I can't let this one go by me without throwing in my two cents worth. I owned a modded '02 Jetta 1.8T with the 180hp engine and 17's with the factory sport suspension. I now own the '03 Protege. I have to say i like the Mazda better:
First of all, the Mazda is light and nimble in the corners, while the VW was a heavy pig whose rear chassis tuning sucked. When I pushed this car hard in a corner, the rear end got really unstable on numerous occasions, and the front understeered badly. Let's just say the car should have handled better. My (first car) '86 GTI could corner circles around the Jetta. That being said, I miss the brute torque and better brakes of the 1.8T. It was a fast car, and pulled hard from 1500 RPM+. The VW broke down on me several times (they had notorious coil pack problems- the local dealership accused us of f*$cking with the coil pack when I had a turbo timer installed and refused to cover warranty. It was a big fight, but I got things covered when I switched to a different dealership. The coil failed 3 times and the car spent a total of 1500km being towed on flatbeds to service.)
The Mazda handles, has superior interior design (roomy, better ergonomics and space), but is somewhat cheaper feeling. The car is more spartan than the VW, with less frills, but is more fun to drive. I like the better fuel mileage and cheaper price tag. My insurance is less money, and I also think the car looks better.
Thanks for listening to my rant!
