Is it a bird, a plane, or a Ford Focus? No one knows what the Mazda 3 MPS really is, who it’s aimed at or why to buy it.
“What the heck is that?” was the question I was asked most when I pulled up in this car. Well, let me try and explain.
The test car was BRIGHT red. Which is a mistake because it doesn’t make the car look sexy, it makes it look like a customisation project. The skirts, spoiler and paint job make it look like you are on your way to the Max Power exhibition. That devalues what is an impressive car. Instead, it should be in a dark silver or black. Then it would be a fantastic ‘q-car.’*
In a simple colour like that everyone would assume it is a Ford Focus or something and not look at you. Which will allow you to use the 260 bhp and 0-62 time of 6.1 secs, to zoom up the inside lane. Or the outside lane. Or possibly the hard shoulder. This car can accelerate like it is going to take off. I got from the slip road out of Toddington services on the M1 to Birmingham in under a minute.
And it handles any corner with the kind of relaxed confidence and poise that usually only comes from a university education. The steering is firm and positive, it loads up well at speed and is light when in town. It really is a joy.
The suspension is fiercely stiff. No matter how slowly I tried to go, every time I left the car park, it hit the sleeping policeman like a convict resisting arrest. The front of the car seemed to bounce unbelievably high into the air then land on the deck without bouncing.
If I were reading this article, I would think I am exaggerating about some of the car’s traits, but I am really not. Well, OK, it took longer than a minute to get from Toddington to Birmingham, but I think you knew that was a joke.
The MPS can be considered as an alternative to the Subaru Impreza, especially now the Impreza is a hatchback and considered to be not that pretty; presumably Scooby fans will be looking for a new alternative?
The problem, of course, is that the brand and reputation are not the same. You won’t be taken seriously burning up Southend Strip in a Mazda. “Does it go ‘Zoom zoom,’ like in the adverts?” people will mock.
These sporty credentials don’t make it a bad motorway cruiser though. It is smooth, absorbs road bumps and cruises quietly. Plus each gear except 6th provides lots of lovely torque so you can pull out around lesser hatchbacks. Its fuel consumption should be about 29 mpg, which explains why a round trip from London to Birmingham cost me £50. For the fun I had, that is great value. When you consider Virgin trains is about two hundred times that, it’s fabulous value.
I really enjoyed driving this car on long journeys. True, the heavy clutch threatened to sheer my ankle off a few times when sitting in traffic, but that’s because it is a genuine drivers car. That’s what it should be like.
The boot, leg and head room are all comparable to the class-benchmark Ford Focus’ and Vauxhall Astras. So if you are a about to have a family and don’t want to give up on life just yet, this might be a fun purchase for you.
The interior doesn’t look like it’s trying to compete with the mainstream or tick boxes. It is uniquely styled and you will either love it or hate it. Some will say it looks plasticky, I think it looks like the front of an expensive stereo. Which is to say, looks cool.
The radio was a bit frustrating in that it was very good at losing BBC stations and picking up pirate junk. I mean, it even found some in Royal Windsor. I didn’t know the Queen allowed that kind of thing near the castle.
I took the car to a four star hotel, and again a different colour would have helped but it did not look out of place parked between a BMW and something else. The Mazda 3 is an all rounder if ever there was one.
*A Q-Car is a plain looking but very fast car.
Summary
The Mazda 3 is a good family car, that holds its own against the Astras and Focus. But in MPS trim it also competes with the Subaru Impreza. A good choice for the young parent who doesn’t want to stop having fun just yet.
Road test car details:
Mazda 3 MPS 2.3 Turbo
OTR £ 19,495
0-62: 6.1
MPG: 29.1
Co2 p/KM: 231
Words: Matthew Tumbridge