OT: Mazdaspeed3 Test Drive *Review* long
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Honda-Tech Member
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From: Northern NJ, USA
OT: Mazdaspeed3 Test Drive *Review* long
Date: 03/03/2007
Time: 1:30pm
Place: Wayne Mazda, rt 23, NJ
Temperate: Breezy, probably 40-45 degrees
Back round Info:
Ok, well as many of you know I've been through allot of cars but still miss the ITR the most. I've been driving new cars to see if any can fill this void but none have succeeded thus far and this brings me to the Mazdaspeed3. I will right off the bat say that this car still does not fill the void but it was pretty fun non-the-less. So with that said, let’s start the review.
Appearance:
Right now I actually own a Mazda 3 sport sedan (trying to save money yo!) and prefer that style over the hatch. I always felt the hatch was kinda funky looking but with the new front bumper, rims, and rear wing it actually looked pretty good (shadygirl referenced it as "cute"). I think silver looked the best out of the colors presented. The interior it was typical mazda 3 but it had new well bolstered half leather half material seats which were nice and comfy. The car had automatic climate control, auto-on HID's, auto wipers, bose sound system, Ipod hook-up, and Sirius built in. It was a nice list of options for the 24,500 asking price. It defiantly felt more up-class then both the Evo and Sti. I personally would go with the Navi option if I ever purchased the car. Ok now on to the drive.....
The Drive:
This little car starts with a nice deep rumble (me likey) and at low speeds it has a deep burble. The salesman had to drive it out of the lot then switch off with me because non-dealership personal were not supposed to be driving it. First thing I notice is that the salesman is redlining it right out of the lot, poor car only had 28 miles on it, but from the passenger seat it felt almost as fast as a stock evo. Ok so we reach the parking lot and my portion of the drive begins. I throw it in 1st and let the clutch out slowly to see where it grabs and I was shocked that it grabbed in the top 1 inch of travel. Kinda weird but oook. I go out into traffic and drive slowly to get a feel for it. The low end is great, no turbo lag (or sound for the matter) at all. I could see this being a great daily driver. As my confidence increased so did my speed and since the salesman was redlining it, as did I. From a first gear punch there was some torque steer but all in all not too bad, and wheel spin was almost non-existent (I guess the computer software really works). The shifter does not like to be rushed AT ALL and it felt really vague but positive. The throttle response was OK but you could tell it was drive by wire because of the ever so slight delay. Ever shifting at the shifters speed, this was a quick little car that defiantly had the get up and go. All the mags were right when they say to shift at 5.5-6K because you really didn't need to go any higher then that. On the U-Turn I took it at about 37-40mph (25mph posted turn) with almost 0 body roll and 0 wheel spin when I punched it coming out (LSD doing it thang). The brakes felt great and hauled the car down nicely from speed.
Problems:
At a light a really weird high pitched noise came from the engine (which I felt in my foot) then went away. The sales guy had no clue what it was. Shadygirl also heard the wind rushing over the wing under hard acceleration (she was in the back seat) which to some, might me annoying.
Overcome:
At 24,500 this was a very good deal. It felt VERY well built and beating on it didn't seem to bother it at all. I would definalty great the factory intake and exhaust which is said to add 30whp. Unfortunately it wasn't very involving. Sure it was fast and handled well but it didn't put a smile on my face or have me wanting to drive it hour after hour. It kinda felt soulless. The price quoted to me with Navi was about 26,500 which was out of my price range for a car like this (I'm trying on keeping sub $300 car payments and to do that with this car I would have to put down 8-10g's). However if a used silver one with navi pops up for around 22K I'd be all over it because again this would make a GREAT daily driver.
Cliffs:
Fast and Good Handling
Weird Clutch
Great Daily Driver
Kinda Soulless
If you have any questions just ask.
and..
don't miss hooptie's other reviews
Lotus Elise
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1759765
Subaru WRX-STI
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=540701
SRT-4
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=477305
Audi S4
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=245893
Time: 1:30pm
Place: Wayne Mazda, rt 23, NJ
Temperate: Breezy, probably 40-45 degrees
Back round Info:
Ok, well as many of you know I've been through allot of cars but still miss the ITR the most. I've been driving new cars to see if any can fill this void but none have succeeded thus far and this brings me to the Mazdaspeed3. I will right off the bat say that this car still does not fill the void but it was pretty fun non-the-less. So with that said, let’s start the review.
Appearance:
Right now I actually own a Mazda 3 sport sedan (trying to save money yo!) and prefer that style over the hatch. I always felt the hatch was kinda funky looking but with the new front bumper, rims, and rear wing it actually looked pretty good (shadygirl referenced it as "cute"). I think silver looked the best out of the colors presented. The interior it was typical mazda 3 but it had new well bolstered half leather half material seats which were nice and comfy. The car had automatic climate control, auto-on HID's, auto wipers, bose sound system, Ipod hook-up, and Sirius built in. It was a nice list of options for the 24,500 asking price. It defiantly felt more up-class then both the Evo and Sti. I personally would go with the Navi option if I ever purchased the car. Ok now on to the drive.....
The Drive:
This little car starts with a nice deep rumble (me likey) and at low speeds it has a deep burble. The salesman had to drive it out of the lot then switch off with me because non-dealership personal were not supposed to be driving it. First thing I notice is that the salesman is redlining it right out of the lot, poor car only had 28 miles on it, but from the passenger seat it felt almost as fast as a stock evo. Ok so we reach the parking lot and my portion of the drive begins. I throw it in 1st and let the clutch out slowly to see where it grabs and I was shocked that it grabbed in the top 1 inch of travel. Kinda weird but oook. I go out into traffic and drive slowly to get a feel for it. The low end is great, no turbo lag (or sound for the matter) at all. I could see this being a great daily driver. As my confidence increased so did my speed and since the salesman was redlining it, as did I. From a first gear punch there was some torque steer but all in all not too bad, and wheel spin was almost non-existent (I guess the computer software really works). The shifter does not like to be rushed AT ALL and it felt really vague but positive. The throttle response was OK but you could tell it was drive by wire because of the ever so slight delay. Ever shifting at the shifters speed, this was a quick little car that defiantly had the get up and go. All the mags were right when they say to shift at 5.5-6K because you really didn't need to go any higher then that. On the U-Turn I took it at about 37-40mph (25mph posted turn) with almost 0 body roll and 0 wheel spin when I punched it coming out (LSD doing it thang). The brakes felt great and hauled the car down nicely from speed.
Problems:
At a light a really weird high pitched noise came from the engine (which I felt in my foot) then went away. The sales guy had no clue what it was. Shadygirl also heard the wind rushing over the wing under hard acceleration (she was in the back seat) which to some, might me annoying.
Overcome:
At 24,500 this was a very good deal. It felt VERY well built and beating on it didn't seem to bother it at all. I would definalty great the factory intake and exhaust which is said to add 30whp. Unfortunately it wasn't very involving. Sure it was fast and handled well but it didn't put a smile on my face or have me wanting to drive it hour after hour. It kinda felt soulless. The price quoted to me with Navi was about 26,500 which was out of my price range for a car like this (I'm trying on keeping sub $300 car payments and to do that with this car I would have to put down 8-10g's). However if a used silver one with navi pops up for around 22K I'd be all over it because again this would make a GREAT daily driver.
Cliffs:
Fast and Good Handling
Weird Clutch
Great Daily Driver
Kinda Soulless
If you have any questions just ask.
and..
don't miss hooptie's other reviews
Lotus Elise
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1759765
Subaru WRX-STI
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=540701
SRT-4
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=477305
Audi S4
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=245893
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,634
Likes: 0
From: West Des Moines 50266, Iowa, USA
Funny - We have a speed6 for a daily driver and the clutch engagement is identical. It is annoying and 1st to 2nd shifts are NEVER smooth.
Overall, it makes a great daily driver - The dealer had about $7000 in rebates in december and we paid 23,800 + fees for it brand new which was a steal. We have a grand touring with leather and every option excluding Navigation and the 6 disc MP3 changer. We like it a lot! I'd recommend looking into one of those too, my friend!
Overall, it makes a great daily driver - The dealer had about $7000 in rebates in december and we paid 23,800 + fees for it brand new which was a steal. We have a grand touring with leather and every option excluding Navigation and the 6 disc MP3 changer. We like it a lot! I'd recommend looking into one of those too, my friend!
FSAE
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,495
Likes: 1
From: Drinking Beer, UT
Re: (b18c4door)
The Mazdaspeed3 has been the only FWD car that I've payed any attention to over the last year. Mazda has done a good deal of testing to make this car track worthy, and from what I've heard, the power delivery is smooth yet very potent.
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for Hooptie and his reviews
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From: The Mitten State..
Re: (92TypeR)
Great review..
I have the standard 3 hatch and love it. Tracked the 3 once last year, and was really suprised on how well the car did, There are a great car for the moneys...
I have the standard 3 hatch and love it. Tracked the 3 once last year, and was really suprised on how well the car did, There are a great car for the moneys...
Thread Starter
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Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Northern NJ, USA
Re: (canuckr)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by canuckr »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Great review..
I have the standard 3 hatch and love it. Tracked the 3 once last year, and was really suprised on how well the car did, There are a great car for the moneys...</TD></TR></TABLE>
Yeah, mine to is stick. I only paid around 12 for it (used). I definatly got a great deal on it.
thanks for the compliments guys.
I have the standard 3 hatch and love it. Tracked the 3 once last year, and was really suprised on how well the car did, There are a great car for the moneys...</TD></TR></TABLE>
Yeah, mine to is stick. I only paid around 12 for it (used). I definatly got a great deal on it.
thanks for the compliments guys.
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 693
Likes: 0
Re: (canuckr)
good review!
Mazdaspeed3 is a nice car. Unfortunately for us, it's been selling well so there's no manufacture incentives.
If you're looking for fun, cheap cars, check out Miata, RX-8, Mazdaspeed 6, and WRX.
I was quoted 209 month / 0 down for 42 months at lynns Subaru. I don't know mileage.
RX-8 and Mazdaspeed have lease incentives for 2k down / 299 month for 27 months. 12k miles a year
Miata is even cheaper.
I say go for the RX-8!
Mazdaspeed3 is a nice car. Unfortunately for us, it's been selling well so there's no manufacture incentives.
If you're looking for fun, cheap cars, check out Miata, RX-8, Mazdaspeed 6, and WRX.
I was quoted 209 month / 0 down for 42 months at lynns Subaru. I don't know mileage.
RX-8 and Mazdaspeed have lease incentives for 2k down / 299 month for 27 months. 12k miles a year
Miata is even cheaper.
I say go for the RX-8!
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,634
Likes: 0
From: West Des Moines 50266, Iowa, USA
Re: (small arm)
Yep, the speed3 sales are out the ballpark and the speed6 sales are slow as dirt. Hence, the crazy rebates on them. They also have a $299 leases on the Speed6 now, I think.
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Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,352
Likes: 0
From: The Mitten State..
Re: (hooptie157)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hooptie157 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yeah, mine to is stick. I only paid around 12 for it (used). I definatly got a great deal on it.
thanks for the compliments guys. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Not bad.. I leased mine for under 200 a month (plus 20 bucks for some stupid extra leasing warrenty thing).. My lease is up next year in feb and really thinking about getting the Speed3..
thanks for the compliments guys.
</TD></TR></TABLE>Not bad.. I leased mine for under 200 a month (plus 20 bucks for some stupid extra leasing warrenty thing).. My lease is up next year in feb and really thinking about getting the Speed3..
Thread Starter
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Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Northern NJ, USA
Re: (canuckr)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by canuckr »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Not bad.. I leased mine for under 200 a month (plus 20 bucks for some stupid extra leasing warrenty thing).. My lease is up next year in feb and really thinking about getting the Speed3..</TD></TR></TABLE>
There was actually a black speed3 on Ebay yesterday that was fully loaded including NAVI with 6,400 miles for $24,500. Its gone now but I hope to see more when kids realize that the payment on a 25-26K car is no joke (it happened with EVO's and STI's so I'm hoping for the best).
Not bad.. I leased mine for under 200 a month (plus 20 bucks for some stupid extra leasing warrenty thing).. My lease is up next year in feb and really thinking about getting the Speed3..</TD></TR></TABLE>
There was actually a black speed3 on Ebay yesterday that was fully loaded including NAVI with 6,400 miles for $24,500. Its gone now but I hope to see more when kids realize that the payment on a 25-26K car is no joke (it happened with EVO's and STI's so I'm hoping for the best).
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,352
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From: The Mitten State..
Re: (hooptie157)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hooptie157 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
There was actually a black speed3 on Ebay yesterday that was fully loaded including NAVI with 6,400 miles for $24,500. Its gone now but I hope to see more when kids realize that the payment on a 25-26K car is no joke (it happened with EVO's and STI's so I'm hoping for the best). </TD></TR></TABLE>
Metoo.. However I hope they come out with better colours.. The blue the offer just doesnt do anthing for me.. A dark blue would be pimp..
There was actually a black speed3 on Ebay yesterday that was fully loaded including NAVI with 6,400 miles for $24,500. Its gone now but I hope to see more when kids realize that the payment on a 25-26K car is no joke (it happened with EVO's and STI's so I'm hoping for the best).
</TD></TR></TABLE>Metoo.. However I hope they come out with better colours.. The blue the offer just doesnt do anthing for me.. A dark blue would be pimp..
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,206
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From: MA
Re: OT: Mazdaspeed3 Test Drive *Review* long (hooptie157)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hooptie157 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Kinda Soulless</TD></TR></TABLE>
GREAT review... However that one important detail catches my attention. I grew up driving everything I could (four wheelers, dirt bikes, jet-skis... tractors! etc.). I'm definately in it to enjoy it. What can I say? I love my R. Let me know when another car makes you smile just thinking about driving it.
Kinda Soulless</TD></TR></TABLE>
GREAT review... However that one important detail catches my attention. I grew up driving everything I could (four wheelers, dirt bikes, jet-skis... tractors! etc.). I'm definately in it to enjoy it. What can I say? I love my R. Let me know when another car makes you smile just thinking about driving it.
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From: Northern NJ, USA
Re: OT: Mazdaspeed3 Test Drive *Review* long (MatrixShark)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MatrixShark »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
GREAT review... However that one important detail catches my attention. I grew up driving everything I could (four wheelers, dirt bikes, jet-skis... tractors! etc.). I'm definately in it to enjoy it. What can I say? I love my R. Let me know when another car makes you smile just thinking about driving it.</TD></TR></TABLE>
yeah I'm still surprised how a 9 year old car is still more enjoyable. The ITR was truely ahead of its time.
GREAT review... However that one important detail catches my attention. I grew up driving everything I could (four wheelers, dirt bikes, jet-skis... tractors! etc.). I'm definately in it to enjoy it. What can I say? I love my R. Let me know when another car makes you smile just thinking about driving it.</TD></TR></TABLE>
yeah I'm still surprised how a 9 year old car is still more enjoyable. The ITR was truely ahead of its time.
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