#2005 mazda protege hatchback reviews manual#

The feeling is enhanced by the car’s sturdy-feeling structure, excellent brakes in addition to its rev-happy engine.

Unfortunately, my heavy foot prevented me from achieving the EPA estimates, but this Mazda3 is just so much fun on your favorite country road, it’s hard to resist. The motor has plenty of power, while returning decent mileage. Options included an easy-to-use navigation system, anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, a power moonroof, side-impact airbags, high-intensity headlamps, tire-pressure monitoring system and a security system.īut the ultimate luxury was the car itself, whose fine handling and sporty manners make this a great little four-door sedan. There’s a pollen filter in the climate control system, as well as heated front seats. The audio system? Bose, with seven speakers and a six-CD in-dash changer. The seats and steering wheel are trimmed in leather.

The car’s luxuriously sporty interior is intoxicating.

#2005 mazda protege hatchback reviews manual#

Jump up to the ”s” and you get a choice of four or five doors, and a standard 160-horsepower 2.3-liter mill.īoth engines mate to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic that can be shifted manually.įor 2005, Mazda has introduced the SP23, which takes the ”s” four-door and transforms it into a mini-luxury car, at a price just over 24 grand. There’s the ”i” trim level, which comes only in four-door configuration and a 2-liter double-overhead-cam four-cylinder making 148 horses. The Mazda3, available in four-door and five-door configurations, in two trim levels. Locking gas caps, lines to get gas, topping off the tank, people leaving without paying for gas, it’s definitely enough of a sense of deja vu.īut thankfully, this isn’t 1973, at least when it comes to driving a fuel-efficient small car. One well-placed hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and the damage done to oil refineries has changed all that. I betcha two months ago - heck, two weeks ago - most people didn’t list fuel economy as a top concern in a new vehicle.