The protege seems like a good little car, and I may just pick me up one over a nissan maxima(6sp) and Lexus IS300 because Ill have extra cash , Im just wondering how the pickup of this little car is. I drove a 1.6L auto in NV up and down mountains and it wasnt fun, the car didnt have enough power to move. With t the new bigger engine and still relatively low weight Id imagine it should be realtively quick, but I think its all in the feeling. I know my fathers toyota previa minivan which is 3600 lbs and has 138 hp feels liek it wants to run hard, whereas this older protege didnt want to go at all.
The magazines all have good things to say and I like the car, just looking for owner's opinions.
Thanks

JMH

 

I own the 2002 ES-GT Mazda Protege Sedan, and it has a lot of zip, I am not worried about the mountains at all, when going up steep inlines just drop it into fourth gear, it really starts to take off big time at around 3.5 to 5k rpm...just keep the RPMs there when climbing and you will not struggle at all.

This car can go around +- 220km per hour stock.

Zoltan

 

In comparison to the other cars mentioned. . . power is lacking. But 1/4-1/3 the $10,000-$12,000 you save can go towards a turbo kit, which should put the power up between the level of the formentioned cars.

 

Remember, both the Maxima and Lexus are V6, and the Pro is a 4cl so to compare the HP on them is not realistic. Yes, the Pro is underpowered compared to other big name 4cl's the WRX, Civic SI, but the style and handling of the car makes up for it in my opinion. The choices are: Power, larger, heavier, more expensive, more $ on gas Vs adequate power, enough room to fit 4 adults, great handling, $ saved on gas and of course more potential for power upgrades. Have fun deciding and hope you choose the Pro.

 

I have a '99 LX 1.8l and I think it has a good amount of power. I have the 5spd, which probably makes up for it.

On my way to work I drive up one particular road (for those in vancouver, its from marine dr, going north up boundry road)...

I usually find I am zipping by other cars... just keep it in a lower gear, and no problems climbing up the hills... I've actually had another car (grand am) try and keep up.. and couldn't...

get the 5spd.. and get the pro!

 

I used to work as a lot attendant at the local VW/Mazda dealer. I really liked the ES 2.0 5-speeds. They come with a lot of stuff for the money you pay; I used to see similarly equipped Jettas go out the door for $2000 more than what a Pro costed, I'm not sure why, the 2.0's in those cars suck! The only complaints I had about them were the shifter, an easy fix, and lack of power, neither an easy nor an inexpensive fix. But I'm sure the aftermarket will soon warm up to it, like it is starting to with the MP3 and the 5. But given the choice, I'd pick one up because it has potential to be a high powered, fun to drive family sedan.