MazdaSpeed Protege Ratings & Bottom Line

The '03 model is decked out in Racing Hart five-spoke aluminum wheels, deep front air dam, large oval foglamps, pedestal-type mine-is-bigger-than-yours rear wing, and ground-effect side sills and rear apron. On the soon-to-be-released '031/2 model, large air intakes replace the fascia-mounted foglamps, the rear apron gets fluting along its lower edge, and the new, non-pedestal-type wing grows taller and loops wider.

A shortened shift lever with an aluminum shift knob, aftermarket-style aluminum foot pedals, seven-speaker, 450-watt Kenwood KDC-MP919 MP3 audio system with large, trunk-mounted subwoofer, silver-faced analog gauges, and carbon-fiber-look trim on the center stack grace the cabin. This is a pleasant, airy interior with plenty of spread-out room and good visibility to all corners.

The Kenwood radio is prewired to handle Sirius satellite radio, which touts 100 channels of static-free, and mostly commercial-free, listening coast to coast. Its head unit features a faceplate that's hidden until the ignition is switched on, whereupon it flips 180 degrees to reveal an electric blue MegaMotion LCD that can provide moving images. In addition to its great sound, this audio unit is an absolute blast to watch! A handy remote-control unit helps drivers who are challenged in using the head unit's incredibly small and nearly indecipherable control buttons.

With its first offering, MazdaSpeed has achieved near greatness with the Protege. According to Walton, its "chassis is an inspired piece of work with balance, stiffness, compliance, and precise steering." Lapping the Streets of Willow Springs, the Protege exhibited great poise--neutral and confident in all respects. "The Protege felt as tossable as the Focus, but with an even sharper edge to it," says Walton. "I could drive it way deeper into the turns and take it much faster through the corners than the Dodge or Focus." In fact, the Mazda's chassis was so good that it had us musing about how killer the Protege would be with just a bit more power.