Mazda has also done the right thing with steering-wheel spokes and control stalks, allowing the former to hide the latter. The Escort's high windowsills seem unduly constrictive by comparison.īecause we're talking about a modern Japanese car from a major manufacturer, it almost goes without saying that the controls and switches are properly placed and satisfying to operate. Seeing the body contours from the driver's seat also emphasizes an opportunity that the Ford guys apparently missed with the Escort: the Protegé's lower cowl and beltline give it a much lighter, more contemporary feel. The molded plastic is all very good molded plastic, and the instrument panel's lines and shapes, again, recall a 190- or 300-series Mercedes, in the angular hood over round dials and the horizontal band filled with rectangular vent outlets. So does Mazda's plea that the '323' designation-and its econohatch connotations-not be used in connection with the sedan.Ĭlimb into the Protegé and the impression of richness persists: except for a lack of polished-wood highlights (and, once under way, the lightness of the controls), you could almost be sitting in some scaled-down Stuttgarter. Viewed that way, the fact that the Protegé suggests a compact Mercedes (note the C-pillar area, including the back door, side glass, roofline, and fender contour) makes perfect sense. Obviously, Mazda is looking for an expensive-car feel to help distinguish its small sedan from the hordes of fine competitors crowding this market segment-a tactic that gives substance to Mazda's stated intent to move its whole image a bit upmarket, thus staying in touch with the population's baby-boom bubble as it moves into its peak-earning years. A four-inch wheelbase extension (to 98.4) makes it markedly roomier than before and places it in the upper reaches of the class for sheer spaciousness. Its lines are clearly more elegant than the previous 323 sedan's, and the finish is of a higher quality. 1999 Mazda Protegé ES Is Better, Not Bigger.But we did question its styling, wondering if so thoroughly improved a car should look so much like its predecessor and whether buyers in this category still appreciate the boy-racer look of aero tack-ons. We liked the Escort GT, finding it quick, lively, responsive, and modern. Ford and Mazda jointly developed the Escort/323 platform, and Mazda supplies the sixteen-valve 1.8 used in both the Escort GT and the LX version of the Protegé.

We previously drove this engine-chassis combination when we tested the new Escort GT ( C/D, August 1990). All for just a few dollars per month more than basic transportation. All of which has helped make the Protegé what it is: a slick and tidy four-door sedan that runs almost like crazy, welcomes four grown people, and looks shamelessly like a Mercedes 190. The goal was to recast its public image, from a maker of low-priced cars to a premium-quality specialty manufacturer. Rather than basking in its Miata and MPV successes, Mazda was moving and shaking, restructuring itself for more efficient decision-making. Mazda introduced the Protegé late in the summer of 1989, the same time the concept of 'kansei engineering' and the tag line 'It Just Feels Right' appeared in the company's advertising.

From the February 1991 issue of Car and Driver.

1991 mazda protege for sale