it could definately use a 6th gear as gear ratios are short, 110km/h, you're pulling 3600rpm. mazda is axed on weight distribution, so even the Protege is closer to 50:50 than any other car in its class for a front-wheel drive car, i've never seen something handle corners this good. handling is amazing, not good, not great, amazing. great fuel economy (better than my 2.0L golf which had much wider gear ratios) short gear ratios mean peppy acceleration interior is above average, although i do have the base interior + a tachometer (i couldn't own a car without a tach) power is very nice and definately above average for a NA 2.0L 130hp, 135ft-lbs of torque it's a very good car and i have little negative to say about. I have a 2001 Protege LX 2.0L for my daily. Don't people know they can delete CL ads? I guess it's either sold or the price is wrong. and I found this:īut the guy just hangs up. This thread made me check around to see what 5 speed Protos are going for locally now. But the tilt steering doesn't go up enough for my legs (a typical Mazda car issue for me). The 99-01 5 speed 1.6 Protege is a better car since it has a better design (driver seat, interior), and the 1.6 balances economy and power much better than the 1.5. they have more room and trunk space than the 99+ Protege, and the 1.5 is quite the miser even when flogged (which is required to keep pace). For all of Mazda's efforts, they fall well short of the 4-cylinder motors made by Honda and Toyota.Īs for rust, yes these cars do rust in salt-heavy environments:Īs far as gas mileage goes- the 95-98 5 speed 1.5 no torque DOHC 16 valve Protege rules.īut they were an obvious cheapened car- the driver seat lacks any lateral support, the tires were crappy 13" on the LX until 97, and even the 1.8 in the top model was a "special" non performance version. The motor vibrates like crazy, but is willing to rev and can take the abuse. I suggest replacing them with mounts from or AWR mounts from. The OEM mounts will tear on you by 100K miles. The 01-03 ES and LX models had a 130hp 2.0L engine that gave the car some badly needed torque. It thinks its an old 1980s BMW 3-series at times. (gotta disagree with NegatiZE on that one.) It's simply confident in braking, cornering and for the most part, accelerating on a dry surface. The gearing is aggressive, which means the fuel economy won't be too hot (I get 32-33MPG between 65-70MPH only) but you can really tear up alot of interstate with how confident the car is on the road. The steering and suspension are fantastic, but the ride is harsh and firm. It has a pretty room and usable interior with what I think are great seats, visibility and control layout.
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