Mention the Mazda 3 of 2003-2013 and most people will struggle to recall it.
Regale them with tales of the 256bhp MPS variant launched in 2006, and they’ll write you off as ‘a person to avoid’. The fact is, the Mazda Performance Series is a hot hatch known only to car junkies who nod approvingly at a power output that exceeded the 247bhp of the Mk5 Volkswagen Golf R32 and was only 5bhp shy of the Audi S3.
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And therein lies the reason the 3 MPS is so invisible. Whereas the R32 and S3 were both four-wheel drive, the Mazda was two-wheel drive, and those driven wheels were the fronts.
True, there’s a mechanical limited-slip diff and a steering-anglesensitive throttle damping system that aims to rein in power when you turn the wheel but, even so, torque steer remains a problem that leaves the car feeling unresolved.
Still, one purist’s overcooked orphan is another’s overlooked bargain. Prices begin at about £2000 for high-mileage, private-sale 2006 cars before accelerating as quickly as the car itself (5.9sec to 60mph, for the record) to around £4500 for tidy 2007 cars with full history, before speeding north beyond £8000 (nice 2010 cars) to as much as £12,000 for the last 2012 and 2013 examples.
If you didn’t know that Ford once owned a third of Mazda shares, you might be surprised to hear the 3 MPS shares its platform with the Ford Focus. However, where Ford’s hot hatch, the ST, had a blown 2.5-litre five-cylinder Volvo engine to grind its beans, the 3 MPS used a homegrown Mazda 2.3-litre four, again with forced induction. It’s a nice twist and shows just how single-minded Mazda can be – a trait that has, at various times, rewarded it richly and cost it dearly.
The engine, called DISI, or Direct Injection Spark Ignition, is notable for squirting the fuel straight into the combustion chamber and, when it’s in there, increasing the air pressure to boost power and torque. Economy was supposed to be a beneficiary, too, but you’ll struggle to best 30mpg. Road tax for 2006-2008 cars is £500, but £295 for 2009-2013 cars.
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