2010 Mazdaspeed 3: Last Drive (with Video)

@ throwback: That is the very question I'm wrestling with right now. No question, the Mazdaspeed 3 is the car that's tugging at my heartstrings... but I might have waited too long to buy one. Now, I have practical, family considerations in the near future, and the GTI has more rear legroom (...and gets a bit better gas mileage). It's a tough call. I prefer driving the Mazda, but when I sit in it how I want to, there's not much of a backseat.

"Practical family considerations"? Are congratulations in order? :) If I wasn't out of town for this thing, I might have joined you in my S4 Avant or - more likely - my wife's SVT Focus.

Your hair makes a great g-force indicator in the video. :)

Great send off Erin. I'm going to miss hearing about this little brute. I also would like to comment on the liquid sliver, wow. I have never seen one before. Being from Alberta, we get "crystal white metalic" instead of the silver. Seems fitting... I still want one of these cars. Just traded in our '08 Sport GT on a CX-7. So I had the platform... and now I have the engine... Someday I will have them in the same package.

No two second rule applied? :p

Were you guys still on the original tires at 23k miles?

Sure looks like I missed a great ride. I am going to miss the MS3. Great pics too!

@ felonious: Ha, no congrats needed. Not as near in the future as I may have implied. I'm just a planner.

@ waffle2000: Yes, original tires.

Aside from a local jaunt in Palos Verdes (take Arlington Ave in Torrance all the way south), that was the most exciting driving I've paced my MS3 with to date in 13 months of ownership. Even better with a red hot Mazdaspeed 3 grinning from behind or tailing Subytrojan's WRX.

I couldn't believe how much tread you guys had left at 23k (it's not much, but it's not bald either, and most of my driving is fairly conservative). I'm not a fan of the stock Dunlop SP Sport 2050 and am eagerly looking to replace them. More time in the twistys will definitely aid in that endeavor and what a great time to embark upon it!

Oh yeah, Erin is a great driver. Couldn't pull away even the slightest while hanging on the steering wheel/bolsters for dear life and heel toe downshifting most turns into 2nd. So yeah, Forza is not even an appreciable substitute for seat time. Whodathunk. :)

I wish I knew you guys were doing this! It's not that far from my necks of the woods and I much rather have driven my 94 Miata then spent the day playing GT5 as I did. Reality > Video games

@ srlracing: I'll try to send a Facebook message the next time we're planning to do a drive. If you friend me, I'll make sure you're on my list. --Erin

Tough choice indeed. Allow me to add a 3rd option. Why not wait and drive the Focus ST? The euro Foci have always been class leading drivers, and I suspect a little more rear seat room to boot.

Good point... from what I hear, the Mazda is pretty much worthless in Europe because of the Focus.

But I think your "family considerations" are a bit premature... the GTI offers room for 6 footers. The MS3 should easily fit a pre-pubescent child. Even if your child is freakishly tall, that won't happen until puberty. do you really have to worry about that over a decade down the line? As long as you have 4 doors, it will make the baby transport acceptable.

Thanks for putting together this great drive Erin. As much as I love my GMR (and anytime you guys are there and want someone else along, give me a call. It literally is right in my backyard) it was really nice trying something new. The scenery was terrific, the food was great, and the discussions were interesting.

Guess I'll chime in with my experiences. This was a great chance to compare the Miata and Mazdaspeed 3. They're at similar price points, but offer completely different takes on the performance and driving experience Mazda is known for.

Subytrojan set a decently aggressive pace going up the mountain, but it was just about how hard I usually push myself on an open public mountain road. I knew is was at a disadvantage in power going into this, but as the altitude climbed I became acutely aware that I was the only naturally aspirated car of the bunch. The Miata struggled to keep up on the straights, and unlike Erin, I couldn't just sit in 3rd. The uphill hairpins pretty much required a 3-2 downshift. Good thing the Miata practically begs you to heel-toe. While the other 3 pulled away out of the turns, I was able to carry more speed into and through the turns. Call it a draw. Interesting to note, while the horrid tires the Miata was shod with when I bought it were the subject of some discussion, the Miata easily still had more grip than engine.

Unfortunately, I had to leave early, so I didn't drive down with the rest. I was lucky enough to score a completely clear run down, and I pushed it hard. Easy heel-toe downshifts made for explosive (for a Miata) corner exits, the brakes didn't exhibit the slightest fade, and the brilliant chassis made the best of the horrid tires. And yes, Erin, Suby, and Liquored, I made it back in time for my sister's birthday - barely.

Looking forward to another drive!

-Tyler

Erin,

Call VW and Mazda and ask how much some basics are to get fixed. That might shape the view some. My money is on the VW being crazy expensive.

As family vehicles:

We have a 2010 Mazda3 hatch and a 2 year old. It's not a good car for taking kids in and out of. The sloping roof makes the back a dark, difficult cavern to negotiate. My 335i was much, much better for that task. Yeah the hatch can be convenient but really the Mazda3 is pretty bad for backseat access. Big trunk and easy seats to lower but overall it's less than ideal as a family car.

Flip that, the GTI's rear access with a 4 door is bolt upright and perfect for taking little people out of the back. Even my wife's similar A3 is better for this kind of task (but the GTI offers a roof that's even more user friendly) than the larger Mazda3. The trunk's tight but really the idea that kids need lots of stuff is an urban legend (mostly perpetuated by parents who can't pack).

Filming a new fast and the furious movie??

Damn I would have loved to tag along with my own MS3, but I had to head back up to the Central Valley that day. Luckily I was picking my buddy up in Lake Arrowhead so I got some decent mountain driving out of it, but this would have been way more fun.
Liquored, Erin, stovt, if you guys are ever getting together again for one of these I would love to add another liquid silver speed to the mix. Hopefully I'll be in town next time this happens.

Next time you plan on coming on down to SD let me know...I've always wanted to push my A6 Quattro w/ sport package a little more hard than 13 miles back and forth to work each day...Mt. palomar is only about 15 miles away from me...I'm up for breaking a few laws here and there....

ohhhhhhhhhhh look at the first pic!! Ford Flex in the background. A true mountian race car (kidding). What do you think erin? Its at least better then any minivan and most crossovers of its size.

@ thejosh, toxic: Friend me on FB (and let me know who you are) and I'll give you a heads-up the next time we do a Palomar run.

I'm going to miss reading about this car so much. I hope you replace it with something equally as excellent.

Nice of the van to pull over for you guys.
While you can get a family in either the MS3 or GTI, I'm not sure either one's a family car. That first year with a rear facing car seat will mean that one of the front seats is all the way forward in either of those. After that, you're golden. Once a kid is facing forward, it will be a while before they need much legroom.

legacy,

That's simply not true. We had a rear facing seat in our A3 without any problems and the seats were not all the way forward. Not even close.

Great VID Erin! I'll miss the MS3!

That stretch of road reminds me of Angeles Crest near Red Box and Mount Wilson here in SOCAL. I take my 2010 Mazda 3 2.5S sedan up that way and stretch its handleing legs. LOTS OF FUN!

blueguydotcom,
Sorry, I wasn't talking about the A3. I was talking about the MS3 and GTI. In any case, they may not be all the way forward but they're not going to be all the way back either. Eriches mentioned she like to have the seat pretty far back.

No coolant temp gauge on a performance tuned turbo engined car? That's just stupid. What the heck is Mazda thinking?

Good thing it's going back.

legacygt: its funny you mention this, your username is of a car that does worse in the rearward child seat situation.

i have a 09 gti and currently have a rear facing child seat in it and it works fantastically. hell it even fits decently in my wifes insight and that backseat is tiny.

the carseat dilema would be amplified in the mazda...they have never had much backseat room, the gti would still fare better.

and great vid btw erin, looks like you guys had loads of fun