Mazda3 MPS Review

Mazda3 Review

The Mazda3 covers a wide range of engines and performance. At one end of the scale, there’s the 1.4 S priced at around £11,430. It’s a perfectly nice 5-door hatchback - capable, comfortable and with reasonable performance.

Alternatively, Customers could dig a bit deeper into their pockets, in search of a further £8,065, which is almost enough to buy a Mazda2, or more sensibly, exactly enough to order a Mazda3 MPS Sports Aero.

I say ‘order’ because the UK’s allocation of these ‘hot hatches’ is limited to 1,000 units during 2007. Mazda expects that around 70 per cent of buyers will opt for the more overt styling of the fully-fitted, Sports Aero Kit, which adds £500 to the basic £18,995 list price.

The kit comprises an even larger ‘Mazdaspeed’, rear spoiler, two-spoke sports door mirrors and Eibach lowered suspension. If the name ‘Eibach’ means nothing, don’t worry - suffice to say that the suspension is very stiff and speed humps should be avoided wherever possible.

Of course, in order to get the most out of the Mazda3 MPS and retain the smile on your face, it might be necessary to move to Germany, home of the derestricted autobahns. A little drastic perhaps but the Zoom-Zoom, Mazda3 MPS houses a 2.3-litre, direct-injection-spark ignition (DISI) engine, which would be a shame to waste. It is turbo-charged and capable of producing 260PS at 5,500rpm (that’s just over 256bhp, in old money) and 380Nm (280lb ft) at 3,000rpm. It takes just 6.1 seconds to reach 62mph from standstill and the top speed is limited to 155mph.