Zoom-zoom, indeed.ĪPPEARANCE: A sporty car should look sporty, and the Mazda3 hides nothing of its character in its skin. Add plenty of useful power, matched with a great-shifting gearbox, and a refined but sporty chassis to that space and the result is an experience unique in this country. There is even more room inside, making it a great choice for anyone needing space but wanting sport. It's more refined, but not at the expense of an entertaining, fun-to-drive character. In the week I spent with a Mazda3 5-Door, I found it to be a more substantial and grown-up car than the Protege5. Its 160 horsepower is a considerable step up from the Protege5's 130-horse 2.0-liter engine. The sportier 5-Door is available only with the 2.3-liter engine. Mazda3 sedans are offered with a choice of four-cylinder engines, of 2.0 and 2.3 liters displacement, both closely-related to the four-cylinder used in the larger Mazda6. As with the Protege, the Mazda3 is a front-wheel drive car. It comes in sedan or 5-Door body styles, the 5-Door being a four-door hatchback with the hatch making the fifth door. Slightly longer and wider than the Protege, the Mazda3 is built on a new platform that is considerably more rigid than the old Protege chassis. The top-line Mazda3 is the S 5-Door, a car very much in the same vein as the Protege5 - but more grown up and better in all ways. Does this mean Mazda has given up on the sport-compact wagon? Not a chance. For 2004, as the Mazda lineup continues to change, the Protege is history, replaced by the Mazda3. SEE ALSO: Mazda Specs, Reviews and Comparisons 1997-Present Model YearĪ few years ago, Mazda invented the sport-compact wagon genre with the introduction of the Protege5.
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