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 So
you need a car that is compact (both in size and price) and fuel-efficient,
too, that has a back seat that is easily accessible, but also is stylish
enough you aren't going to be ashamed on those albeit rare occasions when
you have to valet park (come on, admit it, you've experienced the embarrassment
of having to use valet parking and the humiliation that ensues when the
valet pulls up in front of everyone to reunite you with your wheezing
old clunkermobile).
If the paragraph
above describes the car you need, hopefully this one will describe the
car you want, because what you want is that car above -- with all of its
compact footprint, it's fuel-efficiency, a back seat you actually can
use for child seats or adult passengers who are not Olympic gymnasts,
and with styling that makes the car appear to be in motion even when it's
parked on pavement - but you also want - no, you also need - a car that
will satisfy your need for… no, not just speed, because there's so
much more to it than that.
Sure, you like speed,
but you understand that speed is more than zero-to-60 straight-line sprint
times. Car enthusiasts understand that speed is dexterity, too - go, twist,
turn, stop - and all of it at a brisk rate but with control and style.
For the past few
days, we've been driving a car that meets all of the criteria above. That
car is the 2010 Mazdaspeed3.
For a base price
of $23,195, you get a compact, affordable, fuel-effective, versatile,
practical and stylish five-door crossover/hatchback/whatever the latest
term is for this very efficient automotive architecture may be. Sure,
you can get the same basic package in the form of the standard, non-speed
Mazda3 [insert link to izoom review] for only $19,230.
But trust us: That
extra $3,965 is money well spent - in fact, very well spent (in fact,
in a few paragraphs were going to try to convince you to spend event more
, $1,895 more to be precise).
So why is this Mazdaspeed
3 worth $3,965 more than the Mazda(non-speed)3? Because it provides such
enthusiast-appreciated upgrades as:
- A turbocharged
2.3-liter four-cylinder engine that spools up 263 horsepower and 280
pound-feet of torque. That's right: A four-banger that provides more
torque than horsepower! Mazda admits that the engine is no more powerful
than that used in the previous-generation Mazdaspeed3, but notes that
the power flows more consistently thanks to such tweaks as a hood-mounted
intercooler scoop and enlarged ducts in the car's grille.
- That output is
managed not by some automated gearbox by the driver via a six-speed
manual, three-shaft transmission with slightly taller 2nd, 3rd, 4th
and 5th gears than previously used to make better use of that torque
and to make its delivery more seamless, even while averaging 18 miles
per gallon in city driving and 25 on the open highway.
- That power is
relayed to the front wheels - 18-inch alloys with the same three-dimensional
design theme as those used on the Mazda RX-8 R3 -- via a standard limited-slip
differential. But even with LSD, and even with improved and more rigid
mounting for the steering rack, and even with an electric rather than
hydraulic (and power-sapping) steering pump, you as the driver had better
hold on because there's still a lot of torque steer when you get that
turbo turning.
- The new body not
only looks better, but is stronger and stiffer and thus allows everything
connected to it to do its job more efficiently. That includes a suspension
with stiffer springs, higher damping rates and even revised mounting
points for the front stabilizer bar to reduce bushing deflection. By
the way, grip - and there's plenty of it - is provided by 225/40-aspect
Dunlop SP Sport 2050 tires. Stopping power comes from 12.6-inch front
and 11-inch rear discs.
- Standard gear
also include fog lamps, redesigned front and rear bumpers, side sill
extensions, dual exhausts, even a special Mazdaspeed rear lift gate
with floating rear spoiler.
- Inside, there
are special red-and-black cloth and leather seats and floor mats, aluminum
pedals and scuff plates, dual-zone climate controls and a turbo boost
gauge. By the way, the switchgear is wonderfully intuitive. (We also
need to mention here that the car side-impact airbags and curtains and
is rated at 5 stars for frontal crashes and at 5 for those in front
and at 4 for those in the back in side impacts.)
Now, as we warned,
we're going to suggest that you opt to equip your Mazdaspeed3 with the
Mazdaspeed Tech Package, because for $1,895 you get a 242-watt Bose Centerpoint
surround sound system with an in-dash 6-CD player and MP3 compatibility,
Sirius satellite radio, keyless entry with push-button starter, a perimeter
alarm and perhaps the most amazing original-equipment navigation system
we've ever seen.
Instead of the typical
navigation system that looks like an afterthought plugged into the top
of the center stack, the Mazdaspeed3's nav screen looks more like someone
took the screen from a smart phone and mounted it within the dashboard.
The integration is amazing, and it only takes a couple of minutes with
a pamphlet to learn how to manipulate the system, including plugging in
all sorts of addresses, with the buttons mounted on the steering wheel.
Yes, our aging eyes
would appreciate larger street-name lettering on the screen, but we cannot
complain about the integration and how the system works.
We also cannot complain
quite as much as before about how hard it is to read the electroluminescent
gauges while wearing Polarized sunglasses. The red-colored numbers are
still difficult to read, though not impossible as they have been on some
other Mazda products.
And except for the
torque steer, there's little to criticize from an enthusiast's perspective
about how the Mazdaspeed3 handles dynamically.
You know how those
Mazda commercials contend there's a little bit of the Miata's zoom-zoom
in every Mazda. Well, there's a whole lot of zoom-zoom in this new 2010
Mazdaspeed3 -- maybe even more than in the Miata.
Countersteer,
by Greg Rubenstein
It's easy to fall
in love with a car loaded with torque, and the MS3 has that, in spades.
Driving about town it takes very judicious use of the throttle to not
induce wheel spin in first or second gear, which leads to the statement
seemingly everyone who drives this car says (or writes), "wish it
were rear or all-wheel-drive."
Those folks miss
the point. Putting all that tire churning torque to the front-end only
keeps this 3's weight down, which undoubtedly adds to the fun but more
importantly helps boost the fuel economy. The Mazda3 is an economy car.
The Mazdaspeed3 is an economy car on steroids, returning a personal record
28.8 mpg over a 260-mile round trip drive from Phoenix to Tucson. That
included a 29.3 mpg out leg with an average speed of 77 mph-all the more
impressive considering the first five miles and last 14 were on surface
roads, in moderately heavy traffic.
As a sports car I
find the MS3 lacking-its suspension is overly damped for the spring rate,
causing the "bobble-head" effect. For back seat passengers that
translates to the nausea effect. While on the subject of the back seats,
while they fold down to create a great big storage area, they're too cramped
for anyone over five and a half feet. This redesigned Mazda3 is larger
than its predecessor, but it doesn't feel like it. As the owner of a first-generation
U.S. model WRX STi, I felt cramped in front and especially in back.
Back to the driving
dynamics-for a tarted up econobox the MS3 is simple fun; great on the
highway, entertaining in town for basic duty. It'd probably even make
for a decent autocross car-though the brakes don't seem to be up to serious
track-day use for the level of available power.
Compared to other
entries in the high-horsepower sports compact/sedan/car category the MS3
is one of the least refined. It is, however, also one of the least expensive,
especially when its level of content is factored in. It also returns outstanding
fuel economy-did I already mention that?
Finally, the nav
system. While I too was impressed with the mechanics of its steering wheel
integration, its pint-sized display is smaller than that of some cell
phones, making it all but unusable for anything but basic functionality.
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