2002 Mazda Protege5 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The Mazda Protege5 (2002 & 2003) is one of the most underrated cars available in the market. It is lighter, but with more horsepower than a VW Golf of the same vintage. Features like the anti-sway bars (front and rear) and a nearly bomb-proof engine are some of the practical advantages of this car. It is favorably comparable to the smaller BMW wagons of the same years. It is impossible to comprehend why Mazda abandoned this particular version of the 323/Protege for larger, less nimble vehicles. Dec 16, 2020

The lil red cargo rocket has been my favorite Mazda of the four I've owned. It did all I ever asked of it, from hauling three huge kayaks to puddle jumping through Northwest weather. It had great steering, brakes, leather(if you're into that - ooh, kinky) and hauled everything I ever tried to fit in it. Overall I recommend this car enthusiastically.Mar 11, 2014

I have written reviews on Edmund.com so I make this brief: if you think the car lacks speed, have the computer reprogramed, add K&N cold air intake and add Megna Flow Turbo exhaust, and now you have a car that has more than enough power in the low and high end to match its cornering abilities. Original clutch still and only things recently like new ignition switch, fuel pump sensor (burned out) and water pump at 80,000 miles. Now that is a dependable car. Car sounds great and though I'm sure it's still not that fast, it feels so and always has been fun to drive daily. I prefer driving it daily over my 2007 Mazda Speed 3! But if I want speed, then it's the MS3 which is faster than the current version due to gearing and weight. Both great cars for different reasons. UPDATE MAY 2015 ... I bought a new 2014 Mazda 3 to replace the 2002 model when I reached 235,000 miles. MISTAKE: I had to do some maintenance at 235,000 ... new clutch at 225,000, replaced EGR from junk yard, new air conditioner compressor. Was concerned about electrical problems so I sold it for $4,500. Guy who bought it 6 months ago drives it daily for computing to work ... 60 or miles a day and he loves it. No problems. I regret selling him the car. Even though the Mazda 3 was on Car and Drivers Best 10 Buy list for 2014 and 2015, the car never drove like the PR5 ... Cruiser/Touring vs sport car feel. Also, 6th gear in Mazda 3 had no juice to it and had to down shift to 5th going up the Grapevine ... so, I got lucky and bought at an auction a donated 2003 PR5 with 136,000 miles. No salvage but real title from previous owners. All I did was changed all the fluids, belts and real brake pads. Bought the car for $1400!!!! Only added a cold air filter on this car and I'm very happy again. Sport car fun car with 30 mpg on hwy!!! I sold the 2014 Mazda 3 after owning it for only 6 months ... very good car but NOT the sports car FEEL .... And I already know the reliability of the PR5 but time will tell because I'm not the original owner. I expect another 100,000 miles on the car and I've already driven 8,000 miles in 5 months ... NO PROBLEMS at all!!! UPDATE NOVEMBER 2015 Was notified that my review has been read by more than 2,000 people which is unbelievable and was asked more feedback. Well, the car now has 156,000 miles with absolutely no problem. Been driving too much going back and forth to Northern and Southern Cal. This 2003 model has been flawless with no problems. Bought new tires after the used ones that came with the car gave me 17,000 miles. I bought another Mazda .... 2006 Speed 6 to compliment business trips ... car in transit as I write so can't tell you the reliability of this car. Most reviews say reliable but other say many problems but from what problems sounds hard core driver. Plan to keep this PR5 forever with maintenance because haven't found a car as much fun and easy to drive on a daily basis. Can't tell you how reliable car is if in cold weather or used to drive only in town. But for me both the 2002 and 2003 PR5 I bought has served me for 255,000 miles.Oct 31, 2013

I really miss this car. I loved it the minute I saw it. It handled everything I threw at it. Plenty of guts for having fun, but could use some mods to make it a blast. It was bone stock and well built. The only things I replaced were tires a windshield, and air intake. An attractive car (especially in black with tinted windows and flashy rims). I had the deluxe model with the black leather and all the bells and whistles, really nice. Gas could have been cheaper if I could have controlled my right foot, maintenence was inexpensive. Wish I would have kept this car.Sep 09, 2010

This car is fun to drive. It handles well. A lot of torque gets you out there. A good driver can do a lot with it. It has been relatively cheap to maintain. The only things I have done to it was add wheels and exhaust. It came with a cold air intake. I've replaced wear items...Tires, brakes, oil, timing belt, water pump, belts, & clutch. Gas mileage is about average 28 mpgs. I just enjoy driving it daily. Jun 11, 2010

This has been a fun car to drive, however, it has been a pain to do small things like change headlights or the battery. I'm also having some trouble with front alignment and tire wear... I don't expect the lo-pro tires to last forever, but they should make it more than 15,000 commuting miles... This has been an issue with the car rather than the tires unfortunately.Dec 07, 2009

a la base, c'est une protege 2.0l. J'ai pas eu la chance d'essayer une protege 2 litres mais a ce qu'on m'as dit, ce serais un véhicule moins l'fun qu'une protégé5. jusqu'a maintenant, j'ai eu plue de plasir avec ma protégé5 qu'avec ma Speed.C'est sur que ça fait seulement 2 mois que j'ai la speed j'ai donc pas pus l'expérimenté autan que ma MP5 que j'ai eu pendant presque 2 ans. au niveau performances, c'est acceptable, c'est sur que le 2.0 litre est limite mais il fait biens la job pareil, ça fait quand même le 0-100 en 7.5-8 secondes. pour ce qui est de l'économie d'essence, comme tout 4 cylindre, ça dépende de comment tu le conduit, si tu l'ouvre souvant tu vas faire 550 km par tank si non tu devrais être bon pour faire 850 km. petit bémol sur ce char, LES BRAKES!!! pas qui valent pas dla marde, au contraire quand viens le temp de freiner sa freine! mais pour l'usure!!! c'est incroyable en 2 ans j'ai passé 2 sec de brake a l'avant(2 fois les pads et une fois les disques) a l'arrière c'étais moins pire, j'ai passé un set de pad fait a noter, j'ai fait plus de 100,000 km avec. Les pièces Mazda, sont dispendieuse! Ne vous fiez pas a ceux qui disent que c pas cher... je m'excuse mais 700$ pour 2 disques et 8 pads c'est cher! mais j'ai fait sa chez le deeler, je m'attendais pas a ça...Oct 30, 2009

First off- its not a station wagon; its a sport wagon. I call it The Bumblebee or Frank. This car is very fun to drive and looks great. It's not very fast from the factory, but it gets good gas mileage and the engine is very solidly built. It handles well- sporty and stiff but still streetable. The stock shifter is spongy and tall. I upgraded to a TWM Performance short shifter and it was well worth the money. There was too much road noise for my taste (I'm a music fanatic) so I have begun wrapping the inside of the car with Dynamat to reduce road noise and improve sound quality from my speakers. The car was not built with the sound system in mind. It's going to take a lot of work to improve the audio, including adding a subwoofer because the small speaker sizes in the doors aren't capable of producing the low notes. Overall the car is great, it just needs some fine-tuning and customizing to get it how I like it.Sep 18, 2009

Could use a little more pep, but getting 30mpg around town, I won't complain. Solid car where it needs to be. Interior pieces aren't too fancy, and there is little sound insulation, but this saves weight so I'm not complaining. Exterior styling is unique for 2002-2003. Requires no more than normal maintenance. Usually get about 28 to 32 mpg, oil change is about 22-26 dollars. This car is a blast. Throw your bike in the back and carve out the corners on your way to some trails. Pack it full of luggage and people, and it still keeps on giving. Just have to wind 'er up a little more which is always desired with custom exhaust. From my experience Max torque for around town, shift between 2500 and 3200, but if you really want to feel the mill head straight to 7200. Mar 24, 2009

Performance: Peppy little car. Good braking... but emergency break does not hold up to abuse. Handles good with right tires on. Build Quality: No complaints. A plus for car guys is it's loud. That would be a downer for non-car-enthusiasts. Appearance: At that point it was the best looking car that Mazda had made in a long time. Cost of ownership: Not great on gas, needs the usual maintenance... rust proofing is a good idea. Fun: Yes, but needs more power... lots more.Dec 23, 2008

its fine superior handling to other cars in its class at the time (especially now with a front strut bar, eibach springs, tokico blues, 22mm anti sway bar, megan racing rear strut bar) fuel milage is ok, 700km per tank if i dont bag the crap out of the car power sucks but a $3000 turbo fixes that (250 WHP in a 1700lbs car) crappy after market support space (leg room, trunk, etc) WAS great but not in mine with 2 subs no critical mechanical failure yet, had a problem with clutch chatter (just noisy when backing up), replaced under a technical service bulletin rust problems, mazda sucks at painting (not enough clear coat!) its a good reliable commuter car Sep 02, 2008

Had some small electrical issues with the windows, not to mention the lowpro tires that came with the car only last 10,000 miles. Throughout the life of the car I had alignment issues and brake issues. Oh, and the aerodynamics of the car are kinda weird. You can't open both rear windows without some weird vibration and "thump-thump-thump" sound filling the car. However, I loved owning this car most of the time. Surprisingly quick, great handling, big inside, small outside.Aug 12, 2008