That’s Protege5, as in the sporty little two-box version of the popular Protege sedan with more room yet still some zoom. And the company did it with a simple formula: Take a sedan that already works (the Protege), throw a “backpack” on the back end (rear hatch), and name it something familiar, with a numeric twist (the Protege5). As hard as it may be, Mazda has jumped in where few car companies have dared to go.
What’s more, it’s the first in a long line of what’s to come: Mom-mobiles gone groovy that are meant to appeal to young drivers who want to haul things. No need to be embarrassed when you pull up to a light next to a Ferrari. Is it so? We will say it’s a lot closer than the wagons we remember. The automaker, which spent most of 2001 telling the world you could “zoom” your way to a better time, has created the better wagon. Zoom, zoom … huh? The last time we saw something called a “sport” wagon, Clark Griswold was trucking his way to Wally World in the family truckster, Carol Brady was speeding through syndication and, in the real world, wagons weren’t all that cool. Hold on to your wood paneling, your car seat and your kids eating ice cream in the back seat, with special thanks to our friends at Mazda, “wagonizing” has become a sport.