it's a good day in socal today for test drives, so i took my wife to Santa Monica and test drove the Mazda Protege 5 wagon (5 speed, of course).

- quick little wagon, the pickup is good (good torque rating, ~135lb, i think) though not much on the top end.
- handling is nimble: doesn't feel like a wagon at all
- chassis feels very solid
- interior is relatively quiet: the engine makes a lot of noise past 4500rpms, but it's quiet enough
- for 18k sticker, you can't beat what it's got! power everything, sunroof, and a 6CD changer built in

VERY nice little wagon if you're looking for something fun to drive to the supermarket or Home Depot.

 

I have one as my daily driver and love it even though it could use 30 more hp and a short shift kit. The chassis is very impressive and it looks good . I have 8k miles on her so far and no complaints.

here are some pics of it

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?...&a=13621803&f=0

 

yeah, it could use a short shifter kit. you can also think about a custom turbo kit