I own an MPS it has got 51000kms on the clock and it is an absolute dream,driven merc BMW VW etc etc and to this day I have not driven a car that puts a smile on my face on a daily basis like the MPS.

The secret on the track is 3rd gear,I have had the car in all environments track, drag, and road etc and it has been absolutely superb it has a very unquie driving demand but once you have adapted believe me you will be smiling,it does have it faults heatsoak(top mounted intercooler) and brakes however you learn to drive around those issues.

Bridgestone Track Day Kyalami 12 Laps on the 3rd lap I had over taken a Subaru(modded to the teeth) and a standard M3 current model believe it or not this car has the potential you just have to educate yourself on how to utilise the potential!

Do not knock what you do not understand!!!!!

Regards

m3mps

WHEN? Been waiting more than a year…………..

Cheers

F-0

But I digress.

I loved your review, but thought you were a little harsh on the MPS. Tacking into account the price and the fact that the MPS3 is a RWD, I think it’s one heck of a fun car.

As Z said above, it’s the wild child.

It was by far the least stable of the four, but it lacks the chassis and RWD/4WD of the others. It’s also far quicker than the others.

The first car to drive was the MX-5. Unfortunately I can’t sit comfortably in the MX-5. Driving it around the track is fine, but I require a car I can drive both in the city and on long country trips.
Compared with the others, it’s also the slowest.

The RX-8 fit like a glove and did the business of racing around the track without even blinking. That said, my heart didn’t beat any harder either.

The MPS6 needs credit where credit is due. It’s more of a tourer rather than a racer. With that in mind, it does it’s job perfectly – and seats 4 friends just fine. On the Oran park raceway, it almost put me to sleep. You’re right about the straight though. If given a long strip of road, it would tear strips of the two above. Overtaking on the highway is where this would come into play.

The MPS3 is a compromise. But by saving $10,000 I think Mazda had really injected a lot of crazy into the 3. First of all the 3 has a decent driving position for everyday driving. You’re not sitting too low like the RX-8, or having to lift the knees like in the MX-5. Just seated normally, I knew that I could drive this around the city/highway without fuss.

Having also taken the MPS3 on normal roads and compared with both of its siblings (the SP23 and Maxx), I can say that in first and second gear (the buzzing around the city gears), that this thing is more sedate. It makes the car park not terribly difficult to get around.

At Oran park, pushing the car hard was the most fun I’ve had in a while. It’s like a noise child screaming on a rollercoaster. I really wasn’t prepared for the fun I was about to have.

It’s quicker than the RX-8. A tad, but it feels quicker and is so on paper.

I was in the US late last year when the “Mazdaspeed” 3 was being released. The three main car magazines must have had their own tests drives and independently decided on the same story. Putting the Suburu WRX head to head against the 3, they all came up with the same result. The MPS3 managed to out race the WRX on the track (different tracks, different magazines, different drivers – same result). But of course at the end of the day the MPS3 is made for the road, not the track. If chosing a car for a decent amount of laps one would choose the WRX over the MPS3. Less energy required for a similar effect.

Your C30 article had me convinced to take a look at the T5. I’m looking forward to a test drive, although I hope that inside the C30 somewhere is a wild child waiting to have their license revoked.

Good story.

justin Says:
September 26th, 2007 at 1:31 am
my RX-8 is a represintation of what all spart cars should be. it rediculiciuosly priced and is a 10 in my book. it gets u to point a to point b in still and excilleriating speed not to mention a panty dropper. lol

Sorry ALBORZ this was not an oversteer issue by the vehicle and driver. The driver missed the turn of to the pits and was told to stop the car. Instead he decided he would try and exit the track and then tried to driver through the kitty litter and of course he got stuck. Just thought I should clear it up that it was nothing to do with the steering capabilities of the vehicle.

I really didn’t find the MPS 3 enjoyable.

Next was the RX8. The RX8 i drove felt very stable and planted and gave me a feeling of security. Everything was well placed, better than the MX5 and had more room. The engine note was so sweet but unlike you, i found the gearbox to be disappointing. Maybe it has been thrashed a little too much but something was wrong with 4th gear synchros and everytime i up shifted from 3rd to 4th at 9200rpm, it wouldn’t engage. I also think Mazda should lower the gear ratios to exploit such a highly strung, narrow power-band engine. The RX8 again disappointed me on the straights and on corner exits. Not enough torque to exploit the fantastic chassis and suspension. It also weighs a fair bit more than the MX5, leaving me to wonder if the MX5 will actually outperform the RX8?

The MPS3 was next and prior to me having a go i sat in with DJ and i can only say he piloted the MPS3 really well. Now i would like to point out that we utilised the South Circuit. The car in DJ’s hand exhibited no signs of torque steer and only on one occassion did i hear slight wheelspin of the inside front wheel when DJ was powering out of a corner in 3rd gear. The absolute brute force shoving me back in the seat when DJ drove out of each corner left me breathless. Then i proceeded to drive the MPS3 myself and although only given 1 lap with DSC on, i could tell why the MPS3 definitely is the “Wild Child” of the MPS stable, and i loved it!

MPS6 was last and this is one smooth and stable ride! I was expecting the same amount of grunt as thge MPS3 but it must be due to the extra 200kg of mass, the MPS6 just didn’t have the same getup and go of the smaller sibling. It was noticeably heavier too through the steering but the AWD sustem was fantastic and soaked up all undulations with ease and i was getting on the throttle earlier in every corner because i could feel the AWD grip and stability and it was the car that felt safest at moderate speeds.

I have to say 1 lap with each of these cars really only gave me the slightest of impressions and what their potential is can only be revealed from lengthy road/track testing conducted by the crew of WHEELS/MOTOR etc. Decission was left with me to decide which car i would buy out of the 4, and taking into consideration factors like daily ownership, insurance, running costs, bfyb, practicality, resale etc.. i went with the “WILD CHILD”!! I am a proud owner of a Mazda 3 MPS and in my 10months of ownership i have racked up 30,000kms and it still is the choice of car for me out of the MPS stable.

Cheers,
Z

I still don’t get what you mean about the huge amount of torque steer on the 3. During my driver training day with my 3MPS I never noticed the kind of life threatening torque steer you elluded to as I hardly dropped below 3rd gear, even during the slalom exercise. Sure there is occasionally a mild tug if you hit a bump under power, but no more than say a corolla would tug in the wet. It serves more as feedback than anything else. There is no corner at QR that requires first gear when driven in anger so the ‘no power in 1st gear’ comment is rather pointless. Granted the 3MPS is not the easiest car to drive fast, which is part of reason why I love it, but it is hardly the dangerous monster you are making it seem and when driven properly can embarass many higher end performance car. I’m just sorry you can’t find the ‘knack’ of driving this incredibly quick, grin inducing pocket rocket. :-)

although I was REALLY hoping Dick Johnson would take me for a spin in the MPS 3 so I can see the different approach, infact the Mazda guys suggested it, but there was no time.

Furthermore, I didn’t “review” the MPS 3, road tests can be found in the car reviews section at the top of every page, this was just a 5 lap track run where the MPS6/MX5/RX8 really stood out while the MPS 3 really failed to impress..

As I said in the first comment I posted, the driver who took the car out right after me put it straight into a ditch after torque steering out of a corner – although as you said it has a lot todo with the driver.

At the end of the day, I would be happy to buy a FWD turbo, such as the Volvo C30 and the XR5, of course people have different views, but this thing, is just not right for me…