Funky-wagon wars (US Market)

[The Vanishing Boy]

This is a hip new market trend.
These cars revolutionized the wagon industry, cross-breeding, cross-country, cross-everything. These hip wagons are affordable economical and sporty. These wagons/5-door hatches ranges from $10K to $28K. Which one do you prefer or you think is the the best.

 

[vat_man]

The WRX 'wagon' would have been perfect if Subaru hadn't put a narrower front track on it and turned it into a pig understeerer. I'm a big fan of their product but I don't know what the hell they were thinking of there.

 

[aljones]

I quite like the Subaru's, so I picked the Subaru Outback (the Forester in the UK? Not sure...). The PT Cruiser looks pretty cool, but I've been told it is pretty lame to drive, despite it's 2 litre engine.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

I see that you're from UK, Aljones:

The Forester is different than the Outback Sport. The Outback Sport is designed for the US market only, not available in UK, JPN, and the rest of the world. The Outback Sport is an Impreza dressed up like the Legacy Outback.

go to www.subaru.com (Subaru of America) to see the Outback Sport that I was talking about.

I agree that the PTC in UK is kinda bland and underpowered for the UK market (seen it on Top Gear and CAR magazines). Peace.

 

[alex_gt]

Originally posted by aljones
I quite like the Subaru's, so I picked the Subaru Outback (the Forester in the UK? Not sure...). The PT Cruiser looks pretty cool, but I've been told it is pretty lame to drive, despite it's 2 litre engine.

Yep the :subaru: Forester is in :uk:, thought they are quite rare on our roads.

The :chrysler: PT has alegedly pretty dull chassis on the twisty roads :curvyrd:

 

[vat_man]

Originally posted by The Vanishing Boy
I see that you're from UK, Aljones:

The Forester is different than the Outback Sport. The Outback Sport is designed for the US market only, not available in UK, JPN, and the rest of the world. The Outback Sport is an Impreza dressed up like the Legacy Outback.

go to www.subaru.com (Subaru of America) to see the Outback Sport that I was talking about.

To clarify, the Outback Sport is this:

It is available in Australia and is known as the Impreza RV.

Then, there's the Outback, which is a Legacy/Liberty in flared trousers and on stilts.

Then there's the Forester, which is in reality an Impreza wagon in a lumberjack jacket and on stilts.

 

[alex_gt]

Originally posted by vat_man
It is available in Australia and is known as the Impreza RV.

Then, there's the Outback, which is a Legacy/Liberty in flared trousers and on stilts.

Then there's the Forester, which is in reality an Impreza wagon in a lumberjack jacket and on stilts.

I like the descriptions..

 

[vat_man]

Well, I drive a Liberty/Legacy RX sedan, so if you imagine a Liberty/Legacy in a nice pair of runners...

 

[Ryan2]

I like the Protege5

 

[MazKid]

Well, the Protege 5 started this recent trend...

Actually, it was the 626 5-door, from, well, the mid '80s. The best ones(626 I'm talking)were the '88-'92 GTs, which were 180+hp Turbo 2.2L I4s. About 220lb.ft. of torque.

And the best 5 door is coming to the US this fall.

The Mazda 6 Sport.

I would vote for the Protege 5, but GTP isn't letting me do any polls today

 

[Duke]

Originally posted by MazKid
Well, the Protege 5 started this recent trend...

I beg to differ, and so does the 2000-m/y PT Cruiser!
:smilewink

 

[MazKid]

Yea but the PT is an image car...and it's more of a minivan than a true 5 door...

 

[Duke]

Ever been in one? It's nothing like my minivan. It has a very carlike interior, just with some extra room at the back. And what's an "image" car? Isn't the Protege 5 and "image" car? It is to me. And the PT predates the P5 by several years at least.

I don't really think of any these new sportwagons as five-doors, in the sense of the older 626, the Mondeo, etc. etc. Those are more like four-door hatchback sedans, rather than wagons, IMHO.

 

[MazKid]

4-door hatch=5 door...

And yes, I have been in a PT Cruiser. My aunt has one, and me and my dad drove it, and it's pretty tall.

The Protege 5 is a 5 door...

A 5 door is inbetween a sedan and a wagon, with a liftback. And I never said that the 626 5-door was a wagon, it's a 5 door just like its name states. There was no 626 wagon(well in other parts of the world, they had the Capella Wagon...).

The title of the thread is sorta misleading...

 

[Duke]

I understand what a 5-door is. That was my point! I don't think any of these cars a 5-doors; certainly not the P5.
If you don't want to include the PT, then I'd say the 3-series BMW wagon or the Accord wagon (though that's getting fairly old to be considered recent) also predate the P5.

 

[MazKid]

But those are station wagons, not 5 door. A 5 door is a sedan with a hatch, not a wagon. And the MP5 is totally a 5 door, that's why it's the Protege 5, if it was a wagon, it would be the Protege Wagon.

It don't matter, and I don't care no more!

Leave me alone man!

J/K...but the MP5 is a 5-door, not wagon.

 

[MazKid]

Not to mention that VB spelled it Protoge...

damn, it's spelled the same as the word! The P to the R to the O to the T to the E to the G to the E and the accent on top!

 

[ShobThaBob]

Matrix for me. Although Im in love with the way the protege5 looks, the matrix just feels a lot more better, and has a boatload more power....if u shell out the necessary cash. BTW I havent driven a 5, but i have raced one, I have driven a Matrix. Indeeeeed.

 

[MazKid]

Well, MP5s are underpowered to an extent, but they aren't meant to be fast. Mazda will probably make them faster in a year or so.

P.S., my grandparents just bought a MP5, and they totally love it!

 

[Joey D]

The PT Crusier. My mom has one. They drive ok. No go though. I can't get it above 90 on I-75. My dad said he has it up to 102 but I told him I don't think so. I want to drive the turbo one.

 

[Hooligan]

Originally posted by MazKid
Well, the Protege 5 started this recent trend...

Actually, it was the 626 5-door, from, well, the mid '80s.

As opposed to the Subaru Brat's from the 1970's? More Mazda bias, no doubt.

 

[MazKid]

Wasn't the Brat that truck? Yes it was...

 

[MazKid]

and I said recent trend, I wasn't talking about 5-doors in total...

 

[Duke]

The Brat is more of a pickup.

But I still don't see how you're stretching the definition of 5-door to include the P5, no matter how nice it is. It's a wagon, despite the name.
:smilewink

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

Pickup-car hybrid, like the Chevy El Camino and the Ford Ranchero.


Sorry Mazkid of mispelling the P5 (Protege5, I got it!)

 

[1X83Z]

Originally posted by MazKid
Well, the Protege 5 started this recent trend...

Actually, it was the 626 5-door, from, well, the mid '80s. The best ones(626 I'm talking)were the '88-'92 GTs, which were 180+hp Turbo 2.2L I4s. About 220lb.ft. of torque.

And the best 5 door is coming to the US this fall.

The Mazda 6 Sport.

I would vote for the Protege 5, but GTP isn't letting me do any polls today

He, he, he, yeah right - I seem to remember Impreza Outbacks out on the roads in like 1994.

 

[MazKid]

M5, I said recent trend, the Outback was before the trend. When the MP5 came out, it was followed by the Focus ZX5, Matrix/Vibe, Aerio, Rio Cinco, and the Elantra GT. That is what I'm talking about here...

 

[Gran Turismo7058]

I test drove one of the PT's on I-95......I could not even get it over 84mph!!!!!!But any way i voted for the Mazda Protege5

 

[Sage]

WRX Wagon gets my vote. How can you not like a wagon that can hit 0-60mph in 5 and a half seconds? Of course though, the WRX costs a lot more than any other othe wagons on the list (disclaimer: I'm noting that offhand; I could be wrong).

 

[Gran Turismo7058]

Protege5 looks better tho