Topped out and loaded at $18,530, it might be hard to get either away from it. The sales folks at Mazda thought it would be a good idea to build a niche vehicle, something appealing to either the teen-age son in the family or the father who hadn’t yet lost his hearing, but wanted to. They’d like you to believe, in this case, a good car starts with a great set of tunes, ergo: the MP3.Īlthough you’d have reason to believe Mazda brought in a set of 16-year-olds to tweak its Protege, the MP3 idea actually came out of a meeting with straight-as-plaid sales managers. The MP3’s real charm is in its firmer springs, stiffer control-arm bushings and an upgraded engine that keeps it fun even when your only musical selection is tires on pavement. Sure, the MP3’s 280-watt Kenwood Excelon Z919 head unit is a disco ball of flashy electronics and fancy buttons all hooked to a thub, thub, thub of a subwoofer better suited for Rage Against the Machine than Ray Charles. It’s 20 teen-agers in a 5-by-9 cell with ‘N Sync. But to say it’s just a stereo is to say sled dogs generally prefer red meat.Īs one auto critic noted, the MP3 isn’t really a vehicle. Hence, the name of the car, and a sizable understanding why it’s $2,000 more than a Plain-Jane Protege ES. New for 2001, in what Mazda calls its Performance Series lineup, the Protege is a decent ride with a stadium-sized radio that can handle anything you throw its way – either Memorex or MP3 digital audio burned in your best friend’s basement. Welcome to the jungle and goodbye acute hearing. Depending on your point of view – and likely your age – about 60 ticks in the cross hairs of the MP3’s fury will give you all the ammo to know this midsize, unassuming, sporty sedan is really Axl Rose in disguise. You don’t need a week in the new Mazda Protege MP3 to draw some decent conclusions.
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