The rapid development of the Mazda brand, which is under the tutelage of Ford, in recent years has made competitors pretty nervous. Despite attempts by other brands to compete seriously with the developing company, Mazda is slowly but surely gaining another segment.
Ambition
The release of the Mazda 3 MPS seriously hit the pride of Subaru and Mitsubishi, which have long been leaders in this segment. The long-awaited appearance of the model made manufacturers of charged cars think, including the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Opel Astra, Ford Focus and Renault Megane RS. They are the main competitors of the Japanese company.
Aggressive design, stiffer suspension, powerful turbo engine: all this makes it possible to become one of the most sports cars in its class for the Mazda 3 MPS. 2014 portends the Japanese company to be no less successful than the previous ones.
Despite its sporty character, the car combines pleasure with practicality, which is important for everyday trips. Such cars are called "hot hatchbacks." The developers of the car made it so that the buyer could "get burned" only by approaching him, and they succeeded.
If you compare the Japanese hatchback with its direct competitors, then you need to take only the type of body and front-wheel drive. By the power of the engine inherited from the Mazda 6 MPS sedan (also placed on the CX-7 model), the new Mazda 3 MPS stands next to cars like the Impreza WRX STI and Lancer Evolution with turbocharged engines, but it clearly will not be able to compete with all-wheel drive . It turns out that the Japanese hatchback has no competitors in its category, it is the one and only.
Premiere
The car premiered at the Geneva Motor Show in 2006. He appeared on the domestic market in December, after 9 months. The cost of new items, depending on the configuration, was 32-33 thousand dollars, which put the car on a par with the previously mentioned Golf, Opel and other models. The petrol 260-horsepower MZR 2.3 DISI engine brought the Mazda 3 MPS sports hatchback to a new level. Reviews of the first owners aroused even greater interest of potential buyers in this model.
Design
Despite many changes and additions, the car has a lot in common with the appearance of the Mazda 3 Sport configuration. Only a few will be able to notice changes in the shape of the hood, fenders, grille, fog lights, which makes the hatchback more aggressive. The car is equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels with low-profile rubber. The rear of the roof ends with a spoiler, and on the fifth door is the inscription MPS. The diameter of the exhaust pipe increased to 102 mm. Many drivers still do not know that the limit of 150 “horses” for the “treshka” has been overcome, and they cannot understand where she got so much speed and audacity on the roads.
Salon
Finally, the Japanese automaker put in order soundproofing. Designers argue that the noise level inside the car is almost the lowest in the class. The rustle of tires and the “whistle” of the headwind are almost inaudible, and the double pipes of the exhaust system made it possible to reduce the sound of the car by an order of magnitude. It can be said that it is unsportsmanlike, but no. The sound of the Mazda 3 MPS exhaust system has become low and pleasant to hear compared to the sound of a single pipe system.
The designers of the car tried to give it sportiness not only outside but also inside. The interior of the Mazda 3 MPS has bucket-shaped leather and fabric seats with red MPS inscriptions. The seats have excellent lateral support, which is important in such a frisky car. The driver has the opportunity to adjust the seat height or adjust the lumbar zone, which is not the case with the passenger seat. The angle of inclination of the backrest of the driver’s seat is carried out by means of a plastic wheel, and by the lever of a passenger. The driver can more accurately adjust the backrest due to this difference.
An integral part of the interior of civilian cars with a sports bias are aluminum pedals. In general, the interior of the Mazda 3 MPS does not differ from the “civilian” modification, except for the dashboard, marked up to 280 km / h. As in the standard three-wheeler, the extreme position of the speedometer’s hand at 280 km / h is in the same place as the minute hand of the clock at ten minutes past one.
There is a lot of space to the right, there is a seat belt sensor, a battery charge sensor and a passenger airbag sitting in front. Such a compact layout makes it difficult to monitor the speed of the car, compared with the 150-horsepower 2.0-liter Mazda 3.
Options
Standard options of the MPS model are the same as for the Sport modification with a 2.0-liter power unit, namely: climate control, seat heating, xenon light, rain sensor, headlight washer. In bad weather, the washer does not always turn on, but only after several clicks on the steering column lever and, according to the law of meanness, usually at the most inopportune moment. It works round the clock, as the dipped beam of the car turns on automatically and always works.
The washer operates in 2 stages: the nozzles give the first injection while pressing the steering column lever and, after the wipers stop sliding on the glass, a second injection is performed on the headlights, due to which small drops of water appear on the windshield, which still have to be removed one wave of the janitors. In bad weather, a 3.5-liter washer reservoir is enough for only one evening of such manipulations. A separate button on the washer could fix the situation, but it was not provided.
On the road
You forget about all the oddities and shortcomings when you sit behind the wheel of a Mazda 3 MPS. Technical characteristics of the car will satisfy many sports enthusiasts, not to mention the ordinary driver. 260 l from. turn the car into a real beast. As soon as the tachometer needle overcomes the mark of 2.5-3 thousand revolutions, the turbine turns on and the hatchback breaks down with tremendous acceleration, leaving other cars behind. The driving experience is indescribable, and the sound of the engine is pleasant and bewitching. The overall picture is slightly spoiled by front-wheel drive. The steering wheel should be held with both hands so that the car does not carry away from the desired lane.
The front wheels skid on the road at low speed, and even the towing system cannot hold them. The car is clearly not enough four-wheel drive. The Mazda 3 MPS engine is able to accelerate the car to an indicator of 100 km / h in 6.1 seconds, if you switch to second gear in time. The turbine increases the torque, which reaches a maximum of 380 Nm at 3,000 rpm. The car is equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox. The Mazda 3 MPS clutch is a tough, tuned for sports driving. Gear changes are quick and clear.
A nice addition for an inexperienced driver will be the stabilization system, it is also DTS. You can only take the car into a skid at high speed, on a sharp bend or on an ice surface. When the trajectory of the vehicle no longer coincides with the desired for the driver, the DTS is included in the work and does not allow the car to leave the desired path. The stabilization system can be deactivated, but after that you should rely only on yourself. A serious mistake - and the car in the ditch.
Suspension
Independent suspension MPS proved to be excellent: the car turns perfectly, the absence of noticeable rolls and excellent absorption of small bumps in the road. The previous model on a similar road would “shake my whole soul” out of the driver. In the updated version, everything is soft and smooth. As for open sewer manholes and speed bumps, they cannot be overcome with acceleration. Mazda 3 MPS brakes instantly respond to pedal depressions and show a strong deceleration of the car even at high speed. Reduced by 1 cm ground clearance also contributed to the excellent handling of the car. The increased rigidity of the body, which was achieved through the use of new durable and elastic grades of steel, also affected.
Consumption
The car was surprisingly quite economical. Four-wheel drive Mazda 6 with the same engine spent fuel an order of magnitude more. With a quiet city ride, the "treshka" fits into 11 liters, while with a suburban it spends about 8 liters per "hundred".
Surcharge
Very popular in the domestic market is the 2.0-liter Mazda 3 Sport. The basic version costs $ 24,800. About $ 2,500 will have to pay for a leather interior, cruise control, tinted windows and a Bose audio system. The result is about $ 27,300.
Add to all the 18-inch wheels, a sports exhaust system, sports seats and an additional 110 “horses”. For all this good, they will take more than Mazda asks for - the MPS model costs only $ 5,400 more than the "treshka" in the same configuration - $ 32,700. Modification with standard “music” will cost even less - $ 31,500.
It should be noted that this is a relatively small surcharge for such a car.