Refined, balanced and superbly engineered, the Protege ES is a cut above most small economy cars. The pedal has a solid feel, and the brakes grab quickly and stop the car efficiently under duress. The standard power-assisted front disc/rear drum brakes are another of the Protege’s strong points. I like the thick rim of the steering wheel. The power-assisted, rack-and-pinion steering system has a nice, weighty feel, but it responds quickly. The Protege loves to be driven hard around corners. The ride is firm and sporty, not soft and cushy like a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla. Protege comes with a four-wheel independent suspension system. The clutch is light and easy, and the shifter notches snugly into each gear. Not bad for an economy car.Īlthough the Protege is available with a four-speed automatic transmission, the stick shift makes this car fun to drive.
#Mazda protege hatchback 1999 Patch#
It pulls strongly at all speeds, and if you rev it high enough and shift the five-speed transmission just right, you can leave a respectable patch of rubber on the pavement. Maybe the secret is in the gearing, but I don’t remember driving a car with fewer than 125 ponies under the hood that has as much spunk as the Protege ES. The ES model - our test car - comes with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder that sports 122 horsepower. The DX and LX versions come with a 105-horsepower, 1.6-liter, double overhead cam four-cylinder. Mazda offers the Protege in three models. Mazda may have pruned many of the sporty, unprofitable cars from its lineup in recent years - the RX-7, the MX-3 and MX-6 - but the spirit of those cars is alive and well in the Protege. Our test car was a little road rocket, packing much more muscle and a sportier suspension system than you might expect. You look at it and see what appears to be just another small, mild-mannered imported sedan aimed at budget-minded families. Car is now in Nevada away from salt.I love cars like the new Mazda Protege ES.
#Mazda protege hatchback 1999 full#
The exhaust rusted apart just after the downpipe so it's a little loud but fixing that means a full exhaust replacement. There is now a hole in the back seat floorboard from rust and the seat belt mechanism broke - replaced with junk yard piece. Still runs great, which means in over 155k miles it has never had a mechanical problem. 16 years later, it's now the teenager's car. Repaired the hood and front-end plastics myself summer 2019. Hopefully it doesn't cost too much because this car still has LOTS of useful life in it. I have not had an estimate for repairs yet, but the hood is crumpled, the grille is gone and headlights smashed, but the fenders seem OK. Shortly after 150,000, my son rear-ended another car. It runs perfectly - if it wasn't for rust, it would look and work very much like new. Both passenger side electric locks no longer work. Still no mechanical problems or break-downs. Rust wreaks havoc on these cars, though not as bad as some other cars. The timing belt et al has been changed and the car continues to run great. The worst thing on it by far … is the rust in the rear fender wells.Īfter 105,000 miles, everything else still works great.Īt 150,000, I've replaced the right rear strut because it rusted apart. The passenger side electric door lock stopped working at about 50,000 miles. The sway bar bushings wore out at 85,000 miles and the tubing to the mass air flow sensor cracked, but a redneck duct tape fix still works. It's been a great car, extremely reliable and is still fun to drive. I bought my 2003 Protege ES new based on handling and ride - and looks.
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