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Thread: Hallelujah....I've seen the light!!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    88

    Default Hallelujah....I've seen the light!!

    Hi Folks,

    Never thought I'd be saying this but I'm a new MPS owner....and have been amazed!!

    Amazed because despite having owned many performance cars over the years, I didn't really consider the MPS as a serious contender until I drove one for the first time.

    I won't bore you with the whole story leading up to this but on Thursday morning I got up out of bed with the objective of working through my shortlist of choice cars and pick the winner.

    The list was (in no particular order) Impreza WRX Hatch, Lancer Ralliart Sedan, Focus XR5, Mondeo XR5 and the Mazda 3 MPS.

    I had a look at all of them on the Thursday. The only one I ruled out before driving was the Focus XR5. The idiots put the cruise control on the bottom left of the steering column and I couldn't find a comfortable seating position where my leg wasn't touching this stupid thing.....a damn shame.

    Friday morning, I started my test drive sessions. As fate would have it, I drove the MPS first (Luxury). WOW! This thing is so wierdly wonderful, I can hardly take my eyes off it! Like sitting in a jet fighter plane. Took off with the sales guy and he took me into some side street with about 4 consecutive roundabouts. Well fook me....it went like a scalded cat. He handed me the keys and took me back the long way to where we started. It drives like a pussy cat until we got to the roundabouts. Dropped it back a gear and gave it some welly. Jesus, this thing is possessed....the chassis was stunning, I'm fighting the wheel which is tugging and pulling every which way but it's tracking exactly where I want it to go. The beast is alive! Pulling back on to a main road, we continue back to the dealership like nothing had happened, the car giving no indication of the maniac that lurks beneath the surface.
    What I found most impressive was the torque in 3rd and 4th gears while tootling along in the traffic. It "responds" like a big cube V8 and I was absolutely stunned that this torque delivery was coming from a 2.3l 4 cylinder.

    I'm not being over zealous here because my daily drive for the past 4 1/2 years is an R33 Skyline GTS-25T with 220Kw at the treads.

    Next was the Lancer. Plenty of go, but just not as torquey and responsive as the MPS. Interior is "poverty pack" compared to MPS. The SST sequential box is nice when operating manually, but in auto mode it shoots up to top gear in no time and it is gutless in traffic unless you drop back a few cogs. Who ever though of putting fixed flappy paddles on the steering column that don't turn with the wheel, should have their head read. But I do like the look of the front end......NEXT.

    Hmmmmm, I'm now sitting in a WRX. Even though it looks like a riced-up Daewoo from the outside, I was confident that the dynamics would win me over. Well, what a suprise! The power delivery is basically the same as the Skyline. If you kick it in the guts from standstill, it's quick....very quick. But when you're doing 60kph in traffic and just want to slip into a gap in the fast lane, you either have to boost it (clutch in and out) and/or drop back a gear! My last experience of performance four wheel drive was when I bought the new KF Laser TX3 when it came out in 1990. The handling is addictive and controlling your position, angle and attitude mid-corner with throttle alone is just heavenly. However, 90% of my driving nowadays is suburban, with the very rare country drive. So my assesment is that although in reality, a WRX would beat the MPS on a race track purely as a result of it's traction and drive out of corners, I reckon the MPS could hang on to the WRX just about anywhere else in the real world. WRX interior is better than the Lancer but still very plain and not worthy of comparison with the MPS in any way. Externally it is just plain I'm afraid, unlike the STI which is pumped out and looks like its on steroids.

    Booked my next drive in the Ford Modeo XR5. The trip to the Ford dealership took me right past the Mazda yard. I stopped in the Mazda dealership on the way and they talked me into another test drive. It was already 3pm Friday afternoon at this stage!! When I returned, they offered me a great deal and by 5:30pm, I drove away the proud owner of the brand spanking new Celestial Blue MPS Luxury I originally tested.

    So there you go, for anyone looking at the current crop of performance cars on the market in the $40k bracket, I would say to them "do yourself a favour". Drive all of them, but take out the Mazda FIRST. If you are unbiased and looking for a stunning road car first and track weapon second, I can almost assure you that the others will leave you cold in comparison.

    Damn, I think I'm going to sleep in it tonight!!

    The best thing about owning the Skyline was the Skylines Australia forums. For the most, They're a great bunch of guys and more than willing to help out and share their experiences, knowledge, tips and contacts.

    I trust that the OzMPSclub forum will be no different and I'm looking forward to getting to know many of you over time and sharing what I hope will be some fantastic and fun experiences.

    Cheers and "viva le MPS"

    Mike

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    NSW
    Age
    47
    Posts
    789

    Default

    Congrats on the purchase &

  3. Default

    Welcome, what a great intro thread

    Its so great to hear your thoughts and comparisons on the different models on your shortlist and it will probably help out many people who come browsing here with those cars on their options list too, see you have already contributed heaps to this forum.

    Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing pics of your car. A huge welcome

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Coorparoo, Brisbane
    Age
    43
    Posts
    3,771

    Default

    to OzMPSClub!

    Great read! I too have a 2nd Gen MPS (upgraded from a D-Series SP23). Everything you mentioned regarding the MPS is true - most importantly, its FUN to drive.

    Make sure you check out the cruise threads too - we're planning a National Cruise to Adelaide in May '10!

  5. #5

    Default

    Glad to hear you love it

  6. #6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ChaMPS View Post
    That is a damn shame....... Considering Focus XR5 do not come with Cruise Control...... You ruled out an awesome car ... after sitting in a what appears to be a butchered second hand car
    True that no cruise in XR5's one of the only reasons i didnt get one
    マツダスピード


  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Brisbane, QLD
    Age
    42
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    4,225
    Blog Entries
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    Default

    Welcome Mike!

    Great intro thread

    Hope you enjoy your stay at OzMPSclub

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Perth, WA
    Age
    52
    Posts
    6,388

    Default

    Mike, that was a good read, enjoy the forums and we'll hope to see in 2010 for the Worlds biggest MPS cruise in Adelaide

    Chris

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    im all over the show :p
    Age
    41
    Posts
    609

    Default

    hey mate welcome ...
    Last edited by MPSI; 14-09-2009 at 05:08 PM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    North side, Vic
    Age
    37
    Posts
    6,745

    Default

    Nothing wrong with the ford owners here... They just see things from a different perspective.


    Welcome to OZMPSClub!

    Enjoy..

  11. #11

    Default



    Happy Motoring
    duglet

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Brisbane
    Age
    47
    Posts
    3,387

    Default

    Great read. Welcome and congrats on the purchase, and on now getting way less attention from the boys in blue.

    There's not the level of tech info here that's on SAU, but there are a few pioneers getting more out of the MPS's and we're building up the knowledge, slowly but surely!

    Spread the word amongst your Skyline mates (actually don't do that, we enjoy surprising them )

  13. #13

    Default

    Trader........ You’ll be back....... I know you will.......

    You have to watch out for the MPS people on here....... some of them bite.....

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    88

    Default

    Here's what I'm talking about.....sorry, it wasn't "cruise control" it was the stereo control. I still say it's a dumb place to put such a thing as it kept rubbing up against my knee. Felt quite flimsy and I reckon it could be easily broken by accident.

    I'm very familiar with the Focus spec's and that fantastic Volvo derived 5cyl motor but at the end of the day (in my opinion) none of them came close to the MPS for build quality or exterior and interior design concept.

    Needless to say, I'm still stunned at the sheer value the MPS offers and I can't get this stupid grin off my face. I'll be hanging on to this for a long while to come.


  15. #15

    Default

    I'm glad your happy with your purchase.....

    Not sure why your knee would be up there? and I have to disagree about the build quality and design (hell, half the one eyed MPS lovers in here can't stand the new MPS), but if your happy, that's all that counts.....

    Cheers Dude

  16. #16

    Default

    MPSMad, from WA, is chasing pics of a blue one, as he is miles from a mazda dealership (like 1500km or so)

    So if u can get some pics up Im sure he would enjoy

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    88

    Default

    Thanks to everyone for their warm welcome. I'm keen to contribute in any way I can and will try to document my experiences as often as I can (all good I hope).

    Bring on the MPS cruise in 2010.....I'll be there for sure!

    Cheers

    ---------- Post added at 09:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:16 PM ----------

    Howdy ChaMPS, all I'm trying to do here is pass on my opinion with the best intentions. As I said in my original post, ALL of these cars were on my hit list and I needed to make a quick and clear decision. At the end of the day, I would have been happy with any one of the cars on my shortlist, but unfortunately I could only choose one.

    This was going to be a family car as well as I have two teenage kids just about as tall as me (189cm), so I had to take many things into consideration as we all do.

    Personal taste, rear seat leg room, performance, handling, quality, features, design, warranty, service costs, after sales support.....the list goes on. For me, the MPS ticked all the boxes.

    As an example and all bullshit aside, a standard WRX would hose all of our cars (standard) on the track or in an outright drag race. But in my opinion, that's the ONLY thing it had over the MPS. For the same money as I was quoted for a poverty pack WRX demo, I got an MPS Luxury demo and I'm telling you that the two are like chalk and cheese.

    I know what you mean about the design of the new MPS but by god, what I originally thought was a bizarre styling exercise from a demented Japanese mind finally started making sense the longer I looked at it and the more I took notice of the finer subtleties. It came to the point where love it or hate it, I just couldn't take my eyes off it.

    Sorry if I came across as if I was putting shit on the Focus but believe me, I know how good a car it is or I would never have considered it in the first place. But as petty as it may seem, for me, the sound control doofer honestly got in my way and affected my comfort. I wanted the heated leather seats and I suspect that they make you sit a little higher in the saddle which didn't help my situation. But seriously, if this control wasn't there, you would probably be congratulating me for joining the XR5 forums!

    Cheers, Mike

  18. #18

    Default

    Welcome mate,
    Good to have another SA Member around the place.

    Im on SAU forums also, NissanmanS12turbo is the username. Very tech based forums, i love them.

    Hope to perhaps see you at the cruise
    Last edited by CharlieBrown; 16-09-2009 at 10:11 AM. Reason: Removed the ford info... O/T

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    88

    Default

    Hi PerthMPS, I would have loved to have the Velocity Red one which was originally my first preference. As fate would have it, the only one available when I wanted it was a Celestial Blue. My first impression was that it was a lighter shade of blue than I thought I could live with. But after my second test drive, the colour was really beginning to grow on me. Besides, Velocity Red has been MPS "hero colour" since its inception, so I felt that the blue would stand out more because there would probably be fewer on the road. I saw the "Aluminium" colour which was nice but my Skyline was Gunmetal and I wanted a change. Black is a great colour but I don't think it does justice to the shape as you don't get the subtle shadings as you do from the lighter colours.

    But if push came to shove and there was only one colour available on the day, I would have taken any one of them.

    I'll see if I can take some nice photo's on the weekend and upload them to the site.

  20. #20

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ManicMPS View Post
    As an example and all bullshit aside, a standard WRX would hose all of our cars (standard) on the track or in an outright drag race.
    08 wrx no .....not even close

    09wrx maybe ......
    マツダスピード


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