It's that Furai-like grille that immediately sets the Mazdaspeed3 apart from the regular 2010 Mazda3, but there's also the usual side skirts, big wheels, rear diffuser, twin exhausts thing going on too. This is actually the rest-of-the-world 2010 Mazda3 MPS, but expect the North American Mazdaspeed3 to be identical in all but badges.

At this point, our spoiled European readers might be wondering why we get so worked up over a middle-of-the-pack hot hatch. Well, we don't get many hot hatches here in the colonies, so it's this, the VW GTI or the Subaru WRX for us.

This new Mazdaspeed3 carries over the 2.3-liter, 268 HP turbo engine, but rumor has it we might see a version of the Ford Focus RS's RevoKnuckle FWD system, which will bring a much needed reduction in torque steer to the hot Mazda. Expect official details later this week as everything from the Geneva Motor Show leaks early. [via MotorAuthority]

Technically, it's the European version of the 2010 Mazda3 MPS, a.k.a. the Mazdaspeed Axela, but historically all versions have looked incredibly similar. The giddy MPS will get the MZR 2.3-liter DISI Turbo engine from the previous model with an unknown amount of horsepower. We'll be here to bring you the full monty when it's revealed.

[OzMPSclub via AutoBlog]

Of course, Mazda's actually unveiling the non-U.S. version of the 2010 Mazdaspeed3 — the 2010 Mazda3 MPS (also called the Mazdaspeed Axela). But expect to see something similar for the U.S. market with the longer name in the near future. But first, let's talk about the more eco-friendly Mazda3. The i-Stop is designed to be a fuel miser, with the MZR 2.0 Direct Injection Spark Ignition engine with Mazda's i-stop system, which pulls off stop/start duties to save gas. The result is a 12% increase in fuel economy over the standard model.

That's nice and all, but it's the hood-scooped and scorching red Mazda3 MPS (Mazdaspeed3) with the four cylinder MZR 2.3-liter DISI Turbo engine which piques our interest. If the last model was any indication this should be a hoot of a car on the street and at the track. Expect complete details when the cars are unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

All-new Mazda3 i-stop, Mazda3 MPS to Premiere at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show

Mazda Motor Corporation will debut two new models of the all-new Mazda3 (known as Mazda Axela in Japan) product range at the 2009 Geneva International Motor Show from March 3 through 15, 2009. The world premiere of the Mazda3 with i-stop, Mazda's advanced fuel-saving start-stop system, will be shared with the all-new Mazda3 MPS, Mazda3's high performance flagship model. The Mazda3 MPS (Mazdaspeed Axela) now features improved fuel economy and emissions that satisfy Euro Stage 5.

Mazda3 i-stop

The Mazda3 is one of Mazda's core products, with more than two million units of the first generation produced. The design of the new model has a bolder and more dynamic stance; it is agile and confidence-inspiring, enhancing the sense of oneness between the driver and car. It also has high environmental and safety performance levels, exemplifying Mazda's Sustainable Zoom-Zoom long-term vision to provide cars that are eco-friendly and safe while still being fun to drive.

The Mazda3 with i-stop embodies Sustainable Zoom-Zoom and adds a new eco-friendly option to the lineup. It features the i-stop system in combination with the MZR 2.0 DISI (Direct Injection Spark Ignition) engine. Together, these two Mazda proprietary technologies help the new model achieve approximately 12 percent lower fuel consumption (urban cycle) than the current European Mazda3. By providing great driving performance as well as top-class fuel economy, the Mazda3 with i-stop is a different type of eco-car that will exceed customer expectations.

Mazda3 MPS

The Mazda3 MPS sport compact pushes Mazda design further and its exciting driving performance perfectly represents Mazda's Zoom-Zoom spirit. Carrying forward the MZR 2.3 DISI Turbo engine, Mazda3 MPS builds on the popularity and recognition of the previous model. It evolves the driving experience to an entirely new level of quality and pleasure with its emotional design and exhilarating performance.

The all-new Mazda3 Program Manager, Yoshiyuki Maeda, says, "These two models add extra value to an all-new Mazda3 lineup that has already shown strong appeal. The new Mazda3 series takes a significant step ahead in both the realms of driving performance and environmental technology to lead the way toward a new generation of motoring."

Suitability Parameters:
Speed Merchants: Yes
Fashion Victims: No
Treehuggers: No
Mack Daddies: No
Tuner Crowd: Yes
Hairdressers: No
Penny Pinchers: No
Euro Snobs: No
Working Stiffs: No
Technogeeks: No
Poseurs: No
Soccer Moms: No
Nascar Dads: No
Golfing Grandparents: No

Also Consider:
• Audi A3 2.0T
• Dodge Caliber SRT4
• Mini Cooper S Clubman
• Subaru Impreza WRX 5-door
• VW GTI 5-door
• BMW 135i and massive debt
• Moving to France, buying the greatest of all hot hatches, the Peugeot 205 Gti 1.9 and taking up smoking

Vitals:
• Manufacturer: Mazda
• Model year: 2008
• Base Price: $23,090
• Price as Tested: $24,805
• Engine type: 2.3-Liter Turbocharged DOHC I4
• Horsepower: 263 @ 5,500 RPM
• Torque: 280 @ 3,000 RPM
• Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
• Curb Weight: 3,180 lbs
• LxWxH: 177.8" x 69.5" x 57.7"
• Wheelbase: 103.9"
• Tires: P215/45R18
• 0 - 60 mph: 5.8 Seconds
• EPA Fuel economy city/highway: 18/26 MPG
• NHTSA crash test rating: NA

Also see:
• 2008 Mazdaspeed3, Part One
• 2008 Mazdaspeed3, Part Two

Acceleration: ****
The 263 HP is impressive, but that's just half the story. At just 3000 RPM it's making an STI-threatening 280 lb-ft of torque. Mash the throttle in any gear, at any RPM, and the Mazdaspeed 3 pulls with minimal lag thanks to the turbocharged 2.3-liter aluminum-block inline four with direct injection. The power may drop off at 6000 RPM, short of the redline, but that's to be expected from a turbo. To help get grunt to the ground, there's a limited-slip differential and a trick torque-management system that reduces torque steer. The car still staggers around from a launch, over rough surfaces, around low-speed corners, and pretty much any other time you get on the gas in first or second gear.

Braking: ****
If you want to stop in a hurry, the brakes are quite good. However, they can feel just a bit oversensitive if you're not wearing communicative shoes. Once you get used to the relatively light pedal and short travel, they're confidence inspiring, working equally well for spirited driving on back roads or brisk sprints through the city.

Ride: ***
You don't expect a Mazda hot hatch to ride like a Buick, but that's not to say you don't feel somewhat annoyed by how bouncy the car feels over poor surfaces. It doesn't make any sense until you've brought it up to speed, where you realize they haven't forgotten to put shocks on the car, they've just tuned it to feel composed going fast. That being said, if you're planning on using this as a city car in a dense urban area, it may get a bit obnoxious.

Handling: ****
You may expect a relatively nose-heavy car like this to have a serious understeer problem; it does, but you have to be pushing seriously hard to find it. What you get instead is a car that feels well-planted and very grippy. It's not extremely flickable, like some smaller 3-door hatches, but if you keep in mind that this is actually a bigger car than a Subaru WRX 5-door (which feels soft by comparison), you don't mind so much.

Gearbox: **
Don't think that, because you're in a Japanese hatchback, everything is going to feel light and dainty. The gearbox and the clutch are very weighty. That's not a bad thing, though, as I much prefer feeling like I'm operating a machine rather than just pushing plastic buttons. No, the problem I had with the shift action was not weight, but vagueness. At times, it's hard to distinguish between selecting 1st or 3rd, and 3rd or 5th, which is not a unique issue, but an issue nonetheless. A bigger issue is that the shift into 5th or 6th gear requires too much effort at an angle, which, for my arm, was uncomfortable and tiring. But maybe I just need to go to the gym.

Audio: ****
The Bose system, with its 222W digital amp, on this Grand Touring model pumps through 7-speakers, and sounds great. Combined with satellite radio, you'll almost forget that there's an in-dash 6-disc MP3-capable CD changer. If that's not enough, there's also an auxiliary jack for your MP3 player.

Toys: ***
The audio system has pretty much everything you need to stay entertained, but there's also an available DVD navigation system that's easy to use. If you're a techno-fiend, there's not much else. But if you're easily wowed by gimmicky tech, you would've already been sucked into buying a Ford with Sync.

Value: *****
The Mazdaspeed3 is a tremendous value. All this performance, practicality, equipment, and overall quality comes in at just over $24,800 as tested. If you want fewer options, you can get one for about $23,000.

Overall: ****
To get this much speed combined with this much practicality usually requires a paying a far higher price. That the Mazdaspeed3 combines talents to create an affordable, high-quality and, above all, discrete package is an impressive achievement. Still, if we're picky (we are), we'd like to see a touch more driver involvement. And more hot hatches on this side of the Atlantic, please.

Also see:

• 2008 Mazdaspeed3, Part One
• 2008 Mazdaspeed3, Part Three

After flashing my hi-beams in the WRX's mirrors and revving my engine as I pull up next to it at a red light, I don't even get so much as a glance from the driver. Maybe he's just playing it cool. So I turn the traction control off and wind the engine up to about 3000 RPM. Green light, release the clutch, and we're off. I kill the Scooby. Oh, wait — he wasn't racing. So I try again at the next light. Will he take the bait this time? Nope. And that's the thing about the Mazdaspeed3; nobody seems to think it's anything special. To most eyes it's nothing more than a normal Mazda 3 hatchback. Paint it in a dark color and it's practically invisible. Which means that the WRX probably didn't even take me seriously enough to bother wasting gas on. It actually would have been a close race, but it didn't happen. So, I continue cruising.

To say there's a proper method for illegal street racing may sound oxymoronic, but it's true. You hear from a friend who heard from a friend that there's a bunch of guys that hang out at a certain place, and from there they go to the place where they actually race. You don't need to bother asking when, because it will always be at a spontaneous time after midnight. That is to say, the serious guys aren't out at 9PM just driving around hoping to find a victim — like what I'm doing.

So I start looking for parking-lot hangout spots, and eventually find one. Immediately I start scoping out the competition: a few enhanced Audis, a late-model Mustang, a kid with mom's CL55 AMG, an Evo IX, a small crew of crotch-rockets, the obligatory mid-life crisis man with his Corvette convertible, and some other stuff drifting in and out. Slim pickings. I buzz through in first gear to gauge reactions. With the relatively loud stock exhaust, I actually do get a few glances from some guys. I say "guys" not because there aren't any girls around hanging out, but because not a single one of them seemed to care. It's as if my gray 5-door compact isn't sexy enough. So I park the car and sit with my windows down and the stereo up. But time passes and nothing happens. This is lame. I resume cruising, but as one suburb blends into another and into another, I feel like I'm just driving in circles. Out here it's just an endless blur of shopping malls, big-box stores, chain restaurants, and cubicle farms. I've gotta get out of here.

The next morning I wake up at my own leisure, and engage in a lost cultural ritual known as breakfast. Today I'm setting my own pace instead of trying to keep up with the rat race. So, when the navigation system asks me which route I want to take on my spontaneous trip up to Wisconsin, I choose the one with the fewest number of expressways. If I encounter a few dawdling Lincolns along the way, so be it. Cars like this shouldn't be confined to petty stoplight cockfights; they should actually be driven. Sure, the back roads to Madison are no Nürburgring, but at least I get to focus more on the driving and less on weaving between traffic and watching for speed traps. And it's out here, surrounded only by farmland and lakes, that the car calms down. It's no longer fidgety and bouncy, but poised and confident. No longer am I being dragged around by the brute force, but I'm part of the machine—and we want to go faster.

Also see:

• 2008 Mazdaspeed3, Part Two
• 2008 Mazdaspeed3, Part Three

This will be the eighth race for Mazda and the second for the MPS rally car. The vehicle features the stock 2.3-Liter direct injection turbo fourbanger that's good for 255 horsepower, routed through a six-speed manual transmission. The race runs from April 15-20 and you should be able to follow the updates at Mazda Australia's Targa Site, if it updates. [Mazda via World Car Fans]