Japan8

mazdaspeed3 first drive on edmunds
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showt...hp?t=123640862

Full blown 3MPS magazine road test
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showt...hp?t=123641864

Hot under the collar
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...rticleID=18339

First week of 3MPS ownership.
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showt...hp?t=123641808

Enjoy!


Some new ones...

Hot stuff (3MPS Vs R32)
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...ID=19672&vf=14

Sport Compact Car Magazine and Motor Trend
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showt...hp?t=123644879


Update...

First Drive: MazdaSpeed3 IGN.com
http://cars.ign.com/articles/730/730560p1.html

Full Test: Mazdaspeed 3 STI speed, WRX price tag Edmunds
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...hotopanel..1.*

Car and Driver preview test
http://www.caranddriver.com/previews...daspeed-3.html

Mazdaspeed3 Vs Subaur WRX Motor Trend
http://brianr.net/photos/nfpicturepr...s.php?album=21

Mazdaspeed RX8 ver2

thanks!! i enjoyed reading all of the reviews. sounds like an awesome car in general

pdxhak

iTrader: (2)

They really should have made it all wheel drive and not detuned the motor.

Spin9k

Nice reviews, sounds pretty decent overall for a hot hatch, and it has plenty of power (very un-Mazda like), which is a nice change. But it does seem like a lot of shinanegins are going on under-the-covers to make it do what it does. Brute force subdued over finesse basically. You can only do so much to a once-sedan FWD chassis I guess.

Think I'll keep my 8 for a bit yet, perhaps they enliven it too one day soon.

rotary crazy

Im going to love if they put that engine in the mx-5

Red Devil

I think you and I are twins, or something. Near every thread when I'm about respond you've already beat me to what I was thinking...

A MX-5 with this engine will give the Solstice GXP a definite competitor.

Tirminyl

The MX-5 with the 2.3DISI will be pure raw sex.

DrDiaboloco

Oooooh, imagine if they put it in the Mazda5....

zoom44

its like drive .com.au got a completly different car than edmunds did . everything edmunds said was good the drive.com said was bad. just right cushinoning int he seats from edmunds is "The driver's seat is more luxury than sports, with inadequate backrest support." from the aussie etc

Japan8

edmunds reviews tend to suck in general. Their numbers are usually the worst and their opinion many times differs from the majority. I always wonder if they drive the same car as other magazines/sites.

I don't think that drive.com.au review was entirely right, but if you read it more carefully they really only complain about it under track conditions... that the torque control system is unpredictable when pushing the car in corners.

VikingDJ

I was just looking at the specs on the Mazdaspeed 3 on Edmunds. 250hp at 5500RPM, and 280 torque at 3000 RPM. HMMM, the MS6 is 274hp at 5500, and 280 torque at 3000. Am I the only one that finds this a bit odd? I've lost all trust in specs now, especially with Mazda. Considering I now drive an MS6, those numbers for the MS3 look about right on for both cars, although I'm unsure as to how the Ms3 is tuned in comparison. I officially declare my MS6 to be 250hp, not 274 like they claim.

Red Devil

Pretty sure Mazda has made it public that they detuned the engine for the MS3 vs. MS6.

Matt RX8

If only I can convince the wife to buy it instead of the new turbo Mini S.

VikingDJ

It's a little too convenient to have 24 less hp at same exact rpm, and identical torque at same rpm, on the same engine they are currently having tuning issues with. I've been driving this MS6 long enough now to know that the 274hp is in fact overrated. I believe the torque is more accurate though. Don't mis-interpret me though. I'm not complaining here at all. I love this MS6 for it's daily use and, quality feel, so it doesn't matter to me that they overrated the hp on this 6, just as I wasn't bothered when I owned an RX8 and realized the hp was overrated as well. It just makes me wonder about Mazda and why they do this. I find it to be very interesting. Maybe they finally got back on track with honest numbers with this MS3? We'll have to to wait and see.

Either way, imagining the power of this MS6 with 400 less lbs weight, I can see why this little 3 is gonna be a pretty exciting car, even if it is fwd. It should be a big success.

UK BLACK

There are many members on the Mazda 6 Tech Forum who have had their cars dyno and the numbers show the HP to be about right but the torque UNDERRATED by about 25-30 ft/lbs and say a more accurate number to be 300-310ft/lbs. I own the MS6 and I think the number is spot on, mine goes like stink!!

VikingDJ

Hmmm. That's interesting. What are the dyno results exactly? 220-230whp would be about right on. I'd really like to see those dynos if you could link me to them.

I can imagine being wrong because I am very partial to the power of the MS6, considering I traded in an STI for it. Lets just say I lost a crapload of power by making this switch. 26 less hp and 250lbs more weight isn't enough in my mind to have that large of a gap in power between my former STi and current MS6. They really aren't close at all, and the STI will take out an MS6 from a slow roll, dead start, or on highway. I'm just trying to feel this 274hp and I cannot. Perhaps I have a slow MS6. I'm glad you can feel it though. The MS3 should be superior to the MS6 in performance, because you're gonna end up with almost as much, if not just as much power, with a lot less weight.

Renesis_8

http://forum.mazda6tech.com/viewforum.php?f=52
________
Paradise Park Jomtien

VikingDJ

Thanks for the link. I see some major discrepencies, so I'm likely not imagining it with my car. I think after looking at that I'm in that missing power bracket, like several dynos are showing. I'm almost tempted to get my car dyno'ed now, because I know there's no way I'm pushing out 230whp, but I know the torque is definitely there. Since it's a lease, and I'm not gonna keep the car, it's pointless, but this still makes for great reading.

I'm glad some MS6s are producing the hp they are supposed to, but it's obvious there are still some major issues Mazda has to work out when it comes to their high performance vehicles, as a lot of us are apparently not getting the claimed power.

Tirminyl

Don't forget, different dyno readings, temp, etc affects the numbers.

VikingDJ

Naturally, but there is still lots of fine tuning to be worked out with this engine. The good news is, since the MS3 will likely be so popular, and this engine will really become abundant, Mazda will fix these issues, and really have this engine working very well.

Tirminyl

Agreed. Mazda has really put into development and with its engine sharing (MS3, MS6, CX6,...) the fine tuning can only get better.

dynamho

It looks like an all-out hot hatch war.

What do you guys make of this car?
http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/s...n-r/index.html

http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/03072006/45...sion-r-26.html

crossbow

Unless they do what they did with the L3 engine in the 6i and 3s again...which is different ecu's. Which of course means the parts and tuning won't be interchangable.

If anything, I'd say the MS3 isn't detuned at all. Most likely its just an overactive traction control system in the early gears, and re "marked" speed so the MS6 still "appears" to be the performance leader. If it had the same power rating, the rock bottom pricing of the MS6 would drop even lower...Do you realize you can get a Mazdaspeed6 for less then a loaded 6i ATX now? Heck, even a civic si is more expensive!

Now that the MS6 is in the 22k (or less if you really fight for it) range, I'm actually considering it again! lol

VikingDJ

You nailed it. The MS6 has done very poorly, and now with a true enthusiast performer in the MS3, they have no choice but to keep adding incentives. That's why I took advantage of the lease deal, although I could have gotten car for less then 24000 had I purchased. Now it's even cheaper. Even after my buyout, I still get the car for less then $25000 when all is said and done, and that's amazing for a lease. Of course with huge incentives comes massive depreciation, so it's unlikely I'm doing the buyout. Plain and simple, the MS6 is an adult luxury performance sedan.


The 6 can't be out spec'ed by the MS3, because it's a cheaper car, but it's gonna embarass the MS6 on performance no doubt about it. I think the MS3 power will be accurate, and truly tell you what the hp of the MS6 is. The Legacy GT dynos are very similiar in HP to the MS6, yet it's rated at 250hp. That should tell you something right there. When people ask me what hp my 6 has I say 250, because iI can't pretend the car has 274hp when it doesn't. Maybe some do though, who knows. The torque, however is definitely accurate.

Tirminyl

And last I knew LGT's dynoed a bit higher. It is a detuned STI motor afterall.