1996 Mazda Protege Reviews, Pricing & Specs

My wife and I purchased our Mazda Protege, used, when we moved from Pittsburgh, PA to Denton, MD, where she got her first teaching job. The car was a good choice for us, at the time, just starting out after college (engaged at the time). Great fuel economy. The car was comfortable for multiple passengers. At 6' 250 lbs, I was comfortable if I had to ride in the back seat. Our model had a sun / moon roof, which was nice on a pleasant day. At the time, our apartment didn't have A/C, nor did my truck, so we drove around the Eastern Shore of Maryland after school / work to be in air conditioning and learned some of the side-streets and non-beach traffic roads. All-in-all, the car was good for us. We bought it in 1997 and traded it in for her Kia Sorento in 2004.Jul 07, 2013

I put 200K on this car and it probably would have run forever if I hadn't totalled it, had my father fix it with some plywood and a rubber mallet, and then put another 40K on it. I finally got rid of it when the crack in the coolant tank got ridiculous, and it was clear that the car was about to become part of a scenic roadsie fire. I miss that car.May 22, 2008

• 1,489 cc 1.5 liters 4 in-line front transverse engine with 75.2 mm bore, 83.6 mm stroke, 9.4 compression ratio, double overhead cam and four valves per cylinder • Unleaded fuel • Fuel economy EPA highway (l/100km): 6 • Multi-point injection fuel system • Main 55 liter fuel tank • Power: 69 kW , 92 HP @ 5,500 rpm; 96 ft lb @ 4,000 rpm 1996 Mazda Protege Handling, Ride & Braking Standard Features • Two disc brakes including two ventilated discs • Spacesaver steel rim internal spare wheel • Strut front and rear suspension with stabilizer bar independent with coil springs 1996 Mazda Protege Exterior & Aerodynamics Standard Features • Black/grey narrow body side molding • Front and rear body color impact absorbing bumpers • Coefficient of drag: 0.32 • Driver and passenger internally adjustable black door mirrors • External dimensions: overall length (mm): 4,440, overall width (mm): 1,709, overall height (mm): 1,420, wheelbase (mm): 2,606, front track (mm): 1,461, rear track (mm): 1,461 and curb to curb turning circle (mm): 10,180 • Conventional lens halogen bulb single headlights • Gloss paint , mica multi-coat paint • Fixed rear window • Tinted glass • Weights: gross vehicle weight rating (kg) 1,467, curb weight (kg) 1,082, gross trailer weight braked (kg) 0 and gross trailer weight unbraked (kg) 0 • Four-speed windshield wipers with W/S wiper mist setting and fixed intermittent wipe 1996 Mazda Protege Interior Standard Features • Roof antenna • Front illuminated ashtray • Cargo area light • Cargo capacity: rear seat up; to lower window (liters): 368, rear seat down; to lower window (liters): 0, rear seat down (liters): 0, all seats in place (liters): 368 and all seats removed (liters): 0 • Front seats illuminated cigar lighter • Floor full console with open storage box • Courtesy lights with four switches • Front seats cup holders • Door ajar warning • Door pockets/bins for driver seat and passenger seat • Floor covering: carpet in passenger compartment and carpet in load area • Driver and passenger front airbag • Bucket seat • 3-point reel height adjustable front seat belts on driver seat and passenger seat • Lockable glove compartment with lid • Height adjustable head restraints on front seats , head restraints on rear seats • Internal dimensions: front headroom (mm): 996, rear headroom (mm): 950, front leg room (mm): 1,072, rear leg room (mm): 904, front shoulder room (mm): 1,379, rear shoulder room (mm): 1,361 and interior volume (liters): 2,690 • Power steering • 3-point reel rear seat belts on driver side , 3-point reel rear seat belts on passenger side , lap static rear seat belts on center side • Bench fixed three rear seats • Rear view mirror • Mechanical remote fuel filler door release • Front seat back storage • Cloth seat upholstery with additional cloth • Seating: five seats • Four speakers • Plastic steering wheel • Ventilation system with four fan speeds and recirculation setting Apr 17, 2008