Also known as the Mazda Familia in Japan, the Mazda Protege has gone through various forms and various names. Like in South Africa, this vehicle is known as the Mazda etude. In truth, the Mazda Protege, the Mazda GLC, and the Mazda 323 is just one vehicle. They are one and the same. Changes had only been made to its name and of course, there were little furnishings here and there. However, for most, all these point to one vehicle which is the Mazda Protege. These Mazda Protege vehicles are built in Japan. However, the assembly is done on various countries which include Taiwan, Malaysia, South Africa, Colombia, and in New Zealand.
The Mazda Protege is a subcompact car that is produced by the Mazda Motor Corporation which has its headquarters in Hiroshima, Japan. This vehicle, has been introduced to the United States. To actually tackle information about the Mazda Protege per se, it would be quite a difficult task for there are areas which overlap each other. The name Mazda Protege actually was used starting from 2004. Come the year 2004, use of this name was stopped and was later on replaced by the Mazda 3 which was actually a Ford based vehicle line. That might be the fact behind the Mazda 3, however, Mazda still did give some contributions to this.
Because the Mazda Protege was built in Japan, it was actually sold much more expensive than its competitors which were the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic. And since its introduction, it became a favorite among US car magazines. This was due to the Mazda Protege’s reputation for bearing, delivering, and providing a spirited handling. This vehicle was the very first small Japanese car to cross over to the EPA “compact” class. Later on, the Mazda Protege became the basis of other vehicles like the Ford Laser and the Ford Meteor which were actually marketed in Asia, and Australia, and also the For Escort which was also marketed in the United States and the rest of North America.
The Mazda Protege was also known to boast of a European-inspired styling. Aside from having a spirited handling, the Mazda Protege also holds a very comfortable interior, a smooth driving experience as well as grandiose features. It was made available in three trim levels which comprised of the ES, the LX, and the DX. The ES came equipped with a 1.8 liter engine with four cylinders. It was capable of providing 122 horsepower, and the trim level also held bigger front disc brakes and quality standard equipments. As per the other two trim levels, the LX and the DX, both were powered by the very same 1.6 liter engine with four cylinders. It was very much capable of creating an output of 105 units of horsepower. For all three trim levels, made standard was a five speed manual transmission system and given as an option was a four speed automatic transmission system. Other features for this vehicle include the anti lock braking system, side impact air bags, rear drum brakes and all disc brakes.
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