Mazda 3 MPS

dcGT

Has anyone seen these yet? Saw a car transporter the other day with 3 of them on it. A Mazda 3 with a 2.3L Turbo producing 256BHP. I think it's the same lump out of the Mazda 6 MPS. The Irish Mazda site says the price is still 'T.B.D'. Surely a good contender for the most powerful hot hatch and would be in the realms of the Golf GTI and Leon Cupra etc.

I wonder if it will sell over here. Don't see many Mazda 6 MPS. I think she looks well.

http://www.wcoty.com/upload/images/vehicle_193.jpg

Thoughts?

DC.

C_Breeze

Although I love mazdas , that one is meant to drive like a pig. (unlike the 6mps)

the main difference being is that its is FWD whereas the '6' is AWD

Power its got ... but its not all about power and numbers on a piece of paper.

dcGT

C_Breeze wrote: »

the main difference being is that its is FWD whereas the '6' is AWD

True, seems to be another Astra VXR (power for the sake of it and no way to put it down). Shame about the handling. I think it's something different and understated. At a glance, it looks like a 1.3 with alloys

DC.

Mailman

The traction control is supposed to be very intrusive and if the steering wheel isn't in the straight on position the throttle is er.. throttled
supposed to be a bit gutless at low revs too but that is based on reports from US customers who are used to large displacement engines.

omega man

Bought one 2 weeks ago. Fantastic car and i just want to drive it any chance i get. I wanted something fast, practical and discreet. It has massive power for a hatch and i have chewed up many an unsuspecting motorist on the M1! I suggest drive it before comments like 'drives like a pig' are made. Got very good reviews from autoexpress, parkers and what car in the UK. I will admit it requires attention in the wet when flooring it but it has a number of gadgets to cope with the 260bhp in a fwd car including a limited slip dif etc. I sold my 04 bmw 320D m sport for this and so far i havent looked back. (except to see the gti in the distance!)

omega man

Some reviews:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/203332/mazda_3.html

http://www.whatcar.co.uk/car-review-summary.aspx?NEW_USED=1&MA_TYPE=1&MA=25&RT=2663&Submit1=GO


http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/review.aspx?model=1536

Biro

It's getting good reviews over in Autocar too, and I value their opinion more than any other car mag. They have one long term. Where it's not supposed to be as rewarding as the likes of the ST in the steering and handling department, it is supposed to be a fantastic all rounder. Got a bit of criticism for looking too ordinary, but I like that.
Mazda along with Autocar went to the nurburgring to set a new record for fastest production hatch, but t'was raining. Autocar reckon they'll suceed when they try next time so long as the weather holds out.

dcGT

omega man wrote: »

Bought one 2 weeks ago. Fantastic car and i just want to drive it any chance i get. I wanted something fast, practical and discreet. It has massive power for a hatch and i have chewed up many an unsuspecting motorist on the M1! I suggest drive it before comments like 'drives like a pig' are made. Got very good reviews from autoexpress, parkers and what car in the UK. I will admit it requires attention in the wet when flooring it but it has a number of gadgets to cope with the 260bhp in a fwd car including a limited slip dif etc. I sold my 04 bmw 320D m sport for this and so far i havent looked back. (except to see the gti in the distance!)

Nice choice omega_man, sounds like a real wolf in sheeps clothing How's the build quality/interior? Also, how much was it?

DC.

omega man

dcGT wrote: »

Nice choice omega_man, sounds like a real wolf in sheeps clothing How's the build quality/interior? Also, how much was it?

DC.

Quality seems fine and plenty of kit. Although going from a high spec bmw it seems a little less comfortable but i bought it for the engine and the driving experience so i wont complain. It was a May 2007 registered demo with 6500KMS on the clock and mazda warranty until May 2010. I got good money for my bmw so it didnt cost me too much. The list price was 34500
and i believe the list price of a new one is 38K or there abouts.

Táck

mazda 3 mps...what a car. had one for a weekend and i just wanted to drive drive drive. found myself increasing walking speed when it was in sight distance.

its the only car thats ever given me whiplash from its sheer power. first gear is very short and in wet conditions not very easy to control. but the car is such a joy to drive. on paper and on record its down as a 260bhp but apparently its putting out 276 because any more then 260 and dealers have to pay a higher vrt bracket or somehting along the lines of that. i dunno how true that is though but i was told by a dealer and lets just say he wasnt trying to sell me the car.

the one i had was silver but i'm torn between that and the black. park motors have a greeny coloured one as well but black is slick and silver looks the part with the 17"s. interior wise i think its fine. climate control air con and from 08 onwards all will be full leather. the circular dials are sporty looking and mazda's stereos are a notch up on ur standard car radio. this, i think, has a 6 cd head unit as well which is nice.

this has the same engine as the mazda 6mps and the mazda cx-7 but the 3 is the fastest...top quality car. i envy anybody that owns one. i cant wait to get behind the wheel of another one.

C_Breeze

omega man wrote: »

Bought one 2 weeks ago. Fantastic car and i just want to drive it any chance i get. I wanted something fast, practical and discreet. It has massive power for a hatch and i have chewed up many an unsuspecting motorist on the M1! I suggest drive it before comments like 'drives like a pig' are made. Got very good reviews from autoexpress, parkers and what car in the UK. I will admit it requires attention in the wet when flooring it but it has a number of gadgets to cope with the 260bhp in a fwd car including a limited slip dif etc. I sold my 04 bmw 320D m sport for this and so far i havent looked back. (except to see the gti in the distance!)

Ok that was a bit of an exaggerated claim that it drives like a pig, but 260bhp is a lot for the two front wheels that are already busy steering the car - pretty much all the reviews mention that it feels like it has too much power and too much torque steer.

The understated looks are a plus IMO, I have always been a fan of the wolf in sheeps clothing type of cars.

Congrats anyway ... i would take the 3MPS over a golf GTI anyday.

Best of luck and try not too speed

Táck

oh another good thing, the majority of people havent a clue what it is. these lads pulled up beside me at lights and i'd never usually race but i jsut wanted to put them in their place. they had a car, dunno what it was but it was skyline, levin esque shape but not a skyline. anyway it lights went green and i left him for dirt. got to the next set of lights and i didnt even look at him but my mate did and he had his window down "what the f**k is that???"

satisfying to say the least

omega man

Táck wrote: »

oh another good thing, the majority of people havent a clue what it is. these lads pulled up beside me at lights and i'd never usually race but i jsut wanted to put them in their place. they had a car, dunno what it was but it was skyline, levin esque shape but not a skyline. anyway it lights went green and i left him for dirt. got to the next set of lights and i didnt even look at him but my mate did and he had his window down "what the f**k is that???"

satisfying to say the least

Ye got that on a number of occasions so far and like yourself i dont do the lights thing. Over took a MKV gti the other day on the M1 (doing about 100 kmph) so he pulled right in behind me and drove up my arse so i floored it leaving him wondering how that 'mazda 3 1.4L' was so fast!!! Would loved to have seen his face. having driven a bmw though i get more satisfaction messing with them! Why else would you want a 3 mps??? Stealth mode!

Táck

yeah some people slate the 3 saying "ah front wheel drive" "useless around corners" but i'd love to know have they drove it. its moments like ours above that make it worth its weight in gold. in a straight line its the bee's knee's

TCP/IP

Nice load of power only thing going aganist it is - Its a Mazda

pburns

TCP/IP wrote: »

Nice load of power only thing going aganist it is - Its a Mazda

:rolleyes:

I like Mazdas but the 3 hatchback is fugly and the saloon a bit effete looking.

Stumbled across this today - supposed '09 Mazda 3 - Nice!

http://thehollywoodextra.blogspot.com/2007/10/2009-mazda3.html

Táck

its a mazda? please elaborate

omega man

TCP/IP wrote: »

Nice load of power only thing going aganist it is - Its a Mazda

What’s wrong with Mazda? Do they not have an excellent reliability record and a good build quality history? I went from a Skoda octavia vrs to a BMW 320 to the Mazda so im not about the badge. Anyhow what’s the mps's competition? golf gti?, focus st?, leon cupra?, civic type r? megane RS?, astra opc?. Sorry but your comment was slightly ignorant imo.

whippet

while looks are subjective, personally I don't like the look of the MPS, to be honest nothing excites me about it.

The 0-60 speed is probably a slight bit lower than a MK VI GTi, the HP numbers are a bit more .. but in reality that means nothing.

How many normal road drivers would be able to get the MPS to 60mph quicker than a DSG Golf GTi?

Horses for courses but nothing about the MPS would want me to swap the GTi for it.

You might wonder why I am talking about the GTi, but it just seems that all VRs, ST, OPC and MPS owners just compare their cars to the GTi, quoting figures from the spec sheet and always seeming to be trying to justify their choice. Cars are more than just specs and engines, the whole ownership package is the most important and the GTi ticked all those boxes for me.

For others it is the OPC, the ST, the MPS or what ever!! So what if you managed to overtake a GTi or leave a 320 at the lights !

JoeA3

Its just too bland looking... most would think its a "1.4 with alloys". And while some might like that understatement, I think that if the car doesn't have an existing brand image, it needs to stand out from the crowd a bit more! As a result, its residual value would plummet I'd imagine. Who wants to spend big bucks on a big engined mazda hatchback?

You could also argue that the GTI is similarly under-styled, but the GTI has the brand-image, loyal following, etc, and will always be a desirable choice.

pburns

whippet wrote: »

You might wonder why I am talking about the GTi, but it just seems that all VRs, ST, OPC and MPS owners just compare their cars to the GTi, quoting figures from the spec sheet and always seeming to be trying to justify their choice. Cars are more than just specs and engines, the whole ownership package is the most important and the GTi ticked all those boxes for me.

For others it is the OPC, the ST, the MPS or what ever!! So what if you managed to overtake a GTi or leave a 320 at the lights !

It was a similar story back in the '80s when the Astra/Kadett GTE was much faster in a straight line but not a patch on the Golf overall.

Golf bad value though in comparison to this:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=803017

whippet

pburns wrote: »

It was a similar story back in the '80s when the Astra/Kadett GTE was much faster in a straight line but not a patch on the Golf overall.

Golf bad value though in comparison to this:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=803017

i wouldn't agree, the depreciation on the Mazda would be horrendous !! something similar to the situation someone I knew selling a 1 year old S40 T5 .. paid well over 40K and sold 12 months later for €23.5K.

Plus, I would still prefer the GTi to the MPS 6, especially if I had to fork out an extra 6K or so to own one.

omega man

whippet wrote: »

while looks are subjective, personally I don't like the look of the MPS, to be honest nothing excites me about it.

The 0-60 speed is probably a slight bit lower than a MK VI GTi, the HP numbers are a bit more .. but in reality that means nothing.

How many normal road drivers would be able to get the MPS to 60mph quicker than a DSG Golf GTi?

Horses for courses but nothing about the MPS would want me to swap the GTi for it.

You might wonder why I am talking about the GTi, but it just seems that all VRs, ST, OPC and MPS owners just compare their cars to the GTi, quoting figures from the spec sheet and always seeming to be trying to justify their choice. Cars are more than just specs and engines, the whole ownership package is the most important and the GTi ticked all those boxes for me.

For others it is the OPC, the ST, the MPS or what ever!! So what if you managed to overtake a GTi or leave a 320 at the lights !

What? The mkv gti (manual) has a 0-100km of 7.2 while the mps is 6.1 (WRX territory), They are not even close! Justifying choice? The MPS costs 38K new so an mps buyer could easily get a gti. I bought it for the power and the fact its plain looking appeals to me as im 30 and have kids etc so i dont want a max power car (not that the gti is that). Why would you want a fast car if not for overtaking etc? If i wanted just a good looking car with a badge i would have kept my bmw which looked far better than my mps!!

Táck

omega man wrote: »

What? The mkv gti (manual) has a 0-100km of 7.2 while the mps is 6.1 (WRX territory), They are not even close! Justifying choice? The MPS costs 38K new so an mps buyer could easily get a gti. I bought it for the power and the fact its plain looking appeals to me as im 30 and have kids etc so i dont want a max power car (not that the gti is that). Why would you want a fast car if not for overtaking etc? If i wanted just a good looking car with a badge i would have kept my bmw which looked far better than my mps!!

now i'd have to disagree with you on that one omega man

omega man

whippet wrote: »

i wouldn't agree, the depreciation on the Mazda would be horrendous !! something similar to the situation someone I knew selling a 1 year old S40 T5 .. paid well over 40K and sold 12 months later for €23.5K.

Plus, I would still prefer the GTi to the MPS 6, especially if I had to fork out an extra 6K or so to own one.

I just can believe that depreciation on the S40! I bought a new skoda octavia vrs (2006 MKII) for 32K and sold it for 27K a year later so im not worried about the mazda tbh.

omega man

Táck wrote: »

now i'd have to disagree with you on that one omega man

The BMW? Ye it looked lovely, a 04 320D M-Sport in black! Looked the part but just too slow for me.

whippet

omega man wrote: »

What? The mkv gti (manual) has a 0-100km of 7.2 while the mps is 6.1 (WRX territory), They are not even close!

What I was talking about was the DSG GTi, which has a 0-60 of 6.9sec, and I would say that the average driver wouldn't be able to get the MPS to it's 0-60 time as a manual as opposed to the ease of the same sprint from the DSG GTi.

I am not trying to play down the MPS, it's not my cup of tea. It is a sweet motor, as is the OPC and the ST ... personally I prefer the GTi.

dcGT

omega man wrote: »

The BMW? Ye it looked lovely, a 04 320D M-Sport in black! Looked the part but just too slow for me.

But the MPS is certainly not as common

DC.

Táck

omega man wrote: »

The BMW? Ye it looked lovely, a 04 320D M-Sport in black! Looked the part but just too slow for me.

i find it hard to think what car will satisfy you after the mps...

omega man

whippet wrote: »

What I was talking about was the DSG GTi, which has a 0-60 of 6.9sec, and I would say that the average driver wouldn't be able to get the MPS to it's 0-60 time as a manual as opposed to the ease of the same sprint from the DSG GTi.

I am not trying to play down the MPS, it's not my cup of tea. It is a sweet motor, as is the OPC and the ST ... personally I prefer the GTi.

Whippet you will get no arguement from me on the GTI! Its a cracking car and im not saying the MPS is a better car. Its more powerful and as the GTI suits your needs so does the MPS for me! I agree on the DSG point but any decent driver should get the MPS ahead of the DSG GTI and as i said before i dont really do the lights thing, i prefer the mid range battle!

omega man

Táck wrote: »

i find it hard to think what car will satisfy you after the mps...

Sadly i get bored far too easy! I have promised the wife i will keep the mps for 2 years so unless i want a divorce i will have to stick with it. In saying that i cant imagine wanting to change. To get a similar powered car with a bmw or the likes badge is just out of my budget and out of common sense for me also. I have always loved the golf R32 but even the new 3.2 V6 is only 250BHP!

omega man

dcGT wrote: »

But the MPS is certainly not as common

DC.

Totally agree DC, thats one of the reasons i changed to the MPS.

pburns

omega man wrote: »

Totally agree DC, thats one of the reasons i changed to the MPS.

Horses for courses and all that. A 3 MPS wouldn't be my choice but kudos to someone who buys a car purely for it's driving characteristics rarther than spending €€€€€s on some over-hyped Teutonic masterpiece.

Having said that, in this sector i wouldn't look past the Golf GTi

omega man wrote:

...a 04 320D M-Sport in black! Looked the part but just too slow for me...

O dear, I hope the PC police aren't about! Over 150bhp in a smallish saloon with mid-range diesel torque ain't slow...

whippet

omega man wrote: »

Sadly i get bored far too easy! I have promised the wife i will keep the mps for 2 years so unless i want a divorce i will have to stick with it. In saying that i cant imagine wanting to change. To get a similar powered car with a bmw or the likes badge is just out of my budget and out of common sense for me also. I have always loved the golf R32 but even the new 3.2 V6 is only 250BHP!

The r32 is not that great to be honest, I had one for a weekend, apart from the 4WD it's not that much more special than the GTi .. deffo not 18K better .. much the same as the 3.2 TT vs 2L TT

As for the 'common' argument .. on a trip to cork a few months ago .. I spotted 3 GTIs and 5 Bentley Conti GTs !!! so on that trip my motor was more exclusive than a €200K+ Bentley

To be honest, as long as I like the motor under my ass I am happy !!

omega man

pburns wrote: »

Horses for courses and all that. A 3 MPS wouldn't be my choice but kudos to someone who buys a car purely for it's driving characteristics rarther than spending €€€€€s on some over-hyped Teutonic masterpiece.

Having said that, in this sector i wouldn't look past the Golf GTi


O dear, I hope the PC police aren't about! Over 150bhp in a smallish saloon with mid-range diesel torque ain't slow...

Believe me it feels slow when you go from a similar sized 200BHP petrol car! It is deffo too slow compared to the MPS. In general the 320D had ample power for day to day driving but wont get your blood flowing!

TCP/IP

omega man wrote: »

What’s wrong with Mazda? Do they not have an excellent reliability record and a good build quality history? I went from a Skoda octavia vrs to a BMW 320 to the Mazda so im not about the badge. Anyhow what’s the mps's competition? golf gti?, focus st?, leon cupra?, civic type r? megane RS?, astra opc?. Sorry but your comment was slightly ignorant imo.

Agreed the Mazda has great reliability but the insides are cheap and tacky looking. Before I changed for my new car I looked at the Mazda 6 MPS and while it had lovely performance and a great engine it was just to cheap and plasticy for me. Hope this explains what I ment.

Have to agree with you on one thing though, certainly will not be many of them on the road.

Look forward to meeting you at a set of lights

omega man

TCP/IP wrote: »

Agreed the Mazda has great reliability but the insides are cheap and tacky looking. Before I changed for my new car I looked at the Mazda 6 MPS and while it had lovely performance and a great engine it was just to cheap and plasticy for me. Hope this explains what I ment.

Have to agree with you on one thing though, certainly will not be many of them on the road.

Look forward to meeting you at a set of lights

I will be the one with the baby seat in the back

TCP/IP

Class mate I like it

Táck

yes because if he's lucky he might just catch a glimpse of ur back seat omega man !!

whippet

omega man wrote: »

I just can believe that depreciation on the S40! I bought a new skoda octavia vrs (2006 MKII) for 32K and sold it for 27K a year later so im not worried about the mazda tbh.

it was a massive financial ooops from yer man .. I even considered buying it at one stage .. but it just didn't tick any boxes for me. Handled like a pig and was very very thirsty !!

omega man

whippet wrote: »

it was a massive financial ooops from yer man .. I even considered buying it at one stage .. but it just didn't tick any boxes for me. Handled like a pig and was very very thirsty !!

Must say the S40 T5 was a car that had interested me but that probably explains why there are not many about. Doesnt the new C30 T5 share the same engine? Havent heard much on the volvo hot hatch.

omega man

Interesting 3 MPS Nurburgring road test.

http://www.carnet.ie/features743.html


" a lap time of 8 minutes and 39.66 seconds. That’s just 4.64 seconds off the lap record. "

druncle

I'm not sure if I'm responding to a very old post but the Mazda3 MPS set me back about Euro-36000. It feels like a great deal when I compare it to the price of cars with similar performance but the most notable characteristic is the smile it gives you in so many areas. Usually it's cause the vast majority of road users look at it and all they see is Mazda 3 most notably all those souped up cars out there with their owners revving the crap out of them at the lights. The confused look on their faces when subtle Mazda eases gently past them is priceless!
It's just nice to be in an understated wolf in sheeps clothing.

C_Breeze

druncle wrote: »

I'm not sure if I'm responding to a very old post but the Mazda3 MPS set me back about Euro-36000. It feels like a great deal when I compare it to the price of cars with similar performance but the most notable characteristic is the smile it gives you in so many areas. Usually it's cause the vast majority of road users look at it and all they see is Mazda 3 most notably all those souped up cars out there with their owners revving the crap out of them at the lights. The confused look on their faces when subtle Mazda eases gently past them is priceless!
It's just nice to be in an understated wolf in sheeps clothing.

Welcome to the motors forum , and the fact that it is one of the best wolf in sheeps clothing around i'd say is a major novelty to have against boy racers and the car's best attribute

druncle

Thanks,
It's good to be here!
Although I'm lookin out at my car and wondering what excuse I can use to go out in it again - it just makes me grin from ear to ear like a 5 year old!

omega man

druncle wrote: »

Thanks,
It's good to be here!
Although I'm lookin out at my car and wondering what excuse I can use to go out in it again - it just makes me grin from ear to ear like a 5 year old!

Know the feeling druncle. I am yet to see another 3 MPS around, what neck of the land are you in? I see in the UK they have an option called the 'Aero Kit' with gives it a more hot hatch look but as you mentioned the 'wolf in sheeps clothing' is what appealed to me also. Was behind a boxter the other day at the lights and as he was reving so much i decided when he floored it i would too and when he got to 100 and i was right behind him he just slowed down, could see him peeping in his rearview mirror! How are you on fuel? I drive it hard now and then but still average 30mpg which is only 7 less than my old 320D! I filled it with 95ron the other day (no choice) and i am really noticing the difference so need to drain it off asap.

C_Breeze

Drove a gorgeous black 3 MPS for 2 Laps in Mondello yesterday. I'll take back anything bad i may have said about this car.

Its an absolute beast to drive, and the sheer power of it is excellent ... it does suffer from torque steer being Fornt wheel drive but not nearly as bad as magazines would make out. I was hammering it into corners and oversteer was controlable enough!


Fantastic car ... and the sound of it is amazing!

dcGT

omega man wrote: »

I filled it with 95ron the other day (no choice) and i am really noticing the difference so need to drain it off asap.

What alternative are you using omega man?

DC.

omega man

dcGT wrote: »

What alternative are you using omega man?

DC.

Maxol's E5 (99 Ron). Its been at selected maxol stations for a while and will be rolling out to all very soon (i hope). I use the Mespil road maxol when i can.

Carlmc

Just traded "up" from my 06 gti to buy the stonkin Mazda 3 Mps
i cant stress enough how much of a better car the little Mazda is
ive owned 4 gti's and really liked them until i tested the Mps its like
nothing ive ever driven,how they control 260 bhp with very little torque steer is amazing.
So whippet don't knock the Mps till you have tried it,also while i liked my
golf the interior was so bland just like sitting in the 1.4 apart from the seats....ps as for gettin the power down to beat a gti 0-60 ive spun the wheels in 1st and 2nd and still destroyed my mates 07 Golf Gti with Dsg,
go for a drive in the jap box whippet,im waitin for your reply..........

fletch

Carlmc wrote: »

Just traded "up" from my 06 gti to buy the stonkin Mazda 3 Mps
i cant stress enough how much of a better car the little Mazda is
ive owned 4 gti's and really liked them until i tested the Mps its like
nothing ive ever driven,how they control 260 bhp with very little torque steer is amazing.

It is....I did a few laps around Mondello in one and was convinced it was a 4 wheel drive car.