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Mazda's new MP3 is about boom-boom as much as it is zoom-zoom. Note that this photo doesn't show the final wheel selection for the MP3.
(Photo courtesy of Mazda North American Operation)
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The Mazda MP3 is the first car sold in the U.S. to come with a factory-installed MP3 player. This Kenwood unit is connected to a 280-watt six-speaker sound system.
(Photo courtesy of Mazda North American Operation)
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With a body kit and substantial rear spoiler, the lowered MP3 looks every bit the part of an aftermarket-tuned street car.
(Photo courtesy of Mazda North American Operation)
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Road Test: First Drive Test
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First Drive: 2001 Mazda Protegé MP3
Boom-Boom-Boom
By
Christian Wardlaw
Date posted: 06-18-2001
Enthusiasts know that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.
Given this fundamental axiom, it's a great time to be an automotive enthusiast.
Pocket rockets are returning to the market with a vengeance, providing cheap thrills
to those of us with few bills to drop on a new set of wheels.
What is a pocket rocket? A small, fun and affordable car that is typically, though
not always, bodied as a hatchback or a sedan. The term was coined in the early
1980s, after Volkswagen released the Rabbit GTI in the United States.
VW's success at selling a sporty, good handling econobox didn't go unnoticed;
soon afterwards Chevy offered the Cavalier Z24, Ford had the Escort GT in showrooms
and Dodge dealers were selling the Omni GLH. The movement crested in the late
1980s, when 15 pocket rockets were on sale in the U.S., ranging from the lowly
Chevy Sprint Turbo and Suzuki Swift GTi to the limited-production Dodge Shelby
CSX and Mazda 323 GTX. But then people got interested in SUVs, and by the mid
'90s only a handful of pocket rockets were left from which budget-constrained
enthusiasts could choose.
Fast-forward to 2001. We are on the cusp of a pocket rocket renaissance. Leading
the charge once again is Volkswagen, with its popular turbocharged Golf, GTI and
Jetta models. But with that brand's gradual march upscale, there's room in the
$15,000 to $20,000 segment of the market for a new breed of speedy economy sedans,
coupes and hatchbacks.
Mazda's new MP3, which is based on the Protegé ES 2.0 Sedan, fits right
into this slot with an out-the-door price of $18,500. For that money, Mazda offers
enthusiasts some impressive hardware, but with just 140 horsepower available from
the lightly massaged 2.0-liter inline four, you'd better be prepared to prove
the rule of driving stated above.
MP3 is an odd name for a car, isn't it? MP3 refers to the digital file compression
technology that reduces the size of an audio file to make it easier to download
music from the Internet and play it through stereo speakers. This hot little Mazda's
demographic, primarily young unmarried men, is thoroughly familiar with music-sharing
Web sites like Napster, and has compiled libraries of thousands of downloaded
songs.
Problem is, most stereos won't play MP3 format files. Mazda comes to the rescue
with a standard high-power Kenwood Excelon Z919 audio system that will play MP3-encoded
CD-R and CDR-W as well as regular CD formats. This is the first factory application
of an in-dash MP3 player, and it's hooked up to a 180-watt four-channel head unit
driving six speakers (5x7-inch two-way speakers in all four doors and a set of
6x9-inch three-ways in the rear shelf) and a 100-watt 10-inch subwoofer mounted
in the trunk.
I didn't have any MP3 files with me, but I did have a variety of regular CDs,
none of which I was able to play to my satisfaction with this Kenwood system.
I admit to being no expert on audio systems, but highs hissed, and the bass thumped
excessively no matter how I configured the system's myriad settings. A Mazda spokesperson
responded to this criticism by explaining that today's youth likes heavy, eardrum-shattering
bass. Just what we need, another car with heavy, eardrum-shattering bass to prowl
slumbering suburban neighborhoods in the middle of a Friday or Saturday night.
Thanks, Mazda.
We also complained about the Kenwood system's highly stylized faceplate, which
is small and littered with tiny buttons. The digital displays are also rendered
illegible by direct sunlight. A Kenwood rep explained that younger drivers like
the look of an aftermarket system and showed us the remote control that operates
the many functions of the Excelon Z919, including one that tilts the stereo's
faceplate to rid itself of the display washout problem. So, you need a remote
control to operate a piece of equipment that is already within arm's reach? And
the kids like this? Think it makes sense?
After several hundred miles behind the wheel, I'll admit that the Kenwood system
becomes easier to use, even with the remote. And when you're riding along on the
highway with all four windows open, the speakers easily overcome wind noise. Just
make sure that when you spiff up your new MP3 with some socially responsible license
plate frame that says "Keep honking. I'm reloading" or "Get over it, it was a
lane change" that you apply some padding between the trunk lid and the license
plate frame. Otherwise, a nasty rattle will develop due to the trunk-mounted subwoofer's
exertions.
Though named after audio technology, the Mazda MP3 amounts to more than an obnoxiously
loud stereo system that can play hundreds of songs for hours at a time off a single
disc. It makes a tad more power than the Protegé, and handles better to
boot. By letting the motor breathe more freely, Mazda has extracted 10 extra ponies
out of the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that powers higher trim Protegés.
Recalibrated ignition timing and a revised air-fuel ratio results in better throttle
response, while a modified intake manifold increases top-end performance. A low-backpressure
exhaust system from aftermarket tuner Racing Beat results in a distinctive, throaty
yet mellow thrum to the exhaust note.
Despite these changes, the Protegé will likely need a few more oats under
the hood. In fact, once the 2002 Ford SVT Focus and Nissan Sentra SE-R hit the
market this fall, Mazda will need to pump up the MP3's horsepower output by 20
percent just to keep up with the Joneses. As it sits, the MP3 is a reasonably
spry sedan, able to entertain the driver and passengers in a satisfactory manner.
But, as in a Dodge Neon R/T, the steering and suspension rather than the engine
generates most of that entertainment.
Racing Beat helped Mazda tune the MP3's lowered underpinnings. Tokico shocks were
added, spring rates were boosted, and larger stabilizer bars were included. Add
in 17x7-inch Racing Hart thin spoke alloy wheels and 205/45ZR17 Dunlop SP9000
tires, and Mazda claims that the MP3 boasts a 30 percent increase in cornering
power over the Protegé ES. Euro-spec steering with a 15.4:1 ratio is also
part of the MP3 package, along with a strut-tower brace, resulting in improved
straight-ahead tracking, road feel and cornering precision. Brakes are four-wheel
ventilated discs with high-friction pads, but they are not equipped with ABS.
This round of changes, as much or more than the Kenwood MP3 player, is the reason
to buy a Mazda MP3. The car flat-out amazes with its ability to carve up a twisty
road. You can carry enough speed through corners to somewhat make up for the lack
of power under the hood, and the upgraded brakes and steering make quick work
of snaking blacktop. We also got an opportunity to lap the MP3 around a short
autocross course. Despite a tendency toward understeer, it's easy to pitch the
car through the cones and threshold brake for turns. Heel-and-toe downshifting
is simple, especially since the MP3 features a short-throw shifter and a heavier-duty
clutch.
Under normal driving conditions, the MP3 drives like a slightly stiffer Protegé
ES 2.0 except for the fact that the large front tires hunt over lumpy pavement,
tugging the steering wheel side to side. We expected the suspension to beat us
up, but after traversing several miles of severely patched pavement we decided
that Racing Beat had done a nice job of balancing daily drivability with hardcore
handling performance.
Obviously, Mazda needed to include some snazzy detailing to attract Echo Boomers
to the MP3 so they could hear the thumping stereo and thus be enticed to drive
the car fast through some curves and subsequently write the company a check. So
they tacked on a giant decklid wing, added deep air dams front and rear, tossed
on some rocker panel extensions and plugged two huge driving lights into the front
fascia to achieve the appropriate "boy racer" look. Special "Protegé MP3
Tuned by Racing Beat" badges make it clear that aftermarket suppliers were involved
in the creation of the car. Inside, black-on-white gauges, silver plastic dash
and door trim, faux carbon fiber accents, aluminum drilled-look pedals, a two-tone
leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift knob, and silver seat inserts make
it clear this isn't a garden-variety Protegé.
All in all, the MP3 is a lot of fun to drive despite a relative lack of motivational
force. Given the cost of tuning a standard-issue Protegé on your own, as
well as adding a killer sound system, the $405 price hike over a loaded ES 2.0
seems slim, indeed. A real bargain, this MP3, if you can live without niceties
like ABS, cruise control and a power sunroof.
Mazda plans on making only 1,500 of them this year; 1,000 copies painted Laser
Blue Mica followed up by 500 Vivid Yellow versions, the latter equipped with the
next-generation Kenwood MP3 player. We were told that the handful of MP3s to be
driven by journalists over the course of the next several months had already been
pre-sold, which doesn't bode well for finding one sitting on a dealer lot.
But since we also heard that engineers are working on finding more power from
the motor, we're guessing that 2001 won't be your only chance to buy an MP3. More
power, ABS and cruise control are all this car really needs. But even without
these ingredients, the MP3 proves the axiom about driving slow cars fast.
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