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22 economist sffunlstouffiille tribute thursday march 232000 mazda protege 2000 mazdas pleasant protege has been a major player in a pleasant turnaround at mazda canada back in 1994 mazda was slashing models 323 mx3 and rx7 after slashing people and even their proposed luxury division called amati the reason was simple the recession finally caught up with mazda and its lineup of vehicles that were very much oriented to the sporting side of the spectrum mazda dug deep held on and for 1999 they sold 41279 cars up 45 per cent over 1998 no other firm had a net sales increase like that in canada it was a true turnaround leading the charge was protege with 25147 units sold making it one of the top ten best selling cars in canada last year the protege has actually been around for more than a decade stoutly built proteges also come with the mazda warranty that remains one of the best in the business the last generation protege was a standout to me at a hair over 14000 the se came with a roarty 15litre engine a good 42 miles to the gallon and space for five people the back seat instead of being a thin little plank was actually wide enough for three adults to sit on it was part of what mazda called optispace designed to carve out space where it didnt exist the system worked and people started buying so we come to the current generation that carries over all the attributes but is improved in many ways the first improvement is the socalled triple h chassis that uses three sets of hshaped pairs of girders to make the safety cage for occupants added to this are side impact door beams a catch pin on the rear door to keep it from opening rear and front crumple zones threepoint belts for all five passengers and dualpower air bags are standard where they could be deleted in the previous entry model optional threechannel antilock brakes on the se and lx version adds in electronic brake force distribution that automatically controls brake distribution between the front and rear wheels according to the number of passengers road conditions and speed thanks to optispace and more scooping out of door panels here and seat backs there interior volume is 926 cu ft plus 129 cu ft of trunk space which is midsize sedan country the protege is available in three models the entry level dx and the se come with a 16litre inline four cylinder producing 105 hp and 107 lbft of torque the lx offers a 18litre inline four making 122 hp and 120 lbft of torque a fivespeed manual transmission is standard and a fourspeed automatic with lockup torque converter is an option dont think because the dx and se have a 16 they are slow top speed of these cars with the fivespeed is 178 kmh and 165 with the automatic the manual hits 0100 kmh in 114 seconds automatic is 133 seconds which aint bad the 18 by the way hits 192 kmh with the fivespeed and 175 with the autobox the fivespeed does 103 seconds from 0100 kmh while the automatic posts 122 seconds gas mileage remains very good the dxse with five speed posts 85l100 km 33 mpg city and 67l100 km 42 mpg highway the auto version of the 16 shows 93l100 km 30 mpg city 69l 100 km 41 mpg highway the 18l fivespeed is 89l100 km 32 mpg city and 67l100l km 42 mpg highway the autobox recorded 72l7 100 km 39 mpg highway the identical 42 mpg highway rating on both cars has been a big selling point msrp for the dx is 14995 the se is15715 and the lx is 17390 all proteges come with 14inch wheels as opposed to the 13- inchers on the last generation entry se model every protege comes with power steering front and rear stabilizer bars rear seat heat duct very important this time of year body color bumpers tilt steering wheel intermittent wipers low washer fluid warning light adjustable front seatbelt anchors and factoryinstalled childrens seatbelt anchors three for the backseat the se adds a tach and a stereo with four speakers clock and cd player you also get rear 6040 split seats and a trunk light dont knock it on a subzero night beside the highway looking for a jug of washer fluid there is also a 2000 protege touring edition 19300 as tested with 15inch alloy wheels wider allseason radial tires antilock brakes power moon roof map lights and rear spoiler a lot of the sporting heritage mazda engineered into the rx7 mx6 mx3 and the current miata have migrated into the protege even with the 16litre engine it is quite a little handler with macpherson independent front with sway bars while the rear suspension incorporates mazdas patented twintrapezoidal link like the mx6 sports coupe that results in an econobox with a roll rate of just two degrees in 05g of cornering thats right in there with the bmw m3 the shocks have ultralow speed valves that make the chassis absorb kinetic road inputs that results in a more stable and flat platform for the driver its hard to find much wrong with the protege besides a somewhat rubbery feel to the five speed snifter and a very light clutch better suited to the miata probably from which it came the protege offers a lot of zip a lot of room and a lot of kilometres for the litre the only thing missing from the protege sedan is a stablemate like the 323 familia what they call the protege wagon sold in japan we can only hope mazda protege 2000 at a glance body style fourdoor sedan front engine front- drive engine 16litre dohc inline fourcylinder 105 hp 107 lbft 18litre dohc inline fourcylinder 122 hp 120 lbft fuel economy l6litre fivespeed 85l100 km 33 mpg city 67l100 km 42 mpg highway 18l five speed 89l100 km 32 mpg city 67l100 km 42 mpg highway price dx 19995 se 15715 lx 17390 protege touring edition as tested 19300 pwwtovwsivhwes detailing specials 1 1 heritage road markham wwwfxaueucom interior exterior gleaning hand wash chamois dry clean and dress tires clean door jambs dry clean seats carpet floor mats clean all vinyl and trim detail dash clean windows s apply protective vinyl dressing valid only with this coupon r- rtmin coupon expires april 30 sooo heg 11 y interior exterior cleaning aax same as package 1 plus a high gloss finish that is applied by a buffer then polished to a shine by hand valid only with this coupon coupon expires april so sooo reg 179 fgbbsasp interior exterior cleaning buffnshine engine shamroo same as package 1 plus a two step exterior service that consistsof a chemical cleaning deoxidizing of the paint and a generous application of our specially formulated wax guaranteed to restore brilliance to your dull or damaged- paint free scotch guard valid only with this coupon coupon expires april 3q sooo reg 249