Jump LinksOne of the most coveted genres for auto enthusiasts has sadly become almost extinct in the new car market: the affordable, sporty wagon.As manufacturers have turned to SUVs, the segment of compact but practical cars has all but died out, and especially with regard to those with any real enthusiast credentials. Just a handful of wagons remain on sale in the States, and arguably none present an offering that is both affordable and performance-focused.This means gearheads need to look deep into the used market to fill that niche demand. Somewhere in that sea is a forgotten 20-plus-year-old Mazda wagon that nailed the brief, but it is a hard find today. Mazda Protege5 MazdaIf you wanted a sporty-feeling sedan in 2002, you’d walk into a Mazda dealer and head straight for the Protege. The compact four-door model had been on sale for a few years in its ninth-generation form at that stage, but with a notable facelift the year before.Yet, what if you wanted something a bit more practical? Although the Protege had a reasonable trunk, its sedan shape held it back from its full potential up to that point. In that case, you'd walk well past the NB Mazda Miata sitting on the lot and head straight to take a look at a boxier product likely tucked way behind the more traditionally attractive models. This would be the Mazda Protege5.Although virtually identical to the sedan mechanically, the boxier wagon gave it a trunk you could fit a dog in, while some more niche-focused changes lent it some serious, and perhaps unexpected, enthusiast credentials. What Engine Did It Use? Mazda Under the hood, the Mazda Protege5 utilized the same engine you’d find in the ES sedan at the time. That was a 2.0-liter ULEV four-cylinder, introduced as part of the Protege’s refresh just before the 5’s introduction. Nothing incredibly fancy, but it was tried and tested.This setup got a small power hike in the wagon, though, with an extra eight horsepower taking its peak figure to 130 hp along with 135 lb-ft of torque. As standard, the Protege5 used a five-speed manual transmission, with the option of a four-speed automatic, although both remained front-wheel drive only. You don't need us to tell you which one you should get, do you?Despite its small power increase, the Protege5 was actually a little slower from 0–60 mph than its sedan counterpart, due to the added weight brought by the extra metal for its trunk and some additional chassis stiffening. It’d manage that run in an officially quoted 9.5 seconds, which doesn’t sound particularly sporty, but acceleration wasn’t key to the appeal of the Protege5. Rather, that came in its balance of being a practical and fun daily driver. Practical, But For The Enthusiast Mazda The main draw compared with the sedan-bodied Protege was simply how much stuff you could get into it. With 20 cubic feet behind the rear seats, which could be increased to 38 cu-ft when they were lowered, it represented a healthy 50% increase in trunk space over the sedan.Furthering its enthusiast credentials was the standard spec of the interior. Faux carbon fiber inserts were utilized around the cabin, along with a standard-fit set of pseudo-bucket seats for a little bit more support. You could have these on the Protege sedan optionally, but the factory fitment highlighted Mazda’s focus on appealing more towards enthusiasts with this model. It Could Handle Well, Too Mazda Now, the Mazda Protege sedan wasn’t a boring car to drive from the start. With responsive steering and a well-judged suspension setup, the engineers could’ve aimed to replicate that in the Protege5, called it a day and headed home for an early dinner.Yet, delightfully, Mazda decided to lean more into making the wagon a notably sportier thing to drive. That largely came down to recalibrated power steering and some work to reduce friction in the system itself, leading to a car that felt more taut and agile ,despite its extra mass hanging over the rear axle.Was it a fast car? No, not even remotely in an objective sense or when compared with rival models, be they wagons or hatchbacks. But was it fun on both a canyon road and when traffic cleared a little on a commute? Absolutely, and we'd take it in a heartbeat. How Much Is A Mazda Protege5? Mazda Although a rare find today, the Mazda Protege5 isn’t an expensive car to buy, and certainly a long way down from its original $16,535 MSRP.With just a handful of models readily for sale at the time of writing across the US, current pricing ranges from as low as $3,500 for a high-mileage, auto example, while nicely-kept manuals can be advertised for as high as near $10,000. We’d probably take the trade-off of more miles for a cheaper manual, provided you can find one reasonably close to you. The Forgotten Performance Alternative Cars & BidsWhile the Protege5 was aimed more towards the enthusiasts than the regular model, it was the sedan that served as the base for a true performance-focused version of the Protege. That was the limited-run Mazdaspeed Protege, which seriously upped the ante.While the 2.0-liter four-cylinder remained, it was fitted with a Garret turbocharger to dramatically increase horsepower, reaching a peak of 170 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque.It was manual-only, utilizing the same five-speed transmission, but with a Tochigi Fuji limited-slip differential on the front axle to help manage its extra load of power. Additional stopping power came from an uprated braking system, with 10.8-inch vented rotors on the front and thinner, solid 11-inch rotors at the rear.Performance improved dramatically overall as a result. The Mazdaspeed Protege could hit 0–60 mph in 6.9 seconds, heading on to a 131 mph top speed. Combine that with re-tuned suspension sorted by tuner Racing Beat, and it was a real contender as a compact sports car.Cars & Bids Not only did the Mazdaspeed get extra performance, but also a bunch of visual and equipment upgrades to match. A set of 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels were standard, as were sportier bumpers and a comically large rear wing. Inside, an upgraded Kenwood audio system was included. Had Fast and Furious released a few years earlier than it did, we think this could've found a role in it.Originally introduced for the start of the 2003 model year, just 1,500 Mazdaspeed Proteges were planned, available in either orange or black. Demand massively outstripped supply, though, leading to a ‘2003.5’ version available in blue, silver, or yellow too, with a further 2,750 examples of these cars produced.Despite the rarity and extra performance, the Mazdaspeed Protege isn’t really worth any more than a Protege5 is today. Around $8,000 will net you a really nice example, making it a compelling alternative if you don’t need the extra trunk space of the 5.Sources: Mazda