http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/28/m...ing-at-22-800/

 

Sounds like a great car, great job Mazda! This is what Ford needs to be doing with the Focus

 

FoMoCo is fightin' Tooth and Nail now..

 

Agreed. If memory serves, wouldn't a Euro-spec Focus ST sell for about the same as the top-of-the-line version of this car if it were brought here?

 

That is one AWESOME car!
A direct competitor for the VW GTI... I love it

 

More powerfull than GTI, but a lot cheaper.

 

GTI is barely cheaper at 21,990 and goes 0-60 in 6.8, so about one second slower than mazdaspeed 3: GTI has 200hp, MazdaSpeed 3 has 250!.... sounds cool to say it, mazdaspeed 3. Try it lol

 

They really have to bring that EuroFocus over... It will sell out over here seeing how all the kids are ga-ga for these toys

Just checked the MazdaSpeed3 website and I like all the standard stuff on the base model!!! (except for no theft detterent alarm system)

 

Way to go mazda!

 

Wow! That's pretty sharp looking. Gonna have to check it out whenever it's released.

 

always been a fan of these. love the 3, love saying mazdaspeed (lol lalo)... huzzah! its perfect

(although i do love he mazdaspeed6 better )

 

told you its fun to say

the 6 is almost $30K, so I'd take the 3... although the 6 is awd, which makes my decision harder. I just really like the looks of the 3

 

i know whatcha mean Lalo. i love both!!

 

in that case here is your answer.

 

yes, fwd stinks up the wazoo (agreed), but if done right (and with not too much HP) the car can handle amazingly... if done right

BTW, the base Mazda3 Hatch outperformed the WRX STI in the slalom (according the Edmunds.com), so I can only imagine how this one will perform. http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/pdf/..._eprint_vs.pdf

 

Official figures are in for the Mazdaspeed 3 - 263hp @ 5500rpm, 280ft/lbs at 3000rpm, 0-60 < 6 secs, 12.6" front/11" rear brakes. This car is going to be quite the runner from a roll. But with FWD and all that power/torque, gotta think it's going to have a TON of torque steer.

 

I'm pretty sure Mazda will fix most of that torque steer.
But we'll wait to see how it handles it once it's released

 

This provides the perfect excuse for two versions. Mazda could turn the wick up a bit more and make another 20-30hp, offer awd, etc.....and ask more money for creating two versions of the car and covering more market. Of course they won't. Heck, I'm surprised they built this car with this kind of hp.

That said, the press is going to love this car...and I imagine the public will too. Look at how the rag writers fawned over the Neon SRT4, and that platform was just horrible compared to what Mazda is working with. In fact, that is very likely a comparison of the best, and worst, platforms in the segment. The price is pretty similar too.

But I have to ask, where is my sedan...or 3dr hatch...or real wagon? Because frankly, I would rather have any of those than these weird 5-dr hatchbacks everyone seems to be pushing right now. Yeah, I know tha they don't build a 3-dr hatch or a real wagon in the 3 at all, but that doesn't make the omission any better. If Volvo's new C30 hatch is potent in it's own right, and not astronomically priced, the hatch issue is solved so I can see that. And I can see Mazda not offering this in a sedan so as not to step on the S40 T5's toes. But in that case I want a R model S40 sedan to make the lack of a MS3 sedan a worthwhile loss.

 

Car & Driver has a first look at the Mazdaspeed3 in their new issue and estimated it at 5.2 0-60. They love it, but it wasn't Brock or Csaba who drove it. Theirs are the only opinions I trust in that rag anymore, so I'll wait for someone else's review.

I believe C30 pricing has just been announced at around $24,000 with the turbo-5, 218hp, 230ft/lbs. It should be a fun car, as well.

 

Wow... 5.2 is faster than what I had expected! Close to Mustang GT numbers... Can't wait to see it perform on the twisties!