Review: Mazda3 MPS Hatchback
by Richard Hammond
There's no mistaking it. The Mazda3 MPS, with its bonnet scoop, tarmac-skimming skirts and twin rear spoilers, is definitely a hot hatch.
Somebody, somewhere at Mazda must have been worried that we wouldn't guess the intent of the 256bhp, 2.3-litre, turbocharged hatchback. So they felt it necessary to advertise its potency and sporting credentials by bolting to it every single hot-hatch add-on and visual styling cue ever devised.
I would love to see what the same Mazda executive's communication skills would cause them to do if tasked with providing the signing service for the hard of hearing on TV - dislocate their neck, I shouldn't wonder, thrashing about in the little box in the corner and over-emphasising every point to a dangerous degree.
Nevertheless, over-telegraphed performance potential aside, it looks kinda cool, in a childish sort of way.
But the visual "styling" is probably the biggest news for the second generation of hot Mazda3. Underneath, the engine remains the same and most of the work elsewhere has been limited to lightening and stiffening the car structurally to try to make sure that the engine's 256bhp of turbocharged grunt doesn't twist it up like an old toffee wrapper.
Mild tweakery in the suspension department can be added to the list of jobs done in pursuit of keeping things tamed and under control. The only problem is that it never really feels like they have worked. Getting un-subtle with the right welly unleashes loads of power and gets the car scampering up to 60mph in just 6.1 seconds. But it also unleashes a riot of torque steer, which has the wheel squirming around in your paws, like a reluctant snake on its way to a Vietnamese banquet.
Uneven road surfaces - and they all are - ask one question too many of the none-too-sophisticated suspension. Fast cornering on a damp road can have you asking one question too many of your maker, if you get it wrong.
The interior is nothing to write home about and the dash is far from a sumptuous feast for your £21,500.
So pretty bad, then. Except that I loved it! There's none of the seriousness you find with some of the more expensive and, let's be honest, more capable alternatives like the Focus RS.
Yes, such cars feel luxurious by comparison, they seem somehow more "grown up" and are, in probably every single way, technically better. But I don't want a more grown up car in a hot hatch - I want a more childish one.
The noise, drive, suspension and brakes are as abrasive and vulgar as the looks. Perfect then, in a car specifically designed to appeal to a youth market. It's supposed to be as subtle as an attack dog with your leg in its mouth. It's supposed to furrow the brows of lawyers and old gits in bookshops.
Of course they'll hate it, why would any self-respecting young hooligan hanker after anything that didn't upset such people? But still, there are those flaws...
The steering could be more taut, it feels unsettled and fidgety on rough roads.
The torque steer means an endless battle with the steering wheel, the front end desperately needs some sort of clever system for taming the understeer, like Ford's revo knuckle thing.
The engine noise is more of a raspy whine than a fruity chuckle and the seats are covered in nasty material.
On the positive side, you can plug your iPod in, the stereo has 10 speakers, your phone connects with Bluetooth, it goes like the clappers and your mates will love the bonnet scoop.
It's not a Golf GTi - so you don't have to own a rugby shirt to buy one - it's cheaper than a Focus RS and a lot more vulgar than just about anything else I can think of on the market right now.
If you want a hot hatch then go and get it.
Dinner's up.
The facts
Mazda3 MPS Hatchback
Price: £21,500
Engine: 2.3-litre four-cylinder, 256bhp
0-62mph: 6.1sec
Fuel consumption:
29.4mpg
The rivals
Vauxhall Astra VXR
A new Astra is on its way but this 237bhp rocket is the flagship for the moment.
£21,365
Ford Focus RS
Pure testosterone, extremely powerful and very desirable. Expensive though.
£26,395
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Great solid performer but, with 208bhp, it's outrun by the Mazda.
£23,015
[Source: The Mirror UK]