2007 Mazdaspeed 3 by Mazdaspeed

Full Test: 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 by Mazdaspeed Accessories

They Said It Twice; They Must Mean Business
By Preston Lerner, Contributor to Edmunds.com
Date posted: 08-29-2007

The factory-tuned version of the Mazdaspeed 3 is a preposterous pocket rocket that straps nearly 300 horsepower to a chassis riding on a racetrack-type coil-over suspension kit. All the good stuff comes from Mazdaspeed Accessories, so this is the Mazdaspeed Mazdaspeed 3 (Mazdaspeed2?).

The car guy tradition suggests that we ought to begin with a heroic scene-setter for a track-ready car like this. For example: "With the edge of the cliff approaching at an alarming clip, we slapped on an armful of opposite lock, and the car instantly hooked up and laid down a pair of rubber tracks on its way down the road."

Within the realm of possibility, but beside the point. For us, the appeal of the Mazdaspeed came into focus while we were slogging through stop-and-go traffic. What struck us, as we toggled back and forth between 1st and 2nd gear, was how, well, normal this car feels.

Another Tuner Special?
Granted, that's what you'd expect when you spend roughly $30,000 $24,650 for a Mazdaspeed 3 Grand Touring five-door hatchback and nearly $5,000 in aftermarket goodies. But you'd be surprised by how many tuner specials should be consigned to one of the lower circles of automotive hell.

It's an old story. A huge team of highly skilled engineers devotes hundreds of thousands of man-hours to optimizing the design of a production car. Then, some yahoo picks a bunch of parts out of a catalog while he's sitting on the can, and slaps them on his car with the help of two buds and a case of Coors. Can you say "prescription for disaster"?

The Mazdaspeed 3 we're driving is Exhibit A for the right way to do a tuner special. The aftermarket parts are branded as Mazdaspeed Performance Accessories, which are sold only by roughly half of all Mazda dealers. Aside from the coil-overs, all of the components are warranteed. Better still, they don't void the standard new-car warranty, and the cost can be rolled into new-car financing.

Mazda didn't get into this business until 2004, and since then, its sales have increased at about 50 percent per year. Jack Stavana, director of accessory operations for Mazda North American Operations, claims that the reason lies in Mazdaspeed's interest in performance, not appearance.

"It's all real stuff, and it's all track-proven," he says. "We don't just put stickers on the cars, and you'll never see Mazdaspeed sticking a badge on an air freshener. We're not about overblown aero kits and huge spoilers and airdams that drag on the ground. We're going after high-performance addicts. So the question we ask ourselves is, 'What can we do to make the car better?'"

Making the Car Better
Dramatically improving the Mazdaspeed 3 is a challenge. Thanks to a turbocharger, intercooler and direct injection, the 2.3-liter twincam four-cylinder engine cranks out 263 hp and 280 pound-feet of torque. Once you factor in some hardware from the Mazdaspeed accessory catalog, the Mazdaspeed 3 gets an aggressive new personality.

The coil-over kit ($1,775, plus $250 for recommended camber links) sits the car right down on the ground. The Mazdaspeed 3 itself is an inch lower than a conventional Mazda 3, and the coil-overs can reduce the ride height another 0.5 to 1.5 inches. The dampers are adjustable in both compression and rebound, and low- and mid-speed damping are affected, so body control is enhanced while ride quality remains much the same.

Once you get the car's weight where you want it by adjusting ride height and corner weights, R-compound 225/40ZR18 Toyo Proxes RA1 tires ($212 each) ride on forged alloy wheels ($550 each).

Pop the hood and feast your eyes on the shiny, sinuous curves of the mandrel-bent aluminum cold-air intake ($399). Peeking out from the rear bumper skirt is the polished tip of the stainless-steel cat-back exhaust ($729). Stavana is coy about how much power these bolt-on Mazdaspeed Accessory pieces produce, but our test numbers suggest at least 25 hp, which would put the Mazdaspeed in the same territory as the Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru WRX STI.

Making the Numbers
Crank the ignition and you're rewarded with the satisfyingly crisp crackle of the exhaust. Feed in some throttle and the turbo spools up with a wicked hiss and the engine note changes to a growl. The clutch bites early and hard. Now, follow these directions: Engage 1st gear, nix the traction control, lean on the throttle, drop the clutch and launch in a haze of squealing, smoking tires.

This car is unexpectedly easy to launch despite the fairly aggressive punch of the turbo. Perhaps because these R-compound tires are so sticky, throttle-modulated wheelspin is a piece of cake. The engine runs out of steam before redline, so short-shifting at about 6,000 rpm produces better results. If you're on the gas, 60 mph comes up in 5.7 seconds, 0.2 second quicker than the stock Mazdaspeed 3. The tuned car runs through the quarter-mile in 14.1 seconds at 100.7 mph, compared to the unmodified car's 14.2 seconds at 100.1 mph.

You can find that the coil-over suspension and wide, sticky tires make a difference in test numbers, although it's not as big as you'd think. There's a huge amount of grip on the skid pad, although the 0.91g that results compares to the stock Mazdaspeed 3's equally good 0.88g. There's understeer at the limit, but it's very mild. The car's flat cornering attitude tells you there's more rear roll stiffness, which is good for the skid pad but makes the car threaten to oversteer through the slalom. The result is 69.0 mph, compared to the stock Mazdaspeed 3's 68.2 mph.

Every Mile Is a Rally Stage
Although you'd expect the suspension to make for a brutal driving experience, the ride is perfectly satisfactory around town. But on the freeway, the Mazdaspeed doesn't so much soak up bumps as it careers over them, and your daily commute turns into a rally stage in Corsica. The adjustable shocks will be a godsend for owners who plan to track their cars. But for street applications, they're close to overkill.

When you're hustling this car through sweepers and switchbacks, you feel like you're driving in one of those heroic scene-setters car guys are always talking about. On the high-speed stuff, the poised chassis accommodates surprises even in the midst of serious cornering. On the slower sections, the car pushes only a bit, and the standard helical-type limited-slip differential helps the front tires carve through the exit.

Meanwhile, the brakes are spectacular. These are stock pads, yet they have plenty of bite, don't fade and don't coat your wheels with dust. The brakes bleed off speed so rapidly that it's hard to believe this car weighs 3,128 pounds. The minimal dive, thanks to the coil-over suspension, also makes braking more impressive. Once you factor in the wide, sticky tires, it's no wonder the Mazdaspeed stops in only 104 feet, a dozen feet sooner than before.

Flipping Through the Toy Catalog
Of course, Mazdaspeed Accessories can't change the nature of the Mazdaspeed 3 itself. For example, the turn into a corner is decisive and the steering effort loads up progressively as the tires grip. But torque steer is a constant irritant. Not only does the steering wheel jerk every time you stand on the gas, you're never sure whether what you're feeling through the steering column is feedback from the tires or torque from the engine.

Of course, this comes with the territory with front-wheel drive. And if the only solution is to subtract horsepower, then the cure might be worse than the disease especially since this Mazdaspeed 3 isn't going to be sold on showroom floors. It's a what-if exercise designed to push the envelope, and it's an excellent example of what sort of fun you can have by playing mix-and-match with the toys in the Mazdaspeed catalog.

Mazdaspeed 3 without the accessories.

STI speed, WRX price tag

California's Highway 198 is a true test of any enthusiast car. It's got a little bit of everything significant elevation gain, differing surfaces, jumps and a big enough variety of turns to satisfy any driving geek. We drove Highway 198 in the 2007 Mazdaspeed 3, a car that brings the road to life in an entirely new way.

You see, there's a lot going on when the Mazdaspeed 3 is working hard on a back road. Its tires bark for grip as they bite the surface, the gearbox whines just enough to be noticeable and the engine whooshes, snorts and snarls. At least, that is, when all four wheels are on the ground.

But that isn't always the case on this road. More than once during our drive we experienced the deafening silence that accompanies air under the tires. It's an impossible-to-ignore peacefulness interrupting an otherwise chaotic sensory overload. And it's one that we'd never experienced on this road probably because we'd never gone this fast here. The Mazdaspeed 3 is a serious enthusiast car. It's a lot of machine for the money and it offers the same balance of speed, practicality and value we've found previously only in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution or Subaru WRX STI.

Hot-rod hardware
Mazda's 3 is a compact five-door or sedan that's been winning comparison tests and proving itself as a class leader since its introduction in 2003 as an '04 model hardly a car capable of Evo or STI-like performance. However, the Mazdaspeed version is fundamentally the same animal, but with an infusion of go-fast hardware that nudges the 3 into the realm of serious performance without proportionally increasing its price.

Mazda's 2.3-liter turbocharged direct-injection four-cylinder engine, which is shared with the Mazdaspeed 6 and CX-7 crossover SUV, is the most significant change. In the 3 it's rated for 263 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, 11 hp less than the Mazdaspeed 6. The torque rating is identical.

The change, according to Mazda engineers, is strictly a matter of differences in engine calibration. The engine, with the exception of insignificant intake and exhaust plumbing changes needed to make it fit the 3's smaller body, is identical to the Mazdaspeed 6 right down to the vanes on the turbo wheels. Both cars use the same six-speed manual transmission although the front-wheel-drive 3 lacks the power take-off unit that sends drive to the rear wheels on the all-wheel-drive 6.

Routing 263 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque efficiently through the front tires is the job of the mechanical limited-slip differential and sophisticated torque management undertaken by the engine control computer. Torque is limited based on two criteria gear selection and steering position and is especially noticeable while cornering in 1st or 2nd gears.

Chassis improvements
Braces were added to the chassis to tie the strut towers to the firewall. There's also a brace under the car that increases rigidity through the body by minimizing flex in the floor tunnel, and a gusset in the rear that decreases flex at the multilink suspension's lower pick-up points.

Ride height is lowered 10 millimeters relative to the standard 3 while the front and rear spring rates are raised 43 and 30 percent, respectively. Damping is increased across the board and the antiroll bars are 235 and 244 percent stiffer front and rear the result of a 5mm increase in diameter at both ends.

Larger front brake rotors and beefier calipers were added to deal with the additional speed and weight. The front rotors increase 0.8 inch in diameter from 11.8 inches to 12.6 inches. Upgraded single-piston calipers are included as well.

Detail work
Mazda tells us that all Mazdaspeed products must pass a visual test that easily differentiates them from the standard cars at a set distance. This is true with the Mazdaspeed 3 if you know what you're looking for. The front fenders are marginally wider, the hood is slightly taller, the foglights are more rectangular and there's a spoiler standing on the rear deck lid. The 10-spoke, 18-by-7-inch wheels are an improvement over the standard car's wheels, but look heavy since there's almost no void area. There's the requisite large chrome exhaust tip as well.

Bottom line? Those who care will know this is a special car, and those who don't, won't. It's subtle enough to slip past a Dunkin' Donuts loaded with handlebar mustaches and mirrored sunglasses without anyone spilling their coffee.

Inside there are deeply bolstered front seats that fully look the part. Editors were split on the seats' lateral support, some feeling the seat bottom was too wide and others finding them perfectly supportive. Our Grand Touring trim level test car had leather bolsters a touch that shows someone at Mazda realizes that leather in the seat bottoms is a bad idea for performance driving. The same thick-rimmed steering wheel from the standard 3 is in place with buttons for the audio system and cruise control. Aluminum pedals dress things up a bit.

Serious numbers
At the track our tester racked up some impressive performance numbers both in a straight line and through our handling tests. Probably the most outstanding number is the 60-0 braking distance of 116 feet. This often overlooked bit of data proves how thorough Mazda's overhaul of the 3 actually is. And even though this is a single-stop number, our abuse of the brakes during aggressive street and track driving proves them worthy of contending with excessive heat.

At the drag strip, we recorded a 0-60 time of 5.9 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 14.2 seconds at 100 mph. That's 0.4 second slower to 60 than the last Subaru WRX we tested, but a staggering 1.3 seconds quicker to that speed than a Honda Civic Si. Plus, the Mazda is at an obvious launch disadvantage in the sprint to 60 against the WRX given the Subaru's all-wheel drive. By the end of the quarter-mile the Mazda's added power makes the contest a dead heat against the WRX and blows the Honda out of the water by almost a full second.

Then there's the matter of top speed normally not a serious consideration for cars in this class. Mazda limits the 3 to 155 mph. Our seat time backs up that claim, but we suspect there's little speed beyond that figure anyway.

The little five-door might not look like a handler, but our numbers prove otherwise. It split the slalom cones at 68.2 mph, only slightly behind the last Civic Si we tested (68.5 mph) and better than the VW GTI (66.1 mph).

In a straight-up contest of grip, the 3 is equally impressive at 0.88g. That's not Evo-like grip, but it's significant considering that the 3 wears 215/45R18 Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires, which aren't known for their outstanding road-holding and should wear fairly well.

On the road
Pin it down on a ribbon of road filled with sweeping bends and you'll find the 3 carrying almost as much speed as an Evo or STI provided that ribbon is racetrack smooth. Mazda insists it doesn't compete with those cars, but we can't help but make the comparison. It's quick enough to require the same heightened awareness needed to drive those cars quickly and, on the right road, will get you there almost as effortlessly. In fact, with a little more grip, it would be hard for any Evo to escape a well-driven Mazdaspeed 3.

The 3's steering is exceptionally responsive just off-center, which makes dispatching transitions as easy as it is quick. It utilizes a 14.7:1 steering ratio almost identical to the standard car. Sixty percent more roll stiffness than a conventional 3 doesn't hurt here either.

Damping feels adequate on smooth roads, but falls apart a bit on uneven surfaces probably thanks to the 3's rather portly 3,163 pounds. Body motions aren't as well controlled as we'd like over bumps which affect the whole car. Oddly, this occurred mostly during normal driving over large undulations like frost heaves or railroad track risers rather than at the ragged edge of the car's limits. It's also clear that the 3 is better suited to smooth roads with sweeping corners rather than rough roads with tight switchbacks. It wasn't uncontrollable out of its element, but it loses some of its otherwise excellent poise.

We do, however, love the engine. You won't find more punch for this kind of money in any other car, and that goes a long way in a class filled with capable contenders. Serious grunt starts well below 3000 rpm but ends the party early with a power peak of 5500 rpm. We found upshifting at 6000 was the quickest in most cases, reserving redline only to save ourselves the hassle of shifting twice before a corner. The shifter, which doesn't like to be rushed, has effort appropriate for the job, but feels a bit disconnected compared to some of its competitors.

Get one now
Even with less-than-perfect suspension tuning and a sometimes awkward shifter, the Mazdaspeed 3 is probably the quickest car in its class on virtually any road. It will hardwire itself to its driver's senses and slot down the tarmac with insane speed and purposeful confidence.

But you better act fast if you plan on buying a Mazdaspeed 3. Cars should arrive at dealers by the end of this month, but only 5,000 are coming to North America (Canada's allotment is maybe 250 cars). Given the car's $22,240 base price we'd wager that they will be hard to come by. Opt for the Grand Touring package, which adds the aforementioned leather bolsters, xenon headlights with an auto-on feature, rain-sensing wipers and a Bose 222-watt audio system with an in-dash six-disc CD changer, and the price goes up to $23,955. Even with our tester's optional $1,750 navigation system the car is a steal.

Highway 198 proved that.

Tons of juicy MS3 info...(thumb)...Seems like the genuine Mazdaspeed upgrades definitely do the job except in the acceleration department...0-60 & 1/4 miles improvements are marginal for the $$$.

yeah but did they do anything about the boost spike, fuel cut, problems cuased by there cia and exhuatst at least cpe performance made a cpe cia to help with boodt spike!