I jumped from our longterm 2009 Audi S5 right into our 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 yesterday. And you know what? This little Mazda's steering is better. I'm not talking about aesthetics; I'm talking about the way it works.
The Mazda's steering has more heft. Loads up better, too. The Audi is responsive and quick but feels robotic, as it's too light and there's little buildup of effort. That is, until it decides you're going for it and abruptly throws a bunch of resistance at you. Not very subtle.
Who would have guessed a FWD hatchback could better the steering of a premium-badged GT of twice-ish the price?
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
zoomzoom22 says:
02:21 PM, 01/14/10
The MS3 has a very photogenic interior. Take away the Mazda badge and you could be in a BMW or Audi.
adavis2493 says:
03:47 PM, 01/14/10
When my Audi was in the shop, and I had the 335i Loaner (I think I already told the story), I fell in love with the steering on that car.
The one major thing I hate about my Audi is that Speed Sensitive Steering crap. The 335i was really heavy at all times, and I loved that.
carfreak8394 says:
03:59 PM, 01/14/10
adavis,
sounds like a good story that I don't remember you telling. Repeat, please?
And that is a very photogenic interior, as zoomzoom said. I like it.
roadburner says:
05:14 PM, 01/14/10
I haven't driven an Audi layely, but the steering in my 2007 MS3 is not remotely comparable to a 3 Series BMW. The steering effort is nicely weighted but it is not very communicative when driven hard. Well, it DOES tell you that you've hammered the throttle...
ocramida says:
05:15 PM, 01/14/10
I would argue that Mazda does interior design better than many if not all of it's competitors. The quality of materials may not be of the highest quality but the attention to detail and assembled quality is top-notch. I just moved form a 2008 MS3 to a 2010 Mazda6 GT V6 in black ( wanted a littel more refinement and room)and I'm very happy with the interior. Very comfortable and very classy. Materials are decent but the execution more than makes up for any cost cut plastics. Oh and the steering, while lighter than the MS3 (not surprising) guides the car with laser precision. People who say the Mz6 has lost it's zoom-zoom really haven't thrown this machine into a corner. That said I do think the 2010 MS3's steering wheel design is slightly more attractive than the Mz6's
carguy622 says:
06:27 PM, 01/14/10
That's a lot of buttons. Isn't the S5 a FWD based chassis anyways? I did drive the A5 and found the steering OK, but I did not like the way the steering wheel did a high frequency vibration at speed.
ocramida says:
02:52 AM, 01/15/10
Yeah that is a lot of buttons but I know of 4 people who purchased Mazda 3's and while they felt like it was button overload at first, they've since come to find that the buttons both intuitive fall to finger and extremely helpful for controlling major features while keeping their hands where they shold be- on the wheel...
vvk says:
06:48 AM, 01/15/10
That's a nice door pull.
hondacura4 says:
08:54 AM, 01/15/10
"The MS3 has a very photogenic interior."
+1. It's level of perceived quality is very high as well as it's level of fit and finish. I actually think it's better executed than any other Mazda currently offered. The only problem I have with the 3's interior is that it feels/looks/is quite snug vs the more open and airy Civic.
seppoboy says:
08:55 AM, 01/15/10
I've told this story before, but Audi simply does not prioritize great steering in their engineering. The best steering was in older front-drive Audis in the 1980's, but the same models with quattro always had a lifeless and vague effect.
I met some Audi engineers doing high altitude testing in Colorado and while admiring their test vehicles noted that my crappy rental car had better steering than my personal A4 quattro, much less BMW. Two of the German engineers just sniffed, Audi is a luxurious car, we don't need that kind of steering like Porsche and BMW. When I countered that my second car, a VW, had excellent on-center feel and stability while my much more expensive Audi was tiring to drive on a long trip, they still insisted Audi steering was appropriate for the brand.
Well, BMW and Volkswagen and Mazda and Saab seemed to be able to combine excellent steering with their brand attributes. Subaru did at one time, but their steering is starting to become less appealing.
ingenue007 says:
10:32 AM, 01/15/10
i have an s5 and a mazda 3 as my daily car. i commented on a previous thread that i liked the mazda steering feel better than my s5. glad to know im not the only one!
billt9 says:
06:53 PM, 01/17/10
I don't like the material quality of the new gen Mazda3. I thought the outgoing Mazda3 felt cozier with better quality surfaces. The new one has so much visibly hard plastic.
In contrast with the new Mazda6 and new CX-7, which have better interior materials.