Mazda 323 Protege Review

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Mazda 323 Protege
3.6 stars
Average rating for this product is: 3.6 out of 5

From 1 rating and 4 reviews

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David.'s Review of Mazda 323 Protege

19th Oct 2001

Overall Rating

2 stars
  • Value for money
    4 stars
  • Practicality
    3.5 stars
  • Performance
    3.5 stars
  • Reliability
    1 stars
Good Points

Excellent fuel economy. Reasonably quiet for a car in this price range.


Bad Points

Unsolvable handling problems from new. Various defects from new when supposed to be a quality car. Poor dealer and manufacturer service and public relations.


General Comments

Purchased new in late November 2000, got this car instead of larger family style but turns out this was probably a mistake. A supposed high quality vehicle turned out to have numerous small faults from day one such as scratches on dashboard, creaking front door trims, white cutting compound all over the left side of the car which has affected the door handle trims permanently and so on, but the worst thing is a directional instability which becomes white knuckle stuff at higher speed. The selling dealer was totally useless and looked at me as if I had been smoking some illegal substances when I complained about the handling/stability issue. It took 6 months for Mazda Australia engineers to diagnose a failed power steering rack, then nearly another two months to get one from Japan as there was no stock anywhere in the country. After this the car felt teriffic for about 6 weeks, then went back to its old habits. This is still continuing, 11 months later and Mazda say there is nothing wrong with the car despite it being blown around alarmingly at almost any speed. This problem is so bad I refuse to take it on any country trips which involve prolonged driving at high speeds. The vehicle has had five wheel alignments in 20000kms, yet Mazda say this is normal wear and tear! They also say that a "light" car like this is expected to move around in the manner I have been experiencing but I say this is just nonsense and we have never had this sort of trouble with any previous "light" front wheel drive cars. With a kerb weight of over 1100kgs I wouldn't describe it as "light". I will never buy another one from this manufacturer ever again.

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Members' Comments onDavid.'s Review

  • lim. on 13th Jan 2003

    Your are just unlucky man. Too bad

  • suby1 on 1st Feb 2004

    Post Script: After consulting a specialist engineer, found out the car was 7 or 8 mms shorter in the wheelbase on the left side than the right and the left castor was way out. This is a factory defect. The manufacturer subsequently refused to fix it and would not even admit it was there. Numerous other owners have had similar experiences. Never again. Buyer beware.