In two simple words on how the 2.0L Protege compares to the 2.0L Neon.........................Quality & Refinement. Look at the consumer guides regarding the Neon's history; it is a cheap, second rate, unreliable piece of junk. By the time the Neon warranty runs out, you will have replaced half of the car with new parts, and that is assuming it is still on the road. Don't even bother to lower yourself to compare our Proteges with a Neon, because there is no comparison. I used to remeber a sign at my motorcycle dealer's shop years ago that said "If you have a $99 head, buy a $99 helmet". The Neon = CHEAP!!!!

my CAN $0.02

 

Protege v. Neon, AGAIN!!!!
Does anyone really care?
How about:
Hula-hoop v. Slinky?
Godzilla v. Swamp Thing?
Auto v. Manual ?
Mac v. PC?
Gun Control v Birth Control?
You guys need to start getting creative again; attention waning, numbness begins.....

 

True Dat!!

 

 

Neon = sux
Protege = fun

thats all that should matter...

oh and every protege that i have ever seen at the track has beat every neon ever at the track at the same time...

 

TOOLS OF THE DEVIL *shivers* i hated mine...NEVER EVER EVER EVER AGAIN!!!

 

anyone want to come take my Neon away before I hack off the front end and race it? lol
Yeah it sucks really bad

 

Hi everyone and how are all of you?

 

You don't autocross much do you?

 

It doesn't work for me.

 

If you look at the performance specs of both engines...Protege's torque is higher than its HP. Neon's HP is higher than torque. To me, this says that the Neon's engine has the powerband shifted further up so it can get more high-end horsepower. Less available torque is bad for drag racing. Take the example of the Matrix XRS vs. Protege. Protege has 135 lb/ft of torque and 130 hp. Matrix has 130 lb/ft of torque and 180 hp. 1/4 mile times are very close, mid-16's, I think the Pro edges out the Matirx. You would think that since the matrix has 50 more hp, it would kill the Pro. But since the power band is so high up on the Matrix, by the time it hits its powerband, we have already gone through ours and have shifted to 2nd gear...right down onto the torque peak. The Neon is similar, although not as extreme. And that's not even going into weight issues.