I came up behind the Evo at a stoplight. When it went green he punched it, blasting away from the line of SUVs and Minivans in the left lane. I followed, keeping up, not racing, just enjoying the rush of acceleration. We held a just-slightly illegal speed through a couple of twisty bits, not racing, just following, keeping up, until the next light.
He was signaling right, I was heading left and when I came along side he motioned for me to open the window. As my passenger side power window lowered, he yelled across ‘Is that a Speed 3?’
‘Yes’
‘Good. If it wasn’t I would be worried.’

From the zoom-zoom gang at Mazda (Fords most juvenile division?) A sweet little sleeper for the Hot Hatch wars, so stealthy even grown ups are allowed to drive it.

Basic Specs
The Mazdaspeed3 is a small, practical little station wagon. It has a pair of comfortable and well bolstered front seats, 2 reasonable sized back seats (with fold down armrest/cup holder) (or 3 Cozy back seats). The hatch covers a surprisingly large cargo area. As usual for hatchbacks the back seats can be folded down (one or both) to add more cargo capacity. It is powered by a 2.3 Liter Turbocharged/Intercooled/Direct Injected 4 cylinder engine that pumps massive power into a 6 speed transmission feeding a very necessary limited slip differential driving only the front wheels.

The interior has a variety of cubbies, cup holders, and an immense glove box.

Comfort
The GT version has comfortable leather seats with cloth inserts. The driver’s seat has adjustable height and lumbar support, in addition to the usual forward backward and recline features. The passenger seat only slides and reclines. The Bolstering is subtle, providing good grip when cornering briskly, but not trapping you in a hard-sided racing seat. It also has a (perhaps overcomplicated) automatic climate control that will take some getting used to, an in-dash cd changer/am/fm with satellite and aux input (2008.5 models will also play mp3 disks), and Power windows and locks. Other nice touches include automatic headlights, wipers, cool blue dash lighting, a trip computer, dual trip odometers and even a factory installed ashtray and lighter. So it’s a little luxury car, right?

Performance
This sweet little luxury car has a monster under the hood, a barely tamed and harnessed monster that wants nothing more than to give you a helluva ride from its 3000 rpm 280 ft-lb torque peak to its 5500 rpm 263 bhp horsepower peak. Then up shift and start over.

In 1st and 2nd gears the engine computer cuts back power to reduce torque steer, but hit 3rd gear and the fun really starts. Third and Fourth are the bread and butter for this car, where the power band is well-suited for dicing in urban and highway traffic. Sure it can deliver impressive ¼ mile times, and 0 to 60 is pretty good too (Car & Driver got 5.4 seconds, but do you really want to perform that kind of launch in your own car?)
5th makes you a player on the highways, and 6th is the Grown Up Gear, for cruising at extra-legal speeds at low rpms and getting better gas mileage than most other cars with sub-6 second 0-60 times. This car is only available with a sweet 6-speed transmission (sadly controlled by a slightly rubbery shifter).

Handling is crisp and predictable, with a touch of understeer if you push too hard. ABS and Stability control will nanny you as needed. Tires (Bridgestone Summer Only, which is a warning for you northerners) and brakes (4 wheel disk with ABS and force distribution.) are just plain excellent.

Racerboy touches include an I-dare-you 160mph speedometer, tach (it conspicuously lacks a boost gauge), nifty metal covers on the pedals and the left foot dead-pedal. The front seats and floor mats brag ‘Mazdaspeed’, as do the doorsills.

Economy
I have been getting 22 around town, and about 26 on the highway, but only if I drive like a grown up. The bad news is this car needs high-octane fuel.

Driving It
Besides the impressive acceleration, the speed 3 has a stiffer, lower suspension, a stiffer chassis, bigger brakes, larger, stickier tires and better aerodynamic tweaks then the normal 3. Handling and braking are impressive, giving sports-car performance in the twisty bits. Braking shows no sign of fading even on long downhills on twisty mountain roads.

Give this little pocket rocket a solid 10 in the fun-to-drive category.

Unlike many sports cars it is also comfortable and capable on extended highway runs, cruising effortlessly at extralegal speeds, up and down hills without breaking a sweat, hauling 4 adults and their stuff in comfort.
It is on the highways that its combination of power, comfort and stealth come together to deliver a stress-free ride.

Stealth
Aside from some mostly subtle aerodynamic features (front splitter, a scoop feeding cold air to the intercooler cleverly concealed in the gap between grill and hood, rear diffuser) the only indicators that this is more than a sensible little Mazda 3 5-door is the big exhaust tip, a larger spoiler, and the name ‘Mazdaspeed 3’ on the rear hatch. This subtlety makes it great for grown-ups. It does not proclaim Racerboy; it does not provoke drag races with fart-can-equipped Civics at every stoplight. It does not attract extra attention from the police. It just quietly delivers the performance of a far more expensive car, while cleverly disguised as a practical little wagon.

Bottom Line
The fastest car Mazda makes (electronically limited to 155 mph), concealed as a practical little hatchback. This is a pocket rocket for grown-ups.



Amount Paid (US$): 25000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2008
Model and Options: GT