This year marks Mazda's 25th year of operation in the United States. Back in 1970, Mazda sold 2,098 cars in this country. Last year, total sales exceeded 350,000. Protégé is Mazda's entry-level, subcompact, 4-door sedan that possesses many amenities found in larger automobiles. The front-wheel-drive Protégé debuted in 1988, and continues as one of Mazda's best selling nameplates. When Mazda completely redesigned Protégé for the '95 model year, it borrowed cues from its all-new, full-size, luxury, Millenia sedan. Protégé's interior is noticeably quiet. It also has a better suspension system then its predecessor. Mazda engineers set out to make interior room a top priority in the redesigned Protégé. Interior volume of 95.5 cubic feet is largest in its class. This is as much interior space as the much larger Infiniti Q45. Overall vehicle length is now 174.8 inches; three more than last year's edition. Wheel base, defined as the distance between the front and rear axle, increases to 102.6 inches; four more than last year. Three trim levels are available: economical DX, well-equipped LX and top-of-the-line, sporty ES. Prices varies significantly depending on which model is preferred. Mazda announced this month it is raising prices an average of .07 percent on every model. This translates to a $100 increase on Protégé. DX sedans now have a base price of $12,095; LX sedans start at $13,495 and our test model, a sporty, green ES sedan starts at $16,245. With an optional premium package, including moonroof, our bottom line was $17,960, including a $440 destination charge. Even though prices have increased, Mazda continues offering factory rebates. Each trim level comes standard with a five-speed manual transmission, rear window defroster, dual air bags, day/night rearview mirror, tilt steering column, dual cupholders, intermittent wipers and rear seat heating ducts. Four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional on all models. Both LX and ES offer cruise control and power door locks as standard equipment. Anti-lock brakes are standard on ES, optional on LX and not offered on DX. Protégé offers two different powertrains; an economical 1.5-liter 4-cylinder 92 horsepower engine drives DX and LX models while ES contains the more powerful 1.8-liter 122 horsepower engine. The 1.8 liter engine is similar to the one found in the sporty Miata convertible. Both powertrains boast dual overhead camshafts. What these relatively small engines lack in power, they make up for in gas mileage. Protégé squeezes every mile it can from a gallon of gas. Protégé ES fuel estimates are 26 mpg city and 35 mpg highway. The smaller 1.5 liter engine, standard on DX and LX models is even more thrifty with fuel estimates of 31 city and 39 highway. Our test model, with 9,000 odometer miles, registered 28 combined city and highway. Fuel tank capacity is 14.5 gallons. Inside, drivers have an excellent view of the road ahead, and the lanes next door. Headroom and legroom is notably plentiful for a subcompact, even in the back seat. Lightweight doors open and close easily. The gauge cluster is large and easy to read. Headlights are operated from the left-hand-side turn signal stalk. Headlights are found on the right-hand-side turn signal stalk. Temperature and fan controls are operated from slide and button controls. Remote fuel and trunk releases are found on the floor, left of the driver's bucket seat. The low stereo location is awkward. Small station pre-set buttons and volume control make adjustments a challenge while moving. Dual cup holders retract from the dashboard, directly under the stereo. Protégé's largest-in-its-class trunk is well designed. A low liftover height helps ease loading and unloading. The floor is flat, and the rear seat has a 60/40 split which increases cargo carrying options. All ES editions come standard with 14 inch tires, which provide better traction and turning control than the smaller, 13 inch tires on DX and LX models. Protégé is assembled in Japan. |
