2002 Mazda Protege5 Review (continued)
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Walkaround

The Protege5 is very good looking. Cool looking, for an un-wagon. Trim cladding, just side sills and air dams. Great-looking 5-spoke, 16-inch alloy wheels, either brushed or polished like chrome. Speedy lines and stance, not boxy. In profile it looks like a short Subaru Legacy GT wagon, but it's prettier at each end.

It's cool all over. The spoiler fits like an eyelid over the slanted rear hatch. There's a standard black roofrack, and the black radio antenna is raked back from the rear center of the car. The center brake light (CHMSL) has 24 small bulbs that definitely catch your attention. Sleek headlights (straight off the prosaic" Protege), a moonroof, black diamond mesh grille that hints at a smile. More black mesh in the mouthy airdam below the bumper, with a foglight on each side.

Integrated within the chassis, which was redesigned in '99, are front and rear crush zones. Mazda claims its "Triple-H" frame structure forms a rigid barrier to injury from side impact.

Under the hood, which sounds very solid when dropped, the 2.0-liter four is mounted neatly in the transverse position. A red suspension brace between the wheel strut towers, to firm up the handling, signals the car's capability."

Interior Features

The interior is also way cool. It's very neatly done, distinctive and sporty in dark charcoal leather dash and doors, with cloth seats. Three times, in our tape-recorded notes, we mentioned how comfortable the driver's seat was. Both front seats are tweaked in lumbar and lateral support, and the driver's seatback structure uses something called Pluma-flex" board, which Mazda says is stiffer at the bottom and more flexible at the top, resulting in a "gentler and more accommodating fit," and transmitting less vibration.

There are touches of aluminum, like burnished pewter, all over, including the armrests, door handles, and the vertical control panel, where the AM/FM/CD and climate (HVAC) systems are located. It's also inset in faux carbon fiber. The simple, small three-spoke tilt steering wheel looks and feels especially neat. The tidy three gauges have off-white backgrounds and black numbers with amber illumination.

The Protege5 may be small but it doesn't feel cramped in front. Everything falls into place for the driver, with good foot room including a nice dead pedal. Visibility from inside is also very good. There's no whumping in your ear when just the driver's window is down. There's a small triangular window in the back third of the rear door glass.

For convenience, there are grab handles in the front armrests, storage pockets in each door (though none in the front seatbacks), a deep glovebox and good interior lighting. There are two flip-top cupholders forward of the five-speed shift lever, as well as a deep slot for small stuff, and a sloped coin slot with a lip, in the lower left dash. Between the seats lies the handbrake and a deep console. Power windows and locks, remote entry, rear window wiper and rear seat heater ducts are standard.

The rear seats are surprisingly roomy and comfortable for adults.

With the 60/40 split rear seats folded, there's 24.4 cubic feet of cargo space. Mazda measures at a height level with the top of the rear seats, as per EPA guidelines; some manufactures measure to the ceiling, making specs sometimes skewed. There's a space saver rear tire underneath the cargo bay floor, with a security cover. There's also an interior light switch back there, so you can leave the hatch open when the car is parked without stretching the battery.

The child seat anchors use the latest system, consisting of two sets of lower anchors on both sides of the rear passenger seat, and three top tether anchors for each rear seating position. With this system, the latest child seats can be secured without using the car's seatbelts."