By
EWAN KENNEDY
10 July 2006
Mazda has rejoined the hot-hatch brigade with an MPS (Mazda
Performance Series) version of its popular ‘3. The Japanese company
has undergone an impressive revival in the last five years or so and
this latest model is a real indication of its intention to provide
high-performance motoring for the ultra-keen driver.
The Mazda3's predecessor, the Mazda 323,
also came in hot-hatch models during the mid-to-late 1980s. Back then in
front-wheel and four-wheel drive variants.
Interestingly, this time around the
engineers have opted to go only for FWD models, primarily to keep weight
down, but also because using two-wheel drive can add more character to a
car.
Modern-day electronic stability controls
mean that the torque steer, which could have made a front-drive car with
a 380 Newton metre engine all but undriveable at times, are able to tame
the car. Specifically, maximum power (190 kilowatts) and torque aren't
generally available in first and second gear, the engine only able to be
boosted to its maximum in the final four ratios of the six-speed
gearbox.
The 2.3-litre, four-cylinder,
turbocharged engine used in the Mazda3 MPS is virtually identical to the
one we have already admired in the MPS version of the Mazda6. However,
the feel of the two cars is quite different. The all-wheel drive ‘6 is
a sedan, not a hatch, is substantially heavier and is more of a
high-speed grand tourer than a fun-filled hot hatch as is the case with
the Mazda3.
On the road, the Mazda3 MPS is hugely
enjoyable to drive, with minimum turbo lag and a big rush of power once
it gets over about 2500 rpm. It’s happy to rev, but really feels at
its best in the 4000 to 5000 rpm band and offers very safe overtaking as
well as the sort of squirt that keen drivers just love.
We’ve tested the new Mazda3 MPS
extensively in the lovely driving region around Albury-Wodonga on the
NSW-Victoria border. Handling is superb, with virtually no traces of
understeer until you push it far harder than is sensible on public
roads. There's a huge amount of grip and the steering precision is a
real joy to feel. Those keen to really push this car hard should head
for some additional driver training, then to organised events at racing
circuits. It really is that good.
The Mazda3 MPS is a five-door car, rather
than the three-door that’s normally associated with a performance
machine. Thus it’s perhaps not quite as stylish as it could have been
had there only been two long passenger doors. This use of a practical
five-door body isn’t unusual in today's hot hatch market as people
realise that a sporting machine doesn’t have to necessarily be aimed
at just one or two occupants.
There's certainly plenty of punch in the
looks of the Mazda3 MPS. The raised bonnet (to permit the fitment of a
power-boosting intercooler for the turbo) is complemented by the use of
stronger styling in the radiator grille, front bumper and foglights.
Note also that the front guards have been
widened to cope with the extra size of the 18-inch alloy wheels.
Another advantage of the use of two-wheel
drive is that Mazda has been able to contain the price of this MPS. A
tag of only $39,990 (plus on-road costs) is impressive for a machine
that can cover the standing 100 metres in just 6.1 seconds.
Paying another $3660 gets you a sports
pack consisting of part-leather trim which sees you retain the comfort
of sitting on cloth and uses the leather as a visual highlight and a
premium Bose seven-speaker audio system that includes a sub-woofer.
Externally the sports has xenon headlights and a high-gloss finish to
the alloy wheels.
The Mazda3 MPS is on sale now and Mazda
Australia anticipates it taking sales from big V8 engined performance
cars in these times of worryingly high fuel prices.
