CTC Review: 2010 Mazdaspeed3

[CD_Editor]

a name=Day1>Day 1:

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From the sedate to the mental: this week, I am behind the wheel of Mazda's mental Mazdaspeed3, the little car with big power stuffed under the hood and driving the front wheels only.  Mental, mainly because this is one of the only cars I would say Mazda has ever made that has had more than enough, if not too much, power. Typically, Mazda is more about low-powered fun in the twisties.  More...

[carsncars]

"...in the 2007 Mazdaspeed3 that I drove, 140km/h was at 12 o’clock, 100km/h was at the nine o’clock position and I was constantly in the position of speeding frequently and at risk of being locked up for it. For 2010, the speedometer is updated, placing a more sane 140km/h at 12 o’clock..."

I take it you mean 140 km/h is still positioned at 12 o'clock, but 100 km/h has been edged up towards 11 o'clock? Because from what you wrote, there's no change...

[quadzilla]

Wondering what you think of the red colouring on the seats/doors? Does it look as bad in person as pictures?

[wing]

carsncar that should say 200... not sure what happened there.  I'll fix.

[johngenx]

Saw one in black yesterday, looks MUCH better as the giant lower grille doesn't stand out.

[rrocket]

Saw one in black yesterday, looks MUCH better as the giant lower grille doesn't stand out.

I was wondering about that.......IMO black is the only colour with that horrendous grille/mouth

[quadzilla]

Saw one in black yesterday, looks MUCH better as the giant lower grille doesn't stand out.

I was wondering about that.......IMO black is the only colour with that horrendous grille/mouth

I agree. Saw a black one last week and it hides that big smile very well.

[Nelson]

Once again, Canadians are ripped off. The US pricing of this vehicle is several thousands less given an exchange rate of 93 cents dollar plus we already pay much higher freight.

[Jaeger]

I've been looking forward to this one.  I've been a bit surprised that some of the early test reports show a slower 0-60 time than the outgoing model, and certainly not a standout in the context of contemporary production cars.  I know 0-60 isn't everything, but I was certainly hoping this little rocket would break 6 seconds.

The grille - well - it's awful.  Black lessens the impact, but that huge, bulbous wad of plastic is still there.  And with a bright white Ontario front plate, you get a bonus bucktooth effect.  I think the hood scoop on the Speed 3 version helps a bit - kind of pulls the eye up and away from that gaping black maw.

Jaeger

[johngenx]

With the WRX now coming standard with 265hp, it seems like the no brainer in the segment now.

[initial_D]

Smiley or not ... heck, I will suffer the Joker Humiliation and drive one. Keys? 

[Ontariodriver]

These 3's are basically same as the last Mazda 3's. Just got new skin and interior. Just like the Focus. Still looks a lot like Peugeots from the 90's.

[Gunny]

A nice enough car, I grant you. But it rather spoils the enjoyment when you know that the 300 bhp Focus RS is available across the pond.

[Shnak]

Reports of premature rust in 3... 2... 1... ? Or has Mazda finally improved their paint quality? The answer in 3 years...!

[Leviathan]

These 3's are basically same as the last Mazda 3's. Just got new skin and interior. Just like the Focus. Still looks a lot like Peugeots from the 90's.

Apparently they've reworked the suspension. This 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 Full Test and Video review from Edmunds gives details on that and here is a few quotes on the performance numbers:

We're the first to strap our testing gear to the heavily revised 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 and we'll get the bad news out of the way first. Here goes: It's slower than the old car.

Among the many bits of good news is that it's faster than the outgoing model.

Breathe easy and worry not about the change in acceleration numbers. The 2010 MS3's handling improvements have made it an even quicker car point to point, while its superior ride quality and cabin appointments provide rewards when you dial back the pace.

Mazda has made the MS3 more capable and more fun. And the best part is that it's managed all this for just $455 over the outgoing car. That's something to smile about.

[Flinter]

This new Mazdaspeed 3 appears to be another great performance value from Mazda. I’m not a huge fan of the nose styling either but I think you would forget all about it once you drove the car. The rest of the exterior styling looks very nice IMO. Interior looks good too… I’m sure the redish colored panels on the doors/seats will look better in person.

This is probably a better driving car than the WRX and I’m pretty sure that on the track, it would be a faster overall car. However, the absence of AWD is a bitter pill that I would not be able to swallow.

[johngenx]

This is probably a better driving car than the WRX and I’m pretty sure that on the track, it would be a faster overall car. However, the absence of AWD is a bitter pill that I would not be able to swallow.

With 265hp now standard in the WRX, I wouldn't be too sure of the Speed3 having a performance edge.  The WRX is shockingly fast with many testers feeling the HP ratings are sandbagged.  In fact, the WRX gives almost nothing up to the STi.

The Mazda's interior is nicer, the exterior, well, other than the front, I think is a little better proportioned than the Subaru, but I like the hatch-body Impreza quite a bit.

FWD vs. AWD is the deal breaker, fer shure!  Subaru's AWD just adds so much in terms of high-traction driving dynamics and poor-traction control that I just could not take a Speed3 over the WRX.

[wing]

Leviathan it is obvious the suspension is changed I'll cover that on Day 3   I didn't know it was changed (no official papers) but the drive feels totally different.

[Flinter]

This is probably a better driving car than the WRX and I’m pretty sure that on the track, it would be a faster overall car. However, the absence of AWD is a bitter pill that I would not be able to swallow.

With 265hp now standard in the WRX, I wouldn't be too sure of the Speed3 having a performance edge.  The WRX is shockingly fast with many testers feeling the HP ratings are sandbagged.  In fact, the WRX gives almost nothing up to the STi.

The Mazda's interior is nicer, the exterior, well, other than the front, I think is a little better proportioned than the Subaru, but I like the hatch-body Impreza quite a bit.

FWD vs. AWD is the deal breaker, fer shure!  Subaru's AWD just adds so much in terms of high-traction driving dynamics and poor-traction control that I just could not take a Speed3 over the WRX.

Really looking forward to test driving the newer 265hp version of the WRX.  I’ve also read many reports of it being frighteningly fast. A local Subie sales guy also indicated to me that there is not much reason to pony up for the STI unless you must have the top of the line car. When a salesman tells you not to bother with the more expensive car, there is usually something to it.  I’m also interested in the suspension and tire upgrades that have been made since I leased mine in 2008. In one of my uncommon strokes of wisdom I leased my 08 for only 2 years. 

I agree that the WRX hatch looks much better than the sedan version.

I’ve often wondered why Mazda didn’t at least offer the AWD drive train from the Speed6 as an option on the Speed3? I’m sure it would have made the car more expensive but it also would have made the car a lot more attractive to folks that desire AWD. There are not many options available in affordable AWD performance cars with a manual tranny.

[wing]

Probably because with AWD they didn't figure out how to not blow something up on clutch dumps