![]() The Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic have their legendary reliability and resale value, the Ford Escort and Chevy Cavalier have their low price, and the Dodge/Plymouth Neon has its cute chic. In my opinion, they are too important to be thrown in the same league as a sunroof and therefore priced out of most shoppers’ budgets. Shamefully, antilock brakes are only available as part of an expensive “premium” package that includes a power sunroof and floormats. Even with the larger engine, the Protege felt lethargic off the line with the optional four-speed automatic, and its gas mileage was disappointing for a small car. The new look does little to set the Protege apart from its ilk. The seats in the ES feature height and bottom cushion angle adjustments, rare in a small car.Īnd yet the new Protege gives me no compelling reason to buy it. There’s a new dash with a hooded instrument panel and a center stack console. While slightly smaller inside due to increased side impact protection, the 92.6 cubic-foot passenger volume and 12.9 cubic-feet of trunk space is at the front of the pack for compacts. The ES comes with an all new 1.8-liter engine derived from the 2.0-liter in the 626, although it’s rated at the same 122 horsepower as last year’s 1.8. The base DX and luxury LX come with a 105 horsepower, 1.6-liter four, which is larger and more powerful than last year’s base engine. The new Protege is available in the DX, LX, and ES configurations. The bold grill and angled headlamps from the 626 are up front, while tall, thin tail lamps grace the rear. Smooth curves have been replaced by sharp edges all around. Unlike the nearly invisible redesign Mazda performed on the 626 last year, the new Protege looks completely different from last year’s model. Mazda’s hoping to change that with a completely redesigned Protege for 1999. However, like its big brother 626, it is considered an also-ran in the big picture. Mazda’s Protege traces its heritage back to the 1977 GLC. It’s just that when you’re dealing with something as subjective as a “review,” you just never know what’s going on in the author’s head. Not that any of my complaints are invalid. ![]() I’m sure that given more time and an open mind, I would have realized superior ride and handling to its peers, or a better trimmed interior and more comfortable seats, but I just didn’t care. For comparison, the contemporary Corolla with an engine of almost identical size and power was EPA rated at 28/36 versus the Mazda’s 24/29. Mainly, it would have taken away the two main complaints: Weak off-the-line acceleration and piss-poor gas mileage. I’m willing to bet if they’d supplied a model with the manual transmission, like they did with the 626, the review would have been more flattering. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Mazda – I even own one. The result is a compact car that's so far improved over the spartan econo-boxes of the 1980s and early-1990s that it seems like a different species.Another in a series of my reviews that appeared in the online version of African Americans On Wheels, a now defunct automotive magazine that was included as an insert in the Sunday newspapers of major cities.Īll I can say is that I remember being in a really bad mood the week I had this car, although I don’t remember why. That ground-up rebuild is even more admirable in light of the fact that the previous Protege was so fundamentally sound and aesthetically pleasing that Mazda could have gone a few more years without a redesign-and the Protege would still have been one of the leaders in its class.Įvery time a world-class carmaker-and Mazda certainly qualifies-re-designs a stellar performer, they face a new challenge: How do you improve on a sure-fire winner? In the case of the Protege, Mazda has risen to the challenge by raising the bar-they've built luxury-car styling, comfort, and roominess into an economy car. If you liked the previous incarnation of the Protege-which was last overhauled in '95-you'll love the new version.įor 1999, Mazda's engineers have not only given the Protege a spiffy new suit of clothes-the new body design has a distinctly European look-they've also given it a new frame, two new engines to choose from and a re-designed transmission. Big news for economy-car buyers: The Mazda Protege has been totally redesigned for 1999. ![]()
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