The hood is adorned with a large air intake, the body is pressed to the ground, and at the rear there is a massive spoiler. Looking at this, you involuntarily start drawing parallels with the Subaru Impreza. But you shouldn't – the Mazda3 MPS (which stands for Mazda Performance Series) is a completely different car. Much more sensible, if such a word can be applied to a hatchback with 260 horses under the hood. In first, second, and third gear, the MPS crawls calmly through city traffic, and at that moment you mentally thank the engineers for direct injection and the preserved displacement: 2.3 liters is a solid figure in an era when everyone is obsessed with downsizing. When the city is left behind, traffic lights disappear, and traffic thins out, it's time to check how serious the ambitions of this hot hatch are. The seat hugs the driver as it should for active driving. True, the seating position is still not quite sporty – the steering wheel is tilted more than you'd like.
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| IMPRESSIONS
The interior is hard to call matching the character of the engine. It differs very little from the regular version. | |
ILLNESS AND CURE
When you press the gas pedal to the floor, the engine reacts instantly and willingly revs all the way to the redline. However, the dose of adrenaline is not as striking – you expect more aggression from the motor. Part of the test route ran on German autobahns, and that's where the car shines best: without speed limits, the MPS can fly at very serious speeds.
 | BURGUNDY COLOR
The front panel is trimmed with red-speckled plastic. Fabric inserts shimmer with crimson shades. Perhaps a bit of aluminum wouldn't hurt here. |
KEY MOMENT
But as soon as the road starts to twist, the classic ailment of powerful front-wheel-drive cars surfaces. It's not about slides when exiting a corner – the self-locking differential handles that perfectly. The problem is the tugs on the steering wheel, which reacts too sharply to 380 newton-meters of torque. The Japanese tried to solve this with electronics that limit traction when the wheels are turned.
The idea is good, but it doesn't completely eliminate the jerks. In the end, you still have to fight invisible forces that knock you off your chosen line.
However, the car turned out to be surprisingly kind to the owner's wallet – at least in terms of fuel. Of course, if the boost pressure gauge needle is constantly pegged, you can forget about economy. But if you calm down and drive with the flow, the Mazda3 MPS fits into ten liters of gasoline. True, you'll have to fill up with A-98.
AND SUITCASES FIT TOO
As strange as it may sound, the MPS is also a practical car. To all its advantages is added a small but convenient trunk. And if you, God forbid, are late for a flight, you can rest assured: you'll get there quickly, and you won't have to hold your bags on your lap. True, it will be quick only if you don't get stuck in traffic.
In everyday city hustle, the Mazda3 MPS turns into a regular "three" with a surprisingly soft clutch for a sports car. The manual gearshift lever is short-throw, and gears engage with precision.
The MPS comes standard with a Bose audio system, which we would also recommend to owners of "regular" Mazda3s. The sound from the American speakers is punchy and powerful – matching the engine, and the dose of the already familiar "zoom-zoom" drug increases many times over.
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| IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The engine has an intercooler located above the cylinder head, and the instrument panel has a boost pressure gauge. |
FOUR SEATS
The MPS cabin is four-seater. Without any reservations. The rear middle seat is very cramped.
MANUFACTURER'S DATA
ENGINE
2261 cm3, turbo, petrol, 4 cylinders,
260 hp at 5500 rpm,
380 Nm at 3000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
Manual, 6 gears, front-wheel drive
PERFORMANCE
max speed – 250 km/h,
acceleration 0–100 km/h – 6.1 s
DIMENSIONS (mm)
length – 4505
width – 1770
height – 1460
WEIGHT
1460 kg