2000 Protege - BETTER than 2000 Nissan Sentra

Author's Rating:

Pros: Classy styling; great engine on ES; sporty ride & handling; MADE IN JAPAN

Cons: Disc-drum brake combo instead of disc brakes for all 4 wheels, resulting in decreased braking performance in wet weather

Author's Review
I bought my Protege ES on the 4th of July this year. It's been 5 months now (well I actually only drove it for 3 months, the other 2 months it was in the shop getting repaired from a little "run-in" with a deer) and I have to say it was one of my best purchases ever, even after the little mishap mentioned above has tainted the original finish forever.

Before I bought the vehicle I test drove all the popular small cars in the 2000 model year, including the Honda Civic (before the redesigned 2001), Toyota Corolla (2001), Nissan Sentra, and the Ford Focus. All of these cars are excellent choices, but once I test drove my Protege, I knew at that moment this is the car I would buy.

The reason I didn't pick the Civic is because it was the model before the 2001 redesign, and I don't want to pay A LOT of money for a vehicle that is basically built on 1996 technology. I didn't choose Corolla because this car has NO PERSONALITY, even among these small econocars. Its design is so bland I think I fell asleep looking at it. The Focus looks pretty good, but the handling and suspension is a little soft for my taste (aka not sporty enough), plus IT'S A FORD. As a side note, it's sad to see the end of the Japan-made Protege era (in 2002 Protege and Focus will be sharing the same platform).

The Nissan Sentra (I tested the 127hp GXE, not the 145hp SE) came a very close 2nd in my test driving, but what put Protege over the top was, in a way, the salesperson. I bought the protege at a Nissan/Mazda joint dealer, so I was able to really test the power of the car by loading up the car with the same passengers, drive on the same routes, and see how the engines would respond.

I test drove both cars with myself, the salesperson, and both of my parents in the car. The salesperson I dealt with is, put it elegantly, a big guy (probably near 300lbs.), so it was quite a load for a small car like the Sentra and the Protege to carry. The test drive route that we took had quite a few up-and-down hills, and the difference between the 2 cars is drastic. The Sentra actually struggled a little when going uphill, roaring loudly midway up the hill, while the Protege zoomed to the top without a hitch. Amazing how engineers at Mazda is able to maximize its potential and make a 122hp engine feel more powerful than the 127hp 4-cylinder that's in the Sentra GXE.

Handling wise, the Protege is also a notch better than the Sentra, probably the result of having standard-equipped 15-inch alloy wheels and Bridgestone 195/55/15 performance tires on the Protege ES compared to the standard 14in. steel wheels on the Sentra GXE.

Protege is also a lot quieter inside than the Sentra. When I stop at a traffic light, it is so quiet and tremor-free that sometimes I thought I have somehow turned off the ignition. At highway speed it is also quieter than all the cars I've tested with the exception of maybe the Corolla. Wind noise, as noted by many people here, is basically the same across the board among all the car I tested, and it's nothing some good car music would not solve. I think if you want further reduced wind noise you'll have to look higher than this class of cars.

Protege also beats Sentra in interior passenger space. As soon as my parents sit down into the backseats, they noted how much more leg space there is in the Protege compared to the Sentra. Among the cars I compared (all done with my folks sitting in) only the Focus sedan may have more leg space in the back.

Another deciding factor that pointed me toward the Protege is the fact that it is actually BUILT IN JAPAN, not in MEXICO like the Sentra (The only thing the Mexicans are best at making is tequila, good stuff too), and it shows in the difference between the build qualities of the 2 cars. Everything in the interior of the Protege seem to fit perfectly. All the panels fits perfectly with each other, and the buttons and switches are exactly where they're suppose to be. The Sentra, though also displaying high build quality, simply just doesn't exude the same aura of perfection that the Protege has. In my opinion this is where "Made in Japan" and "Made in Mexico" makes all the difference.

Overall I would definitely recommend anyone to buy a 2000 Protege, especially in ES trim, even with an automatic (which is what I have).