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Mazdaspeed3

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novelties

Why We Love The Community Of Drivers

If you read both the 2008 Mazdaspeed3 and 2008 BMW 128i review, you may have noticed that a couple of pictures looked similar. There's a reason, Mark and I were out driving together. When doing a review it helps to have someone to go with you for assistance in setting up photos and, you know, it's a chance to drive twice the cars. It just so happens that we were near a particularly twisty stretch of road taking pictures when a gentleman in a black Z3 pulled up. Maybe he knew some other great places to drive.

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12:30 PM on Fri Jun 6 2008
By Matt Hardigree
1,200 views, 33 comments

Latest by layabout: That Z3 looks pretty good,never liked them when they first went on sale,they were too much of a fashion car,they have aged well & good value now. more »

jalopnik reviews

2008 Mazdaspeed3, Part Three

Why you should buy the 2008 Mazdaspeed3:
You want a fast car, but have to pick up your children from school. You want a WRX STI, but can't quite afford the running costs and you don't need the AWD anyways. You got a bunch of tickets a few years ago; you still like driving fast, but want to preserve what little credibility is left of your driving record. You've seen the light, and understand that hot hatches are the most practical, best value all-round vehicles for an enthusiast, but you think the WRX is too soft, the GTI needs more power, the Caliber SRT-4 is too loud, and the other 3-doors are too small.

Why you shouldn't buy this car:
You need a dope ride to pick up some shorties. You think "Tokyo Drift" was the most awesome racing movie ever. You don't consider chrome racing rims to be oxymoronic. You want a roof scoop on your car, but have no idea what they're for. When someone says, "driving dynamics," you think they're talking about a tuning company. You like hatchbacks because they have more room in the back for a system.

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Feature

12:00 PM on Thu Jun 5 2008
By Mark Arnold
5,580 views, 61 comments

Latest by BarnabasNanget: Heeeyyyy. I'm a hairdresser and I find this car to be quite suitable! Mine is ridiculously red, so I have no trouble getting attention in it; especially from the law. The Mazdaspeed3 seems to have done a fine job of developing a cult following and I attribute that to the lack of more »

jalopnik reviews

2008 Mazdaspeed3, Part Two

Exterior Design: ***
The 2008 Mazdaspeed3 doesn't visually distinguish itself much from the standard Mazda 3 hatchback, but it doesn't need to. The basic design's thick D-pillars, subtle shoulder bulges over the wheels, and angular lines are a good starting point. More important is how the car doesn't look. There are no scoops, fins, stripes, or stickers exclaiming the car's performance. The slightly larger rear spoiler, which we suppose is theoretically functional, looks just like the spoiler on the standard car. The wheels look boring. Even the intercooler is hidden away, breathing through the normal-looking grille.

Interior Design: ***
For some reason, there are more Mazdaspeed logos inside the car than there are outside. But besides some extra red trim and stitching, it's again much like the standard 3. You have plenty of room for a few of your friends and their stuff to come along, though there's not much extra room for the driver's knees. Aside from that, everything is quite comfortable, despite being over-styled in the manner of an athletic shoe.

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Feature

12:00 PM on Wed Jun 4 2008
By Mark Arnold
6,294 views, 73 comments

Latest by WarShrike: I love my Mazda3, and when I can afford to replace my lunky Firebird V6, it'll be a MS3 that'll take up the space. Wife is gonna hate me for buying a car with a stick shift though :) more »

jalopnik reviews

2008 Mazdaspeed3, Part One

Cruising the affluent suburban streets of the Chicago area in the 2008 Mazdaspeed3, I'm looking for trouble. The dimming evening light and warm weather has brought out all the usual suspects: everyone from boy-racers in tuned Hondas to middle-aged men in Ford GTs. Chirping the tires as I dart from stoplight to stoplight, I feel like a 17-year-old taking a joyride in his dad's sports car. But I'm not racing anyone — yet. I'm just trying to get the attention of someone else who wants to run me. It's usually not something I do, but with 263 HP under my right foot, and a 6-speed gearbox in my right hand, I'm in a juvenile mood. Chasing down a previous-generation Subaru WRX that's sporting some aftermarket wheels and a loud exhaust, I feel like I might be biting off just a bit more than I can chew.


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Feature

12:00 PM on Tue Jun 3 2008
By Mark Arnold
12,956 views, 113 comments

Latest by fastdreams: @jkd77: RE: the kitt stereo lights I couldn't agree with you more. Fortunately you can disable the circus light show from within the audio menu. You can also disable the annoying beep that accompanies every button press or volume change. more »

racing news

Mazda3 MPS To Tackle Targa Tasmania

What happens when you take the already devilish Mazdaspeed3 (better known as the Mazda3 MPS there) and throw it into the challenging Targa Tasmania? Madness. The folks at Mazda Motorsport are bringing their hot hatch to the 2008 race to compete with the hot pink Nissan GT-R. Unlike other rallies, this race features cars that are mostly stock and include all of the electric systems and upholstery that came with the original car. We imagine this makes it a bit more comfortable for Alister McRae and his co-driver.

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10:40 AM on Wed Apr 9 2008
By Matt Hardigree
2,101 views, 23 comments

Latest by Matt Hardigree: @meng_mao: I went to school in Austin, so both. more »

take that ya two-wheeled bums

Mazdaspeed3 Flies Round the 'Ring

Imagine taking your Ducati über-bike over to the Nürburgring only to have its heels nipped on by a relatively inexpensive front-wheel-drive Japanese hatchback. A front-wheel-drive Japanese hatchback that is, with a turbocharged 2.3-liter DISI MZR engine that spits out 263 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. The Mazda cracks off a 'Ring time of 8 minutes and 39 seconds, which is identical to a Honda S2000 and about where the NSX and Corvette were a decade ago. Also, we really hope this settles once and for all the debate about what can get around corners faster, cars or bikes. And finally, the Mazdaspeed3 is call the Mazda3 MPS over in dirty old cheese-eating Europe. – Jonny Lieberman More »

11:15 AM on Thu Jun 14 2007
By Jonny Lieberman
3,205 views, 53 comments

Latest by fargin_bastige: I would like to point this little issue out. Although the speed for the little Mazda is impressive, the driver is obviously skilled. The rider is not skilled. I am the editor of a motorcycle website and within 5 minutes of posting this up, someone posted up a video of a rider more »

ad watch

Ad Watch: Slide The Mazdaspeed3 Right In The Slot

This is one funny-ass marketing idea. It's called "Awesome Adventures" and it's using slot car racers to demonstrate the speed of the slowly-hitting-the-market turbocharged Inline-4 Mazdaspeed3. We're not sure who did the creative on it but word to the marketing department — we doubt even a turbocharger would let it blow the doors of a Porsche, but we'll cut Mazda some slack on it cause so many of the new hot hatch 3-doors won't be sold as new after the whole Cougar Ace thing. More »

3:09 PM on Wed Sep 13 2006
By Ray Wert
189 views, 11 comments

Latest by MSC: Much better than those dull bobble-heads in the Dodge ads. Ohhhh - fold down speakers from the trunk! Didn't the Aztec have that? more »

news

New York Wrap-Up: Mazdaspeed 3

Mazda rolled out its 'speed version of the Mazda3, which it launched in Geneva for Europe as the Mazda MPS. It's got the same 2.3-liter DISI turbo mill pushing nearly 250 hp to the front wheels (not all the wheels, like on its Mazdaspeed6 sibling). Does the VW GTI have anything to worry about, other than whether the Fast will turn feral and tear up its plaid seats? More »

6:14 PM on Thu Apr 13 2006
By Mike Spinelli
339 views, 4 comments

Latest by TPSreports: This is kind of cute! more »

news

Mazdaspeed3 to Debut in Geneva

The Geneva show later this month will host the arrival of a new addition to the Mazdaspeed family. It's the long-awaited (by us, at least) Mazdaspeed3 (Mazda3 MPS in Europe), which like its like siblings will get an added turbocharger and other tweaks, bringing horsepower into the 235-250 range. Power will likely be brought to road by only two front wheels, though, not four like the Mazdaspeed6. But don't be sad. As MeatLoaf nearly sang, "two out of four ain't bad." More »

7:34 AM on Tue Feb 14 2006
By Mike Spinelli
464 views, 7 comments

Latest by adamondi: In a beautiful sport wagon like this, I could find true happiness. AWD would add too much weight for this car. This one is all about finesse and driver skill. No AWD to save your butt when you overshoot the corner on a rainy day. more »