The Mazda Protégé MP3; A Musical Mazda

Young people love two things: cars, and music. Cars provide a sense of freedom and an escape from the mundane of everyday life, while music helps express emotions, personality, and is often meant to be shared. Combining the two was one of the greatest innovations in automotive history. Now we could listen to our favorite music on the radio, and with the later invention of the cassette tape and later the CD and MP3 digital format, listening to our favorite music became even more a fundamental part of the driving experience. However, there has always been a problem: car stereos have traditionally been less then impressive. Most car speakers are small, and crammed wherever they happen to fit, with no regard for acoustics and sound quality. While some higher end trim vehicles use systems outsourced from companies like Bose, they all suffered from the same problems: the speakers were placed wherever they happened to fit, and were designed for clear sound rather than high volume. Younger car buyers, particularly young car enthusiasts, want their cars to be like their music: loud and proud. Mazda, in an attempt to appeal to these younger buyers, made a car specifically aimed to appeal to music lovers and car enthusiasts alike: the Protégé MP3.

The Mazda Protégé MP3 was a special edition of the standard Mazda Protégé, Mazda’s entry-level compact later replaced by the modern Mazda3. The Protégé was a small, inexpensive car designed to introduce young car buyers to the Mazda brand. It was a fun to drive compact that handled well, was mechanically reliable, and most importantly, it was cheep. But like most inexpensive compact cars, the Protégé was also boring inside and out. The fact that the Protégé was the entry level model, designed purely for transportation, was obvious to anyone with eyes. The exterior was utterly bland, and melted into the crowds of Corollas, Civics, and Sentras with ease, and the interior would put you to sleep faster than a UN council meeting. This was a far cry from Mazda’s proud racing history and its moto of “Zoom Zoom.” Then, in early 2000, Mazda decided to spice up the Protégé to appeal specifically to younger buyers, hopefully making them loyal Mazda customers in the future. To accomplish this, they contacted Racing Beat, KONI USA, and Takechi to help boost performance, while Nardi and Kentwood were commissioned to revamp the interior of the dull compact.

Racing Beat, a company that specialized in Mazda performance parts, went to work on upgrading the engineering of the Protégé. They designed a new exhaust from scratch to give the car an aggressive sound, and slightly boosted horsepower simultaneously. Racing Beat also designed new intake and exhaust headers, although they never made it to the production model. They also fitted stiffer springs to accompany new Tokico shocks for a firmer ride and better road feel. Racing Beat further designed new larger front and rear sway bars, while also lowering the ride height by a half inch to improve handing and high speed cornering. A new short throw shifter, 1 in. shorter than in the standard Protégé, was also designed and installed for a sportier feel. 17 in. Racing Heart wheels where designed especially for the car, and fitted with low profile performance tires to improve handling and for better road feel, and finally, a new rear wing was added to complete the sportier look. Mazda also formulated new paint colors to spice up the exterior and give the car a younger look.

The interior, meanwhile, was given a fresher look thanks to a Nardi leather wrapped steering wheel, updated upholstery, and center console trim that matched the steering wheel. The biggest upgrade to the interior, however, was the new Kentwood sound system. This was a 450 watt system with improved door speakers, a 10in subwoofer, a CD player, and the ability to play MP3 files all came standard. This all was a first, not only for Mazda, but for the whole automotive industry. A PCM (Powertrain Control Module) tune polished off the modifications to the Protégé MP3.

Critics enjoyed the Protege MP3’s looks, sound system, handling, and fun to drive qualities. However, the MP3 did lack the kind of power that one would expect. The MP3 had 150HP 4 cylinder engine, while comparable cars in the same segment had 160 plus, and a 5-speed manual was the only avaliable transmission. Further, the MP3’s 0-60 time was over 8 seconds, while a base model Honda Civic would do 0-60 in the same amount of time. But the purpose of the MP3 wasn’t to win street races. There were countless changes that would have upgraded power, but were killed for the sake of safety, emissions, and Mazda standards. Rather, the idea was to capture younger buyers through a combination of looks and musical capabilities. The MP3 undeniably looks good: the big wheels and aggressive Racing Beat exhaust would be common modifications young enthusiast would make to such a car anyway. The upgraded sound system with the subwoofer is also a common aftermarket modification. The inclusion of these appeal to younger buyers because they don’t have to spend the money modding the car when it comes that way from the factory. Mazda decided to produce a mere 1500 MP3s: 1000 in blue, and 500 in “vivid yellow”. The MP3 is understandably very hard to find now. Currently on Autotrader, there is only 1 MP3 for sale. While the car lacks performance, it makes up for it in being able to blast your favorite tunes while tearing up a country road.

Nowadays, when car companies want to appeal to younger buyers, they just add massive infotainment screens, whip up an outlandish body kit, slap in a turbo, and lower the car to near street-scraping levels. The sound system itself is still often overlooked. The MP3 was a balancing act: the car was lower, but only slightly, and the wheels and wing where look sharp without being overdone. The sound system is loud and the quality of the sound is solid. The Protégé MP3 is a car that showed us that Mazda could make a car that appealed to younger buyers without overdoing it. Mazda, Honda, GM, Ford, and everyone else, please, look to the MP3 as a guide when making a car for younger buyers. It worked for Mazda, and it can work you.