Mazda3 MPS Road Test

Mazda3 MPS

The interior colour is mainly no-nonsense, black with a few trim details. The heavily bolstered, sports seats hold you firmly in place and are covered in a combination of black leather and ‘sports’ fabric. Emblazoned on the seat backs are red MPS logos, which match the red contrasting stitching on the seats, gearshift and handbrake gaiter, as well as the steering wheel.

Only the driver’s seat has height-adjustment to complement the rake and reach-adjustable steering column, behind which, are three large instrument dials with red illumination.

The dark-graphite, centre console, contains the BOSE Premium audio system with 6-CD autochanger and secondary controls on the steering wheel. When the ignition is switched on a thin strip of red light moves between the audio controls in a similar manner to ‘Kit’ in ‘Knight Rider.’

Rear legroom is adequate and rear passengers have the benefit of two extra doors - quite a few ‘hot hatches’ are only three-door cars - and this makes a big difference to comfort levels. These rear seats have the usual 60:40 split and fold flat so as to increase the luggage capacity for 290- to a maximum of 1,216-litres.

To put this car into perspective and based on the information from Mazda; of all the top hot hatches, the Ford Focus ST-3 is the nearest to the Mazda3 MPS. The Focus has a larger, 2.5-litre engine but has a lower top speed (150mph) and takes a tiny bit longer to complete the 0-62mph sprint (6.8 seconds).

This is a car for driving enthusiasts. It isn’t just straight-line speed (where legal), either - twisty lanes are equally exhilarating.