All Cars, All the Time

Mazdaspeed3


Secretly I think most of hoped that the Mazdaspeed3 would be an AWD drive car. With 263hp and 289 lb-ft of torque there were visions of a hell cat, torque steering us into the nearest center divider ala Nissan Maxima. However, early reviewers say that isn’t the case. Mazda has saved the weight and cost of AWD by using a limited slip differential, and an engine management program which limits the amount of torque developed in the first four gears. The system also takes into account steering angles and vehicle speed when determining how much torque should pass through the driving wheels, by measuring the stiffness and speed of the left and right drive shafts. That keeps the wrinkles out the body work and a grin on your face. This stands to make the Mazdaspeed3 the quickest front drive car on the road. According to Motor Trend, the body rigidity of the pumped up 3 is up 60 percent over the standard issue hatchback and drag is down from 0.35 to 0.32. All of these stats remind me of Samuel L. Jackson’s Pulp Fiction quote “And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger.” It appears to me that the 3’s older brother, the Mazdaspeed6 (which uses the same 2.3L mill to less effect), just got his pants pulled down.

I’ve always dug the Mazda3. When traveling Europe in the nineties I used to pine away for a Mazda 323F, almost to the point of having to be pulled away whenever I saw one parked. I loved the shape of that car! I can’t wait to hear more about the new Mazdaspeed3. I'm not totally won over yet. I’ve been mislead by early, glowing car reviews before and I don’t want to be hurt again.