Is the MazdaSpeed 3 fast? Well, yeah.
Here’s the deal with the MazdaSpeed 3: There simply is no way to get this much performance and this much horsepower for this little money anywhere else. But to accomplish that, compromises will have to be made.
The Speed 3 starts with the small Mazda 3 hatchback, which is a very good starting point, much better, in fact than another economy car turned super sports compact, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
But instead of competing directly with the Evo, and the Subaru WRX, which both put their power to the pavement through all four wheels, Mazda decided to aim for a lower price point. To do that, it pummels its front wheels – and only its front wheels – with 263 turbocharged horses and 280 lb.-ft. torque. The benefit is a low base price – $24,495, including destination.
This is gen 2 of the Speed 3 and Mazda has spent considerable time and effort trying to tame the front-wheel-drive nastiness out of the car. Did it work? Let’s find out.
The Speed 3 gets an aggressive version of regular 3's smiling face grille.
In a word, no. The Speed 3 is a road-going physics experiment. Stomp on the accelerator and the front wheels lift, just when they’re being asked to transmit all that power to the pavement, unlike a rear-wheel drive car which presses its drive wheels to the pavement. The traction control and the limited-slip differential work frantically trying to find a wheel where they can send the power. If the pavement is rippled, sometimes the answer is neither tire, so the traction control simply cuts power until one of the wheels regains traction.
That’s with the steering wheel pointed straight. Turn the wheel a bit to either side and you realize another physics experiment gone awry. Besides keeping the front end of the car from dragging on the ground, all cars count on their front wheels to perform two primary functions: turning the car and doing the majority of the braking. Front-wheel-drive cars add another component: propulsion. Try to pour 263 ponies through those front wheels – in a relatively light car such as the Speed 3 – and torque steer becomes a problem – a big problem. Pound the throttle with the steering wheel turned and the Speed 3 tries to straighten the steering wheel, as if suddenly possessed by demons. Hey, who’s piloting this rig, the driver or gremlins in the engine room?
Of course, the Speed 3 comes with the obligatory aluminum-clad pedals.
Someday, engineers may solve the torque steer conundrum with a combination of computers, complex algorithms and electric steering, but so far, that day has not come.
The higher the speeds, the less the Speed 3’s torque steer comes into play. At freeway speeds, the car lunges forward like a Jeremy Lin attacking the basket when provoked by the throttle. The quick steering comes alive and makes the car a delight to drive fast.
The other time when the Speed 3 feels right is during normal driving. If you’re not pounding the throttle, the Speed 3 feels like a normal small sedan, albeit one with a very stiff suspension.
MazdaSpeed is Mazda's in-house go-faster tuner.
The six-speed manual transmission – no automatic is offered – shifts smoothly, but the clutch’s engagement is so quick, it’s difficult to operate smoothly.
As with the rest of 3 lineup, the Speed 3 gets the controversial styling updates inspired by Mazda’s Nagare concept, including a version of the new car’s smiling face. It looks as if the car were thrown in a river where the rushing water gently shaped the car’s flowing character lines.
And of course the Speed 3’s coup de gras is the massive hood scoop that appears large enough to swallow a cat. It’s even functional, feeding cool air to the intercooler bolted to the top of the engine.
And what an engine it is. The direct-injected, 2.3-liter four cylinder is pumped up by 15.5 psi max boost to a 263 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. It’s smooth, growls like a baby tiger and it revs to its 6,700-rpm redline – and beyond – in a blink.
But the lusty little engine is hiding a dirty little secret. While automakers across the globe are cramming turbo motors in everything from mid-size crossovers to full-size trucks, performance enthusiasts know that if you keep your foot planted to the floor – and if you owned this car, your foot would LIVE there – turbo motors tend to suck gas as if permanently connected to the gas nozzle.
The Speed 3 is rated at 18 mpg city and 25 highway. We saw 23, including a lot of time on the freeway.
Consider that the bigger, heavier Ford Mustang, with a 305-horsepower V-6 is rated as high as 19/31 mpg.
OK, so the MazdaSpeed folks turned the 3 from an economy car into a bit of a guzzler.
The new car’s interior is similar to past 3s, but suitably modernized. As is the current style, the center stack slopes gently into the console. But, unlike, say the Hyundai Elantra of Chevrolet Cruze, Mazda did not give the 3 a big upgrade in materials and design.
The Speed 3’s seats are stiff and heavily bolstered, holding you in place in keeping with the car’s high handling limits. Still, they’re plenty comfortable for longer trips.
The test car came with a $2,575 tech package that includes navigation, blind-spot monitoring, keyless entry and start, satellite radio, alarm, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights, bi-xenon pivoting headlights, LED taillights and a 265-watt, 10-speaker Bose stereo. Some of those features, particularly the pivoting headlinghts and rain-sensing wipers are not typically seen at this price. A cool blue interior light package adds $200 and auto-dimming mirror with compass and Homelink costs $275, bringing the price to $27,545.
In the end, anyone considering the Speed 3 will have to decide if they can put up with the car’s limitations.
There is no car that can top the Speed 3 for the price, but there is one that comes close. At $26,345 (including destination), the Subaru WRX is just $1,450 more dear than the Speed 3. With similar horsepower and weight, but putting its power to the pavement through all four wheels, anyone looking at the Speed 3 would do well to take a WRX for a spin before signing up for the Speed 3.