TheMAN
10-13-2006, 09:18 PM
Just drove a cosmic blue ms3 over an hour ago... I'll say it now, it's one bad motherfucker! Once boost kicks in, you better hang on for dear life!
it IS confirmed that there will be NO heated seats on the base model (which is what I drove)
cosmic blue looks like titanium gray except it has a blue hue in it... it's a very subdued color and that makes the car a better sleeper than the other colors offered... it really doesn't look that bad!
clutch operation is excellent (for a new school mazda), next from the RX-8's... easy and smooth pedal which makes it great for daily driving in traffic, but not too soft or sloppy like the normal 3 has.. there is also some clutch feel through the pedal, you can easily modulate the pedal up to the engagement point, none of that "on-off" bullshit like the ms6 has
shifter feels pretty much like the ms6's... short but pretty numb due to the cable linkage, not surprising since the tranny is basically the same
while there is engine movement, it is very controlled in that it won't flop around like the normal 3 has... the engine mounts ARE stiffer and that helps with the easier clutch modulation also... shifting at high rpm will just get you a solid jolt from the engine, no bouncing feel at all... this is pretty good for rubber mounts... so not bad for stock!
there IS torque steer if you have the pedal more than halfway down... when boost kicks in, you better hang on or you'll run into the curb! saying mazda reduced the power on 1st and 2nd gear seems like a joke... the power is crazy even in those gears! you don't have to wait for the needle to get to the 6900rpm limiter before you frantically try to upshift!
handling is unfortunately not as good as the MSP mostly due to the higher power, but even so it's pretty good... cornering, there's a hint of understeer but is mostly neutral... DO NOT step on the gas at all while cornering, not even a little bit... because the RPMs are already up there, boost will instantly kick back in and you'll end up spinning your tires around the corner! it makes it seem like the LSD is a 1 way type even though its engagement is smooth
pedal positions have been changed so that you can actually heel and toe now unlike the normal 3's (they watered that shit down for the normal 3 because people were bitching about being able to step on the gas and brake at the same time).... throttle response is mediocre compared to the RX-8 or normal 3, all of these cars have drive by wire throttles but the control logic in the ms3 is just shitty... combine this with a heavy flywheel on the ms3, and that makes rev matching pretty shitty... but at least it can be done now rather than almost impossible!
the seats are extremely supportive and will fit an average sized american just fine without feeling too tight... the steering feels slower and more heavy than the normal 3 due to the fact that it's now using a conventional power steering system for better road feel and a slightly slower steering gear for better "stability"... road feel is definately slightly better than the normal 3 but still nothing compared to the protege's... hell the steering is still better than the new MX-5, so that says a lot!
the "cargo management system" feature in the trunk area has been deleted on the ms3s to 1) make room for the large spare tire, 2) save weight and cost... it is that big plastic tray for storing a small amount of crap under the spare tire cover which is existant in the normal 3s
the exhaust note is awesome... no more subdued noise like the previous mazdaspeed cars, there is actually grunt to the noise... it sounds aftermarket!
so what this thing really needs are 1) better tires, 2) stiffer suspension to reduce rear suspension squat on hard accelleration which means improving traction and stability, 3) larger rear sway bar to make the car handle even more neutral... a racing beat rear sway bar comes to mind
I'd leave the engine related shit alone, this fucking thing is crazy fast as it is... it's a BIG recipe for a ticket!
so go ahead and roast those shitty stock tires away so you'd have the excuse to buy better ones! believe me, it's not hard to do that on this car!
it IS confirmed that there will be NO heated seats on the base model (which is what I drove)
cosmic blue looks like titanium gray except it has a blue hue in it... it's a very subdued color and that makes the car a better sleeper than the other colors offered... it really doesn't look that bad!
clutch operation is excellent (for a new school mazda), next from the RX-8's... easy and smooth pedal which makes it great for daily driving in traffic, but not too soft or sloppy like the normal 3 has.. there is also some clutch feel through the pedal, you can easily modulate the pedal up to the engagement point, none of that "on-off" bullshit like the ms6 has
shifter feels pretty much like the ms6's... short but pretty numb due to the cable linkage, not surprising since the tranny is basically the same
while there is engine movement, it is very controlled in that it won't flop around like the normal 3 has... the engine mounts ARE stiffer and that helps with the easier clutch modulation also... shifting at high rpm will just get you a solid jolt from the engine, no bouncing feel at all... this is pretty good for rubber mounts... so not bad for stock!
there IS torque steer if you have the pedal more than halfway down... when boost kicks in, you better hang on or you'll run into the curb! saying mazda reduced the power on 1st and 2nd gear seems like a joke... the power is crazy even in those gears! you don't have to wait for the needle to get to the 6900rpm limiter before you frantically try to upshift!
handling is unfortunately not as good as the MSP mostly due to the higher power, but even so it's pretty good... cornering, there's a hint of understeer but is mostly neutral... DO NOT step on the gas at all while cornering, not even a little bit... because the RPMs are already up there, boost will instantly kick back in and you'll end up spinning your tires around the corner! it makes it seem like the LSD is a 1 way type even though its engagement is smooth
pedal positions have been changed so that you can actually heel and toe now unlike the normal 3's (they watered that shit down for the normal 3 because people were bitching about being able to step on the gas and brake at the same time).... throttle response is mediocre compared to the RX-8 or normal 3, all of these cars have drive by wire throttles but the control logic in the ms3 is just shitty... combine this with a heavy flywheel on the ms3, and that makes rev matching pretty shitty... but at least it can be done now rather than almost impossible!
the seats are extremely supportive and will fit an average sized american just fine without feeling too tight... the steering feels slower and more heavy than the normal 3 due to the fact that it's now using a conventional power steering system for better road feel and a slightly slower steering gear for better "stability"... road feel is definately slightly better than the normal 3 but still nothing compared to the protege's... hell the steering is still better than the new MX-5, so that says a lot!
the "cargo management system" feature in the trunk area has been deleted on the ms3s to 1) make room for the large spare tire, 2) save weight and cost... it is that big plastic tray for storing a small amount of crap under the spare tire cover which is existant in the normal 3s
the exhaust note is awesome... no more subdued noise like the previous mazdaspeed cars, there is actually grunt to the noise... it sounds aftermarket!
so what this thing really needs are 1) better tires, 2) stiffer suspension to reduce rear suspension squat on hard accelleration which means improving traction and stability, 3) larger rear sway bar to make the car handle even more neutral... a racing beat rear sway bar comes to mind
I'd leave the engine related shit alone, this fucking thing is crazy fast as it is... it's a BIG recipe for a ticket!
so go ahead and roast those shitty stock tires away so you'd have the excuse to buy better ones! believe me, it's not hard to do that on this car!