Bani new car shopping: Mazdaspeed 3
Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 4:01 am
I'm shopping for a new car. To help sort out the decision I'm putting down my test drive notes 'on paper'.
2007 Mazdaspeed 3
Trim tested
Sport
First impressions:
Just another Mazda3 hatchback...?
Interior
Very good. While there is a distinct lack of the soft-touch plastics VW and Honda are so fond of, there's also none of the uber-cheapness you get in the Subaru Impreza. The only thing that stands out is the headliner. Punch it and you'll get a cardboard-ish feel and a hollow thunk.
The dash is all black, but broken up by patches of plastic with varying finishes and textures. Far less depressing than the Mazdaspeed6.
The instrument cluster is at the end of little oval tunnels, presumably designed to cut sun glare. The lettering is a bit overstyled and slightly obnoxious, but still very readable. The instrument lighting goes through varying changes depending on when you enter the car, when you have power on, and when the engine is started. I initially thought this was gimmicky, but have grown to appreciate it. However, VW and Honda have a leg up on attractive instrument clusters. And in terms of functionality I still prefer Subaru's plain but extremely readable gauges over all of them.
The seats are very good, firm but not uncomfortably so. The seats have 6-way manual adjustment and I was suprised by the lumbar support, which unlike the VW GTI, actually works in the Mazdaspeed3. The side bolsters are also "just right", not "ridiculously huge" as they are in the VW GTI.
Interior utility is excellent - there are cup holders everywhere! Four up front and four in the back. The glovebox is enormous, you can put almost your entire arm in and not hit bottom. It's wide and deep enough you could probably fit an entire laptop in it. The center armrest opens in two levels, with the bottom level having plenty of space to store CDs. There is also an aux audio input and a power outlet in the bottom level, so you can hide your ipod away out of view - and power it as well.
The tilt and telescoping steering wheel combined with the 6-way seat adjustment makes it very easy to find an excellent and comfortable driving position. The steering wheel has well placed stereo and cruise control buttons which are easy to use and unobtrusive.
All the pedals are racing-style alloys with rubber grips. There is also a dead pedal, which is strangely missing from the Subaru Impreza.
Overall, the Mazdaspeed3 interior is very good and easily beats out most other cars in this class -- only being beaten by VW and Honda's excellent interiors.
Exterior
Looks like just any other Mazda3. Which means it doesn't quite look like any other car on the road. From the front it looks very good, like a european styled sport sedan. But from the rear the Mazdaspeed3's bubble-ish rear hatch looks slightly odd.
The only hints that this isn't "just another Mazda3" is the very subtle creases on the hood which hint at the air ducting underneath which feeds the intercooler. And the enormous 94mm diameter tailpipe -- you could practically stuff whole oranges in there! But at least it's fully functional unlike the silly faux-tailipipes on the Mazdaspeed6.
Road Test
This is the car the Mazdaspeed6 should have been. Where there is colossal understeer in the Mazdaspeed6, it is nearly absent in the Mazdaspeed3. Losing 500lbs of inertia from the Mazdaspeed6 (~3600lbs) makes the Mazdaspeed3 (~3100lbs) a much more controllable car.
It has the same DISI 2.3L turbocharged engine as the Mazdaspeed6, but it feels far better matched in the Mazdaspeed3. In the Mazdaspeed6 the engine always felt like it was "behind" the car, never quite getting the upper hand over the car's bulk. In the Mazdaspeed3 it feels much more alive and the car feels much more responsive to throttle inputs. The engine is slightly detuned from the Mazdaspeed6, the Mazdaspeed3 sporting "only" 263hp compared to the Mazdaspeed6's 274hp.
In the Mazdaspeed3, torque is limited in the first two gears to prevent drivers from converting the front wheels into smoke, and prevent them from torquesteering into the curb. It is still possible to squeal the tires in first and second though. In third gear the car comes alive, pressing you hard into your seats with "holy crap" acceleration - eliciting big grins from both driver and passengers alike, or at least the passengers who arent rigid with fear.
Cornering is very flat, and grip is impressive. Unlike the Mazdaspeed6 which would break traction without warning, the Mazdaspeed3 communicates it very well. When the rear starts to step out, the car is very easy to recover. The driving position feels slightly high compared to other cars, but the car feels very stable and handling is very taut. Steering is slightly heavy but precise and provides excellent feedback from the wheels.
The six speed shifter is precise and has relatively short throws, although the bushings give a slightly numb feel. The clutch is easy to modulate and feather, and overall the gearbox and transmission is a pleasure to use.
The suspension is very firm but not punishing. It eats up potholes, railroad tracks, and expansion joints without jarring your fillings from your teeth like you'd get in an Impreza STI or a Cooper Mini. You hear road defects far more than feel them.
Road noise is slightly more pronounced than the VW GTI, but still low enough that one doesn't have to raise their voice to carry on conversations on freeways.
Conclusion
This is the car the Mazdaspeed6 should have been. It has no identity crisis, this car is pure Hot Hatch. In fact at the moment it is the hottest hatch on the market.
This car is also astounding value for money. At $22,835 MSRP you get an amazing package of performance, functionality, practicality, and japanese reliability.
Think of the Mazdaspeed3 like a much faster, more powerful VW GTI which won't break down all the time.
2007 Mazdaspeed 3
Trim tested
Sport
First impressions:
Just another Mazda3 hatchback...?
Interior
Very good. While there is a distinct lack of the soft-touch plastics VW and Honda are so fond of, there's also none of the uber-cheapness you get in the Subaru Impreza. The only thing that stands out is the headliner. Punch it and you'll get a cardboard-ish feel and a hollow thunk.
The dash is all black, but broken up by patches of plastic with varying finishes and textures. Far less depressing than the Mazdaspeed6.
The instrument cluster is at the end of little oval tunnels, presumably designed to cut sun glare. The lettering is a bit overstyled and slightly obnoxious, but still very readable. The instrument lighting goes through varying changes depending on when you enter the car, when you have power on, and when the engine is started. I initially thought this was gimmicky, but have grown to appreciate it. However, VW and Honda have a leg up on attractive instrument clusters. And in terms of functionality I still prefer Subaru's plain but extremely readable gauges over all of them.
The seats are very good, firm but not uncomfortably so. The seats have 6-way manual adjustment and I was suprised by the lumbar support, which unlike the VW GTI, actually works in the Mazdaspeed3. The side bolsters are also "just right", not "ridiculously huge" as they are in the VW GTI.
Interior utility is excellent - there are cup holders everywhere! Four up front and four in the back. The glovebox is enormous, you can put almost your entire arm in and not hit bottom. It's wide and deep enough you could probably fit an entire laptop in it. The center armrest opens in two levels, with the bottom level having plenty of space to store CDs. There is also an aux audio input and a power outlet in the bottom level, so you can hide your ipod away out of view - and power it as well.
The tilt and telescoping steering wheel combined with the 6-way seat adjustment makes it very easy to find an excellent and comfortable driving position. The steering wheel has well placed stereo and cruise control buttons which are easy to use and unobtrusive.
All the pedals are racing-style alloys with rubber grips. There is also a dead pedal, which is strangely missing from the Subaru Impreza.
Overall, the Mazdaspeed3 interior is very good and easily beats out most other cars in this class -- only being beaten by VW and Honda's excellent interiors.
Exterior
Looks like just any other Mazda3. Which means it doesn't quite look like any other car on the road. From the front it looks very good, like a european styled sport sedan. But from the rear the Mazdaspeed3's bubble-ish rear hatch looks slightly odd.
The only hints that this isn't "just another Mazda3" is the very subtle creases on the hood which hint at the air ducting underneath which feeds the intercooler. And the enormous 94mm diameter tailpipe -- you could practically stuff whole oranges in there! But at least it's fully functional unlike the silly faux-tailipipes on the Mazdaspeed6.
Road Test
This is the car the Mazdaspeed6 should have been. Where there is colossal understeer in the Mazdaspeed6, it is nearly absent in the Mazdaspeed3. Losing 500lbs of inertia from the Mazdaspeed6 (~3600lbs) makes the Mazdaspeed3 (~3100lbs) a much more controllable car.
It has the same DISI 2.3L turbocharged engine as the Mazdaspeed6, but it feels far better matched in the Mazdaspeed3. In the Mazdaspeed6 the engine always felt like it was "behind" the car, never quite getting the upper hand over the car's bulk. In the Mazdaspeed3 it feels much more alive and the car feels much more responsive to throttle inputs. The engine is slightly detuned from the Mazdaspeed6, the Mazdaspeed3 sporting "only" 263hp compared to the Mazdaspeed6's 274hp.
In the Mazdaspeed3, torque is limited in the first two gears to prevent drivers from converting the front wheels into smoke, and prevent them from torquesteering into the curb. It is still possible to squeal the tires in first and second though. In third gear the car comes alive, pressing you hard into your seats with "holy crap" acceleration - eliciting big grins from both driver and passengers alike, or at least the passengers who arent rigid with fear.
Cornering is very flat, and grip is impressive. Unlike the Mazdaspeed6 which would break traction without warning, the Mazdaspeed3 communicates it very well. When the rear starts to step out, the car is very easy to recover. The driving position feels slightly high compared to other cars, but the car feels very stable and handling is very taut. Steering is slightly heavy but precise and provides excellent feedback from the wheels.
The six speed shifter is precise and has relatively short throws, although the bushings give a slightly numb feel. The clutch is easy to modulate and feather, and overall the gearbox and transmission is a pleasure to use.
The suspension is very firm but not punishing. It eats up potholes, railroad tracks, and expansion joints without jarring your fillings from your teeth like you'd get in an Impreza STI or a Cooper Mini. You hear road defects far more than feel them.
Road noise is slightly more pronounced than the VW GTI, but still low enough that one doesn't have to raise their voice to carry on conversations on freeways.
Conclusion
This is the car the Mazdaspeed6 should have been. It has no identity crisis, this car is pure Hot Hatch. In fact at the moment it is the hottest hatch on the market.
This car is also astounding value for money. At $22,835 MSRP you get an amazing package of performance, functionality, practicality, and japanese reliability.
Think of the Mazdaspeed3 like a much faster, more powerful VW GTI which won't break down all the time.