2003 Mazda Protege5 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Awesome in every way. Great selection of aftermarket everything. Turbo helps with the get-up-and-go! Practical, fun, good looking, cheap, and it's a Mazda... What else could you want from a car? Hope everyone gets a chance to drive one someday.

It was a spacious wagon that handled exceptionally well. The 2.0 I4 left a lot to be desired. The car could've used another 50 hp. Body control was great and the tires were the only limiting factor. Road noise was also horrible, but the stereo was great. The shift feel was excellent. Great car that is for everyone!

It was between this car, a Honda Civic-R and a modded Ford Focus and this one won out. It's a really nice car to drive, well-rounded and a good looker. The sport wagon was appealing for space and the engine was a 2-litre (I think?) which had good acceleration. It felt very solid and it resold very well.

Current Mods: Injen Cold Air Intake|OBX Headers|ProtegeGarage Mid-pipe w/ high flow cat|Racing Beat Exhaust|Unorthodox Racing Underdrive Pulley|AWR Full Motor Mounts|TWM Short Shifter and bushings|Lowered (type unknown, done by previous owner) I just plain love this car! The exterior styling looks aggressive straight from the factory and it just looks mean when lowered with some nice rims. The black interior looks very nice with a little silver plastic trim. The leather seats could definitely hug you a bit more on those tight turns but they do their job. The only reason gave the Protege5 a 4/5 in performance is its lack of horsepower. With its aggressive styling and superb handling it demands more power.

All and all the car puts out when needed, great for taking corners and accelerating out of them, but not reccomened for long drag strips, unless you put either A.) Turbo or B.) Supercharge. Other than that its a good car to have around, fast, reliable, and spacious.

My '03 Mazda handles like a much higher-end car. Its quite tight and responsive, with surprising power for a 4-cylinder engine. The factory stabilizer bar really adds to its handling. The exterior is as sharp as it ever was. I have always liked the eye-catching design, and the Laser Blue Mica color is still one of my faves. As the car has aged a bit, I notice some of the interior finishes not holding up as well as they should. However, Mazda has done a great job in upgrading interior materials in their more recent models. A couple of annoying and potentially expensive things have popped up, i.e. a bum airbag sensor and a sprung seat belt latch. Other than that I have spent next to nothing on this car other than normal maintenance. For my next car I plan to upgrade either to the CX-7 or CX-9.

Awesome little Japanese car that perform very well against lancers, hondas etc... on all facet. it is an eye turner very well built, worry free that was fun to drive, i'd buy an other one but the Aussies don't have that model.

It’s a great car except the clutch is sticking.

Overall I've been very happy with this car, its a good mixture of characteristics that produce a car thats easy to live with day-to-day.

It´s a good everyday car, not very exiting to drive but has good quality and looks sporty.

According to Fairbanks Mazda, i was the first Lazer Blue Protege 5 owner in South Florida. Now, years later and living in Vermont, i still have my P5 and love it with every new day. This is my 5th Mazda and still proud. Never any issues, tons of mileage, and they all purr like a kitten. The reason for new Mazda's is the awesome looks and style. Though, have not plans to get rid of my P5 anytime soon....

Made a nice first project car. I think I've invested too much into it...but it's too late to stop now! The car is a lot more roomy than it works. I've fit 4 adults and packed the back full without a problem. This is a great car to have, it could be faster, but then I'd just get into more trouble.