best handling cars in the world?

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Damaga

Member
Contributor
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Titanium 03.5 MazdaSpeed
Anybody has that article where I believe they compare the MSP with 7 other rides (Ferrari, M3, etc.) on handling capabilities? It's motor trend, car&driver or road&track (I think).

*did a quick serahc, nothing came up*

thanks!
 
i know a 360 modera (sp?) has sick grip......but why the hell they comparing the msp to it .......(stooges) (huh) (wedge)
 
I have a R&T that compares the MP3 to the mentioned rides. It is the June 2002 issue. This may not be the one you were talking about but I was just letting you know.
 
overstreet31 said:
I have a R&T that compares the MP3 to the mentioned rides. It is the June 2002 issue. This may not be the one you were talking about but I was just letting you know.
Click to expand...
im sure it is the same one..i dont think they compared the MSP to those cars... And AUTOBOX they put it in there because it is the best tested FF car they have ever tested..Bar non (integra type-r)..and it did loads better than some they put it up against..i mean it ran like a 72 in the slalom... it was like 2nd fastest...
 
wow i need to see this....2nd fastest in a field of m3, 360, and othe rlike it? i know the msp is a nice ff facotry carver..thats why i bought it...but i dont think it can hang with a m3 or 360 lol....this isnt a recent article?
 
i remeber the mp3 one never saw it for the msp the mp3 out handled alot of the more expensive cars but did not have enough power to do that well in some of the other test
 
The article was the MP3 article. However, R&T did come back to say that the MSP was the second fastest through the slalom they had tested. SCC also called it the best handling FWD car they had ever driven. I also remember another article where they mentioned in passing, without much detail that the MSP was one of the best handling cars they had ever tested.
 
Notorious said:
I think the only car that outslalomed it was the evo VII
Click to expand...
You are correct sir!!! The EVO went through at 72.something and MSP went through at an even 72. WE RULE!!! I recently had to represent this fact while I was troll-ing on SRTForums. They all were using some test results that shows that an SRT4 goes through the slalom as fast as an MSP (claiming an MSP could only go 68 TOPS through the slalom LOL) an I was like, "YEAH RIGHT YOU NEON DRIVIN' *****!" *SLAP*
 
I searched on here & I found the thread about it, but the link for the scanned article is dead. I did find this though:

attachment.php
 
On paper, the Mazda MP3's 2.0-liter, 140-bhp engine powering the front wheels appears out of place in this group of sports cars. For pure acceleration, the MP3 is snail-pace slow. But its aggressively tuned front MacPherson struts and rear trapezoidal-link suspension allow the car to corner with the best. The steering is linear with a crisp and quick initial turn-in to help make the 2900-lb. car feel nimble. Toss the MP3 into a corner and the chassis follows the intended path nicely with no surprises. There is not the usual heavy understeer associated with front-wheel-drive vehicles. With 205/45ZR-17 tires all around, the not-so-boring sedan can zoom through the slalom cones with an average speed of 70.2 mph, which equals that of the Porsche 911 Turbo.

Herta was impressed by the Mazda's level of competence on the track. "Wow!" he said. "The suspension is quite good. The chassis is very balanced and it does pretty much anything you ask it to do. As I turn the steering wheel, I can feel the front tires loading up and the car follows it as if riding on rails. And once the front bite starts to fall away, I can also feel it through the steering as the turning effort gets lighter."

For the road or the track, the Mazda MP3 is an easy car to drive, and drive fast. Herta notes: "As soon as I exit the pit, right away I am at ease. There is no need for taking a lap or two to get used to the car. I would love to see this in a sport model fitted with a turbocharger and more damping control, and then see just how much quicker this car would be around the track. That would be a real ride."
 
Final Scores

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=600 border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#9999cc><TD colSpan=10>
OBJECTIVE PERFORMANCE​
</TD></TR><TR align=middle bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>
50% of Total Score
</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80></TD><TD vAlign=bottom width=50>BMW M3 Coupe</TD><TD vAlign=bottom width=50>Chevrolet Corvette Z06</TD><TD vAlign=bottom width=50>Ferrari 360 Modena</TD><TD vAlign=bottom width=50>Lotus Elise</TD><TD vAlign=bottom width=50>Mazda MP3</TD><TD vAlign=bottom width=50>Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII</TD><TD vAlign=bottom width=50>Porsche Boxster S</TD><TD vAlign=bottom width=50>Porsche 911 Turbo</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD vAlign=top width=160>Skidpad</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>35 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>31.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>35.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>33.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>34.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>32.1</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>32.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>32.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>34.3</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>Hairpin Segment Time</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>35 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>32.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>34.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>35.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>33.2</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>30.5</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>33.3</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>32.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>34.2</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD vAlign=top width=160>Slalom</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>35 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>32.3</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>32.3</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>33.4</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>35.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>33.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>32.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>33.4</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>33.7</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>Transition Segment Time</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>35 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>33.5</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>34.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>34.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>35.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>32.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>34.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>34.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>33.8</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>SUBTOTAL</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>140 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>130.3</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>136.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>137.1</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>137.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>129.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>134.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>134.1</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>136.0</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160></TD><TD vAlign=top width=80></TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>3</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>2</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>1</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>5</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>4</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD colSpan=10></TD></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#9999cc><TD colSpan=10>
ROAD SUBJECTIVE RATINGS BY R&T EDITORS​
</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD colSpan=10>25% of Total Score</TD></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD vAlign=top width=160>Steering Response</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.3</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.5</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.9</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>Balance</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.5</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.3</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD vAlign=top width=160>Throttle Response</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.5</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>Gearbox</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.1</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.3</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.2</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.4</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD vAlign=top width=160>Brakes</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.2</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.1</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>Confidence Factor</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.4</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD vAlign=top width=160>Driving Excitement</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.1</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.1</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.2</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.6</TD><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>SUBTOTAL</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>70 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>65.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>64.4</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>67.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>64.3</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>61.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>63.2</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>66.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>68.3</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160></TD><TD vAlign=top width=80></TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>4</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>5</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>2</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>3</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>1</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD colSpan=10></TD></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#9999cc><TD colSpan=10>
TRACK SUBJECTIVE RATINGS BY BRYAN HERTA​
</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD colSpan=10>25% of Total Score</TD></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD vAlign=top width=160>Steering Response</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>5.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.0</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>Balance</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>5.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>6.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>6.7</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD vAlign=top width=160>Throttle Response</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>4.4</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.9</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>Gearbox</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>6.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>5.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.0</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD vAlign=top width=160>Brakes</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>6.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>6.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>5.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.9</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>Confidence Factor</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>5.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.0</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD vAlign=top width=160>Driving Excitement</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>10 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>10.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>9.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8.0</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>SUBTOTAL</TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>70 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>48.4</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>55.5</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>64.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>61.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>52.0</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>59.7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>53.4</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>54.5</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160></TD><TD vAlign=top width=80></TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>4</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>1</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>2</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>7</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>3</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>5</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD colSpan=10></TD></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#9999cc><TD colSpan=10>
FINAL STANDINGS​
</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160>TOTAL POINTS </TD><TD vAlign=top width=80>280 pts</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>244.5</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>256.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>268.8</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>263.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>242.6</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>256.9</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>253.4</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=50>258.8</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD colSpan=10></TD></TD></TR><TR align=middle bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top width=160></TD><TD vAlign=top width=80></TD><TD vAlign=top width=50>7
BMW M3 Coupe</TD><TD vAlign=top width=50>5
Chevrolet Corvette Z06</TD><TD vAlign=top width=50>1
Ferrari 360 Modena</TD><TD vAlign=top width=50>2
Lotus Elise</TD><TD vAlign=top width=50>8
Mazda MP3</TD><TD vAlign=top width=50>4
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII</TD><TD vAlign=top width=50>6
Porsche Boxster S</TD><TD vAlign=top width=50>3
Porsche 911 Turbo</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
hmm well it doesnt relaly compete with a 360 like i assumed....like i said...the msp/mp3 are nice fwd cars....but u cant compare them to a high end sports car.....
 
there is the article when they compare it to the WRX, SRT-4, SER Spec-V, Evolution, and something else..i think that was sport compact car.
 
SpicyMchaggis said:
there is the article when they compare it to the WRX, SRT-4, SER Spec-V, Evolution, and something else..i think that was sport compact car.
Click to expand...
i only remeber the $21k under shoot out...fell short of the srt-4 for first becuase the msp couldnt match the power....
 
Thanks guys, yes I guess the article I wanted is the one with the mp3.
We should have a sticky regarded ALL articles, reviews that covers our beloved 'Speed.
 
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