I always liked Proteges. They were fun cars with zesty engines and good handling and braking. Sure, they weren't as economical as Civics or Corollas, but the only Civic I would look at was the 92-95 EX Sedan. I even had second thoughts about my Mazda MX6 that I bought in 1999 because I wanted something roomier, and the Protege really made good use of space. In fact, in 1999 I found a leftover 1998 Protege ES 5 spd, but it didn't have ABS. Living in Boston, I passed on it. I should have gotten it.

Anyway, Mazda began running their 0% apr campaign in 2001, but they only offered that for 3 year terms. In October, after 9/11 all car manufacturers offered 0%, and Mazda offered it for 4 years! That was just too tough to pass up. I had tested out the car when we bought the Sentra in April 2001, so I found the car with all the correct options, and bought it without a test drive. Our car (my fiancee drives it mostly, I drive the WRX - separate review) is a ruby red metallic 5 spd ES, with the ES Premium Package that includes ABS, Side airbags, moonroof, floor mats and couple of other items. I wanted silver, but the dealers were selling out of these cars due to the phenomenal interest rate.

EXTERIOR:
The Protege has always looked different than other compact cars, and I personally think it looks the best it has ever looked in the current form. The crisp lines should age slowly, and it looks sharp from any angle. The 16in wheels are large, and are surrounded by sticky Dunlop Sp5000m tires (these are expensive to replace I found out). The spoiler is included in ES trim, and is subtle, but not needed. The car looks great without as well. There is a chrome tip to accent the exhaust. The fog lamps in the front are decoration only, as their performance is nothing to note. The front headlight fascia is aggressive, but I'd rather have the turn indicator to the outside of the headlight set, so people on the sides of the car can see my indicator better. The stock headlights have a good beam pattern.

INTERIOR:
Mazda did a great job with the interior of this car. Though the exterior dimensions are well within limits of a compact car, the interior is very spacious and airy for a compact. The Sentra felt downright claustrophobic (especially the rear seat) compared to the Protege. The dash is mostly hard plastic, but the black textured finish looks good. The door is covered with cushiony vinyl and cloth. The whole interior is mostly black, so it retains more heat. The instrument panel is logical and ergonomic in its organization. The dials are white-face (with black writing) and light up red (a la BMW) at night.

The radio controls reside high in the dash just below two air vents. The radio is pretty weak for the most part (very limited bass, and shrill lifeless treble), and could definitely use aftermarket help, but Mazda appears to have made a proprietary size for the head unit, measuring about 2.25." The radio does have easy controls. The climate controls are below. The controls are well placed and easily manipulated. The system works quickly to heat or cool as required. In front of the gear shift are two cupholders which can be covered by a sliding cover. The gearshift is surrounded by vinyl-type boot. The handbrake, steering wheel and part of the passenger side dash is covered with this pebble style rubber covering. The arm-rest is in a comfortable position.

The driver seat is 6-way manual adjustable, with a seat height adjuster. The passenger seat is 4-way. The door panels have map pockets on both sides. The rear seat is very roomy, and three adults could easily spend time there, unless they are large. There is no center arm-rest or rear seatback pockets though. All seats are reasonably comfortable, even for long trips.

DRIVING DYNAMICS:
I knew how well Proteges handled, and this was exemplified even on the way home from the dealer. The 16in tires and wheels help, as the car is very tossable with usual understeer for a front-drive vehicle. The brakes are 4 wheel disc, and easily upto the task of handling the vehicle's weight. The transmission shifts well, but with long throws. The clutch is pretty light.

The only thing hampering this car is the slightly gruff 2.0L engine. Proteges used to have a 1.8L engine derived from the one used in Miatas, but starting in 2001, they decided to use the 2.0L related to the 626 4-cyl engine. While it produces a lot of usable torque, it runs out of breath on the freeway, after about 85 mph. At that speed, the gearbox is also not tuned for economy, as the engine is at or above 4000 rpm. As a result, the Protege only has a rating of 25/31 mpg. While 25 mpg around town is ok, I think fuel economy could be slightly better on the highway. Our 98 626 gave at least 32 mpg on long trips. The engine does pull with verve around town, and easily merges onto freeways. It likes to rev between 2000-5000 rpm, but above that, it just gets loud, and doesn't really produce much power - you might as well upshift.

This car is extremely fun to drive, compared to others in its class. The factory installed Dunlop SP5000 tires are very good, and have an aggressive tread pattern suggestive of performance cars. The car is very flat on most turns due to the sport suspension of the ES. Fortunately, this does not result in a harsh ride in the city. The suspension is compliant on most bad roads, but the car does bounce a little on the freeway as it tries to settle itself on LA freeways filled with constant construction.

OVERALL:
The Protege is near the top of the class for compact cars. Proteges still suffer from poor resale values, so if you buy this car, be sure you'll keep it a while. Mazda could work on putting an engine more suited with the rest of the persona of the car, and maybe make slightly more fuel efficient as well. Everything else is just about right. Even though I have mentioned some cons with this car, all of that will pale when you think about how much you'll save when you get 0% financing. The Protege5 is essentially the same car with a wagon rear, different headlights, and a $2000 higher price tag. We have had the car for about 6 months now, and we have no problems to report whatsoever. My fiancee is very happy driving the Protege, but wishes they had the same 4 year 0% apr deal for the Protege5...
Amount Paid (US$): 16041
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: ES 5 spd, Premium Package