Selby

I've got a dilemma on my hands. My wife and I are shopping for a daily driver car - we need something to park at the airport, drive in the crummy weather, rack up miles, and generally park around town without worry. Call my crazy, but I just can't bring myself to park our '02 S2K or '99 M3 at the airport during those two-week business trips.... The criteria are simple - we want something practical (read: hatchback), efficient, with a manual transmission, and most importantly, it should be fun-to-drive (in an affordable-car kind of way).

When I first looked around at my choices, Mazda's Protege5 fit the bill very nicely. A test drive confirmed the overall goodness of this car - not to sound like I drank the "zoom zoom" Kool-Aid, but Mazda makes a very nice package in the P5. It's got a lot going for it - great handling, great fit and finish, nice styling, good torque down low in the revs, good warranty, and it's a Mazda, which means the odds are it'll run great for many trouble-free miles. It's also a little more "anonymous" in a "lowlife won't screw with it" kind of way. The downside - one thing, really: power. The P5 needs another 25-30 HP. Otherwise, there's just not much to criticize.

So, I was pretty much set to get the Mazda until today when, on a bit of a lark, I stopped by the Ford dealer to look at the Focus. While there, I checked out the SVT 3-door. Before I knew it, I was out on a test drive. I didn't expect to like it, but I did. A lot. It's a very nice, competent car, with powerful handling and a commendably rigid chassis - I dare say the Focus is the best car Ford makes. What's more, Ford is offering a $2500 rebate on 2002 SVTs, which gives it great bang-for-the-buck. Post-rebate, we're looking at about 16K for a nicely-loaded example.

Do the math, and the SVT earns a number of check marks in the plus column too: the aforementioned rebate, six-speed gearbox, good, usable power, good ride quality, and phenomenal handling for a FWD car. It feels just as tossable as my M3, if not quite up to the level of the S2K. The interior is pretty nice, and the feature content is good. A competent package.

My hesitation stems from the reliability history of the Focus line. Since we intend to keep this car a while, I want it to hold together. I'm also used to "Japanese" levels of quality and reliability - fill it with gas, change the oil, and drive. The Bimmer has challenged this a bit already, so I'm loathe to get another car with a marginal reliability record. Finally, the SVT, due to its limited production and go-fast parts, may encourage attention from the various forms of lowlife out there who like to screw with other people's property.

Incidentally, for those who care, we also drove a 2003 Civic Si earlier in the day and came away underwhelmed. Having owned a '90 and '95 Si, we expected to like the '03 too. It was very disappointing, to say the least, as these cars used to set the bar. But no more - the Civic has lost its mojo.

So there it is. Anyone want to give me their opinion (two-bit or otherwise) to help me make up my mind?

Thanks.

-R

JonBoy

As a "practical" daily driver, I think the Protege5 is more appropriate. It's bigger, it should be more reliable, it's more common (ie, it won't draw much, if any, unwanted attention), and it has great build quality. If you want more fun than anything, get the Focus SVT. Otherwise, Protege5 all the way.

That's my $0.02.

InjenCelicaGTS

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JonBoy
[B]As a "practical" daily driver, I think the Protege5 is more appropriate.

ElTianti

I like the SVT Focus a LOT. The S was my first Japanese car so I
don't have a knee-jerk anti domestic bias. In fact the Chevys I've
owned have been very reliable. But it seems ever other week
there another Focus recall.

The other issue for me is it get lousy mileage (24 MPG highway)
and requires premium fuel. A daily driver should be cheap to own
and cheap to keep.

12gage

IMO, both are very nice cars. I think the SVT Focus may have more practicality because of it's hatchback orientation. I would really try to find a Mazdaspeed Protege because it is a hell fo a car probably even better than the SVT focus. I believe it is rated at 170hp and is turbocharged. I imagine it is slightly underated as well because it put down 151 to the wheels in Sport Compact Car magazine.

Luder94

I've driven both and used the same criteria as you to judge both cars. What I think the Mazda has over the Ford is that it's larger, gets better MPG, has a decent aftermarket selection to bump the ponies up 10-40hp more, and is much more underrated by the "ricer" crowd.

The SVT Ford on the other hand, has a better manual transmission (the Mazda I test drove had a very sloppy 5-manual), was way more fun to toss, cheaper on the price, and will probably hold a better resale value to newer "tuners".

If I was making the call for my wife and I, I'd go with the Mazda...I'd factor out the reliability, fit, and finish values that you are using to judge both cars with....both cars are Fords.

s2kyle

I'd go with the Protege, but I think remeber reading the SVT Focus would be getting a 200+hp engine next year though...

pjkwong

Have u tried the Matrix XRS?

Selby

>>Have u tried the Matrix XRS?<<

No. But I have to admit, I am not a big Toyota fan. Something about their cars leaves me cold. This one was never on the list.

-R

LordVagabond

But, Toyota are absolutely incredible with their reliability. I dare say, they are even more reliable than Hondas