The interior is also way cool. It's very neatly done, distinctive and sporty in dark charcoal leather dash and doors, with cloth seats. Three times, in our tape-recorded notes, we mentioned how comfortable the driver's seat was. Both front seats are tweaked in lumbar and lateral support, and the driver's seatback structure uses something called 'Pluma-flex' board, which Mazda says is stiffer at the bottom and more flexible at the top, resulting in a 'gentler and more accommodating fit,' and transmitting less vibration. Under the hood, which sounds very solid when dropped, the 2.0-liter four is mounted neatly in the transverse position. A red suspension brace between the wheel strut towers, to firm up the handling, signals the car's capability. Integrated within the chassis, which was redesigned in '99, are front and rear crush zones. Mazda claims its 'Triple-H' frame structure forms a rigid barrier to injury from side impact. It's cool all over. The spoiler fits like an eyelid over the slanted rear hatch. There's a standard black roofrack, and the black radio antenna is raked back from the rear center of the car. The center brake light (CHMSL) has 24 small bulbs that definitely catch your attention. Sleek headlights (straight off the 'prosaic' Protege), a moonroof, black diamond mesh grille that hints at a smile. More black mesh in the mouthy airdam below the bumper, with a foglight on each side. The Protege5 is very good looking. Cool looking, for an un-wagon. Trim cladding, just side sills and air dams. Great-looking 5-spoke, 16-inch alloy wheels, either brushed or polished like chrome. Speedy lines and stance, not boxy. In profile it looks like a short Subaru Legacy GT wagon, but it's prettier at each end.
#2003 protege5 license#
With a little literary license (or a lot), the Protege5 might be described as a cross between the Miata and the Tribute mini-SUV. Mazda is trying to not call the Protege5 a wagon without defying reality, which takes a bit of marketing and semantic tightrope-walking. So sometimes this exciting car finds itself being called a 'five-door vehicle' by its maker. The car rises above it. The main thing is, it comes in five colors. The Vivid Yellow in the commercial is the call.īase price is $16,335 plus $480 freight. Separate options are: moonroof ($700) ABS and side airbags ($800) four-speed automatic transmission ($800) polished alloy (chrome-look) wheels ($500) security alarm ($220) cassette player ($150) in-dash six-disc CD changer ($500) floormats ($80) cargo net ($35) wheel locks ($30) and moonroof deflector ($40). Protege5 is a sport wagon built on the solid platform of the tight, handsome, arguably prosaic, arguably under-appreciated Protege compact sedan (see separate Protege review). Protege5 uses the same 130-horsepower, 2.0-liter, dohc inline four-cylinder engine as the Protege sedan.
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