2002 Mazda Protege 5 review from North America

No breakdowns or failures have occurred up to this point, but the car has a few short comings that seem to have been a sacrifice to keep the car in a competitive price range and still retain all the other great characteristics that the car has.

The stock standard sound system is poor and there is a high level of distortion particularly at higher volumes. The need for good quality CD’s would be wasted in this car. If you enjoy music at all and if the 2003 has this same problem, I would recommend upgrading the stereo system.

The engine has an annoying tendency to surge under no load conditions particularly at lower speeds, and is much worse before the engine is fully up to temperature. This also occasionally occurs on the highway when using the cruise control feature, but is not as pronounced.

The seats of the Protégé are extremely comfortable and the driver’s seat is fully adjustable which is not the case with some of the other cars in the same class. The choice of fabric to keep the passengers snug and held tightly into the seat contours is very effective, but I suspect this fabric will present problems in the not too distant future for many Protégé owners. Because of the wrap around features of the upper part of the front seats, entering and exiting the vehicle results in a lot of friction between the passenger’s backside and the seat. Pockets, seams and rivets such as those used on blue jeans catch on the seat cover and will quickly result in fabric wear or damage in these areas of the seat. This interior material will not be one of those that still looks like new after 10 years.

On the positive side the car handles like a thoroughbred sports car with excellent road feel although it gets a little twitching on loose gravel. The engine is extremely smooth, responsive and likes to rev. When accelerating, bring the revs up to at least 4000 RPM before shifting, and in the next higher gear, the engine is right on the torque curve, feels strong and accelerates surprisingly well for 130 HP. Gas consumption seems to remain fairly constant and very acceptable whether highway or a mix of highway/city.

The interior space is impressive for a car that looks as small (surprisingly it is only about 10” shorter than a 1990 Volvo 244 station wagon) as the Pro 5. I have not driven too many cars with the drivers seat fully back, that I could not properly operate the pedals. The Pro 5 seat must be set 2 or 3 notches forward of full back for me to be in control, that leaves a lot of leg room in the back seat.