12/23/2023 0 Comments 1998 mazda protege dxThe Mazda Protege is a long-time favorite of ours. Enhanced by a taut and well-damped suspension, Protege is the "driver's car" of economy sedans. Credit goes to the first-rate steering system with gobs of feedback, perfect weighting and no on-center dead spot. On the road, the Protege is a bit louder than expected, but it does provide an excellent drive. For 2001, the interior features a new center stack design, new seat and trim fabric, a new interior color, a modular audio system, improved cupholders, ignition key illumination, power window switch illumination, a map light, a lockable glove box, and a lock for the 60/40 split-fold rear seatback. There's also a proper Germanic front-passenger door grip, nicely padded upper door panels where elbows often rest, lots of storage nooks and crannies, a large rear seat, and a commodious 12.9 cubic foot trunk. The driving position is excellent, with a thick steering wheel rim to grip and a properly placed dead pedal for the left foot. The firm seats are comfortable, and the seat height and cushion angle adjustments (on the LX and ES) are greatly appreciated. The attractive brushed-aluminum wheels go a long way toward giving the Mazda an upscale appearance, as do the jewel-like headlight reflectors, angular taillights and chrome accents. Mazda has updated the front end's styling, adding a new grille, hood, fenders and headlights. The Protege is one of the best-looking economy sedans on the market, and the 2001 improvements should only further the car's lead. Torque is rated at 135 foot-pounds, up 12.5 percent over last year's 1.8-liter engine. Optional on the LX and standard on the ES, the new engine puts out 130 horsepower. Power from the 1.6-liter is tolerable, but buyers looking for more acceleration should opt for the new 2.0-liter engine. The ES also comes with features like standard air conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels, and optional ABS and side airbags.īoth the DX and the LX use a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 105 horsepower and 107 foot-pounds of torque. For options like a driver's height-adjustable seat, power windows and locks, a tachometer, and cruise control, you'll have to step up to either the LX or the ES. The base-model DX comes with standard features like power steering, a tilt steering wheel and a split-folding seatback. Sold only as a four-door sedan, the Protege is available in three trim levels: DX, LX and ES. A closer look reveals a roomy car that is well equipped, competent, fun to drive and competitively priced.Now in its third model year, Mazda's current Protege is a snappy car that competes against vehicles like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus. It is easy to lose sight of the Protegé in the herd of small sedans. Manual and automatic transmissions are available with both. The top-line ES has a 1.8-liter engine with 122 horsepower. The DX and LX models use a 105-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. Mazda says the “European-inspired styling” was done jointly by designers in Europe, Japan and California. A split, folding rear seat supplements the 12.9-cubic-foot trunk, giving Protegé commendable cargo space for a small sedan.Īt 174 inches end to end, Protegé is one inch shorter than the best-selling small car, the Honda Civic. That translates into adequate rear legroom and headroom for adult-size passengers. The five-passenger Protegé is one of the roomier small cars, with interior volume of 92.6 cubic feet. However, Mazda’s rendition is expected to look much different than Ford’s. Ford owns a controlling interest in Mazda, and plans are to switch the Protegé to the Ford Focus platform for 2002. Protegé was redesigned last year, but it has a short future in its present form. The new side-impact airbags are part of option packages that include anti-lock brakes. Side-impact airbags are a new option for the LX and ES versions of the Protegé, Mazda’s front-drive compact sedan.
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