Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Good every day vehicle - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By bacondreamer - September 4 - 10:00 am

  This car is a great everyday commuter car but is not ideal if youre planning on taking a long distance trip. I took a 3 hr trip once and my back started to hurt about 2 hrs into the trip. There are some improvements that can be done to the engine and overall stability of the vehicle. Good interior design but can use some work on between door panel and front dashboard.

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  Great, Reliable, Versitile, Fun to Drive Car - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By midwestboiler - September 3 - 4:22 pm

  I got this car in 2005 and have loved every mile I have driven in it. While its only a 4 cylinder 2.0 liter, the protege5 definitely doesnt slack on pickup. The ride seems louder than normal, but that is due to how low to the ground the car is. The Protege5 has held up extremely well. Other than changing the oil, tires, brakes etc. the only actual maintenance I have had done was replace the air intake at about 80,000 miles. The seats are very comfortable. While the car is on the smaller side, it is easy to seat 4 adult males well in the car. If needed, I have added someone in the middle seat. There is still room, but a little more cramped in the back seat.

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  Satisfied - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Another Mike - August 22 - 2:00 am

  My wife chose this above other more expensive cars, and has had no regrets in the year weve owned it. Only work needed has been normal scheduled maintenance (and tires, see suggested improvements). Although this is our fourth Mazda, it was actually purchased to replace a Honda that didnt fit between the moving vehicle behind it and the stationary one ahead of it. After 20K miles no major complaints and were just as happy with it as we were with the Honda before it was compressed.

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  Roof Rack Blues - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By Roof Rack Blues - August 21 - 10:00 am

  Overall, a great little car. Sporty and utility at the same time. Negative points for non-standard roof rack. Only rated for 75Kg, not enough to haul around a tandem or recumbent bike. Original car sounded like a drum inside on the freeway before the north-west coast underside treatment as it suppresses the "hollow drum" experience at high speeds. Needs a 6 gear. Stereo is all right for stock. Roof rack not supported by Thule/Yakima mounts (yet), so pretty much eye candy for me. Did I mention I am disappointed with the rack? No adapters available from dealership for Thule components. No specific documentation.

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  Things I have notices - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By iroman - August 15 - 10:00 am

  On the whole, a great car. I took the car on a long road trip with no problems. Handling is amazing. I got this car fully loaded with 5 speed and all the extras including crome wheels, moonroof and deflector, cargo tray, 6 disk changer. I added a killer aftermarket alarm, paint protectant and dark tint, and it looks sweet with the silver paint. The weaknesses are all nit-picking.

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  Best you can get for your dollar - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By wrn108 - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I think this car might be the best value for your dollar on the market. It provides a great deal of cargo room/versatility and is a blast to drive. A lot is made of the lack of horsepower...if you are looking for a Mustang, then you are in the wrong market. This car is not underpowered by any means. Would it be more fun with 20-30 more horsepower? Of course. But again, I was not looking for a dragster and I have been extremely happy with the gas mileage Ive been getting. (low of 28 high of 32 in mixed driving) On the fun to drive scale, this car is off the charts. It begs to be flogged and thrown mercilessly into corners.

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  Honda and Toyota look out - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By colt933 - August 2 - 1:33 am

  We bought the P5 new for my wife. She drove a 94 Miata daily for years so this Mazda was a no-brainer. Still have the Miata. This is the most reliable car I have ever owned including 3 Hondas, except for maybe the Miata. The only items that have failed and needed replacement are the O2 sensor, starting battery, and a window regulator. I do all maintenance myself - which is minimal. Ive put synthetic oil in since the first oil change. At over 100k miles the brakes still have 40% life and the clutch is still strong. It doesnt need new shocks/struts either. We typically get 32-34mpg on the highway. It is starting to use some oil - but weve had it for 7 years!

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  P5 is a good deal for your money - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By beastprincess - July 29 - 10:00 am

  Performance is good for a 130hp. A solid car. Interior Dash done well. Easy to use, see and looks appealing. An inexpensive car to buy and with the additions, you feel like you are in an expensive car. Overall, worth the money!

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  Zoom Zoom Zoom - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By izoomzoom - July 26 - 3:10 pm

  Gotta love that catchy little tune. It looked good so I test drove it. Got a pretty good deal and I needed to go from 12 MPG to 30 MPG since my commute changed. Needs more power and the stock tires really stink. I had a Miata and had great success with Toyo Proxes 4s so I got a set of Proxes FZ4s for this and theyre great. Snow/rain/bone dry all very good and no slippage. Fun car to drive even in traffic. May consider the M3 if they do a hybrid when this car goes.

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  Absolutely Love It. - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By kenmo - July 19 - 9:29 pm

  I work at a car rental company at an airport, so I drive brand new 2011-2012 cars all day long. This car is on par with these brand new cars, in my opinion. Everything about it is wonderful. The features, the handling, the styling, the utility, the mileage!. Its by far my favorite car to drive out of all I have driven!