't forget to set a little money aside for a good roof rack..and a ski box.

Good luck!

[Bullwings]

There's the Impreza Sport which is a hatchback and I believe one or both of the rear seats fold down- great for gear and dogs.

i think this is the model you're talking about = impreza sport wagon

or you do the wrx sport wagon if you wanted more power, although that would be a turbo...

that'll have lots of room, and if you actually want to take it to the mountains, you'll want the AWD. if you stuck to city roads only, then yeah, you could do the Protegé5. it's FWD, which is by far the worst layout for a car where handling is concerned (probably better than rwd in the snow only since you won't oversteer and lose the tail).

also, given the right tires on the impreza with awd, there are times where you can get away with not having to put chains on, although you'll still want to carry them with you.

also, your biggest reliability issue with subaru (turbo) is not present in this model. you won't ever have to worry about your turbo going out (a concern for ALL turbo cars down the road), which is expensive to replace.

mainly because you plan to use it for mountain trips. i'd lean toward the subaru with AWD just based on application.

[CarveItUp]

My family has had mazdas in the past (Miata and old Protege) and they were great cars. Reliable, nice to drive and economical. A couple of years ago, I was looking for a new small wagon and test drove both the P5 and Impreza TS wagon. I chose the impreza. Here's why:

1) The Mazda had significantly less power. I test drove manuals by the way. I like the extra power in the subaru.

2) The Mazda's interior fit and finish seemed cheap. The subaru is not much better. Neither seems to have particularly good seats.

3) I really like the 4WD. Not just in the snow. You always notice it.

4) I bought mine new and I seem to remember that the subaru was about the same price with way more features (PW, PL, keyless entry, etc etc.)

5) I am always surprised how much stuff fits in it. I put a full size stove in the back with the hatch closed. Full size doors, etc.

Cons for the subaru:

1) Fuel mileage is not great but it takes regular

2) The rear seats in the sedans don't fold down (get the wagon)

3) A little noisy at highway speeds - but the mazda probably is too and my roof top bike rack doesn't help this

4) Scheduled maintenance is a little pricey

5) Styling on the mazdas is better

Test drive both. Try the subaru in the rain and you'll like what you see.

I must say, I do like the Mazda3 now, though - but I haven't driven one.

Derek

[skipuppy]

(Paul K- my current Subie is a 2.5RS (2000 rbp sedan) and this summer I put a new sound system in as well as seats in the front- LOVE THAT CAR!!!!!!)

Every guy I know who knows anything about cars wants to drive it/have it .. actually this one kid who drives pro in rally said it was his dream car.

I have to admit too- I have some nice tires on this baby specifically for snow and ice and it handles great in the winter- I only had a problem after a 2ft dump in south lake tahoe when 4wd trucks were sliding out in front of me-- so it really had nothing to do with the car.

The turbo for the WRX is a very very very fun car to drive however its way more expensive, and requires premium fuel. If you don't like that, don't test drive it because I guarantee you that you will fall in love with it.

I should also mention I have never driven a Mazda (but I love the way they look)

[zoltan]

For those here who have Subarus, how have you found their reliability to be?

[Dave Pushee]

For those here who have Subarus, how have you found their reliability to be?

My first Subaru was a 1995 Legacy Outback. My oldest son is still driving that. It is very close to 250K miles now. Clutch has been replaced twice.

All in all, we have purchased 6 of these. The newest is a 2005 turbo - that's fun.

All but 1 of these (the '97) are still on the road in our family. The '97 was the least reliable. It had problems with alternators, AC, and at 135K miles a head gasket. My son (number 3) had this car 2K miles from home at U. Colorado Boulder when the head gasket problem showed up, so we donated it to charity. If this particular car had been the first one, we might not have bought so many more.

All but one of them have been standard transmissions. The 2004 is an automatic and I'm not particularly fond of it. It's pretty doggy (especially compared to the turbo ) and the cruise control has an annoying habit of kicking down to passing gear on hills.

In summary, I wouldn't keep buying them if I wasn't satisfied. Every car is going to have some faults, and sometimes you just get a lemon.

[CarveItUp]

Mine is only 3 years and 65,000 km old but so far only a few minor problems. When it was new, there was a kink in the rear washer hose so it didn't wash too well and at about 40,000 km there was a rattle in one heat shield that they replaced under warranty. Otherwise, it's been fine.

Derek

[skipuppy]

My car is a 2000 and has 80k miles on it (most from after I got it in Sep 2003). I've had to replace the battery once and that is it- out of everything...

Unless you count that time I did 8k damage by broad-siding a cement horse feeder and fence in a ditch, and that time some dodge ram rear ended me on the freeway, and that time my *ex* sided it into a snow bank because he was being irresponsible with driving it and driving too fast on an icy road- driving priviledges revoked immediately. My car is all fixed up- and still very beautiful and without remnants of the first two accidents.

Other than that^ I've only done tires and battery. I've also taken very good care of it in terms of keeping it clean for rust, and maintaining the scheduled check ups.

PHOTOS:

whole car shot when I got it

bumper shot of the license plate imprint from when i got rear ended

even dogs fit!!

[skategoat]

If you're worried about the clutch on the Subie, why not buy an automatic? They are better in the snow (less slippage during takeoff) and less likely to have been abused by a Colin McRae wannabe.

[jnshapiro]

I don't know if this will be much help, but my wife had a Protege from 91-96 I think. The car totally self distructed right after the warrenty went out. CV Joints failed, Transmission started slipping (automatic), and a host of other small problems that would have cost a bundle to replace. That car was junk. I'll never buy another Mazda (unless at some point I can get whatever the latest iteration in the RX series is).

Subaru makes a much more reliable car for long term ownership. I had an outback for quite a while. Then we got a dog that was too big for the wagon and I traded it in for a Pick-Up (4WD, inside shift).

[zoltan]

If you're worried about the clutch on the Subie, why not buy an automatic?

Sorry, I only drive manuals.

[Rob Stevens]

Skipuppy... Love the RS, man. Nice rod.

For 99% of the driving you'll do, the Mazda will be great. Good looking, better mileage, ect.

I default to the 1% where you're ****ed if you're stuck.

Yeah, AWD.

[Blackbird]

As a car nut I thought i would add....

the early impreza's (and liberty's) had issues with the manual transmission etc... engines... all kinds of stuff went wrong in some cars... suppose that's when they first started doing well in the WRC.

The newer ones are much better....

Mazda's can be expensive for parts and servicing (In Aus... extortionate.. may not effect you guys)

The interior is better in quality than the Subie....but both have great driving positions and feel great after hours at the wheel....

Personally If I was choosing between Mazda or Subaru... I'd go the Subie..

Personally though I am a Mitsubishi man myself...

Nothing quite like an Evo in the snow!!!! except the fact that it'll do like 5-7 miles to the gallon when really thrashed....hmmmmmmm

[Rob Stevens]

Blackbird;

It's unbeleivable how popular Subarus are in Australia.

I would never have thought that in a country with no snow (in most places) that AWD could be so in demand. Whenever I go there, it looks like there are more on the road every time.

If all I had to deal with was rain around here, I would definitely be in a 2WD.

I'd love to get a Holden SS ute over here for summer, to haul around the bikes (and just haul around)

[Allee]

When I was boarding in NZ, Turoa had a Subaru only carpark. There are zillions of them there because they all come in from Japan as used imports, and they're relatively cheap. If you had one you could park in the Subaru carpark and hot girls would give you free stuff - it was always full.

[B18C1]

I would definatly go with the Subaru.

- Extra Power/torque

- AWD

- H4 engine is more stable than the I4 and makes the car more stable since the engine is positioned lower

- Subaru cars are known to be very secure, in case of frontal collision especially

- Subaru's 2.5 boxer engine has been engine of the year twice I believe, it is reliable !!

Subaru's awd is really efficient and fun in the winter. If you want some more space, get the wagon. Fuel consumption is a little higher than the Protege and subaru parts, in case of repairs, will be more expensive than mazda's.

So basicly AWD is a must in the winter.. This car is secure, reliable, AWD and efficient -- It's the perfect winter beater IMO.

Once you go AWD, you don't go back to FWD

[Blackbird]

Blackbird;

It's unbeleivable how popular Subarus are in Australia.

I would never have thought that in a country with no snow (in most places) that AWD could be so in demand. Whenever I go there, it looks like there are more on the road every time.

If all I had to deal with was rain around here, I would definitely be in a 2WD.

I'd love to get a Holden SS ute over here for summer, to haul around the bikes (and just haul around)

yeah gotta love the 350 Chev in the utes.... Nice to drive too, really comfortable....

People are coming to realise that Australian built cars are really junk.... How would you like to buy a brand new car and within 2.5 years have a hole 4cms in diameter eaten away by corrosion.. And it was "Rustproofed" by the manufacturer.....

Hell we don't even salt our roads???!!!!

With a japanese car you get a much better quality product... and the backup of a genuinely caring maunfacturer.

AWD is popular cos'

A) The roads in Australia are rather S***

B) The average Joe Aussie really doesn't have a clue how to really drive....

To elaborate... Our driver training is simply woeful... You wouldn't believe the mindless imbeciles they give licences to.... It's ridiculous.

New Zealand is Subie heaven for sure... All these very hot and Sexy Japanese Imports get delivered there and not here:mad:

Our Compliance Rules are the most stringent anywhere so if you want a rare hot car you have to change a lot of things to get a roadworthy certificate...

Hell even our windscreens are the thickest in the world... Prolly cos they think everyone at one stage in their lives is gonna drive in the bush and collect a big 6ft Red Kangaroo at 120km's an hour ???!!!!!