![]() ![]() The clutch was light, smooth and progressive. The butter smoothly tranny made flicking through the gears more fun than work. The engine never feels strained or raucous. With a redline of 6,500 rpm, I found myself using normal driving shift points of 4-5,000 rpm which gave a sprightly performance to say the least. This silk motor is very willing and loves to rev. These are the best performance times I have recorded in this class of cars. In passing tests the Protege was able to accelerate from 50-70 in 5.7 seconds (third gear) and up hill slowed that time to 9.5 seconds. This powerful 1.8L engine could easily smoke the tires, even with front wheel drive and a front weight bias. In doing acceleration runs, careful attention had to be paid to prevent wheel spin. My test vehicle with the standard 5 speed manual tranny scooted from 0-60 in 9.6 seconds. With performance being a significant issue of every vehicle, this Protege is no slouch. Because of the large interior, the EPA classifies the Protege not as a sub compact but as a compact car. The Mazda rides on a relatively long 102.8 inch wheelbase with an overall length of 174 inches, width of 66.7 inches and height of 55.5 inches. It is 3-4 percent larger than anything else in its class while maintaining an exterior size that is nearly identical with its competitors. Inside you will find a most voluminous interior. Its sharp looks has a flair that leaves one thinking in German. ![]() This treatment adds to the cleanliness of the overall design and a businesslike demeanor.ĭesigned by an international team, the shape is distinguished by a full length body crease and chopped off tail with an upper crease and large good looking taillights. There is no bright metal trim around the windows, lights or anywhere else. The front end consists of some gorgeous clear lens jewel-like headlights that are divided by a grille that has the only bright metal on or in the car (except for rear badging and seat belt inserts) in the form of an bar across the top. The exterior sheet metal of Protege has a unique shape that is almost totally devoid of chrome. The DX and LX get the welcomed benefit of a needed 10 more horsepower over the previous 1998 model. The lesser equipped (and less expensive) DX and LX models come with a new larger and more powerful 1.6L DOHC 16 valve four with an output rating of 103 hp 5,500 rpm and 106 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. It produces 120 hp at 6,000 rpm and 119 lb-ft of torque 4,000 rpm. With the ES comes the larger 1.8L four-cylinder inline DOHC 16 valve engine. My test vehicle was a top of the line Protege ES. The new Protege has added, to the plentiful mix of small cars, an all-new design with newfound power, new suspension, new comfort and new sheet metal packaging. Consumers don't have to settle for a funless econobox just because they need an inexpensive car that gets good fuel mileage. The new Mazda Protege expands the envelope of small cars. New Car/Review The Mazda Protege, The econo BMW? by Larry Weitzman ![]()
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