Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Zoom-Zoom - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By Predator - March 16 - 2:00 am

  probably the most versitile, enonomical, fun-to-drive car on the market. Right at home in bumper-to- bumper traffic or carving up the twisties on a country road.

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  Great wagon and easy on the wallet - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By iusta - March 15 - 10:00 am

  Other than the power vacancy, this car is awesome. Great style, incredibly comfortable seats, plenty of room for my dog. What the car lacks in straight-line acceleration, it makes up for in handling. Also, the car is wonderfully forgiving on the highway. Makes the miles slide by comfortably. After driving a Jeep Cherokee for the last three years, Im happy to get into a reliable and affordable car that fits all of my needs. And besides, Id just get in trouble with the law if the car was as fast as Id like it to be.

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  Awesome little car - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By acroy - March 10 - 9:23 pm

  We have 7 yrs and 105k. We like how it looks, drives, and handles. ItÂ’s been very reliable, very practical. It is sporty and involving. 5 spd drivetrain is responsive, a bit noisy but not bad. Mileage is 28 mpg mixed. Ride is firm and responsive. 195 width tires are not common but 205 are easy to find. Reliability is outstanding. I redid the brakes at 40k and nothing since. Interior fits like a glove, Mazda knows sport ergonomics. Supportive seats etc. Build quality is great. No loose trim, leaks, suspension wearing out, etc. It rides and feels solid. Overall: for the money you can get more mpg, more space, more cush. But you will not get more combined fun & practicality.

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  its a blast to drive - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By dgc - March 9 - 10:00 am

  have only owned the p5 for a couple of months but have thoroughly enjoyed every day. Its just a blast to drive, especially up twisty hills. Mazda has set this car up so well that i wish i lived farther away from work! My family loves it so much were putting it away for our tough Canadian winter.

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  Protege5: Good, not great - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By rdcasey - March 9 - 10:00 am

  I had a 99 VW Jetta before buying this. Especially for longer distances, cant beat the Jetta for comfort, style and fun. The Protege5 is a great looker, but doesnt have the nice interior touches (lighting, seats, Monsoon stereo, materials) of the Jetta. Its MUCH lighter everywhere (doors, panels) and doesnt have the heavy, German clunk feel of the Jetta. The Jettas ride is much smoother...the Protege5 is tuned to feel the road - a bit too much - but it does corner great. But so did the Jetta.

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  Great car - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By eric90 - February 5 - 6:48 pm

  Me and my girlfriend have been driving this car 166 000 km (100 000 miles), since 2003. The car is great fun to drive, very reliable and comfortable for long road trips (many 6 hrs + trips in the bag). Other than standard maintenance, weve had few repairs on this car. Good fuel consumption for a sporty performance. Nothing bad to say about this car !

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  The car that I waited for years - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By Lenin Rincon - February 1 - 10:00 am

  great design, performance and fun to drive

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  Love My P5 - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By jake2 - January 28 - 10:00 am

  Power is poor, but handling is outstanding and brakes, clutch, transmission are flawless. And, of course, my fire-red P5 is second to none on cruise night!

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  An affordable car with personality! - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By jad0110 - January 9 - 1:06 pm

  This car was bought new in July 03 and I have only put 37k on it. The biggest problem I have with it is that it handles so well, and is so confidence inspiring that you will burn through a set of tires in no time! Though the Mazda3 is bigger, more powerful, better handling, and more refined, the newer 3 seems to have lost some of the MP5s spunky character. This is a car that begs to be thrown into corners - one of the more engaging drives this side of a BMW 3 series. I am 67" and my wife is 5; we can both get comfortable in this car - this one doesnt have a sunroof, which cuts in on headroom a bit.

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  Dig this car - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By olevet - January 9 - 10:00 am

  It took me more than a year of research and days of test driving competitors to come to the conclusion my new 2003 Mazda Protege5 was the best choice among the econo vehicles -- great handling, rock solid construction (still made in Japan), features galore and just a heck of a lot of fun to drive. Doing my new car shop via the Internet (feature story on Edwards web site), got my new Vivid Yellow rotege5 “out the door” with a standards along with roof rack, bumper guard, ABS/side airbags, tinted windows and wheel locks for $15,000 and some change. A no hassle negotiation ending with a great deal and a lot of car for few bucks!