2010 Mazda Mazdaspeed3 Review

The brand new Mazdaspeed3 has entered into the competition offering the features you expect from a classic hatchback. To make the coupe iconic, Mazda has released the car in just four colors. The red hatchback displays the ‘Nagare Styling’ of the Mazda, which is a design language that is utilized here with the sensuous curves that hood and line fenders to sketch the evil smile from the grille. Mazda has enhanced the grille which is composed of curved, black fins.

The steam is obtained from a turbo-charged engine of small displacement. That is, a direct-injection 2.3 liter, 4 cylinder engine which is turbo-charged is used here. The coupe generates a horsepower of 263 and a torque of 28 pound-feet to offer a smooth twist to the wheels at the front. You can get the hatch back into motion in two ways.

Firstly, you may drive it like any ordinary car, by putting the 6-speed manual in first gear and then softly balance the clutch-letup with throttle. This results in a normal push ahead since the tachometer needle touches 250rpm. The car gets into motion at medium speed and then you can apply the second gear.

Secondly, you have to put the coupe in first gear, give a throttle till the tachometer reading shows 3,000rpm or more and then you drop the clutch. This method is not fine because the front end moves in the torque steer induced pull towards right. The driver will then pull the wheel to his left which will result in a huge struggle to keep the coupe at bay. This is just fun and not precise or great.

The strange thing is that the handling and transmission of the Mazdaspeed3 seems European with a precise amount of controlled play. The hatchback has the best handling front wheel drive till date. A limited slip differential at the front which is standard will aid in handling. The coupe can easily drive on mountain roads despite the long sweepers, since the front wheels do a perfect job of pulling the car through it.

On the sharp, hairpin turns which are slow speed turns; the hatchback delights you to the core. The coupe rotates as though an axle is driven from roof to the floorboards vertically via the middle portion of the coupe, the front portion eagerly asking for more turns. In a declining corner, where things scare you by swaying sideways with the inertial pull which is increasing, the hatchback just needs a slight throttle to maintain the balance.

The coupe offers a Tech package, which gives a nice audio setup and a special navigation system. The stereo interface utilizes a strange 3-knob configuration which is more artistic than practical. It means that instead of reducing the volume, you will be changing the radio stations mistakenly. A tiny 3.5” window located at the dashboard’s upper part and the navigation system do not operate on the infinite colors at the center stack. But, the coupe has nicely introduced few buttons on the steering wheel’s right spoke.

You can also type in the city and street names as well as browse the map by using the directional buttons. The navigation system is very simple but does not incorporate advanced features like text-to-speech or traffic but the implementation is nice. The system is capable of calculating the routes quickly and its integration makes the Tech package of $1895 worthwhile.

The tech package consists of an audio system, ‘Bose’ of 242 watt, 10 speakers which are balanced nicely. If you are searching for extreme bass, then you have to purchase a stripped Mazdaspeed3 and then invest in aftermarket gear. The Bose system produces great music with superb clarity of the delicate instrumental music. The integration of iPod is missing here. It provides an MP3-compatible six-CD changer (included in the Tech package), stereo Bluetooth streaming and a satellite radio which is implemented poorly.

The stereo Bluetooth streaming does not feature a proper interface for selecting music and is actually an auxiliary input which is wireless. The satellite radio cannot be used near buildings which are above 3 feet in height since it cuts out with a slight provocation, whether it is a tall hitch-hiker, a building or an underpass to the side of your road.

Since Bluetooth streaming is available, a Bluetooth phone system which is hands-free is present featuring ‘voice command.’ The system is normal allowing you to make calls by telling out loud the digits in ‘voice command.’ A phonebook function is also present where in you may add contacts by pushing the contacts manually from another phone.

The Mazdaspeeed3 is an excellent street coupe at a less price. The fuel economy of 21.2 mpg is good with 25 mpg in the highway and 18 mpg in the city. The implementation of navigation is fantastic. The features are less with the audio sources also. iPod is not integrated onto the coupe which is a major flaw and does not match the cabin tech options of the present cars.

But, in sum, the coupe is great with wisely designed navigation buttons. Also, with the ‘Nagare’ look, the hatchback sports a unique look which will appeal to many people.

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