Okay, I've had an epiphany of sorts. For years I have been a bona fide Volkswagen fan (with a few exceptions along the way). For my money, it's been difficult for American or Japanese manufacturers to come up with any "entry-level" car that can legitimately compete with the combination of serious performance and reasonable price available in the Golf line, specifically the higher end GTI models. Earlier Protege offerings (the MP3) and even the Focus SVT, which I like, haven't surpassed the VW in my mind.

Having just had the opportunity to drive Mazdaspeed's take on the Protege, though, I confess: I've converted ! This is a phenomenal drive, and has taken the throne from my favorite GTI.

GENESIS
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With the growing success of performance-tuned entry level autos like the Golf GTI, Focus SVT, and especially their own Protege MP3, Mazda saw an opportunity to take this class of vehicle even farther with their own performance arm as a prime resource. To make the car worthy of the Mazdaspeed badge, they turned their team loose, even working with such legendary figures as Reeves Callaway to factory tune a Protege to levels unseen off a race track until now.

ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN
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There's only one engine available, and it's a good one: a 2L inline-4 that makes 170hp, and 160 lb-ft of torque. The horsepower boost from the run-of-the-mill Protege comes courtesy of a Garrett T25 turbocharger, supported by a heavier-duty clutch disc on the 5-speed stick (you'd never want an automatic if you want this car!).

The results are impressive: smooth acceleration throughout the gears, and not a noticeable level of the turbo "lag" that plagued so many of these motors in the past. The power is plenty in a car of this size.

SUSPENSION/HANDLING
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To accommodate the power increase, Mazdaspeed also beefed up the suspension, by going outside of Mazda to some performance parts suppliers, most notably shocks from Tokico, and suspension tuning by a company called Racing Beat. All of this is helped by larger 17-inch wheels and performance-rated tires. Bottom line: it will keep you steady as you push the stronger engine to its limits. I had the opportunity to drive it relatively hard for just a few minutes, but was left with the impression that it could handle what I was willing to do with it - very little body lean, in part because the car's so small.

INTERIOR
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I'm a little underwhelmed by the styling of this car, both exterior and interior - but perhaps I'm not their target market, right ? (about a decade older than they're shooting for, I think). They went for a "racing" feel, so you get Mazdaspeed-badged floor mats, special Mazdaspeed seats, and racing -style aluminum pedals / gear shifter / steering wheel. The seats seem comfortable (though I didn't take a long trip in it) and it all handles well, but you get the feeling that they're trying a little too hard. Trust me, the performance of this car speaks for itself - you don't need an aluminum gear shifter to tell you you're in a tuned-up machine. I did like the sound system, though: a powerful Kenwood stereo that takes both CDs and MP3s, and has seven speakers.

EXTERIOR
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A matter of opinion, but this is the area where the Golf still beats the Protege hands down for me. The Protege is plain-looking (but sturdy) to begin with, and I'm not sure they've helped its appearance much with the Mazdaspeed add-ons. First the good: it gets great-looking Racing Hart 5-spoke wheels. Now the bad: the spoiler, lower air-dam, and additional cladding along the bottom have an almost Pontiac feel. It also comes on only two colors: "spicy orange" and "black mica." The orange is awful. Again, I get the feeling that they're trying too hard; this car really does drive like the performance tuned machine that it is - they didn't need to convince me with all the stuff tacked on to the body. Perhaps it's just me, but I much prefer a car with understated styling that hides true performance...something like the S4.

It may just be me, though. Mazda's target market is a young audience, many of whom have grown up tuning their own Golfs, Civics, and Proteges. For them, the styling of this may just be exactly what they've been looking for in an off-the-shelf great drive. Outside of the styling, I loved it. They've gotten the performance just right, and I could forget about how it looks driving my Protege on every winding road I could find...
Amount Paid (US$): 20000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002