The Detroit News's view

The advertising slogan for the all-new 1999 Mazda Protege says, “Get in. Be moved.”

As anyone shopping in the entry-level car category knows, anything with wheels will get you where you need to go. But the bigger question is: Does it move you emotionally?

Granted, the redesigned Protege ES that we tested doesn’t jump in your lap like the new Beetle and lick you in the face. But it has lots of subtle – and probably more sophisticated – charm for a car that bears a very likeable $14,925 base price.

She: I can see a lot of buyers who thought they were condemned to a conservative Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla being quite thrilled with the new Protege. It looks like a miniature Mazda 626. The only shortcoming that I can see is in the safety department. You can’t get side air bags on the subcompact Protege. And even though the 24-year-old target buyer may still be thinking, “I’m immortal, infallible and infertile,” surely there is a mom looming in the background with a disapproving look on her face and her fingers wrapped around the checkbook.

He: I have three words to say to you. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. A Civic conservative next to a Protege? I don’t think so. The Honda is still one of the sexiest cars in the subcompact segment, several years after its last redesign. It’s also one of the best dynamically – and the redesigned Protege, as good as it is, does nothing better than the Civic, that I can see. As for the supposed “24-year-old target buyer” that Mazda claims, if you’ve seen their recent goofy TV commercials, they appear to be aimed at brainless, tasteless teen-agers weaned on alternative rock. Oops, sorry, do I sound too strident, honey?

She: For somebody who watches Ally McBeal religiously, you sure do. Plus you’re so bossy. Leave it to a guy to miss the subtle differences between the Civic and the Protege. Even Mazda says they’re not after people who buy Civics. Why else would they have put a standard CD player in the Protege? The Protege is hipper. But you’re getting off the subject.

He: I thought the subject was cars. Specifically, entry-level cars. By the way, you raised the issue of safety. Not only does the Protege lack optional side air bags, but antilock brakes remain an extra-cost option. It may not sound too hip, but as a parent, I’d be perfectly happy to skip the CD player – or pay extra for it – if I knew the car that I was buying my kid came with standard ABS and the choice of side air bags. If you think about it, side bags are even more critical in a smaller car with less mass and less sheet metal to protect the occupants.

She: You’re still missing all the little details and style touches that make the Protege step out from the crowd. Things like the perforated vinyl trim, which lends the cabin a distinctive flair. I also like the fact that the ES and LX models have a mechanism that raises the height of the seat and adjusts the angle of the bottom cushion, so you’re more c omfortable, especially on longer trips. You drove the Protege from Michigan down to Tennessee, and I remember you telling me how impressed you were with the ride quality and comfort.

He: Actually, I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the Protege was, and how comfortable the seats and suspension are for a so-called entry-level model. I like the zippier engine in the ES model, too. It’s a twin-cam 1.8-liter unit that makes 122 horsepower, and it’s quite a bit more lively than the base 105-horsepower 1.6-liter engine. One problem: The twin-cam didn’t like to start on cold, damp mornings.

She: Well, at least you’ve acknowledged some of your biases, and admitted that the new Protege isn’t that bad a car – even for an old fuddy-duddy auto writer.

He: I’m impressed that, even though Ford Motor Co. now controls Mazda, this new Protege is still a better car than the Ford Escort – which is based, by the way, on the old Protege. Incidentally, I’m told by insiders at Ford at this Protege is likely to be the last all-Mazda design; the next-generation model due in 2002 will probably share underbody components with the new Ford Focus.

She: In the meantime, enjoy this Protege. It’s still one of the better values – not to mention one of the more stylish entries – in the subcompact class for ’99.