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The need for MazdaSpeed
Mazda's 'tuner' Protegé is fun, funky and 4-door functional
By Stacey Morrison
Thursday, August 21, 2003
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but during my week with a Blazing Yellow Mica MazdaSpeed Protegé I often repeated a well-known phrase from the movie Top Gun: "I feel the need, the need for Speed!" It was blurted enthusiastically numerous times while approaching the flashy Mazda, usually accompanied by a high five with the person travelling with me - the Goose to my Maverick. I couldn't help myself - the MazdaSpeed Protegé, with its eye searing paint, super-sized spoiler and sexy Rally Hart hyper silver wheels, makes you walk with a swagger in your step and an itch to get behind the wheel. It puts a little zoom-zoom in your driving personality. I loved the looks I got from fellow motorists in their hotted-up Hondas and slammed Celicas. In fact, one friend who has spent years and a considerable amount of money dressing up his Civic proclaimed that the souped up Protegé was the most respectable car I've driven to date. And you should have seen his face when he found out it rolled off the production line as is, completely under warranty, for under $30,000. I now know how to make a grown man cry.
The MazdaSpeed Protegé was introduced last year to entice young drivers immersed in the aftermarket, go-fast car culture. The 2003.5 Mazda, as the Japanese automaker is calling its mid-year refreshment, improves on the styling cues of the initial model. A host of exterior upgrades, including a more aggressive, three-piece, blow-moulded rear wing, a larger rear valance, a wider exhaust tip and a new front skirt with two V-shaped brake cooling ducts give the car more style. The new 5-spoke, 17-inch wheels allow more visibility of the rotors and beefy brakes.
Unlike many tuner cars on the road today, however, the MazdaSpeed is not over the top to the point of being garish or in some cases, just plain funny. The spoiler is big, but not tacky, the wheels shiny, but not overdone and the colour is eye-catching but not necessarily a magnet for the men in blue. This was a consideration for its designers. "Finding a perfect balance between overstated tuner designs and OEM styles is challenging, but we know we found it with this car," says Mark Jordan, assistant chief designer.
Inside, the 4-door MazdaSpeed mimics a regular Protegé with a spacious and airy cabin with room for four passengers, five only if necessary. What sets it apart from its staid sibling, however, are race-inspired pedals, shift knob and centre instrument gauges accented with silver needle points.
New seat-insert material strengthens driver and passenger grip, while yellow stitching highlights the new trim on the seats and around the 3-spoke steering wheel and stubby Sparco shifter. Aluminum accents are sprinkled throughout, including the top of the shift knob, which gets very hot to the touch when the car has been sitting in the sun. Overall, the MazdaSpeed's interior has a rally car-like appeal but is still a practical and comfortable daily driver.
And what would a tuner car be without a high-tech music maker? The MazdaSpeed comes equipped with a Kenwood sound system, complete with a singing and dancing faceplate, CD/MP3 player and six speakers, plus a 250-watt subwoofer and 450-watt amplifier in the trunk. The funky faceplate is fun to watch but can be distracting while driving, especially at night. And the unit itself is quite difficult to figure out (we admit, the owner's manual came out while trying to decipher the presets) and use, with chicklet-sized buttons and knobs.
For such an impressive setup, there was actually very little bass … or we were just unable to change the settings despite our best efforts. This, however, didn't deter us from turning the volume up loud.
Under the hood is a 2.0-litre inline four with turbocharger, emitting 170 horses in a somewhat skittish fashion. Beware when stomping on the go pedal - there is tons of torque steer coming off the line, so hold on tight! Once out of first gear, however, it is great fun to stir through the gears thanks to the aggressive clutch/shifter combo, making off-ramps and twisties wildly entertaining.
A tight, sport-tuned Racing Beat suspension setup provides a firm ride that's still comfortable over long distances and the 4-wheel disc anti-lock brakes deliver excellent stopping power when your enthusiasm gets the better of you. For maximum performance, the MazdaSpeed requires premium fuel.
The MazdaSpeed Protegé is a fun, yet practical vehicle for piloting city streets or long stretches of highway pavement. At $27,595, it's $600 more than last year's inaugural model and $8,600 more than a fully loaded Protegé. This might seem like a lot, but when you consider how much money aficionados are spending on aftermarket parts these days, it's probably on par. And don't forget about your wingmen - they'll no doubt be pleased to have such a stylish tuner car riding alongside their own on the highway.
Immediate competition:
Ford Focus SVT,
Mitsubishi Lancer OZ Rally, Subaru Impreza,
Volkswagen Jetta
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