MazdaSpeed3 2007

By René Gervais

Driving impressions

First of all, this car speaks to a clientele ready to sacrifice frills for power. If comfort and a smooth ride make you happy, then go elsewhere. You won’t have to wander too far because other variations of the Mazda 3 adapt well to everyday driving. The Speed also offers an excellent price/power ratio. In spite of having all that traction power, the car has good balance, befitting  a RX-8, for example. Since were on the subject, it would be interesting to see a RX-8 in our vehicle. Granted, it’s not a rotary engine and we’d be thumbing a tradition, but there’s no harm in dreaming.

As to general performance, the Speed comes with reliable brakes, a solid and quick manual box and the metal pedal handles pointy heels very well. In short, given the price, you get a lot from this Speed. One knock I have concerns the motor’s agility; though the tachometer’s red zone sits around 6000 rpm, the motor struggles quickly, at around 5300 rpm. This shortens shifting especially with the two firsts. You feel, however, the 280 lb-ft of torque which is managed by a designated system moderating excessive power on the traction.

Unfortunately, we can’t always choose the season for our tryouts; this one took a winter test wearing the appropriate tires. The weather quickly came into play on the 0-100km run, stopping us at 6.2 seconds while other evaluations had numbers around 5.5 seconds; it’s very difficult to beat records when the tires go for a skate. Luckily, the story  doesn’t end there because in the summer of 2007, we’ll present a merciless battle between the Speed and its principal rivals in our comparative match-ups.

Conclusion

The Speed 3 possesses the genetics of a superb machine but exploiting all its capabilities is hindered by vehicle type and the absence of all-wheel drive. True, the Speed versions by their singular nature, cannot come in various configurations, yet were it not for the lack of all-wheel drive, Mazda would shame the Subaru and its shabby interior. In the end, The Speed compels but not the common driver.