It has more steel, which works to provide the silence just mentioned, and crash protection. Mazda says the new body is about 50 pounds heavier than the old one. Kneeroom seems unexpectedly generous back there, too, as is the door-opening space for entry and exit. The inner track is mounted on the side of the tunnel, and the outer one attaches to the side of the sill, leaving a remarkably wide floor space for rear-passenger feet. Mazda did a clever thing with the front-seat tracks. The driver's seat slides rearward too far for six-footers, and they have ample headroom even with the sunroof. It seems to have all its room in useful places. The Protegé is one of the rare cars that didn't rub us wrong in any way. You can forget for a while, but then you notice, and it's annoying again. The longer you drive, the more irritating it gets. In most cars, larger ones, too, something about the console, or the underdash, or the door, rubs on your knee, or your shin, exactly on the part where there's hardly any meat to pad the bone. But our relatively normal-size drivers report something unexpected, maybe even unprecedented-the Protegé doesn't hurt them anywhere. Anatomies vary, and we can't foresee the complaints of every human settling into the driving position of a small car. The Protegé does something else exceptionally well, something perhaps even more valuable: It fits the driver like a custom suit. The grille has an in-your-face chrome accent, too, a rich touch you'd expect on a Lincoln Continental or a Mercedes, but which seems utterly extravagant on a budgeteer. The rather formal profile of this four-door-only body is softened by a smoothly arched roofline and then given character with big taillights and boldly sculptured wheel-opening flares. Rather, it did the hard thing in creating an econobox that actually looks classy. That's a perishable condition (though you wouldn't know it from the Neon's still-spunky shape), and now it's a crowded corner of the market populated by the roly-poly New Beetle. Now Mazda has an all-new Protegé-new body, new engines, new automatic gearbox-and this one has a shot at celebrity. And we've always liked the Protegé because, well, it just seemed to get all the basics right. The Neon remains a cutie and a lusty performer besides. Still, a few econoboxes manage to stand out from the blur. They shop price and they keep shopping across brands until something fits the budget. Price, quality, and dependability are the important issues for Protegé buyers, Mazda says. The only shoppers who care about this class now walk straight to the price sticker. And in these cheap-gas days, big numbers on the EPA mileage label no longer draw a crowd (remember when they did?). Nobody dreams of winning the Powerball lottery so they can show off a Chevy Cavalier in their driveway, or a Ford Escort or a Nissan Sentra. There's a certain who-cares anonymity to the cars in this econobox class. For +info and contact seller call 44, or visit the ad.From the November 1998 issue of Car and Driver. It has 250,315 miles and is black in color. This Tribute SUV is available for sale in Baltimore, MD, at a price of $700. For +info and contact seller visit the ad. It has 251,000 miles and is tan in color. This 626 sedan is available for sale in Mechanicsville, VA, at a price of $700. For +info and contact seller call 21, or visit the ad. It has 187,000 miles and is blue in color. This Mazda6 sedan is available for sale in Colorado Springs, CO, at a price of $650. It has 142,000 miles and is silver in color. This Mazda6 hatchback is available for sale in Jackson, CA, at a price of $500. Other Mazda Deals '04 Mazda Mazda6 by owner under $500
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