2003 MazdaSpeed Protegé - Big Performance from a Little Car
The import tuning craze is in high gear now, but not everyone wants to do all the shopping and the work to personalize their ride. Enter Mazda, who figure there is a market for an "off the rack" compact performance sedan with all the goodies.
The MazdaSpeed Protegé is the result, and there isn't much missing from this package. Wild metallic paint, big polished wheels and performance tires, 450-watt Kenwood MP3 audio and turbocharged engine - all that and more are part of this factory-built package.
Mazda engaged the services of Callaway Cars to pump up the 2-litre four of the Protegé, and in time-honoured tradition, the 30% power boost can be attributed to the installation of an intercooled turbocharger.
It might seem that 170 horsepower from 2 litres is not that much, given the outputs of some normally-aspirated engines on the market, but they are large horses in the sense that torque is a healthy 160 lb-ft at a fairly low 3,600 rpm, just the rev range that most driving is done in. Consequently, the Speed gets up and goes, as proven by its zero-to-100 km/h time of 7.5 seconds in AJAC's test sessions.
The power gets routed through a five-speed manual tranny (no automatic available) to the front wheels via a heavy-duty clutch, limited-slip differential and thicker driveshafts.
The import tuning craze is in high gear now, but not everyone wants to do all the shopping and the work to personalize their ride. Enter Mazda, who figure there is a market for an "off the rack" compact performance sedan with all the goodies. The MazdaSpeed Protegé is the result, and there isn't much missing from this package. Wild metallic paint, big polished wheels and performance tires, 450-watt Kenwood MP3 audio and turbocharged engine - all that and more are part of this factory-built package.
Mazda engaged the services of Callaway Cars to pump up the 2-litre four of the Protegé, and in time-honoured tradition, the 30% power boost can be attributed to the installation of an intercooled turbocharger. It might seem that 170 horsepower from 2 litres is not that much, given the outputs of some normally-aspirated engines on the market, but they are large horses in the sense that torque is a healthy 160 lb-ft at a fairly low 3,600 rpm, just the rev range that most driving is done in. Consequently, the Speed gets up and goes, as proven by its zero-to-100 km/h time of 7.5 seconds in AJAC's test sessions.
The power gets routed through a five-speed manual tranny (no automatic available) to the front wheels via a heavy-duty clutch, limited-slip differential and thicker driveshafts.