Scott's Steer: Mazda 3 MPS

I like understated things. I like class and subtle design. I like cars that don’t stand out too much, that don’t make people question the size of your, er... bits. I also like my cars to be fast. I like the Mazda3 MPS. And at only £19,495, including the Sports Aero kit, it’s an inexpensive indulgence.

This 155 mph ‘super-hatch’ has 256bhp, taking it from 0-62 in just 6.1 seconds. With 380Nm of torque (at 3,000 rpm) and a six-speed box the 3 MPS rarely lacks grunt. The little

Mazda

can handle more than one would first imagine, it’s a miniature rocket in disguise. I could imagine a chav in a souped up embarrassment of a ‘car’ envisioning a victory in the traffic lights GP, but he would be as wrong about that as he was about thinking his baseball cap looks cool.

The 2.3 litre turbo engine bolted under the bonnet is the best feature the 3 MPS has to offer. Now, I’ll admit that I like horsepower and lots of it. It’s like a drug; addictive, always needing more and more. And it seems I have found my next few hits within the Mazda, but the power alone is not the most impressive statistic.

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I have used a highly complex and scientific calculation (price/bhp = pounds per horsepower) to demonstrate what great value for money the MPS is and the results are astonishing. I have compared the three closest competitors, the beautiful Alfa Brera, the solid

Audi

S3 and the ultimate driving machine - the

BMW

130i M Sport. In last place is the Brera at an expensive £114.25 per bhp, but we can forgive Alfa as this car is too sexy to be angry with. It would be like being cross with Keira Knightly; pretty much impossible. Next up is the Audi S3 at £103.35, not that impressive in my ‘Power for Pounds’ scale. The runner up is the 130i M Sport, with each horsepower costing less at £101.09. Quite reasonable, one might say (and very surprising – Ed). Well, yes, but not compared to the little Japanese car. Amazingly, each brake horsepower in the MPS only costs £76.15. Now I’m no equestrian, but those are cheap horses.

To put this into context, and again using my ingenious formula, this means that a Bugatti Veyron with 1001bhp should only cost £75,225. Bugatti obviously need to sack their Head of Finance and rethink the business model, as the Veyron seems to be around £791,000 overpriced.
Speed- and power-wise the Mazda is certainly great value for money. So, it would be fair to expect some cost cutting elsewhere, but there isn’t. The interior is solid, if lacking some flair, the best part is when the ignition is turned on and the dials stylishly light up. The race style seats are well made, trendy and as supportive as an over eager life coach. It’s good news in the back too; your passengers need not be amputees to enjoy their ride.

The MPS I was driving had the £500 ‘Sports Aero Kit’, with lowered suspension and a larger rear spoiler. Unfortunately it also includes small, low-drag wing mirrors which appear to have been modelled on Wayne Rooney’s ears. And they are just as useless; you can’t see trucks in them, let alone cars and bikes.

The ride is solid, but still comfortable on most roads. With 256bhp going through the front wheels I expected the Mazda to struggle coping with all the power. However, it deals with it superbly and has a surprising amount of grip. The lowered centre of gravity means that the Sport Aero version changes direction even better than the standard 3 MPS, and the larger rear spoiler means that it is more stable at all too easily reached high speeds.