|
|
CAP Blog > CAP Blog > Martin's Blog
|
|
Sep
16
Written by:
Martin Ward
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Mazda chose northern Germany for the press launch of their new five door hot hatch, as much of the Autobahn system in that area is de-restricted and would allow guests to drive this high speed car at maximum kilometres per hour without much risk of receiving a speeding ticket.
Lubeck is on the coast of the Baltic Sea and this area is well known to the Germans as a holiday destination, as it has 8km of golden white sands and a very warm temperature. Sitting alongside the Baltic on the sand is very reminiscent of the holiday spots in the Mediterranean. It is a strange feeling as you don’t normally associate Germany with beaches and sun umbrellas.
 Most people recognise GTI, ST, Cupra, VXR, VRS, M Sport and S Line as the sporty versions of Volkswagen, Ford, Seat, Vauxhall, Skoda, BMW and Audi. However, for some reason Mazda’s MPS seems to have become lost; it is not a well known brand and is very anonymous. With any sporty model there has to be an awareness of that model and the sub-brand should be as well known as the manufacturer; in fact you shouldn’t have to mention the name of the car, just its sporty title. “I’ve got a GTI or the ST” should be enough to let everyone know what type of car you are driving but MPS is just not good enough for this car. If Mazda were to be a bit braver and use a sexier brand name such as ‘ZZ’ after their “Zoom Zoom” slogan, then this would add to the image. “I’ve got a Mazda 3 ZZ” sounds so much better than MPS.
 The MPS is powered by a 2.3 litre DISI turbo petrol engine that produces 260ps, goes from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds and has a top speed of 250kph (155mph) where permitted. It has a six speed manual gearbox, with no plans for an automatic gearbox to be introduced. We drove the MPS on the de-restricted Autobahn and whilst we did not quite reach the car’s maximum speed, we were not far off. At speeds of up to 140mph, the slight bends on the motorway come up very quickly so you need to really be alert, whereas at 70mph, you hardly notice them. At these speeds you have to concentrate all the time; you are constantly watching and nervously waiting for anyone who may drift across in front of you. I think the motorway speed of 70mph may be too slow now but 80mph may be more sensible, allowing for a modern car’s ability to come to a stop much faster than when the 70mph speed limit was introduced. However, to have a speed limit of over 100mph like Germany would be ridiculous.
 On the Autobahn the ride is quite comfortable but once back on normal roads, it is an extremely hard ride and becomes very uncomfortable. You feel every bump in the road and after a while you really want to get out for a rest. The harshness of the chassis does improve the cars handling and dynamics dramatically but it doesn’t do anything for your back.
The exterior is very different to the standard Mazda 3 and unlike the previous MPS that was introduced in 2007, it does have significant body styling modifications. There is a large rear spoiler to help with stability, side spoilers to improve looks, protruding front wings, a large bonnet scoop, 18” alloy wheels and large twin exhaust pipes. All of these features contribute towards the distinctive look of the Mazda 3 MPS. The body is stiffer, lighter and stronger to improve torsional rigidity and the reductions of 25kg in the weight helps towards reducing fuel consumption and CO2.
 The interior has a fairly plain look, considering this is a hot hatch. There is a dark red carbon fibre panel in front of the passenger and the black cloth seats with leather bolsters have a red pattern running through them. The seats are firm and supportive, being most useful on a long motorway run as they take some of the harshness away from the chassis.
The MPS is priced at £21,500 on the road and is a good alternative to other more well known sporty hatchbacks. With only around 400 MPS models per annum coming to the UK, the owners will become part of an exclusive club. The equivalent Golf GTi costs around £2,000 more but you do get that all important GTi badge and its heritage.
The new Mazda 3 MPS is certainly a huge improvement over the previous model in terms of styling and quality but the hard ride and the MPS badge may put some people off.
Tags:
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
