Mazdaspeed3 Review Preview
Did you think the sport compact craze went the way of the dodo or The Fast and the Furious 3’s 72-hour stint at movie theaters this summer? Quite the contrary. While many frown on ridiculous custom compact cars, automakers are making better and more affordable sport variants of their compact cars, like the Honda Civic Si and Volkswagen GTI, that are ready to race right off the lot. Now Mazda’s getting back into the hunt with the Mazdaspeed3, a high-performance variant of its Mazda3 hatchback.
My bright red tester pulled up on Friday, so new it didn’t even have a license plate yet. The vehicle is slowly arriving at dealerships now and will be widely available soon. I managed to put a hundred or so miles on the Mazdaspeed3 over the weekend and found the $22,240 vehicle a powerful reason to open the wallet.
Most importantly, this thing is fast and feels really fast. The 263 hp turbo-charged engine is a lot of fun even if not the most refined. There’s a noticeable — almost gut-wrenching — lag before the turbocharger kicks in. Most journalists and car companies are looking to minimalize this lag, but some enthusiasts find it a joy. I love it. My wife on the other hand was a little perturbed when we merged onto a major highway and I let the turbo go wild.
Looks are moderately changed from the Mazda 3 with new 18-inch wheels and revised front and rear end treatments. The interior also gets sporty and comfortable bucket seats.
I’m still impressed by how good all the regular Mazda3 attributes hold up. The interior is still tops in its class with only the door panels showing some age in design. A futuristic and easy to use center stack is still one of the best around and the seating position is spot on perfect offering a commanding view of the road.
I’ll get to test the Mazdaspeed3 over a few hundred more miles the next few days and will report back when the full review goes live. Until then enjoy some pictures.
Update: Cars.com Full Review [Sept. 25, 2006]
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Mazda's majority shareholder, Ford Motor Company could learn a lot from the development of the Mazdaspeed3. http://speedzzter.blogspot.com/2006/09/lessons-from-mazdaspeed-new-ford-motor.html
i have a 2005 mazda 3, and i have experinced a few problems with the car, and on top of that it is the second car from mazda, i gave back the first 3 cause of problems, although the dealership has been on top of it, i am really concerned if this is a wide spread thing, and the dealerships are just doing "hush" jobs. if someone can let me know that would be greatly appreciated
Raymond,
What types of problems have you had?
If it wasn't a first year model (a lot of times there are more problems the first year a model debuts, that would have been 2004) I haven't heard much, but Mazda has always been middle of the pack to lower on reliability. Above VW but below toyota.
Dave
The only comment I disagree with is "Best in class interior." The VW GTI has a well appointed interior and it is light years ahead of the MS3 in fit and finish.
Can't wait to here the full review.
I am greatly considering trading my Comptech supercharged RSX type-S for the speed-3, is it worth it?
I do not see how the dials on a VW GTI and the center console remotely are "light years" ahead of the mazda 3's. They are big bulky dials and the big splashed audio console looks like a 2001 subaru's interior. It is nowhere as sleek. If you are speaking about the "finish" and "quality" of the plastics, then I could potentially agree, but nowhere is the styling better. I wouldn't even consider the VW's styling up to date with the european industry
It will take the GTI a "light year" to catch up to a speeding Mazdaspeed 3. I love the these GTI MKV drivers try to hide when they see me creep up.
I believe this Mazdaspeed3 to be the best auto purchase ever. Unfortunately, I must sell the car (with only 100 miles on the clock) due to a job transfer. I just bought the Mazda and a week later found out my job (and company) are moving. So, the 3 is for sale for $22,000.00.
My only complaint with the Speed3 is the front wheel drive. If it were all wheel, this would be the perfect car. I've never had as much fun driving a sub 30k. It's by far the best value around.