First Drive: Pumping out 260bhp from a turbocharged 2.3-litre engine, the Mazda3 MPS is the marque's most powerful yet, writes Daniel Attwood
With the Golf GTi, Astra OPC and Focus ST all after the crown of best performance hatchback, this front-wheel drive Mazda has a tough battle ahead.
But it is coming to the field well-armed. For a start, when it arrives in showrooms next month, it will cost €36,000, which puts it level with the competition.
Better still, under its bonnet sits an engine lifted straight from the larger Mazda6 MPS (Mazda Performance Series).
This 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged powerhouse produces a thumping 380Nm of torque to assist those 260 horses, making this the most powerful car in its category - so powerful that it is as quick as a Porsche Boxster to 100km/h.
One must look at much more expensive rally-bred cars like the €62,000 Impreza WRX STi and the Evo IX, or at premium performers like BMW's 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine in the 130i, which despite its extra 500cc and additional cylinder (and its €50k price tag) can only manage to produce one extra bhp, to find more powerful cars.
But up against the likes of the Ford, VW and Opel, this latest five-door hatch from Mazda is king when it comes to power.
While the larger Mazda6 benefits from an all-wheel drive set up, this smaller Mazda must cope with front-wheel drive.
Cost and weight savings as well as Mazda's argument that the 3's chassis is well capable (with a few tweaks) of handling 260bhp through the front wheels, means the MPS 3 is on par with its three closest competitors when it comes to driving only the front wheels, although none of the competition has so much power twisting the front axle. This, of course, should have dramatic affects on the car's handling characteristics.
Launched in 2003, the basic Mazda3 is already well respected as a crisp handling compact car, so this tweaked version always promised to be a consummate handler, especially after the chassis, suspension and brakes were adapted to cope with the additional stresses of the performance engine.
An initial drive suggests that Mazda's engineers have got their sums right.
Torque steer, while still evident, is not as intrusive as expected. To minimise the effects of the massive 380Nm of torque produced by the engine - which is 80Nm more than the six-cylinder engine powering BMW's flagship 730Li - the stiffness of the left and right drive shafts has been balanced.
In addition, a new limited slip differential is used to provide torque to the inner wheel during hard cornering, while volume and boost pressure controls suppress sudden torque peaks.
The suspension, while firm, is not unduly jarring and with the car's six-speed transmission, which was also lifted from the larger performance Mazda6 but has wider gear ratios to exploit the torque band, the overall driving characteristics at low speeds are rather refined. Demand performance from the car however and it will deliver.
The 3's styling is far from aggressive.
It is clearly in the hot category with its flared fenders, its 18" wheels and its overgrown grille, but from several angles it looks like a typical anonymous hatchback, which, says Mazda Ireland MD, David McGonigle, was a deliberate move to "offer a vehicle that is understated, but that packs a punch under the bonnet. This is not for people who want to attract attention".
This also explains why Mazda will only offer this car in a practical five-door layout.
Aimed at initially attracting 30 of the 700 or so Irish performance hatchback buyers, this Mazda is the second-last to market with only Honda's Civic Type R to come later next year. Then expect a battle royal as theJapanese pit their cars' power, reliability and driving dynamics against the excellent but slower Golf GTi, the sublime handling Focus ST and the manic Astra OPC, which until today was the most powerful of the bunch.
FactFile: Mazda3 MPS
Variant: Five-door hot hatch
Engine: 2.3-litre DISI 260bhp turbocharged petrol
Top speed: 250km/h
0 to 100km/h: 6.1 seconds
Overtaking power: 50-100km/h in third gear: 4.2 seconds; 80-120km/h in
Fifth gear: 5.4 seconds
Cost: €36,000 (est)