2001 Mazda Protege ES from North America
Nice in a lot of ways, but overall unrefined and illogical
Insurance Quote for a USA Mazda Protege

New Car Quote for a USA Mazda Protege
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The car is notably too new to have developed any marked problems, but I have noticed a squeak from the right rear suspension when going over bumps in the road.
General comments?
Get ready for an extensive rant and rave folks! This is detail...

The exterior and interior appearance of this car is brilliant; I.e. really cool. Aside from that, however, I've been disappointed with many of this car's characteristics to date:

There is no usable center arm rest. The storage bin they have in between the seats is too low and short to have any use as an arm rest, and that's a LAME, uncomfortable design.

The lock mechanisms are outdated and incredibly stupid -- You can't rest your arm on the car door with the window down, as the lock pokes you right in the arm. They should have put the locks as part of the door handle (like in my old Nissan Sentra), NOT on the top of the door.

The engine is noisy and unrefined, hands down. Starting it up in the morning sounds like you're running a diesel engine, and that flat out sucks. It's also underpowered for a car Mazda wants you to think should compete with the likes of Subaru's Impreza, Honda's Civic, Nissan's new Sentra (particularly the SE-R), etc.. It looks vastly better than all of those cars (especially the Civic, which I think is the ugliest car Honda has ever produced in modern times).

The transmission is NOT as nice as my old Nissan Sentra's -- The Protege's shifter (apparently made by Ford; no wonder it sucks), is notchy, and, even worse than that, is geared to be wasteful, loud, and incredibly annoying. An engine RPM of 3500 at normal, boring, freeway speeds!? (70 MPH) Not only is the engine noisy at that RPM (as if it's quiet any other time, anyway), it's also a waste of fuel in a time when *saving* fuel is what we need to do here. In my perhaps not so humble opinion, I think Mazda engineers were morons to set up a gear ratio in that range for normal driving speeds. EVERY other car I've ever seen drives at around 2500 RPM at 70 MPH: What the hell was Mazda thinking? Scratch that -- I guess they *weren't* thinking.

And another thing regarding the gear ratios: What's up with the speedometer going up to 140? NO WAY the Protege is going up to 140 when it's already whining away at 3500 RPM at 70 MPH. Thanks for nothing in that regard, Mazda. The high RPM level at relatively low speed is my single most hated characteristic of this car. It's bad, really bad, and Mazda should be served with a class action lawsuit for wasting our fuel, money, and shortening the life of the engine because it has to work so comparatively hard at slow speeds. This represents a gross and negligent lack of care for matters that should be simple common sense.

The speedometer is labeled in weird, 20 mile increments. 65 MPH, a standard freeway speed throughout the nation, isn't labeled at all. You have to sort of approximate where that is. Good one, Mazda!

The rear window defogger works slowly, and has no auto off timer (My Sentra did).

The driver's seat belt was improperly mounted -- It has an extra twist in it that's both unsafe and uncomfortable.

The charcoal black interior color looks really cool... until you try to keep it clean. Anything and everything, like lint, hair, etc., shows up right away on every surface. That's going to be problematic, to be sure.

Things I really like?

As said, it looks awesome. Well done in that regard.

Safety equipment is nearly as good as it gets in any car: 4 wheel disc ABS, side impact airbags, belt pretensioners, child safety locks in the back, child safety seat anchors, etc.. It's rated well in impacts.

The seats are comfortable.

For a small car, the Protege is very roomy, both in front AND back; a rare, and appreciated, characteristic.

Power everything: Awesome.

Instrument cluster at night is lit in cool, soft red overtones which are easily readable. The only thing cooler is the VW Jetta's blue lighting -- Never seen anything cooler than that, personally. Too bad VW's are so expensive and historically unreliable (reflected by the absolute worst warranty in the entire auto industry).

And speaking of warranties, the 3 year/50,000 mile bumper to bumper Mazda backing is better than the industry standard. That's a good thing; You might need it. The jury's still out on my particular car as I haven't had it long enough to discover its true problem areas. Time will tell...
2 comments, click to read


I THINK THE AUTHOR IS PROBLEMATIC HIMSELF.

 

He's got SOME valid points- but overall he's a complete dolt. Here's what I think, point by point:

Armrest complaint: Gee, I don't seem to have and problem using mine, but I'm not a midget, either.

Locks: My complaint is that I don't like the location of the lock button... I just can't get used to it up on the door- its not an ergonomic place for a button- but really not a big deal. This is a Mazda Protege, not a Lexus. As for the actual lock tab on the window sill, well, rest your arm on the door ARMREST- not the window sill. I suppose next he'll complain he can't rest his arm up there when the window is closed cuz the sill is too narrow.

His first two complaints as well as the tranny one lead me to only one conclusion- he's driving an AUTO. When you're driving a stick; a) Your right hand is usually on the shifter- thereby negating the first complaint b)your left hand on the wheel- thereby negating complaint #2 IF THIS GUY IS SO WORRIED ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH BOTH OF HIS ARMS, HOW IS HE DRIVING? You're not lookin for a car, buddy. You're looking for a COUCH. I understand the confusion for somebody of this mental power, they do sound an awul lot alike
On that note- get some *****- drive a stick! No offense anyone! As for tranny quality, the general sentiment in the PROFESSIONAL autopmotive press is that the protege has a "slick shifting five speed" whereas the SENTRA SE-R has "the kind of transmission that makes you NOT want to shift".

I'll sum up every thing else in a few brief thoughts; #1) Nobody gives a **** about your old Sentra- if you miss it so much, why did you buy a Protege?? #2) 140? Maybe not, but I've had mine past 120 with a little more room to go yet. Nowadays, manufacturers always overate spedo's- they don't know what you're going to do to that car- maybe you'll need it to go that high. #3) I like to determine on my own when the rear defroster turns off- in MY old NISSAN, I always had to turn it back on after the auto-off kicked in. #4) Seatbelt- FOR F**K's SAKE, TWIST IT BACK AND STOP BITCHING. **** HAPPENS! #5)It's stupid to complain about colors- either keep your car clean like a good little monkey or buy a Pro with the beige interior.

Who is this choad, & why did he buy a car he hates SOOO much. Its ok to have a gripe or 2, but they have test drives for a reason- so you can find out weather you like or hate the car BEFORE you buy it!

 

Hmm, points:

* The center armrest/storage is too small, sure.

* Yes, the lock sticking up the way it does where it does is kinda stupid.

* I don't find the engine noisy or unrefined. Not sure what his problem is here.

* While it's true that 5th gear in the Pro does leave one at somewhat higher than optimal RPMs, it's not that bad. And it's not made by Ford. Other than 5th, I really like the gear ratios in my P5, though.

* Uhh, most cars have speedos that go higher than the car will go fast. This point certainly doesn't make the author look too smart. If this really bothers someone, there are deeper problems than the car they drive.

* I couldn't agree more about the 20-mph speedo increments, though. This is the single worst ergonomic feature of the car, IMO. I agree that I can't figure out what Mazda was thinking here.

* Yes, it would be nice to have auto-off on the defogger, but that depends. My previous car had it and it drove me nuts when I lived up north because I had to keep turning the damn things back off. Now, here in Texas, I don't use it as much and I'd prefer it to turn itself off. Not a major deal, though, sheesh, lighten up.

* Sure, the dealer should have fixed the seat belt mount before the car was driven off the lot. Howver, the buyer does have some responsiblity to check out the car before they drive it off. And again, this takes like two minutes to solve. This sounds petty and nitpicky.

* If you don't like the black interior, you should have gotten one that's a different color. If it didn't occur to you that the black interior would show everthing light-colored, you're a moron.

So, I agree that the author has some valid points, but most of the ones that are valid are pretty minor things. He also makes some really stupid points, which makes his other points less credible.

Personally, I place things like handling, comfort, functionality, and value, and overall ergonomics above other concerns, and the Pro is a clear winner under that set of constraints. Apparently, the author puts minor annoyances above any of those things--he never even mentions handling or value.

 

To me is a complete idiot.

1. Who cares about an arm rest when you have such excellent steering. I hold the steering wheel with both hands when winding down a canyon road and shifting when necessary. What's he do? Rest his right arm on the center armrest thing? And lets not talk about what he does with his left hand .

2. Unrefined car? Yes, I admit it is a bit unrefined when it's cold, but who drives their car cold for long. After 10 minutes it's warm and running smooth. Take anycar and leave it outside for a Canadian winter night, even a Lexus, and when you take it out the next morning, it's unrefined too. Does that mean the Lexus is an unrefined car?

3. Yes, the door lock mechanism should have been placed somewhere else. But when you drive a car shouldn't you have both hands on the wheel, for safety reasons. And additionally, with your left hand outside or doing whatever , the car still transmission still has to be shifted. I despise the locking mechanism a bit, but after a while I got use to putting my hand outside the car nearer to the front so my arm doesn't hit the ****, equally comfy and convient.

4.He mentioned he liked the blue illuminated dash of the VWs. Why didn't he mention the speedometer goes up to 260km/h also? I doubt a Jetta 2.0L, VR6, or a 1.8T cannot reach those speeds stock. And why isn't he criticizing them? Rather than say **** about Mazda, I would like to appreciate them to consider safety concerns so Mazda driver's don't do anything stupid like test out their max speed in less than safe conditions. It also gives us headroom, if we decide to tune our cars, such as turbocharging them, and test them out under safe conditions their new max speed. A 280hp Subrau WRX Sti and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7 speedos only go up to 180km'h. Why? because they can't go that fast? Nope, it's because of safety concerns also.

5. The seatbelt issue not only does it make us realize he is mentally handicap to figure out how to twist it back into its original position, but perhaps he is not able to do so because of a physical handicap or preoccupation with his left hand.

6. No speedo issue for me. Mine's marked in km/h.


Sorry for the crapping prose, studied econ overnight.

 

Umm yeah ... not the best review I've ever seen.

But question ... why does everyone think that center console/storage is an *arm rest*?
That didnt even occur to me until someone mentioned it on this board.. It doesn't look like an armrest, and ovbiously it's not positioned in anywhere the correct location to act as an armrest. I thought it was just storage... and didn't think it was designed as sucy.

Usually armrests are attached to the side of the seat .. par example the Honda Accord amrests.

My biggest peeve is the cupolders which are f'in useless..

 

ok, dumass

This car is compared to the wrx, (honda civic - any protege can beat one of these! P.O.S.) nissan sentra not only in hp but handling, value and overall practability. so far out of these 3 cars the protege is a close 2 under the wrx just because of the hp difference in the cars, I really don't like the wrx even though it is supposed to be a excellent car(used to like it but have heard a ton of crap *** things about it) the civic don't make me laugh, fischer price interior, anyone with no or little credit could buy one and every dumass and his brother owns one! sentra ser good car but ugly as sin

just my $.02

 

I have owed both a 2000 sentra and a pro5. The sentra is a comfortable car . Well laid out and with plenty of options. Handling sucked and power was lacking but overall a good car. Nothing compared to the pro5. The protege has the looks, handling, and in my opion a great looking interior. You can't expect a perfect car for the price range. Some things are going to be left out. The pro5 might not be perfect but its the best in the price range. Anyway ,Screw him.

 

Someone sounds a little bitter don't they?
No I know my protege isn't perfect but PLEASE! I recently got mine and my friends still can't believe that I didn't buy another Sentra since my old SE-R has 285,000 miles on it and is still going. They all think I'm a traitor for switching to Mazda but believe me I agonized over this decision for months and I know I made the right one.
The center storage area works just fine doing what it's supposed to do, store stuff. Want a big cushy armrest-buy a Crown Vic.
Unrefined and underpowered compared to a Sentra? The Sentra motor sounds like a lawn mower and actually puts out less power. Drive the two back to back and you realize how much quicker a Protege is. The new Sentra labors at everything and is no better than my old one, so be ready to shift a lot just to keep up with traffic since passing anyone means you have to drop down to third and get a running start to do the same thing the Protege will do in 5th. Yeah the SE-R has more power but it is far from perfect too.
The tires on the SE-R are a Firestone that SUCK. Just replace them? Good luck- they are a custom one-off size made specially for Nissan that no other tire manufacturer makes.
Going to buy that Spec V? Well that has the same black interior you love in the Protege. Not to mention that the interior is noticably more cramped. I am six feet tall and somebody can still sit behind me in my Protege. Not a chance in a Sentra since there is only 5 inches of room between the two seats when the front is shoved all the way back. I know. I measured. Now get in that Sentra driver seat then move your left arm around a bit forward and back. Bump! For some unknown reason the door panel on the Sentra curves in toward you a couple of inches going from front to back, meaning you always hit it when you move around and it makes you feel very confined and uncomfortable on long trips.
the trunk on the Sentra is noticably smaller.
the gas tank on the Protege is noticably bigger-less gas stops.
The rear end on ANY Sentra is ugly as sin.
The people at Nissan were dumb enough to put a model number on the face of the stereo unit so you can see that it's the same head unit in ALL the models and then ask you to pay tons of money extra for a Fosgate stereo option. Too bad they don't change the stereo, they just put in different speakers. They don't even add an external amp, the speakers have small amps built into them.
My Protege handles much better than any Sentra, including a SE-R. Less body roll and it still has a comfortable ride. The steering on the new Sentra is overboosted and doesn't give as much feed back.

What's my point? No car is perfect. Believe me I was destined to buy another Sentra. I couldn't picture myself buying something else until I drove a Protege. I test drove them both back to back three times and even rented a Sentra for two days to really get to know it and I don't regret buying a Protege at all. Want to buy something else? Go ahead! My question is if there is so much wrong with the Protege why did you buy it?

 

I think this was stated numerous times, but this guy is a moron. Who goes to buy a Protege thinking they will get the best car in the world. For the money, its an awesome car and I couldnt find a better one when I shopped around.
I couldnt read anymore after reading his first two complaints. Armrest and lock. Ok... very important things

 

Wow! What a reaction I’ve spawned!

Anyway, all, it is I, and I understand some irate reactions from fellow posters. But the unfortunate bottom line is, these are all valid points. Let’s go over them step by step:

1. The center armrest DOES suck. Yes, it’s a storage bin, but it’s also supposed to be an armrest. Toyota Camry; has a center storage/arm rest. My old Nissan Sentra; had a center armrest. Most all well designed cars? They ALL have center arm rests. That’s what it’s for. The Pro’s center assembly is too short and low to be of use in this regard. And no, I’m no midget. If I was a midget there wouldn’t be a problem. Do the math. I’m 6 ft. tall. The center “armrest” sucks.

2. The Pro’s transmission has the engine running at higher RPM’s than every other car I’ve ever seen. There’s widely acknowledged comment about this issue; it’s just a matter of whether it bothers you or not. Comparatively speaking, there’s something amiss in the Protégé transmission. Everyone knows it. As said, it’s just a matter of whether you like it or not. I don’t, so I said so.

3. The lock placement is just plain bad. If you must put it on the top of the door, why not do so like Honda does, by making the lock mechanism recessed when it’s engaged? Is it that hard? Is it that difficult to figure out when you take years and years to design a car? I don’t think so. It’s just plain bad design, and everyone knows it. You shouldn’t have to adjust your normal driving habits to accommodate bad design. An auto manufacturer should do it right from the start. I know that expectation just sounds so weird. Call me a moron again.

4. The black interior is impossible to keep clean. Everyone knows it. As you may wish to note, I did say it looks cool (which it does!)-- It’s just a headache to keep clean. I don’t know what I was thinking when I said that’s a real issue in my review. Man, am I an idiot! It doesn't matter if other cars do the same thing. That doesn't mean it's easier to keep clean, does it?

5. The engine is noisy. Look, the engine in the Protégé is noisy. Especially when you start it up. It quiets down commendably when warmed up, but it is still an issue, even then. Anyone care to guess why Mazda has designed a new engine to go with the Mazda6, etc.? Anyone care to guess why they’ve made it a point to note that these new engines are designed to be quiet? Anyone want to guess why they added additional sound dampening material starting with the ’01 models? That’s because they know their engine design is noisier than it should be. Also, in comparing the engine to the Nissan’s GA16DE, I wasn’t noting engine power. If you want to do that compare it to the SR20DE; a fellow 2 litre. I was comparing engine noise. Even when started, even in a “cold Canadian environment”, the old Sentra’s engine is much, much quieter than the Pro’s. It has the combination of excellent longevity, efficiency, and quiet operation that surpasses the Protégé’s. That’s just the way it is. Sorry if that offends anyone. The FS-DE probably has equal longevity, but it’s not as efficient, and it’s noisier. It most certainly is faster than the GA16DE. No qualm there. I never said it wasn’t. Just don’t try to compare it to the SR20DE. Sorry, but there ARE better engines out there than what our Pro’s are equipped with.

6. The speedometer’s increments are poorly rendered. Someone else agreed (thanks!). Maybe that doesn’t bother you, but it’s safer to have things labeled in a manner that best reflects the standard speeds traveled in the region that you sell your vehicle in. 65 isn’t labeled. 70 isn’t labeled. These two speeds are the standard speed designations throughout the entire United States. That’s just plain bad design. Like I said, you don’t have to be bothered by it, but you have to admit it, because it’s true.

7. The transmission is notchy. My ’91 Sentra’s transmission had a longer throw, but it did so much more smoothly. Honda’s transmissions are also smoother. Toyota’s? Smoother.

The fact of the matter regarding the review I submitted is that it bothered people who happen to love their cars. Whenever that happens, people tend to resort to name calling and other non-substantive tactics that serve no constructive purpose. Indeed, such things are in reality more damaging to one’s case, as it demonstrates a lack of hard evidence to counteract the initial arguments. I liken it to playground arguing in grade school when you can’t think of anything else to say: “Oh yeah!? Well, well, double dumbass on you! So there!”.

The issues made note of in my review are all valid and real. As said, it’s just a matter of whether you’re bothered by them or not. They bother me, so I said so, and I used the words “opinion” and “I think” rather liberally, indicating as such. I also did so in a fluent manner that reflects premeditated attention to valid detail. This wasn’t something I just made up while bored. In a bad mood, maybe, but not bored!

Anyway, as said, when I wrote these reviews I was in a pissed off mood. In reality, it wasn’t written to **** anyone else off, and I respectfully apologize if that happened. The bottom line, though, is that these are real issues that take away from what could be a stellar car. As it is, it’s just a good car. I wouldn’t have bought it otherwise, and I noted in my followup that any car has to be a compromise, and there wasn’t a better choice for the price. That’s why I bought it. That, however, doesn’t mean I’m going to pretend everything’s hunky dory and we’re all living in a beautiful world where the Mazda ferry flies around and blows sunshine up our asses. What gets to me the most, as said, is that they had the chance to incorporate common sense into the Protégé and they missed a few critical issues. If you’re that close you might as well just do it! I have a theory that some manufacturers deliberately under design a car because it’ll undermine their higher line, more expensive models, otherwise. I don’t know, maybe that’s what happened here.

So, the Pro is a good car. Never said it wasn’t. Despite its shortcomings, I genuinely enjoy driving it, and in fact just took a long, winding country road weekend trip. It was cool. And I already said the Pro looks better than any other car out there in its class. Also, since I wrote the initial review, the squeak issue was figured out (so it’s not a problem anymore), I have had no other mechanical problems, and it turns out the new Civic is only “average” in reliability (compared to the Protégé’s “much better than average” rating). So it may be slightly less comfortable riding, it may be noisier, it may not quite have the resale value of a Honda, but it’s overall a better car. I have since verified that Ford had virtually no hand in designing this car, so it’s likely to hold together well (including the transmission, thankfully).

Anyway, this “moron” and “idiot”, etc., will retire and try and focus on positive commentary for awhile!

Stay cool, guys, and again, sorry to cause any **** offs!

 

wtf??? who the hell cares? what does he drive? the arm rest? damn, if i didn't bump into it every once in awhile, i forget it even has an armrest. and resting his arms on the door? if he has one on the arm rest and one on the door, is he steering with his dick? if so, i'm impressed! unrefined? what the f#ck does that mean? are we supposed get something comparable to a rolls royce? (sp?) granted i drive the p5, but what is he complaining about? he's mental. and he has a small dick.

 

I don't know what you just said but I agree.

 

Here is my opinion.
The f**ing armrest is pretty cool actually.Have you tryed a damn focus?Well the armrest is really confortable,but as soon as you wanna change gears,you have to contort you arm to do it.Its simply too high.In the protege,the armrest'or storage bin,I dont care'is placed so you can actually have a sporty driving position.I love it.If it was uncomfortable the guy would have noticed it from the start.

the engine is noisy?Who gizashit?Thats exactly what I want.A silent engine makes me go crazy.I love the feeling of an engine that talks to me.Thats why I even put a performance muffler and cone on my pro.I love noise.

The doorlock button?Good point there.Its a bad design.My father had the same shitz on his 83 GLC.

The transmission fits the engine capacity well I think,giving the car an edge over hondas.I dont give a rats butt about the 5th.My previous car had absolutely no power in 5th,even at 120mph.At least the gear ratio on the pro allows an even distribution of torque on every gear.I dig it.

I dont care about the speedometer since its in kph.And even in mph,WTF is he complaining about????WHO CARES????(my opinion on this)

The defoggr is super cool.I have remote starter on my car and I would be very upset during winter if it turned off after 5 minutes.
You dont need it?Turn it off,jackass.

Man,this guy is really frustrated at himself!!Go get yerself a potato on wheels (sentra) if yer not happy!!!!!