Mazda Speed
The age of the road rocket is final upon us. Acura's got the RSX, Honda the Civic SiR, Ford the Focus SVT and of course Nissan has got the Sentra SER Spec V. Well wanting to put all of them to the post is Mazda and this all new MazdaSpeed Protegé. And no this is not the concept version, rather it's one of the 250 that will be up for grabs in 2003. And yes, every single one of them will be painted this vibrant Spicy Orange.
With the interest in power and performance booming, the pocket rocket phenomenon is rapidly becoming a fact of life. This is leading many to the aftermarket and an abundant supply of go-faster bits and pieces. However, Mazda sees this trend as a huge and potentially lucrative marketing opportunity-- when company endorsed it becomes more affordable and everything added to the car is covered for at least three years or 80,000 km.
The hallmark of a good suspension is one that balances handling with comfort. Now, as obvious, this thing flies through the pylons so it's got more than it's fare share of handling. However, out on a broken road it also brings comfort because it doesn't rattle your filllings loose. In other words, Mazda's got the handling the car cries out for and the comfort that I enjoy.
The reason for the balanced performance is down to the work done by Racing Beat, a well-known Mazda tuner. The rework consists of specially tuned struts and dampers, higher rate springs, larger roll bars at both ends and a front strut brace that adds to the body integrity. This lot keeps the oversized P215/45R17 inch tires glued to the road, where they do their best work. Understeer is benign and the response to steering input fast and predictable. The design really does prove that ride quality need not take a back seat to handling.
As good as the suspension upgrades really are, it's under the hood where you find the masterpiece. This two-litre twin cam produces 170HP. However, when you drive it, it feels like a lot more. And it boils down primarily to the use of the turbo charger and the 160 pounds feet of torque it dishes out at 3500RPM. Driving the vehicle, however, it dishes it out over a very broad range making the car feel much faster than the numbers suggest it should be on paper. It really does do the whole thing justice.
The 2.0-litres, twin-cam's free-revving power is down to an air-to-air intercooler and a large, Garret T25 turbo that force-feeds the engine. The job of making it all work the way it does is credited to Callaway Cars, a company renown for its work with some of the world's greatest supercars. While there is an early bout of turbo lag, the engine pulls exceptionally well once through 1,200 rpm or so. From this point on, a slight whistle signals that the horses are starting to gallop. The nice part is this work does not turn the engine into a temperamental beggar as it does the urban thing as well as it does a fast drag away from the lights.
As well as all the mechanical upgrades they've given to this MazdaSpeed Protégé, they've addressed items inside. You get a nice set of seats, a set of "Go faster race pedals", a shortened gearshift with short throws. You also get a two-toned leather steering wheel that's got a chunky feel. Then you get to the middle and it looks as if they forgot something, however, when you turn the key on, out comes a very serious radio: serious quite literally. Not only has it got 450 watts of power, 7 speakers, and is mp3 and CD ready, it's also ready for satellite radio. That gives you 60 channels of CD quality music; gotta love that.
Stopping power comes from a large set of European spec disc brakes and a decent anti-lock system. The stops are short and straight and the ABS stays out until needed. Again, those massive tires help matters enormously.
This MazdaSpeed Protegé is a very tight package, great handling, great engine, comfortable interior and a wonderful sound system. Indeed, it's got one big benefit over all those slammed vehicles you see running around the road. Where most of the after-market add-ons void their warranty, when it comes to this Protegé, everything you see both underneath and inside are covered by the warranty. And that really is a big advantage.
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