2010 Mazdaspeed 3: Not that long ago...

The Protege 5 was an awesome car. My cousin had one and even with the small motor, it felt planted enough to make the car seem quick.

This is an awesome post, awesome picture. And I hope to not read any smiley face posts at this point, come on people just get over it already.

That is by far the cleanest parking garage i have ever seen....

Now if they could just put that engine in something not quite so butt ugly. Wonder if it would drop into my NA miata :)

I've always admired the Protege 5, and it always earns a double-take from me, because it looks something special. More attractive than the Mazdaspeed3, in my opinion, but I'd take the less attractive car with the better motor!

Get over yourself zoom zoom. In that pic the car looks really bad. Oh and Kurt, if the engine pulls so hard it jerks the wheel out of your hands that is not a good thing. I dont remember the Caliber SRT-4 being so loved for that trait......whoops that is because it is a Caliber.

I never said it pulled the steering wheel out of my hand. As a matter of fact, if you have a problem counteracting the torque-steer of this car, you should hit the weights.

I must admitt I sounded like 1487 in the above post (slaps self) But so you are saying that many others are incorrect that torque steer is no factor in this car? Hmmmmmm and nice cheap shot....really professional.

"as the installation of this most excellent engine in this front-drive chassis starts to generate unwanted and undesireable torque reactions that adversely affect steering and handling when standing on the gas"

Quote from Dan Edmunds

Also from Dan:

"Mazdaspeed3 owners who install go-fast parts for even more power will likely make it worse'

And this:

"The chassis has clear potential, and Ford holds the patent to the RevoKnuckle that promises to muzzle the torque-steer monster"

I guess Dan must need work on his guns, huh? Or is there indeed a torque steer problem that you minimize because you like the 3 so much? Professionals at least try to appear unbiased.

hurls65,
The DISI engine has a camshaft driven fuel pump which prevents the engine from fitting into the Miata.

bodyblue,
While I no longer look forward to driving my 2007 MS3-I haven't taken it out of the garage for 12 days straight-the torque steer has never been the deal-breaker for me. It's definitely there but I find it to be manageable. What I REALLY despise is how unsettled and imprecise the car feels when you start to push it, particularly on the track. Drive it like a grocery getter and it's fine, but that's not why I bought it.

I don't have a Protege5, but I do have the sedan. LOVE the handling and I love my car!

I love the protege 5s! I even crashed my dodge colt into one back in high school. Aw I miss my dodge colt :(

I love Protegés of all flavors, and particularly the Mazdaspeed Protegé...one of my favorite cars in the world, at least one of my favorite attainable cars in the world. It may have only had 170 HP to the MS3's 263, but it also only had about 2600 pounds to the MS3's 3200...and one of the sweetest chassis ever offered on a sub $30k car...sublime road feel, extremely little body roll, excellent grip, and a ride that actually had a noticeable edge in comfort over the standard Protegé. The fact that the MSP got ignored in favor of other contemporary econosports is one of the great shames of recent automotive history.

It is a little ironic to see the P5 and the MS 3 together. Too bad Mazda went in the styling direction they did with the new 3. The P5 really was a nice looking wagon/hatchback. I miss mine. Great motor in the new 3, but I'd buy an old p5 any day over the new 3.

@bodyblue:

Again the torque steer will not, as you put it, 'jerk the wheel out of your hands'. That does not mean that this car does not have/suffer from torque steer. The difference between talking about the torque steer inherent in high power FWD cars and complaining about the torque steer in high power FWD cars, in many cases comes down to personal preference.

I don't see it as an issue and something that should dissuade someone from buying this car. It's there, but I don't really mind it. It's actually a little fun!

Maybe Dan can weigh in with his opinion on whether or not the torque steer present is something that should be cause for concern; ie. losing control because the steering wheel pulls too violently under hard acceleration.

I don't want to get stuck on this point but, my like or dislike of a car does not make me less of a professional. Our long-term blogs are all about the personal impressions of our editors, both good and bad. Different editors will like/loathe different things about every car. One of the many cars I happen to like is the Mazdaspeed 3 but it's certainly not perfect, no car is.

well said kurt_ says

Bodyblue seems like a bit of a killjoy about Mazda, especially the MS3. Not sure what his beef is. Your right no car is perfect but for the money the MS3 comes pretty close.

bodyblue,

The new 3 is indeed interesting looking but I said that is a good picture because it's just plain cool in general...I like how the Protege5 blends in while the Speed3 stands out because of the white background.

I'm not a huge fan of the smiley face but the difference is that I don't whine about it every time. I'd still take a 3 over any competitor in its price range (including the GTI - yawwwn), smiley face be damned.

I'm not convinced that "most Mazdas" have had uncompetitive engines over the years. Sure, the P5 had more suspension than engine, but that's because the suspension was particularly good, not because the engine was particularly bad--for its time. You might consider the Miata underpowered too--but it's not because the car is slow, it's because the chassis could take more than the engine has to offer.

Consider the following:

--the "rotary rockets" of the 1970s
--the 626 from the mid 1980s through the early 1990s--the base engine was torquier and more entertaining than anything from Nissan or Honda at the time
--the 626 Turbo
--the gen-3 RX7
--the Mazda 626ES V6, which C&D described as having an "Alfa Romeo lustiness"

These engines were not merely competitive--they were among the best for their time. The company lost its way for a while in the '90s, and the Protege in particular lost some ground to Honda (Civic Si), Nissan (SE-R), and even Toyota (some iterations of the Corolla GT-S) as a result, but that's far from being representative of the company's overall history. "Zoom-Zoom" is an annoying marketing cliche, but it really does represent a return to what made Mazda relevant in the '70s and '80s.

I'm holding out for the Mazdaspeed RX8.

Hey Kurt,

Can you or someone else on staff enlighten me as to how the reverse lock out on the Mazdaspeed 3 works? I notice from pictures that reverse is to the left and up from first gear. Is it like with some BMWs where you just have to push through a little resistance, or do you have to push down or pull up on a lock out ring or something?

Thanks.

Kurt,

Fair enough about the torque steer, cheap shot not withstanding. It just seemed to me that you really downplayed a problem that many others have mentioned (on here and other mags). I dont think there is a bias twords one brand or another but for a type of car. I.E. cars that are sporty and fast. Since the MS3 is both, most on the IL staff will like it and overlook its faults.

I dont have anything against the MS3...it is ok looking and seems to be well built (like most Mazdas), however I do find it silly to test something that sells in such small numbers (like was said by many on here when it first arrived) There are many brand new cars out there that would be as or more interesting to test than the MS3. Taurus SHO, Fusion Hybrid, Kia Forte, Maybe a mainstream Nissan to give them another chance on the quality issue.......Kia Soul, Buick LaCrosse......in other words anything but the MS3. But hey, since it is given to them by Mazda I guess they car hardly say no.

@bodyblue:

I think you've hit the nail on the head. IL has chosen long-term test cars that the staff would enjoy driving. There are a few exceptions that come to mind (Focus, Edge, Versa, Insight), and they've received very little attention from the staff, while the fun cars (370Z, GT-R, MS3, Camaro, Evo, Challenger, anything with a BMW roundel on the hood) get all the coverage. It makes me wonder even more why they haven't chosen to continue the "fun used car" experiment by grabbing a nice used Boxster to replace the '02 M3 (which in turn replaced the Ferrari).

I consider myself both an automobile enthusiast and a consumer, and in order to suit my needs a car must be both entertaining and trustworthy. I agree with your suggestions, particularly the Fusion Hybrid, the Soul, and the LaCrosse. They're not necessarily "fun to drive" in the go-faster sense, but neither is the Mini E or the Insight or for that matter the Flex, though the latter does have a "fun lifestyle" angle. I'm probably not going to buy any of them anytime soon (though I did look seriously at the Soul before purchasing my Fit Sport.) Still, all of these are "interesting" cars that have the potential to affect the market in a big way.

The MS3 is nothing but a MZ3 with a Suspension and Engine option package, simply put. The electronics, interior are basically the same. The driving experience is different but all of that can be summed up in one paragraph.

"Your right no car is perfect but for the money the MS3 comes pretty close."

Hey octamida, how old are you?

To crowb:

The reverse in the MS3, which I have driven, and MS6, which I own, are the same. You have to push down on the stick and then push it to the far left and up. It can get a little weird sometimes. Reverse to first is a strange movement of the stick.

@ marcvill

Thanks for the info.

@stephen987,

"IL has chosen long-term test cars that the staff would enjoy driving."

I'm not sure if you saw the poll a few days back, but IL readers overwhelmingly commented that the "fun" cars (Ford GT, R8, '02 and '09 M3, Ferrari 348, etc) were their favorite blogs to read... so I think it's also a case of IL giving the readership what they want to read about.

Jay, that was not exactly a scientific poll........but you do have a point. I do like the idea of the cool used car.....I loved the Ferrari posts (made me realize I would never buy one) they were very enlightening......the M3 not so much because BMWs dont really interest me, but still were entertaining. The GT was just so crazy it was hard not to be interested in it...But the Focus posts had a huge amount of hits if your remember.......the point is that even if you have steak and caviar ever day you get tired of it and want a hot dog once in a while.