I was lucky enough to catch one at the dealership that had been a canceled order. since previous times we went they were sold long before they got there.

Anyway this car has alot of space and its not as cheap feeling as you would expect. The Interior actually feels pretty solid. the Sound system (Bose) is very nice and there is alot of room. Enough room for me in the back seat behind a driver who is 5'10 and im 5'11 but I have very long legs(i wear a 34" Long jean) and there was plenty of leg room in the back.

The exhaust is nice its not loud and obnoxious but you can tell its not an average mazda 3. Its got a deep aggressive tone to it that you can hear. The Turbo noise is cool as well, its again nothing crazy but you can definitely tell its there.

The one I drove only had 7 miles on it so we never took it above 5000rpm and even then it was only for a moment. But My god did it pull. Unfortunately it front wheel drive so you can imagine the torque steer but at 2500-4000rpm is pulls very hard and i can only imagine what its like up to 7000rpm. It spun tires on dry road just out of the blue in 2nd gear under hard acceleration.

The brakes were down right amazing we did a Threshold braking test at 80mph and it stopped very quickly and with very little drama. It didnt weave all over the road or bobble around the ABS came on and was very smooth. The ABS system also is very nice. Its not intrusive like most systems this system comes on at the last second. By far the best ABS system i have ever felt.

6 Speed gear box felt nice, wasn't too notchy but it wasn't sloppy either. It was just right. Gear ratios seem good for both track and street use. 2nd 3rd and 4th are sort of short but 5th is a bit longer and we never even got to sixth. The close mid range gears would make a track day a piece of cake for this thing. and the best part is that you can fit all the stuff you need for the weekend in the back. No putting your bags on the front seat anymore like most 3 Series BMW's

The Handling felt good but not amazing. The car was stiff and very responsive but its no E36 M3. But I do think its better than most cars out there.

It doesnt look as boy racer as an STI, or Lancer Evo. The styling although more aggressive than the normal mazda 3 it doesn't broadcast its presence as much as some cars. It blends in while breaking the land speed record. It styling is although not the prettiest car isn't not ugly. But again the thing i like best about this car is you could do 85mph in it and blend right into to the other traffic.Making you less likely to get in trouble with the badges.

At $24,000 its a steal. And with MazdaSpeed you can get Factory upgrades on it that wont void the warranty. Which is a big plus.

All in all its a good car. I just wish i could have gotten more than a 3 mile test drive in with a stupid salesman that wouldn't shut up and didn't know the difference between ABS and TCS

Sounds like fun, what kind of factory upgrades are offered?

-Spargo

Sounds like fun, what kind of factory upgrades are offered?

-Spargo

smal things. i think there was a suspension and intake and exhaust upgrade. IM not really sure id have to look though the mazda speed catalog but these are things you must buy after the car has been bought not as options. so they are aftermarket.

of course an upgraded turbo and intercooler would do wonders im sure.

I'd like to see what aftermarket chips produce with this car. My friend who lives in another city has one on order, I've liked what I've read so far.

I'd like to see what aftermarket chips produce with this car. My friend who lives in another city has one on order, I've liked what I've read so far.

i imagine that it can be a really monster with some minor tweaking. all turbo cars allow for some pretty serious gains from minimal work.

when i went to the mazda dealership they only had one and wouldnt even talk to us but i sat in it and the gearbox felt horrible so notchy like just jamming it into gear

when i went to the mazda dealership they only had one and wouldnt even talk to us but i sat in it and the gearbox felt horrible so notchy like just jamming it into gear

you do realize that the syncros dont work when the car isnt running.

Sounds somewhat like a riot but with fwd i think the car is already at its limits. Like I understand the whole FI having lots of possable power and you can probably chip that thing over 300, but it seems stupid to me. Why didn't you just get a used RWD turbo car? I'd much rather have the civic si in the world of 20k FWD funboxes, sure its a lot less power but its more about the feel than anything. People shopping in this category going for 0-60 times or whatever it might be performance wise make little sence to me. If nutflexing is what your after get a used car and trick it out. a 95 300zx for 7k starts with 300hp and hits 500 for a few thousand.

-Spargo

Too bad they didn't make the MS3 AWD. Might've been heavier, but would've been better.

Yeah, Im getting a new car pretty soon. I looked into this car. Haven't test drove one yet, but told my pops about it. His friend just got one for his son and he said it was very impressive car. So my dad wants me to check the car out. I wonder if they nego on price at all? There are like 6 sitting at one dealership in orlando.

I have a regular Mazda3 hatch and i love it. Brakes, handling and shifter are amazing for this class. My only complaint is that it needs more power, but the mazdaspeed solves that. I can't imagine theres anything better for that price

Sounds somewhat like a riot but with fwd i think the car is already at its limits. Like I understand the whole FI having lots of possable power and you can probably chip that thing over 300, but it seems stupid to me. Why didn't you just get a used RWD turbo car? I'd much rather have the civic si in the world of 20k FWD funboxes, sure its a lot less power but its more about the feel than anything. People shopping in this category going for 0-60 times or whatever it might be performance wise make little sence to me. If nutflexing is what your after get a used car and trick it out. a 95 300zx for 7k starts with 300hp and hits 500 for a few thousand.

-Spargo

yeah im sure that 300zx is a gem. just tip top isnt it :rolleyes

Too bad they didn't make the MS3 AWD. Might've been heavier, but would've been better.
if they would of made it 4wd it would of been to close in terms of performance to the mazdaspeed 6, which has the same basic motor *263hp for the MS3 vs 274hp for the MS6* and it is awd and about 5000 more than the ms3.

...yeah 300zx is a great car i don't understand the sarcasm. I'm saying why go buy a new car if you're so power hungry. To me it just defeats the purpose of buying a car new. If you're going to modify, void your warranty, and most likely want to race, how about a used sti then.

-Spargo

be careful. there have already been numerous accounts of the engines falling out of these things. :eek:

be careful. there have already been numerous accounts of the engines falling out of these things. :eek:

True. Mazda recently put out a recall to replace the faulty mounts.

My wife has a 2007 Mazda 3 hatchback. This is an upgrade from a 2005 Mazda 3 sedan we just traded in. With our first kid due in 2 months she wanted some more room in the back for strollers and stuff. She absolute loves it.

She loved the 2005 too. The 2005 had the 2.0 4 cyclinder and it got incrdible gas milage, easily 35pmg on the highway. The 2007 is only available with the 2.3. It definetly feels peppier and the gas milage doesn't take much of a hit.

In the 3 years she had the 2005 she had not one problem. She even traded it in with the orginal tires. So my wife is happy and when she is, so am I :)

Another Mazda3 owner here. Love it!

I bought it in Georga and accidently ended up on the Dragons Tail on the way home. It was late, no traffic, and I learned I really like that car right then. It would keep up a very nice pace with no hint of being a FWD until well into the going to jail range. Then it gave you nice little warnings that you were exceding its abilitys. Interior is nice, looks much more expensive than it is and has not fallen apart, no rattles. I run the crap out of it because it is one of those kinds of cars. I call it my "Little White Whore". She like it rough!

I wanted a MS3 but know I have no self control, and I already have a boosted toy but..... I did try one, again with a concerned saleman sitting next to me and with respect for the future owner. I think for the money how could you go wrong? I could have bought that one for 21G's. Still kick myself once in a while....

Larry