Mazda3 MPS: first drive review

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  The Mazda3 MPS has arrived in Australia with more aggressive looks, tweaks to improve handling and extra cream on the equipment list. Photo Gallery

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The biggest hero car for Mazda is one of its smallest: the Mazda3 MPS.

The hot turbocharged hatch accounts for only a small part of Mazda3 sales, but its importance goes beyond that to the halo it casts over the rest of the brand.

And the new generation has arrived in Australia with more aggressive looks, tweaks to improve handling, and extra cream on the equipment list.

It’s always been a fun drive, and the newcomer is no disappointment.

The clutch is short-bite and takes a bit of getting used to, but once you get familiar with the grab point it’s easy to choreograph it with the six-speed manual, although the closer positioning of the shift lever will be tricky for those with long arms.

Mazda’s 2.3-litre engine is a willing partner in crime, keen to spurt at the tap of the pedal, and the steering is untiringly direct and communicative.

The cabin feels snug and sporty, with great side bolstering on the seats to hug you in around corners, but the test car had a hideous red and black fabric as door trim, matched with an even worse plastic dash insert.

The sporty instruments are generally easy to read, and the trip computer pages are a snap to flick through on the steering wheel control, but the turbo boost gauge takes a bit of concentration.

Aerodynamic elves have been at work on the body, and it shows. And not just in the reduced drag figures. The car looks slicker and more slippery.

Hints of new Mazda ‘Nagare’ design philosophy show in the design, with its ‘flow’ elements translated into the more aggressive face that takes point on the sharp looks, followed by a letterbox bonnet scoop that delivers a better dose of air to the intercooler for the turbo.

A large floating rear spoiler and rotary-inspired spokes of the wheels – with wider rubber than the previous model adding grip – tip in for the edgy stance.

There’s a weight penalty of 50kg, with half that coming from the more rigid body and the rest from the heavier tyres, larger fuel tank and extra equipment.

But the payoff is in the better handling afforded by the extras, helped by revised stiffer McPherson strut suspension, with stronger bracing set-ups.

Stiffer drive shafts have minimized torque steer, and it’s now more poised, even over uneven bitumen, but the firm suspension means it tends to seesaw over the swells. However, while you’ll feel the road it’s never jolting

Drivetrain

Carrying over from the previous Mazda3 MPS (and also in the CX-7), the revised 2.3-litre turbocharged in-line four-cylinder still develops 190kW of power at 5500rpm and 380Nm of torque at 3000rpm, mated to a compact gearbox that has been given wider gear settings and higher ratios.

However it’s trimmed fuel consumption slightly, coming in at 9.9l/100km – down 0.1 – while emissions are reduced 3gm to 235gm/km.

Mazda says that an in-cylinder cooling effect from direct injection produces about 10 per cent more torque compared to conventional-intake turbo engines, essentially getting more from less.

And this results in performance figures that are clearly aimed at its main rivals — the Subaru WRX and Lancer Ralliart — with a top speed of 250 km/h and 0-100km/h time of 6.1 seconds

Chassis

Based on the new Mazda3 platform, the car is slightly larger than the previous model, and the body has been given more reinforcement to improve handling and crash protection.

Modified coil spring rates for MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension work with larger diameter stabilisers to keep you planted, while a torque-sensing super limited-slip differential chips in to help prevent you getting untidy with the front-wheel drive.

Safety

Pulling you up are 320mm ventilated front discs and 280 mm rear solid discs with brake assist, anti-skid brakes and dynamic stability control as standard, while six airbags, active head restraints and intrusion-minimising pedals come into play if you crash.

Pricing and fit-out

The MPS sits at the top of the Mazda3 tree, with a price tag of $39,690 in standard trim, and $43,290 for the Luxury trim version (not including statutory and dealer charges).

Standard equipment includes a colour-screen satnav and information system – not available even as an option on the previous model — dual zone climate-control airconditioning, a six-stacker CD changer, eight-way power adjustment on the driver’s seat and leather for the steering wheel and gearshifter.

The Luxury version adds auto-dimming rearview mirror, adaptive bi-xenon headlights, 10 speakers in a Bose-amped audio system and rain-sensing front wipers.

Mazda3 MPS

Price: $39,690 to $43,290

Engine: 2.3L/4-cylinder turbo, 190kW/380Nm

Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive

Economy: 9.9L/100km (combined cycle, supplied)