Faults:

Nail through tire.

General Comments:

Excellent car, especially for the price ($13,900 new). This car handles very well. The brakes work great. The engine is a bit noisy and underpowered. The fuel economy is good, 30-32 mpg. It is the best handling, sharpest car I've found for the money. I am very happy with the car. I only have 21,000 miles, but it seems like a reliable car. I much prefer it to my '94 Jetta GLX.

Faults:

Front disk brakes lasted to about 33,000 miles as expected.

General Comments:

The car handles extremely well with stock tires that were absolutely excellent. Overall the car is a little underpowered, but most of the time it isn't an issue. It still has enough pep to pass and get up and going very well on the highway.

Car is really fun to drive, handles corners like you wouldn't believe.

The interior is surprisingly roomy, at 6'4" I have absolutely no space issues.

It's a wonderful car, and it gives me a wonderful feeling knowing I don't have to worry about something breaking every few weeks.

Highly recommended.

Faults:

The finish on the rims started to chip after only two months. All four rims were replaced, but it took three visits to the dealer before they did it right.

The sport shift automatic transmission failed after 4500 Ks due to a defective torque converter. I had to wait two weeks for a replacement transmission.

General Comments:

Really like the car despite some early problems.

Handling, steering and braking are excellent, but could use an extra 20 horsepower to improve acceleration.

Car is very fun to drive.

Great style and a very nice interior for such a cheap car.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I really love this car. I've been a devoted VW guy for a good while and decided I was tired of visiting the mechanic so often. It's bright red with very classy black upolstery. I think the fit & finish of this car is top notch.

The handling is better than any of my Volkswagens. Very tight and more German than Japanese... very BMWesque, I think...

It could use a little more oomph, but I like getting decent gas mileage. It makes me feel a little better about driving a car from an environmental stand point.

I test drove the Honda Civic, VW Golf, Hyundai Elantra, Subaru Impreza and Ford Focus for comparison. The Protègè won me over hands down.

The folding rear seats are wonderful. It's quite nice to be able to haul that much cargo. I jokingly refer to this car as my "SUV".

Overall, I would highly recommend the car. It's truly the best I've driven.

Faults:

The stock tires do not perform especially well on wet roads.

There is noticeable wind noise at highway speeds.

General Comments:

When looking for a replacement for my very competent 1994 Toyota Corolla Wagon, I researched and test drove a number of cars including the Matrix and Ford Focus.

The Protege 5 had everything I was looking for and is a blast to drive. I must agree with previous reviews in that while it may be a bit underpowered, you hardly notice when you drive it. The suspension is very tight, so it corners amazingly well. However, you do feel every crack in the road as you drive over it.

This car is a great combination of fun, practicality, comfort, and value. I've averaged about 30-32 miles per gallon in the first 25,000 miles, and have no problem recommending it to others.