The 2002 Mazda Protegé SE is a Front-wheel drive Sedan. It can accommodate up to 5 passengers. It has 4 Doors and is powered by a 1.6L L4 DOHC 16 valves engine which outputs 103 hp @
5500 rpm and is paired with 5 speed manual gearbox. The 2002 Mazda Protegé SE has cargo capacity of 365 Liters and the vehicle weighs 1131 kg. In terms of ride assists, the 2002 Mazda Protegé SE has stability control and traction control in addition to anti-lock brake system (ABS). The vehicle has an optional engine as well It offers and. Safety features also include None and None. The front suspension is while the rear suspension is. The car also features a It has as standard. Electronic features include Cruise Control. For convenience, the car has Power windows and Power door locks. There is also a remote keyless entry feature. Moreover, the car has. The steering wheel has audio control buttons. In terms of performance, the car has 112 N.m of torque and a top speed of 172 km/h. The 2002 Mazda Protegé SE accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 10.1 seconds and hits quarter mile at 17.4 seconds. Fuel consumption is 9.3 L/100km in the city and 6.9 L/100km in the highway. The car price starts at $ 15,795
Estimates based on a driving average of 12,000 miles per year
Used Condition
Trade In Price
Private Party Price
Dealer Retail Price
Outstanding
$ 1,209
$ 2,173
$ 2,691
Clean
$ 1,071
$ 1,929
$ 2,390
Average
$ 793
$ 1,440
$ 1,790
Rough
$ 516
$ 952
$ 1,190
When it comes to small, snappy sedans, the Protege is a tough act to beat.
Mazda's Protege is a snappy little sedan that competes quite competently against vehicles like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus. Protege is available in three trim levels: DX, LX and ES. The base-model DX comes with standard features like power steering, a tilt steering wheel and a split-folding seatback. For options like a driver's height-adjustable seat, power windows and locks, a tachometer and cruise control, you'll have to step up to either the LX or the ES. The ES also comes with features like 16-inch alloy wheels, optional ABS and side airbags, and an available sunroof.
For 2002, all models are powered by a 2.0-liter engine putting out 130 horsepower and135 pound-feet of torque. While sprightly, especially when matched to the standard five-speed manual transmission, Protege isn't going to win any drag races with souped-up Nissan Sentras. What it lacks in straight-line acceleration it more than makes up with responsive steering, capable brakes and a tautly tuned suspension that conspire to make the Protege serious fun to drive. On the road, the Protege is a bit louder than expected, but not much more so than others in the class.
Not only can this car entertain, but also the Protege is one of the best-looking economy sedans on the market, exhibiting more class than a car at this price has a right to. The attractive aluminum wheels (LX and ES) go a long way toward giving the Mazda an upscale appearance, as do the jewel-like headlight reflectors, angular taillights and tasteful chrome accents.
The firm seats are comfortable, and the seat height and cushion angle adjustments (on the LX and ES) are greatly appreciated. The driving position is excellent, with a thick steering wheel rim to grip and a properly placed dead pedal for the left foot. There's also a proper Germanic front-passenger door grip, nicely padded upper door panels where elbows often rest, lots of storage nooks and crannies, a large rear seat and a commodious 12.9-cubic-foot trunk.
The Mazda Protege is a long-time favorite of ours. And although its price can rise to uncomfortable levels (especially with the ES model), the Protege deserves the attention of people looking for a comfortably quick commuter with spicy style and a good reliability record.
Born as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co. in 1920, Mazda started out as a machine-tool manufacturing plant but quickly turned to making vehicles. The first Mazda car, called the Mazda-Go, a three-wheeled truck appeared in 1931, which a year later began exporting to China. This was the only car that was in production until the Second World War broke out when Mazda factories began making rifles.
After the war, part of the Mazda plant served as the Hiroshima prefecture for a short while. Production and export resumed in 1949 with the same 3-wheeled truck. The first 4-wheel truck was the Mazda Romper, introduced in 1958.
The first pasenger car came in 1960, the Mazda R360 Coupe. Mazda's first partnership with a foreign company was the one in 1961 with NSU/Wankel with which it produced and developed rotary engines. This was done in order to differentiate Mazda from the other Japanese companies. To this day, Mazda is the only manufacturer of Wankel rotary engines as the other companies (NSU and Citroen) gave up on the design sometime during the 70s.
Mazda's paid off because its models quickly gained a name as being powerful yet light vehicles. The most successful series for Mazda were going to be the R100 and the RX models which eventually led to the company's development.
Starting with 1970 Mazda began eyeing the biggest market for its cars, the United States. It opened up a North American branch under the name Mazda North American Operations and it proved to have the winning recipe. In fact, Mazda models were so successful that the company even produced a pick up truck based on the rotary engine.
With 1973 and the oil crisis, the thirsty rotary engines that Mazda used caused a drop in sales but the Japanese company hadn't really given up on piston engines so it was able to use a 4 cylinder model on its cars. The smaller Familia series and Capella were born.
But Mazda wasn't about to give up on its sporty cars and it decided to develop a parallel plant that would produce cars outside the mainstream. In 1978, they came up with the very sporty RX7 and later with the RX8. The piston engine also showed up on Mazda's line up with the MX-5 or Miata.
In 1979 Ford Motor Company became an investor in Mazda with a 27% share after the financial decline of the company. Later on, in the 80s, Ford acquired 20% more of the company after a few joint ventures like using the Familia series platform for the Laser and Escort models as well as building the new Probe and the Mazda plant in Flat Rock, Michigan.
The 90s started off with another joint venture with Ford on the 1991 Explorer which turned out to be a bad investment for the Japanese while the Americans reaped all the benefits. Following its fascination with alternative engine designs, Mazda started developing the Miller cycle engine in 1995.
The latter part of the 90s proved to be not so profitable for the Japanese as the financial crisis hit in 1997, during which Ford acquired 39.9% of the company. From that point on, the collaboration between the two marques intensified, sharing engine design and even some platforms (Ford Escape with Mazda Tribute and the new generation Ford Focus with the Mazda Axela).
For the future, Mazda intends to maintain its forward thinking and experimental technology, by developing a hydrogen-powered car. The prototype has so far reached a 200 kilometers autonomy.
2002 Mazda Protegé Consumer Reviews
pulsestreese, 06/23/2011
Passed down to me.
For the small amount of time that I've owned this car, it's absolutely fantastic! However, this car has been in our family ever since 2002. It has an automatic transmission and everything in the car is going strong even after 190,000 miles! This car has battled through many trips from New York to Florida and the only problem during all of those trips was that the driver's side window ceased to function. It was promptly fixed and works as good as new! The story on this car is that my parents had bought this vehicle new the year this came out. This car has mostly highway miles. 3 days a week, it travels 140 into the city and back home for the past 9 years. Never has it broken down!
adjectivesinver, 01/27/2003
Just Totalled it Today
This morning, Jan 26, 03 at 12:09,
three friends and I were involved in
an automobile accident in my 2002
Mazda Protegé ES. The accident
involved a speeding pickup truck. The
impact occured MAYBE 20 degrees of an
angle away from being a head-on
collison. My protegé is totalled.
All four of us walked away. All four.
shriekpawing, 08/28/2010
165K trouble free miles
I can't say enough good things about this car. I'm still on the original clutch and original water pump. Just change the oil every 3,750 miles and perform the major service every 30K miles. Amazing car.
silverhelpless, 12/27/2004
Adequate performance and reliable
It's my first car. Bought it new in August 2002. Have been driving it ever since then and no real problems occured. If I have to be really picky, then here are some minor issues: (1) twice in winter morning, with temperature at around minus 20 celsius (I live in Toronto), the stereo stopped functioning --- the problem disappeared next day. (2) experiences over snowy roads is not as good, especially when making turns, the car could slide sideways. (3) My girl friend complained that air circulation is restrained in certain modes; from reading the reviews here that seems to be a common complain, but it didn't bother me that much. Overall, the car has been fun to drive and reliable.
mercifultuesday, 12/02/2018
1999 Mazda Protege
"Great dependable transportation."
A Mazda protege is a great car for getting from point A to point B. It is a very utilitarian car. Cheap to fix and maintain, but very reliable and gets great gas mileage (usually around 34 mpg for me). I had this car for over ten years before I sold it, and I only sold it because I found a great deal on a much younger car. The size of this car makes it a great city car, you can parallel park it with ease. It has tons of pep at lower speeds, though it did sometimes struggle at higher speeds. But if you're looking for a great little cheap and reliable car, look no further.
packagerooted, 11/08/2018
2003 Mazda Protege
"Best car I’ve ever owned!"
I’ve had this car since it’s had 50,000 miles on it. I commute to work and drive it literally everywhere. I’m currently at 306,600 miles and this thing has never left me stranded. I’ve done regular oil changes, timing belt kit every 100,000 miles, and brakes. Thats it! Everything is still tight and the car runs great. Road noise and ride is as expected in this size of car. Highly recommended.
dextrousribbit, 08/29/2018
2003 Mazda Protege
"An Awesome Car Worth Every Dollar!"
I have owned this car since Apr/2003 to now(Aug/2018)! I have had this car for multiple assignments throughout my military career and its still drives the same today as the day I purchased it. Its a fun & comfortable drive. Its a smooth ride, turns on a dime, and never had to do anything other than routine maintenance. It may not be a sports or luxury car but it will give you your value. Mine is a manual so it can get up and go quick - do not be fooled by its small appearance. Ill drive it until the wheels fall off.
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