black_ninja23
Member
- :
- Mazdaspeed 3
I just test drove the new 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 and here are my initial 10 minute test drive impressions.
My test drive took me through some straights, a few curves, the freeway, and a couple of uneven pavement.
Right from the start I already loved the way the clutch felt, it has just about the right amount of feedback to the left leg that I felt my shifts were smoother. It wasn't too hard like the current model, and not too soft. This made my clutch engagement so much better and enjoyable.
Ok, I'm out of the parking lot and onto the streets. The way this engine revs feels different, it seems to want to linger in the 2500-3000 range ready to boost at any given moment. The engine seems to have more sense of urgency and responded to my gas pedal modulation much better than the outgoing model. As with the clutch pedal, the throttle also has the right amount of feedback to my right foot, that I feel much more in control of the car’s acceleration.
So now, I’m at a red light about to turn green. Green goes on, and I quickly accelerate rowing through gears 1, 2, and 3. Not aggressively, but quick and smoothy. All these little things, the clutch feel, the throttle, and the smooth gear transition, come together to make this car more fun to drive. Per the Insideline.com review, Mazda came up with “some kind of built-in throttle manipulation intended to protect the drivetrain from shift shock or to smooth the gearchanges.” Though, this new technique has slowed the car from 0-60 for the price of 0.3 secs, again this is coming from the recent insideline.com full test and review. With that in mind, I personally wouldn’t mind having these smoother shifts for the price of 0.3 secs.
Ok, so the engine and drivetrain feels improved, how about the suspension? Luckily I was able to take the car through some uneven pavements with cracks and dips, both straight and curved roads. And I have to say this has got to be the biggest improvement yet, and if I had the extra cash to trade my old Speed 3 and buy the 2010 model, this would be the selling point of the car! The car felt much more planted to the ground, specially when accelerating through the curves. The ride quality is less raw, but it still gives the driver the confidence to take on the curves.
And then there’s the freeway, getting on the onramp and passing still felt about the same, but just that overall improved feeling of the throttle feedback just felt good. This pocket rocket still holds true to the first generation, it still has the same power even though I didn’t get to red line it (supposedly the new model doesn’t run out of breath as much as the new one).
Overall, I would give the Mazda engineers two thumbs up for the improved throttle response and suspension/chassis setup. Now, if I could just get over that silly smile it has in the front and those ugly tail lights, then maybe…just maybe, I’ll fork the extra cash to trade the old for the new. Oh, and what's up with the interior design they chose? It feels outdated, specially with the red-dots accent and red stripes on the seats??
My test drive took me through some straights, a few curves, the freeway, and a couple of uneven pavement.
Right from the start I already loved the way the clutch felt, it has just about the right amount of feedback to the left leg that I felt my shifts were smoother. It wasn't too hard like the current model, and not too soft. This made my clutch engagement so much better and enjoyable.
Ok, I'm out of the parking lot and onto the streets. The way this engine revs feels different, it seems to want to linger in the 2500-3000 range ready to boost at any given moment. The engine seems to have more sense of urgency and responded to my gas pedal modulation much better than the outgoing model. As with the clutch pedal, the throttle also has the right amount of feedback to my right foot, that I feel much more in control of the car’s acceleration.
So now, I’m at a red light about to turn green. Green goes on, and I quickly accelerate rowing through gears 1, 2, and 3. Not aggressively, but quick and smoothy. All these little things, the clutch feel, the throttle, and the smooth gear transition, come together to make this car more fun to drive. Per the Insideline.com review, Mazda came up with “some kind of built-in throttle manipulation intended to protect the drivetrain from shift shock or to smooth the gearchanges.” Though, this new technique has slowed the car from 0-60 for the price of 0.3 secs, again this is coming from the recent insideline.com full test and review. With that in mind, I personally wouldn’t mind having these smoother shifts for the price of 0.3 secs.
Ok, so the engine and drivetrain feels improved, how about the suspension? Luckily I was able to take the car through some uneven pavements with cracks and dips, both straight and curved roads. And I have to say this has got to be the biggest improvement yet, and if I had the extra cash to trade my old Speed 3 and buy the 2010 model, this would be the selling point of the car! The car felt much more planted to the ground, specially when accelerating through the curves. The ride quality is less raw, but it still gives the driver the confidence to take on the curves.
And then there’s the freeway, getting on the onramp and passing still felt about the same, but just that overall improved feeling of the throttle feedback just felt good. This pocket rocket still holds true to the first generation, it still has the same power even though I didn’t get to red line it (supposedly the new model doesn’t run out of breath as much as the new one).
Overall, I would give the Mazda engineers two thumbs up for the improved throttle response and suspension/chassis setup. Now, if I could just get over that silly smile it has in the front and those ugly tail lights, then maybe…just maybe, I’ll fork the extra cash to trade the old for the new. Oh, and what's up with the interior design they chose? It feels outdated, specially with the red-dots accent and red stripes on the seats??
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). The dash trim with the same pattern doesn't look quite as hokey, but I've thought about possbily replacing it with piano black and adding a red Mazdaspeed logo.
