1990-1994 Mazda Protege: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

The redesign of Mazda's front-drive subcompact produced two models in 1990: a 2-door hatchback called 323, plus a larger, more expensive 4-door-sedan called Protege. It rode on a 98.4-inch wheelbase, nearly four inches longer than the old 323 sedan. The base Protege SE came with a 16-valve, 103-horsepower 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine. Protege LX had a twin-cam version of the same engine that delivered 125 horsepower. All models came with either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic gearbox. A 4-wheel-drive Protege appeared briefly in 1990, but was quickly discontinued halfway through the 1991 model year.