When the next Mazdaspeed3 drops in the UK in December, it could be equipped with a 2.0L four-banger sans turbo.
The next Mazda3 is here. It combines incredible efficiency with head turning design (which makes you wonder what could have happened in the past if Ford wasn’t meddling in Mazda’s affairs). But, the one we really care about is the Mazdaspeed3.
The current hot 3 makes 263 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque from a turbocharged 2.3L MZR four-cylinder. But, if rumours from British AutoExpress are to be believed, the next MPS (their version of the Mazdaspeed3) could be arriving with an up-tuned but naturally aspirated 2.0L four-pot with 200 hp.
It should be said, AutoExpress reports a lot of things that just plainly don’t come true and are so far from reality you’d think their editor-in-chief is The Doctor from Doctor Who. However, the current Mazdaspeed3 is an absolutely brutal car to drive around town, and a dip in power might actually make the hot hatch a little more drivable. A 63 hp drop seems a bit much though.
[Source: AutoExpress via Autoblog]
