Mazdaspeed Protege 2003 Compact Sedan

Sylvia

http://www.edmunds.com/future/2003/mazda/protege/4drsedan/preview.html

mazdalee

Does anyone know when the Mazdaspeed Protege will be available? I thought it was gonna be in July.

kj1979

edmund says winter 2002, so i guess it can be anytime between november and february 2003. I am anxiously waiting as well.

bmurf207

I heard that there are not many of these mazdaspeeds going into production. Two thousand, or so. Anyone know anything about this? Also, to the Edmunds editors... any guess on a price?

rmtrader

Check out the recent edition of Sport Compact Car. Quite and impressive review. Claim that the Mazdaspeed Protege is the best handling front wheel car available at this time.

riot21

The MazdaSpeed Will be launched the 2nd week of October. Might be different around the country but in Northern Virginia that is the official date. There will be exactly 1,750 units built. 600 Spicy Orange and 1,150 Black Mica's well over 2,000 Mods on the car. The car will be roughly $20,000-$22,000.

maltb

Mazda already released pricing on the car. $20,500 including destination. I'm sure it can be had for under $20k.

mikemajesty

doubtful. only 1500 of them coming, expect markups, big time, as long as they can get away with them. they will have no! problem selling 1500 of these at msrp.

maltb

look at what happened to the MP3. Some sold way over MSRP, others went for under. I'm sure the same thing will happen with this one.

I have talked to some people who have driven them and they say it's a ton of fun to drive but it still doesn't have gobs of power. One good note though: redline approaches quickly. :-) Next time, my buddy better not forget to call me...

riot21

The Markup on the MazdaSpeed Will Not be like the MP3. And there are 1,750 Being shipped as you read this. The car is incredible, I drove it and it will pound its competition.

dafababa1

Let me try to clear up a couple of questions. As of right now the speeds are awaiting a part for the turbo, they were supposed to be in showrooms in oct. I have put down a deposit on one in kalamazoo mi and am getting sticker $20500+ tax. I have called dealers in detroit and they are getting 3 to 5 thou above! my salesman says to expect it in a week or so, mabey middle of nov. this meens that she has no idea what is going on.1750 to the states 250 to canada.

gsgman69

I for one am getting sick and tired of these limited supply models. First the Focus SVT and now the second itereation of this Protege is getting the same treatment. I mean does Mazda really expect me to pay over sticker price for a car that I will probably never be able to test drive. Sorry I wouldn't buy anything bases solely on magazine reviews and company reputation. Remember when BMW lightened up on their steering and everyone complained till they changed it back?
Yes I am happy with my GTI despite its imperfections. I was able to pay below sticker(not above) and didn't have to time my purchase to perfection or hound dealers for months at a time. Sorry most people like me who would consider a Mazdaspeed Protege don't want to move up to a "6" so I don't buy that defense. It's just a missed opportunity my this corporation.

Also whatever happened to economies of scale? If the 2000 new parts in this Protege took X amount of man hours or research and testing wouldn't Mazda be able to produce them cheaper the more they sold.

I know that BMW is limiting supply of its Mini, but not to these levels. I think the second year Mini will be able to be procured without winning the lottery while still having a demand slightly higher than its supply.

maltb

economies of scale only apply after the emissions certification is paid for. By keeping the production numbers low, the engine does not need to be re-certified. Because of that and the fact that there are limited amounts of people who want his car, their decision was probably more than a dart on a forecast chart.

rotarykid

I have been fixing mazdas at mazda dealers for about 15 years now and the mazdaspeed is just another debacle in marketing. in order for a mazda dealer to sell the mazdaspeed protege, they must purchase the "mazdaspeed" car line from mazda. it seems to me that extorting money from dealers to sell a car that should have been sold all along, is just another bad idea from mazda. the turbo cars of early 90's were some of the best cars mazda ever put on the road and never should have went away. now, at a time when mazda doesnt even sell 55k units of its mainstay(626), they come up with this scheme. the late introduction of the new 6 in hatch and wagon form is another mistake. these models were flashed all over the mazda website 5 months ago, and anyone could see they were hot cars. now those pics are all gone and they give us only the sedan. pitiful marketing. with only a handful of wagons in any class, they are missing the mark.

gemmint

To all readers I have wanted to get a Mazdaspeed since summer, after hearing about the turbo.I drove a regular Protege, not liking it much but wanted all the extras the Mazdaspeed offered. I had a 10 year old VW Fox GL that I did not want to put another dime into. The Mazda dealer said they would give me a call upon arrival. I the mean time I went to a Carmax and ended up buying a Nissan 2001 Pathfinder LE with 7200 miles. It is a big diffrence in cars, but I will have to enjoy just looking at a Mazdaspeed than driving one. I am not disappointed in my purchase, just stating life keeps going on. All of you new Mazdaspeed owners I hope the wait is worth it. I will for sure see you on the street.

audia8q

They are shipping this week...

herculespeanut

So I test drove a Mazdaspeed today. It was nice. The engine was very smooth and power was instantly available. I am comparing it to a Subaru WRX and struggling to decide.

On the one hand, the WRX has all wheel drive and seems to grip better. I felt the Mazda's front wheels slip accelerating out of a curve a couple of times. It is faster and (this is big) doesn't require a cool down for the turbo.

On the other hand, the Mazda is much better looking, seems a bit larger, and costs less.

Anyone here have any personal experience?

Thanks

dinu01

Considering the price difference, I would opt for the MazdaSpeed3. But when I look at the price again, I'd rather have a 6 for that much $.

Dinu

herculespeanut

The problem with the Mazda6 is that it is made in Michigan. Combine that with the fact that Ford owns Mazda and I lose all interest.

My personal experience.

1. Every American made car I (or my wife) has owned has been mediocre at best.

2. Every Ford we have owned has been awful

3. Every Japanese built card (actually made in Japan) we have owned has been wonderful.

I have learned from experience not to trust American made cars and Fords in particular. That's too bad too, I love the way the Mazda6 looks. The MSP is pretty sharp as well.

Thanks for your reply.

mdaffron

But keep one thing in mind.

While the Mazda6 is being BUILT in Michigan, the parts are all from Japan. Except, of course, for the engine in the 6s --- but that's Ford's Duratec with some fine-tuning by Mazda. And the Duratec has been in the MPV since the new version came out three years ago, and they've been very reliable. If you want an all-Mazda 6, you can buy the 6i whose four-cylinder engine is made by our friends in Hiroshima.

But I can't wait to see what the Ford-Mazda relationship does for Ford in 2004 (possibly 2005) when the venerable Taurus becomes a rebadged Mazda6.

Meade

P.S. to Rotarykid ... Funny you said Mazda's early 90's turbo cars were great ... I've been a customer at my Mazda dealership since 1991 and I am very good friends with a mechanic there ... we were shooting the breeze about the RX-8 one day and he said it'd be much more reliable than the last RX-7 was since it's non-turbocharged. He said the twin-turbo'd RX-7 was infamous for blowing up engines between 20,000 and 30,000 miles, and Mazda pulled the plug on it here because it was so unreliable.

audia8q

If ford did not bail out Mazda...chances are they would not be around. Ford has been great for Mazda and there has been nothing but an increase in Mazda quality since Ford took control.

mdaffron

I've owned Mazdas since before Ford got their hands into Mazda -- nonstop since 1991. Let me tell you from personal experience -- Ford's money may have helped, but Ford's mechanical influence has really messed up Mazda's reliability! Ask anyone with the last-generation automatic 626 or a 1994-96 B-series pickup! (a.k.a. Ford Ranger)

Meade

maltb

(this is big) doesn't require a cool down for the turbo.

Does the subie have an oiler that runs after the engine is shut down? If not, I wouldn't run a turbo up to temp and not let it cool off unless you like instant carbon clog in your impeller bearings.

Just curious: I haven't looked at the wrx in detail.

maltb

I loved my truck...hehehe. disc/drum anyone?

Just kidding! happy new year!

gemini_castor

So I got a call from the dealer on the 2nd, and he said that they got 1, and only 1, in the dealership. Needless to say, I just got done with the test drive, and I already signed on the dotted line. I can hardly wait to pick it up and drive it off the lot next week. They are getting up to 4 of them in stock, but I didn't want to wait for the orange, which was my color of choice.

rotarykid

There has been no increase in quality since ford bailed mazda out. I have been repairing mazdas since 86 and I can tell you there has not been an increase but rather a decrease in quality. The only thing I can say that has gotten better is the way in which we diagnose problems, but no actual reduction of problems. The transmission which Mdaffron refers to has been in the 626 since 94 and is there in the last model. 9 years without making any helpful changes to a major part of the car? We replace at least one of those a week. Every mazda dealer keeps at least one in stock. Can you say TRIBUTE? Here is an engineering nightmare. If this vehicle doesnt get totally revamped soon, it wont last as long as the wonderful navajo.

mdaffron

Spoken from a man who's "down in the trenches" and not (sorry maltb) sitting in Mazda's ivory tower!

Meade

maltb

When you make your money by only dealing with problems it's hard to maintain a good perspective of the big picture. Way back when I spent all day looking at warranty claims, I thought every car was piece of crap.

mdaffron

But it's hard to forgive a dealership's having to replace a transmission a week on a particular car model ... and I don't care how big a town his dealership is in. Mazda 626s don't sell like hotcakes in any town.

Meade

audia8q

I base my information of 20 years on dealership experience and as Consumer reports also backs up the increase in quality.

But I guess Consumer Reports is like the national inquirer to you...LOL

rotarykid

what type of "dealership experience" do you have audia8q? Please dont tell me that what I know is second to what YOU read. "believe half of what you see and none of what you hear". not sure who said that, but it applies in this case.
and maltb, you are 100% correct about all cars being pieces of crap. No one car line has the market cornered on qulity. Honda automobiles are very popular,yes, but they have the same problems as mazda, nissan, toyota, etc,. I think mazda makes a very good product. I presently own 3, and have owned several others. Are these cars of better quality than my old 85 626LX that has over 200k, and the guy I sold it to 6 years ago still drives? No chance in heck. MY 92 626LX w/150k+ will be driven till it rots away(here in CT it wont be too much longer). That car has only had exhaust, maintenance, one ball joint, one inner tie rod, and a new radio put in it. I have only changed 1 light bulb in that car since new. Sunroof, power windows, locks etc., no problems. THere isnt a 93-up 626 out there that can make these claims(that has any real miles on it).

mdaffron

Actually it is.

But I'll echo rotarykid --

I've owned two '92 Protege LXs, my current 2000 ES and my wife now drives an '02 Protege5. All four vehicles have been absolutely problem-free, requiring nothing but scheduled maintenance (I drove my second '92 83,000 miles and my current '00 ES has 48,800 miles on it after only 31 months of ownership).

I cannot compare these four Japanese-made vehicles with the awful Ford-made 1994 Mazda B2300 pickup I owned. It was nothing but problems and spent weeks at a time in the shop -- all due to engine troubles that began at 8,000 miles. Yes, Mazda helped me out and waived (can you believe it?) the expiration of my warranty, covering all repairs until I got rid of the truck two years after the warranty expired. Great, you say? Well, it still had at least one inconvenient stay at the dealership per month -- several for a week or more and one for two weeks and one day, no exaggeration; I have the inch-thick pile of paperwork to prove it -- and I think I drove just about every car available in Enterprise's rental fleet, all at Mazda's expense. In my frustrated searches for a fix to the problem, which caused Mazda to spend more than $4,000 and still not fix my $12,900 truck, I actually found two people on the Internet, one in Colorado and one in New Jersey, who were having the exact same problems and also having no luck at their dealerships.

Now, I predict Maltb will come in here and shoot me down, as he does every time I bring up the truck, telling me his was wonderful. But let me say this -- I think it's ironic that FOUR Japanese-made Mazdas gave me not one iota of trouble, but my experience with ONE Ford-made Mazda product was a real bummer. Any idiot knows that the chances were much higher that I'd have a bad experience with the four cars than with just one pickup.

Disclaimer: My experiences, my opinions. Please don't eat me up for stating facts that happened to me. I've been a Mazda customer exclusively for 12 years now, and I plan to replace my current Protege with a 6 in 2005 or 2006 -- but I will never purchase another Ford-built Mazda product. It makes me sick to think the 6-cylinder Mazda6 has a Ford Duratec engine in it -- that fact alone may be enough to sway me to settle for the 4-cylinder, all Mazda version.

Meade

maltb

Now, I predict Maltb will come in here and shoot me down, as he does every time I bring up the truck, telling me his was wonderful.

I may have posted a response to your B2300 experience 2 times. Far less than the 30 times you have talked about it.

dinu01

We know Meade likes to exaggerate (sometimes).

Now I better watch out

Dinu

rotarykid

I have owned 3 MAZDA trucks in the past, 84,88, and 92. The best part about those trucks (well maybe not the 84) was that they drove like cars. They were simple small trucks that got the job done for the average homeowner. If you need to move two tons of bricks every other weekend, obviously there is a slew of "tough" trucks made by domestic companies, but thats just a different market. the ford b series trucks have been nothing but trouble from the get go. They are so underpowered for having "big" engines its not funny. We have had more TSB's to go along with every model of 93 up b series, you could fill a football stadium with them. Just another way in which ford has enhanced the quality at mazda.

mdaffron

Try multiplying that number by 10 or so. Be a man and admit that you publish a retort every time I breathe a criticism about my '94 B2300. Don't make me have to take the time to go back and copy posts to prove you wrong to these fine people. I know Pat could confirm what I'm saying, but she'll probably take a middle-of-the-road position on this. Actually, since this won't do anyone any good (nor are many folks interested in this), I have a better idea: Let's just drop it and let this discussion get back to the Mazdaspeed Protege. No more about the truck problems from me, at least here.

Meade

boggse

What exactly does a 94 B2300 truck have to do with the Mazdaspeed Protege 2003 Compact Sedan?

mdaffron

You bein' mean, Ted?

Meade

boggse

;-)

Actually, I am not sure why it took more than 3 hours for my post to show up.

mdaffron

Tell us another one.



Meade

george2002

To mdaffroan
I also drove a 1992 pro for 257,000 km - all trouble free. But my 2002 2litre has all sorts of quirky engine problems - including a severe engine vibration in the steering wheel and gearshift lever. Did Ford go cheap on the motor mounts?

big_guy

I saw my first Mazdaspeed Protege during a weekend trip to Vegas. A group of 4 young (late teens to early twenties) kids were standing around talking while it was being filled at the gas station. I asked them how they liked it and if it had as much torque steer as I have read. One of the kids said it has a lot of torque steer when under heavy acceleration. I mentioned that my Passat with the 1.8T doesn't have any torque steer and has the same HP as his Protege but that my VW has to pull more weight so it isn't as fast or handle as well as the MSP. He said that I was full of it because his Protege had 240 HP! Is there a chip mod out there to crank the stock 170 HP for the MSP up to 240 HP? I personally think he was misinformed about the power of his ride. Any input?

maltb

it could be possible but he should check his rods to make sure they are still straight. The MSP runs a relatively low boost so that the aging 2.0 doesn't grenade itself. The boost and fuel delivery are there, but they just need to be unlocked. At 240hp, which is possible, he'll be doing engine swaps every 6 months.

You'd be surprised at what your 1.8T is capable of with a chip. :-)

charlesms

if any of you are doubters... my friend has one....

if you push it to the limits... I think you'll find nothing compares. Just my opinion

big_guy

I figured a salesman was blowing smoke up this guys skirt leading him to believe that he had more ponies under the hood than he was stating. I think the salesmen told him "it had been turboed to 40 Hp more than a stock Protege" and he misheard him and thought he said "it had been turboed 240 HP, more than a stock Protege".

Yeah, I know the 1.8T has a lot of potential. Audi uses the same unit in the TT that cranks out 225 HP and is still covered under full factory warranty.

kaiserhead

According to the Mazda USA, that awful orange color for the MazdaSpeed Protégé is no longer available, there are four colors now, dark grey, silver, yellow and blue.

boggse

I will miss it. The local dealers have about 16 in stock. Almost all black.

acpautz

I have been looking at the MazdaSpeed and the Nissan SE-R. I like them both and everyone tells me to get the mazda but I have heard that mazda cars don't last as long as nissans. I drive about 65 miles a day and would like a reliable car. Any suggestions?

carguy58

The protege has a good reliability record and has been built in Japan for many years. Would I trust it to be reliable as Honda, Toyota, or Nissan? Yes.

protege_fan

Check out the latest Car&Driver...they do a comparo that you may find helpful.