Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  mini suv - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Marc - March 25 - 10:16 pm

  I bought this car used, going from a 2002 Dodge Stratus R/T coupe V6 and I may be a Mazda customer for life now. This car is zoom. I find myself saying that as I do multiple lane changes on the highway. It is my go-cart, but comfortable and with lots of storage. Enough to keep my golden retrievers in the back along with all his fur. Just drove the car 480 miles yesterday and got 33 mpg. Very comfortable seats (back is not stiff at all), great pickup with the manual transmission. Roof rack, sunroof and 6 disk changer are great! Brakes are smooth as silk with the 4 disks. I highly recommend getting one. I feel like I pulled one over on the dealer!

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  Fantastic Car! - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By ZephyrCJW - March 22 - 10:00 am

  I just bought a used 2002 Protege5 and am exceptionally delighted with it. Ive not had so much fun driving a car since I owned a 1969 Mustang. The Protege5 may not have a V8 or V6, but this little puppy really hustles when it needs to and looks damn good while doing so!The headroom and legroom are exceptional.The front seats are very comfortable, even on long hauls. The rear seats fold down completely and you can haul around an amazing load of stuff. The interior is as stylish as the exterior. Lots of brushed chrome, a leather wrapped 3 spoke steering wheel, leather wrapped shift and easy to read, cool looking digital gauges complete the package.

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  So far, So good... - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By stratt911 - March 22 - 10:00 am

  I purchased a 2002.5 model when they first came out and I currently have 9k miles on the car. Option include the sport automatic, leather, and moonroof. I was debating between this and a WRX but at the time, Subaru wasnt offering any financing specials. I am very happy with the P5s handling, sporty looks, and quality. I would definitely recommend the P5 to anyone looking for a great package at a great price. The only problem that I have so far is wishing it had more power (thats what i get for driving a wrx first). But this will soon be fixed with a turbo addition via Flyin Miata.

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  protege fun - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By protegepal - March 19 - 11:36 am

  Have owned my car for 7 years and still love it. I have a manual transmission and this car is fun to drive and feels/looks sporty. Roomy for four of us and luggage. Still gets great mileage. Hard to find tires for it that arent expensive and not the greatest in the snow, but those are my only complaints. I get tons of compliments on it as well.

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  Another Review - No Change - Still Great - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Mustangleadr - March 18 - 2:39 am

  I own currently two 2003 models , one manual the other automatic with sport mode. Bought both ironically with 133,000 miles separate times. The first one has 172,000 miles and the other has 152,000 miles now. I bought both after selling a new 2014 Mazda 3 which I found boring to drive compared to the "zoom, zoom" ride of the PR5. Due to gearing, the car has very good low and mid range torque range compared to the 6 speed manual 155 hp of the Mazda 3. I chipped my first PR5 2002 model ( which had 235,000 miles which I sold for $4500) along with turbo muffler and cold air intake. This gave the car high torque power but current ones I own have only a cold air intake with provides more than enough power to allow me to drive between 75-80 mph going up the Grapevine in So Cal/No Cal. I know, above speed limit but I just driving the flow if you drive that route. Still get between 28-30 mpg. Though it lower than the 34 mpg from 2014 M3, the car still "feels" like a sport car which was the final analysis in Car and Drivers Comparison test placing the car in 1st place. Too bad Mazda stop making the car but if you read Consumer Reviews like Edmund you see how owners feel. Car is reliable, great handling made for the twisty roads and fun car to drive. What else can you ask for a daily car.

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  Very satisfied owner - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By snbcnadeau - March 9 - 12:56 am

  We chose our blue beauty over a Subaru Legacy, which was my wifes idea. She got it right. It actually has more rear seat legroom than the Legacy, handles better, and we can fit a stroller and a kids bike in the back with the hatch closed. I love how sharp the handling is, the styling is lights out, the functionality is superb (use the car for dump runs for two families with no problems), and reliability has been relatively up to expectation. Both headlights had to be replaced, which was surprising. Didnt have to do that on my 11 year old Altima. Overall, would recommend this car for any small family (we have 2 small kids).

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  I miss my PR5 - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By martymill - March 5 - 2:00 am

  I loved my Mazda for the 11.5 months I owned it! Unfortunately I was in an accident and the car was totaled. I am so sad to have only had it such a short time. The PR5 does really well in the snow and on mountain roads. The gas mileage was awesome, considering how expensive gas is today! I highly recommend the car to anyone on a budget, someone who hauls a moderate amount of stuff regularly, and wants a fun sporty car without the cost of one.

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  It is horrible in the snow. - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By LisaC - March 5 - 2:00 am

  I absolutely love the looks of this car and how it drives in anything but the snow. It is horrible in snow and slush. The tires are expensive as all heck! Why put a tire on a lower priced vehicle that costs like $162 a tire to replace? I am very disappointed in this car right now and unfortunately I am more than likely going to trade it in and loose my butt on the trade. I just cant stand the idea of spending that kind of money on tires that who knows if they will actually make the car go any better or not????? I would definitely NOT recommend this vehicle to anyone!

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  Wow! What a car! - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By travelboy - February 13 - 2:00 am

  I got a Protege5 at a Waco, TX dealership (after being frustrated with Austin dealerships). Black Mica; Moonroof w/ deflector; 6CD changer; wheel-locks; Sport automatic; polished alloys. Final price was $17,536. The car is a dream. It operates with the fluidity of a pen; it goes EXACTLY where you want. Amazing streering puts a smile on your face when rounding sharp curves. The space comfortable and the power and acceleration much better than my V6 Xterra. The Black Mica color adds an element of euro-class to the very athletic looking design. I was sold by the test drive. It is THE most fun-to-drive car I have ever owned.

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  HOT HOT HOT - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By sarakay54022 - February 8 - 10:00 am

  I have had my MP5 for a few days now and I love it. The exterior, the interior are awesome. The handling is superb and I love how quiet the engine is. The seats are so comfortable and I love the dash setup. Would definately recommend. A+