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A friend’s mother had one of these when we were in high school. Every once in a while, she would let him drive it to school. You would think we were riding in a Benz. Really nice small car for its time.

Wow acceleration 0-60 really suprised me.

7.8s to 60mph? That's plenty fast for 1990, specially for a non high performance car, that I believe is even faster than the 1990 Miata they tested.

I had that exact model in Red. $250 from the auto auction way back in 2002. Car was an absolute cream puff. sipped gas,ice cold ac and fit 5 people and camping gear comfortably. They don't make them like they used to eh.

Very impressive acceleration for such an old car! It’s faster than the 2021 Elantra that MotorWeek just tested. Mazda has always done “small” very, very well and a lot of people have forgotten just how good the Protege really was. Even Toyota-infatuated Consumer Reports was enamored with the Protege, making the 3rd gen their top-rated small car throughout the late-90s and early-00s.

those 0-60 and 1/4 mile times are super impressive for that category car in that era

That model marks the start of Mazda giving their cars eye catching designs that make them stand out from the competition, which is a tradition they carried on to this day. I particularly liked the hatchback version of that Protégé, which would still look good on the roads today imo.

My 2002 Protege was the best car I ever owned. Lost it when my neighbor crashed into it. Broke my heart the day that happened.

A bygone era in automotive simplicity, reliability and affordability. What a time it was.

I never realized how well equipped these early protege's were

Used to own a 1991 DX I've been waiting forever for this review🥲

Good gravy, that’s a FAST car for the segment at the time!

My Mom had one of these. She bought it used in 1993. She sold it for $500 to a family friend. He still drives it.

A family member bought a '90 Red LX 5 speed new. She drove it hard for several years. Fun, frugal, dependable. Around 10 years ago it was still in the county, a little tattered, but still driven regularly with over 400,000 miles on it.

An amazing little car - roomy, comfortable, economical, reliable, quality-made, logically priced, great in handling and very quick for what it actually is! I still see some where I live!🤘

I have collected nearly all of the Mazda Protégé brochures including the 1990 model. The Mazda Protégé was my dream car since I was a kid.

This was such a cute and popular car back in my high school days (the 90s).

The 1990 Protege was a nice subcompact. Solid little car. 0-60mph in 7.8s was extremely quick for the class at that time. For perspective, my 1990 Plymouth Sundance did 0-60mph in 11.5s, which was pretty typical.

I enjoy these reviews of ordinary old cars almost as much as those of sports/supercars. Maybe more.

This brings back some memories. My Dad had one. Crazy seeing this again

The more I see of these 1990s car videos, the more I realize those were very special times.

My Mercury Tracer was the clone version, so quite/comfy/and quick. Regret selling and loosing it to this day. Nice lil car

I drove this model in the early 90's when my buddy had one as a rental car. Having only driven various 80's Fords and VW's up to then, I was amazed by how good this car felt to drive! It gave me an affinity for Mazda ever since.

I still occasionally have dreams about my 91 protege. I miss it so bad!

My Dad bought a new 1990 Protege and absolutely loved it. He would get @ 40 MPG on his Interstate drive to work. A peppy little car with the 5-speed tranny. It was a reliable vehicle for many years.

My first car back in the day. Loved this car so much, I can still remember the neon green light emitting from the dash at night and the automatic motorized seat belts when you opened the door. Incredibly fun to drive I remember my brother and best friend had a Corolla and an accord from the same year and the protege drove the best. Can easily get over 100k miles without absolutely any problems. It’s been many years since I have had this car but I can honestly say this is one of my favorite cars.

Very few reviews of this model today. Didn't know you could get the sedan with the DOHC and electric windows which I've only ever seen in the Astina (hatchback). We still have ours after 31 years. Thank you very much for sharing!

With a 5 speed these cars were a blast to drive even if they didn't have the power of other cars in its class. I had a 2000 ES with a 5 speed and I drove it everyday like I was mad at it. Never left me stranded or broke down.

wow, that thing was a sleeper at the time!

2:37 John: GETTING IN THE BACK DOOR TAKES LIMBER LEGS! LOL

One of the best cars i ever owned. had a '94 SE 5spd, with a power sunroof and a spoiler. wish it had of been a DOHC.

I got a Protege like this one as a rental car while my car was being repaired… the very day I got my car out of the body shop, I immediately traded it for one of these. Best car I ever owned and I still miss it. I’ve owned other Mazdas since, and there just isn’t the same “feel” as this one had. A seriously great little vehicle!

Whoa. A key to open the trunk, I felt a sense of nostalgia!

My dad bought one of these brand new in 1989 for the 1990 model year. Had 475k miles on it when we got rid of it in 2009. Probably went through 4-5 clutches but man that car was one of the best we owned. Gave it away to charity and everything still worked.

Oh I remember the Protege LX, that car was so much fun when I was a teenager 😅

Late 80’s & 90’s Car Designs Are So Timeless‼️ I Love It‼️💚

When it has not just better handling but also better power/acceleration than its competitors, that's good engineering right there

Had 1 of these way back then. Great car, absolutely loved it!!

Had one, wife bought it new in 91 before I met her Car was very reliable, fun to drive.

I remember people trying to turbo these back in the early 2000's

I would like to have the MotorWeek Review of the 1999/2000 Mazda Protegé. I drove one of those when I was at High School. It was extremely reliable. We had it since brand new until summer 2015.

I learned how to drive on a 2003 in Australia. Great gear box and clutch and the build quality was excellent.

My dad had one from 2001 to 2006, he purchased it from a fellow Goan. I have faint memories of the car but I really really like it now!

DAAAAANG! This car is a slalom course king! What a great little car. I think I know what I'd be looking at if it were 1990 again.

Nothing dates this video more than the Dan Quayle reference...

When I was doing body work at a Mazda and VW dealership these were the loaner and rental cars. I actually liked this little car, it was fun to beat on.

What an underdog that was better than the competition

Two of my uncles were faithful Mazda drivers; one had a 929 for a decade, another had a B-Series single cab pickup and the companion to this Protege, the 323 hatchback. My uncle with the 929 bought his girlfriend a 626 which ended up being stolen from her driveway.

This was a very good car that was underrated and was reliable. This car is what made the new Ford Escort is 1991, for Ford owned controlling share of Mazda. Was disappointed that Motorweek didn’t test a car with the automatic transmission, which most Americans drive…

We had the LX and loved that car. So zippy and fun to drive with the 5 spd. I almost enjoyed it as much as my current BMW M3.

So hard to find any of the first and second generation Proteges these days, so this was nice to see when new.

This Mazda was definitely a gamechanger. It spun the new Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer at the time. Even mimicks like the Mitsubishi Mirage (93) and Nissan Sentra (91) at the time looked similar at some gkances, more so the rear ends

My mom had a '93. She let me drive it to high school in Grade 12. Good times.

I’d Say Mazda Is Still Killing It In This Segment! Especially In Design!

125 hp from a 1.8 in 1990 with a weight of 2000-2600 lbs. Man what a gem. Be cool to restore one of these or restomod it with a modern skyactive turbo engine and see it run 12s!

I loved the 323 growing up. Too bad the second gen didn't get the same features as the Protégé. 7.8 seconds? That's crazy for a small car in 1990.

I could never find one of these LX Proteges used with a 5 speed. Always the damned automatic, which really killed the pep of the engine.

I really want one of these cars.

I bought a new Protege DX in 1992. It was the most reliable and efficiently designed car I’ve ever had. It had a ton of room for a car that size.

This was my brother’s first car, it was cool and everything but had a lot of mechanic problems, something impressive tbh knowing that is a mazda, still, great interior and design, this brings me back so many memories

1990 Mazda 323 Protegé LX sedan which is the based can be tested are Ford Escort LX 5-door hatchback and Mercury Tracer LTS 4-door sedan for 1991 models.

Mazda 323 BG as it was called in Europe, was very popular car in many European countries, such as in Finland. It was available with 1,3; 1,6 or 1,8 litre petrol versions. Early models came with carburetor, later ones with fuel injection. A 4WD version was option and GT-X with Turbo. 5 door hatchback was called 323F. Most cars were sold witj manual transimissions, automatic was an option. Just 10 years ago you could see these everywhere, nowdays most of them have taken off the road. Very reliable car with good fuel economy.

My dad had one of these cars when I was younger it was so fun😢

My 92 protege is out of commission but I’m saving it for a restoration someday. Drives like a go cart. Great car.

7.8 seconds to 60? That's blisteringly quick for a quite mundane small/medium saloon.

I used to like these cars when was little. A man know had a light blue one haven't seen one of these since don't know when this car was based off the Escort when Mazda was with Ford doing that time. Back than Mazda had a lot of models from Protégé, MX-6, 626 and 929 forgot think still made RX-7 .

I had a 2002 Mazda Protege. It was a fun and reliable car. I put over 200K miles on it before I traded up to a Honda Accord.

We used to mod these bad boys for the hell of it in the 90’s, these little cars can dip

Nice. Still looks smart n handsome after all this years. This 323 generation looked great especially the hatchback version, only for the next generation to look even better

Had a 93 protege. Loved that car. Repairs were a little costly though. Fortunately there weren’t many.

Can you guys upload the 2001 Protégé? I miss mine dearly. It'd be cool seeing how far it came style and equipment wise!

Such a reliable vehicle

The clatter from the 4 valves per cylinder engine meaning it was reliable and bulletproof this was an excellent car

Had a red one as my first car in 2005 :)

These cars are now classics, with some commanding high prices!

I have a 2020 Toyota Yaris iA 6M which is a second gen Mazda 2 which is the descendant of this car. The review sounded like what I drive today, except I have ABS. My car is surprisingly fast and has great handling, yet has a much less horsepower for some reason. I'm also getting 33 mpg and I drive it hard.

John was giving some Ms. Thing head roll and sass in the beginning. Get her, Jade!

0-60 in 7.8 seconds is really quick for an economy car of this era. I'm sure the auto added a full second or more but these are great performance numbers and wouldn't be out of place on an economy car today.

IT'S THE LEADER IN THE SMALL CAR RACE.

The liftback version with pop-up headlights is a classic.

21 years latter Mazda's are still the most fun to drive, best made and most reliable cars in class per dollar spent, they look better than ever too. Sadly or not so sadly( Mazdas stand out of the crowd) sales still make them industry's best kept secret

These were hard to beat, especially for the money

Mi esposo rip tuvo 626 del 1990 era el mismo🎗

That engine was a workhorse. Quick car for its class back then and still respectable numbers for small cars today.

Zoom zoom Can we see the 323 GTX 😍

I remember when the 4 door Protege debuted and the hatchback kept the 323 nameplate.

Man those Chevy trucks were beautiful. They look good to this day. Much, much better than the new ones. They were also built really well. I’ve seen a few with over 500,000 miles

Other than lacking ABS and airbags this car was nice to have and free of computers controlling everything.

I liked this Protégé, and it was certainly better than the Escort. This generation looked good in all trim levels. The following generation to this was tricky. I hated its look in base trims, but thought it looked good in top trims.

Back when they knew how to make cars basically bulletproof. It was good on gas and cheap to maintain. But now it’s all about technology and they are made with fiberglass with all these recalls

Very good car front wheel drive car. Cheap too. Fast and handled well. The tires sucked in winter but new BFGoodrich solved that! Loved road tripping in it. Didn’t rust great paint job although bland. The next model rusted so fast we jumped to a Subaru 🤣👍

This is Mazda 323 Saloon, in Europe.

Dan Quayle and the Crickets lol. You can see the dangerous lift-throttle oversteer in the slalom. Lots of housewives went for a spin.

That car was basically the same chassis as the Ford escort in those day's! Not a bad performer for those day's!

Damn what a great lil machine.

Compared to overweight cars of today.. this is fast!

These were quite popular in their day.

Used to drive a 91 Escort, basically the same car as this. I had the same complaint about about the clutch and road noise. Good cars though.

I miss my acid-washed jeans. Sadly, no one else does.