2010 Mazdaspeed 3 - First Drive Review - Car and Driver
For three years, the Mazdaspeed 3 has been the unbeaten champ of the overheated-hatch segment, prevailing in three of our comparison tests and also winning a place on our 10Best Cars list. The truth is, it didn’t need much, but ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it doesn’t work in the car biz, where the winds of change blow at gale force. Generally speaking, the Speed 3 shares sheetmetal with the new Mazda 3 five-door , including its unhandsome black plastic grille. The biggest Speed 3 visual update is the addition of a hood scoop, to funnel fresh air into the turbocharged four-cylinder’s top-mounted intercooler. The wing extending from the rear of the roof is bigger, and there are new 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels and Dunlop SP Sport 2050 tires with bigger footprints—225/40s, versus 215/45 Bridgestone Potenza RE050As on the previous edition. Inside, the updated Speed 3 is distinguished by Mazdaspeed fabric trim—red-speckled black on the door panels and deep seat bolsters, plus red stitching. Output of Mazda’s 2. 3-liter turbocharged and intercooled four is unchanged—263 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, driving the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip differential. Even though the figures remain unchanged, Mazda was able to get more out of the 2. 3’s all-in-the-middle powerband with revised gearing. Source: www.caranddriver.com
