Mazda3 MPS

Not so much
>> Engine/exhaust note is uninspiring
>> Steering could have more feel
>> Seats could be better

The second vehicle to wear the Mazda Performance Series (MPS) badge, the 3 MPS shares its powerplant with its 6 MPS all-wheel drive big brother. And the mixture of the bigger car’s lusty powerplant and the donor 3’s smaller, lighter body is a heady one. Forget the sort of performance 'regular' hot hatches deliver -- this pocket rocket is in a different league.

Mazda claims the 3 MPS will accelerate from 0-100km/h 0.5sec faster than the 6 MPS making it quicker than any other current Mazda -- MX-5 and RX-8 included.

In a true case of power to the people, according to Mazda, around 130 3 MPS will find their way into local new owners hands each month -- starting now. If our first drive is anything to go by, Mazda may have underestimated demand for the 3 MPS… Considerably!

Likewise there's a very simple model range. The 'base' 3 MPS priced at $39,990 and a Sport Pack offered at $43,650.

A misnomer, the 'base' is comprehensively equipped with spec including switchable Dynamic Stability Control, six airbags, ABS brakes, cruise control, power windows and mirrors, remote central locking, alloy pedals, climate control aircon, front fog lamps, 18-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels with 45-series low profile rubber and a MP3 compatible six-disc audio system.

Mazda expects around 30 per cent of 3 MPS buyers to opt for the $3660 more expensive SP with its upgraded 225W BOSE sound system, self-levelling Xenon headlamps (with washers), half leather seat trim and high gloss alloys.

The MPS's styling revisions are subtle over the standard 3 with the changes echoing the aggressive edge added to its 6 stablemate. Front guards are around 20mm wider than the stock 3 and there are deeper front and rear aprons -- the rear with a blacked out 'diffuser' panel that's reminiscent of the treatment on BMW's 130i and Mitsubishi's Evo IX. There's a larger rear spoiler and, up front, the bonnet gets 'pumped' to allow room for the intercooler and its cool air 'plumbing'.

Thank goodness, there's nothing as crass as a bonnet scoop. Indeed, the overall effect is muscular but classy -- it'll take a reasonably trained eye to pick a 3 MPS from a well-optioned SP23 (previously the warmest 3 offered).

Except for one thing, that is -- the single 95mm diameter exhaust is straight out of the Fast 'n the Furious school of styling!

The MPS gets more heavily bolstered seats with added shoulder and thigh support and prominent MPS logos. Like most standard small-car seats they are a little short in the cushion but offer reasonable support when it comes time to use some of the 3 MPS's performance in the tight and twisty stuff.

As noted above, standard equipment levels are high. You'll want for little.

There are detailed changes to the centre console stack and a general upgrading of the dash, door and console treatments. The MPS also gets specially finished and calibrated instruments including a 280km/h speedo. The thick-rimmed steering wheel delivers finger (or should that be thumb) tip control for audio and cruise.

Being based on a practical small hatch has its benefits -- indeed it's one of the key long term attractions of hot hatches. Performance matched to a flexible luggage area (thanks to splitfold rear seats) easily accessed thanks to the big, easy-opening hatch. You get the idea.

SAFETY
Active safety plays an important role in any vehicle and the gravitas of it arguably increases along with the potential performance of the car.

The 3 MPS gets both uprated brakes and suspension befitting its role as a serious performer. In the case of brakes, there are discs on all four wheels, with the fronts beefy 320mm vented rotors. Rears are now 280mm and the four-channel ABS features emergency brake distribution and EBA (emergency brake assist).

They may not look as flash as the drilled and slotted rotors on some cars in this arena but they work just fine.

Mazda has also incorporated dynamic stability and traction control as standard equipment.

Front airbags are standard as are side and curtain airbags. Mazda also incorporates an audible and visual seatbelt warning system that indicates if any of the five lap-sash belts are not properly secured.

The MPS gets additional body reinforcements over and above the standard 3 hatch. Three key reinforcements are incorporated: a member which links the firewall with the front strut mounts, gusseting around the rear damper mounts and a closed section member which Mazda says reinforces the hatch's middle tunnel to strengthen the entire structure.

Unlike the milder softroaders engine, the 3 MPS's tune (and therefore claimed power and torque) is identical to the 6 MPS. Peak power is 190kW at 5500rpm and top torque an impressive 380Nm at 3000rpm.

Drawn from Mazda's MZR family of engines, the DISI (direct injection spark ignition) powerplant features direct fuel-injection and a host of strengthened engine internals. For more details check out Wheels magazine's launch review of the 6 MPS

While commonplace in diesel powerplants, direct injection is still relatively rare in petrol applications. Thanks to the more efficient combustion it allows, Mazda's engineers have been able to use higher compression ratios to help reduce turbo lag and capitalise on the claimed 10 per cent increase in torque output at low and medium revs.

Power is transmitted to front-wheels only via a six-speed manual gearbox -- also shared with the (all-wheel drive) 6 MPS. A mechanical torque-sensing limited slip differential using similar internals to the (rear-wheel drive)  RX-8 and MX-5 helps get all those kilowatts and Newton-metres to the ground.

But that's not the only weapon Mazda's used to tame the 3 MPS's muscular output. The 3 MPS features an innovation torque control system built into its engine management system which senses steering angle and available traction and limits torque by way of throttle and boost control in the first two gears. This system works with the traction control and effectively maximises acceleration in a straight line and all but eliminates torque steer in tight corners.

Mazda is a little coy as to the exact details and calibration of the system. Given the bad habits exhibited by some front-wheel drivers with significantly less horsepower than the 3 MPS, their reluctance to bare all is understandable.

No issues with giving chapter and verse on the suspension tune of the 3 MPS however. The front MacPherson strut and the multilink rear set-up have higher spring rates (30-40 per cent stiffer), larger antiroll bars and higher quality dampers front and rear. Mazda says the overall effect is a 60 per cent increase in roll stiffness.

Ride comfort seems to have suffered a touch but most performance buyers would say it's a small price to pay for the 3 MPS's nimble and trustworthy handling.

COMPETITORS
With 190kW the Mazda easily tops Ford's XR5 (166kW), Holden Astra SRi Turbo (147kW), VW Golf GTI (147kW), MINI Cooper S JCW (154kW) and RenaultSport Megane 225 Cup (165kW). It even betters the likes of the significantly more expensive Alfa Romeo 147 GTA (184kW), BMW 130i and the soon to be released all-wheel drive Golf R32!

Even Subaru's bang for buck performance icon the Impreza WRX is eclipsed by the 3 MPS in terms of engine output -- 169kW versus the 3's 190.

And in torque the margin (WRX v 3 MPS) is also considerable and in some of the above cases much greater. Not one of the above cars tops 320Nm -- the Mazda delivers close to 20 per cent more.

Nonetheless, these are the current hot hatch brigade (granted with a few ring ins) against which the 3 MPS will be pitted. Expect to see a number of comparisons in print and on the web before too long.

In terms of pricing, the standard $39,990 3 MPS sits midway between the Ford and Holden ($35,990 and $34,990 respectively) and the $41,990-plus Cup Renaults (probably our favourite hot hatches right now). The Mazda matches the runaway sales success VW on paper, though it's our experience that most GTIs are hitting the road costing closer to $45-48K.

Perhaps the most interesting comparison is still a little way off -- the 3 MPS versus HSV's Astra Turbo-based VXR. Already released in the UK in Vauxhall guise, the VXR boasts 176kW and 320Nm of torque and quotes a 0-60mph time of 6.2sec -- lineball with the 3 MPS.

HSV sources expect the VXR to hit locally at "under $43,000".

ON THE ROAD
The 3 MPS story is one of serious but useable performance. Mazda says the hatch will accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 6.1sec (0.5sec faster than the 6 MPS) and go on to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.

Even more impressive is the car's in-gear urge. With boost from 2500rpm and serious mumbo from 3000rpm (100km/h in fifth), in-gear performance and overtaking urge is biased towards real world conditions.

On the open road (the 3 MPS was launched on a mixture of highway and mountain roads in north-eastern Victoria), the car simply eats up the 80-160km/h range in a way previously reserved for big V8s and exotica. Quite literally in third, fourth or indeed, fifth gear, losing your licence for a l-o-n-g time is barely a tweak of the right ankle away.

Acceleration is seamless and addictive -- the only sour note is the exhaust. Mazda says it's been tuned to highlight the low frequency tones of the turbo four. To our ears it's like a big vacuum cleaner gone wrong. The doof doof brigade might be happy but we'd rather a bit more mechanical symphony.

The real triumph of the 3 MPS is its grace under pressure. In the case of the 3 MPS you can forget the horror tales you've heard of hi-po front drivers. In the mainly dry conditions we experienced there was no appreciable torque steer in a straight line nor in the twisties and the car could be hustled along very quickly.

From a standing start there's very little of the hunting for traction that other high-output front drivers exhibit -- leave the electronics to do their stuff, grab second quickly (to avoid the soft revlimiter) and they won’t see you for dust (not tyre smoke!).

Though it's easy to sit the car in fourth gear and go V8 hunting, the six-speed gearbox has a quality 'snickerty' feel to it which encourages its use. This sort of tactile quality and good pedal placement is hard to get across with the written word. Take it from us, it's one of the better gearchanges around.

The 3 MPS gets a conventional hydraulic steering system (from the 6 MPS) that's significantly meatier than the cooking model 3. It's not rich in feel but nor is there any doubt about where the wheels are pointed and what the road's doing. Ultimately it would be nice to have a touch more subtlety in feedback but given the Mazda's also dealing with all those horses it's a good compromise.

This is a hot hatch that turns in with precision and some alacrity, yet in corners it remains remarkably neutral -- whether the stability and traction control is on or off. In its raw unassisted form, there's little in the way of nasty surprises. You can provoke a little lift-off oversteer though it really only serves to tip the car into the corner a touch.

Overall, handling is trustworthy -- a trait worthwhile when a car can build speed like the 3 MPS.

Brakes as noted above were strong with plenty of feel though the test route hardly taxed their ability.

Are we impressed with the 3 MPS? In a word, yes. The DISI turbo powerplant is powerful and refined (it'll even return 10lt/100km on the combined cycle according to Mazda) and in the 3 MPS it's matched to a well-groomed body and polished chassis.

Around $40,000 might be a lot to pay for a Mazda 3, but so far Down Under hatches don't come any hotter…