The car does get excellent fuel economy- IF you can keep your foot out of it. I rarely succeed in that endeavor- the car is just too much fun to drive, the embodiment of "driving a slow car, fast."
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2003
4dr Sedan 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD
4dr Sedan 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD
On a recent trip from Charlottetown, PE, Canada to Halifax, NS my car averaged 35 miles per US gallon, or over 730km per tank of fuel.
As a Merchandiser, my job requires a lot of city Driving and I average 600km per tank of gas
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Not too bad, the roof rack hurts it a bit. gets a solid 22-25 driving 70-75 on highway. Does get 30mpg at 60 mph, but that speed will get you killed on California interstates.
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2003
4dr Sedan 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
I average right around 30mpg with mixed driving, a little highway-biased. I've been satisfied with the overall gas mileage.
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Suburban fuel economy is acceptable, at nearly 30 mpg. But on the highway, with the engine spinning well over 3,000 rpm, fuel economy also struggles to crack 30. Many much larger, much more powerful cars achieve better highway fuel economy. Some owners have fitted the fifth gear from the related transmission in the Mazda6 to get more of an overdrive.
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Unlike other fuel economy surveys, TrueDelta's Real-World Gas Mileage Survey includes questions about how and
where a car was driven. So you can get an idea of the Mazda Protege's
real-world MPG based on how and where you drive a car.
What Our Members Are Saying about the Real Gas Mileage of the 2002 Mazda Protege
5-speed manual FWD
4-speed shiftable automatic FWD
5-speed manual FWD
5-speed manual FWD
5-speed manual FWD
5-speed manual FWD
5-speed manual FWD
4-speed automatic FWD
5-speed manual FWD
5-speed manual FWD
5-speed manual FWD
4-speed shiftable automatic FWD
5-speed manual FWD
4-speed automatic FWD