1999 Mazda Protégé LX
Offering Just-Right Ride, Just-Right Handling, Just-Right Feel

By Aaron Gold

Jane Austin was not known for her car reviews. No surprise -- since the bulk of her work was written about a hundred years before the Model T went into production. But for someone who probably never said the word "Mazda," let alone drove one of their products, Jane sure had a handle on the 1999 Protégé LX.

"[He] is just the kind of man whom everybody speaks well of, and nobody cares about; whom all are delighted to see, and nobody remembers to talk to." In Sense and Sensibility, young Willoughby was describing Colonel Brandon, but he could just as well have been summing up our week with Mazda's recently redesigned subcompact.

As a young, starting-out family of four, we fit nicely into the Protégé target audience -- and the Protégé fit nicely into our lives. The back seat is just the right size for a pair of child seats, with enough room between to keep almost-three-year-old Robert from beaning newborn Andrew with his Winnie-the-Pooh doll. Kudos to Mazda for putting proper shoulder belts at all three back seat positions - three-point belts are not only safer for adults, but they're easier for getting a snug fit with a baby seat. For those who don't tote little ones, the rear seatback splits and folds to expand the 12.9 cubic foot trunk.

Up front, you'll find all the clichÒs of a user-friendly car: comfortable seats, simple controls, clear displays, and good visibility all around. The $13,130 LX model is well equipped with power windows, locks and mirrors, cruise control, and a decent-sounding stereo with a CD player. Air conditioning is a $1,145 option that comes bundled with floor mats. If that combination seems strange, try this one: anti-lock brakes are only available in conjunction with a sunroof and keyless entry for $1,350. For those who can do without the creature comforts, the base DX (manual windows and doors, no CD player) starts at $11,970.

The Protégé offers a just-right ride and just-right handling. All of the inputs -- steering, accelerator, brakes, clutch, and gearshift -- have that just-right feel, though the 5-speed shifter feels a bit rubbery. The tires grip the road well and body lean is kept in check, but the car seems to lose its just-right feel above 70 mph -- the engine feels as if it is being pushed, and the ride starts to lose its solid feel. Still, a drive in a ProtÒgÒ is a good reminder of just how far economy cars have come -- fifteen years ago, if a car accelerated, steered and braked this well, it was considered a sports sedan.