does the turbo dsi engine fit into the sedan

[boostdog]

Just as the title states...i never understood why they didn't offer the ms3 in sedan form....anyone know why? and does the engine and trans fit the sedan ( i assume it does ) but have yet to see anyone do a swap.

 

[bova80]

i'm sure you could get it to work.

 

[dmention7]

Same motor, same trans in both cars, so I can't think of any significant problems. One of the local guys transplanted the entire drivetrain and most of the suspension from a wrecked speed3 into his 2005 3 with no issues to speak of. The only thing is you'd definitely need to run a FMIC because the speed3 hood is different than the sedan, and I'm pretty sure the fitment is different than the hatch as well.

As to why they didn't do it, simple cost is all--it was a low volume vehicle and offering it in two body styles would increase costs. Same reason the speed6 was only offered in sedan form, even though they had a hatch and a wagon to work with.

 

[boostdog]

that makes sense but they had both a sedan and a hatch to pick from..i wonder why they choose the hatch vs the sedan? isn't the sedan lighter?

thanks for the replys!

 

[dmention7]

It was lighter by a few pounds, but there has always been somewhat of an emphasis on the hatch as the sportier model.... then again, the whole hatch vs sedan thing is a dead horse that has been beaten into chunky salsa by now.... lol

 

[bova80]

if they would have made the speed3 a sedan from the get go i would have been more inclined to get it over my speed6, but i got a speed6 and can say i couldn't be more happy.

 

[jred321]

i wonder why they choose the hatch vs the sedan?

i think it's because the sedan looks like my bum and the hatch actually looks like a completed, fully thought out car.

 

[boostdog]

i think it's because the sedan looks like my bum and the hatch actually looks like a completed, fully thought out car.

LOL...nice(bolt)

 

[oaklandopen]

gotta remember that everything in the engine bay is situated differently in the speed compaired to non-speed 3's, like the coolant and power steering reservoirs and whatnot, so i don't think it can simply be dropped in.

i had a mz3 gt sedan before and i woulda liked the turbo option in my car, and probably would have gotten it. but after having the hatch it feels more practical than a trunk anyway. and the cargo difference definitley payed off several times since i got the speed last year

on a side note, i would love to get a 2nd gen miata and put the 2.3MZR in that. now THAT would be something worth swapping

 

[MS3Pilot]

According to Mazda, the majority of hatch owners were younger males, and Mazda seemed to think that younger (20-40 males were the most likely ground to have use for a 263 horsepower hatchback.

 

[RC08MS3]

if you want a sedan turbo disi , buy a speed 6.....

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

I think Mazda hit the nail on the head

I was one of the naysayers who didn't understand the hatch choice for the MS3. I had an 04 sedan whihc I loved and didn't think I'd fall for the hatch. Well I was dead wrong. The practicality of the hatch in addition to the differences in sheetmetal and grille between the Mz3 hatch and MS3 hatch have made me a believer.

While I still like the sedan the MS3 hatch is just as sexy in it's own way. Plus it can swallow a lot of cargo if the need arises.

 

[Kain]

I wouldn't have bought this car if it wasn't offered as a hatch. Kain's Seal of Approval should be reason enough.

 

[zzoomp09]

The reason why I bought a hatch was because my 00 Corolla's trunk is bigger than the 07 3 sedan's trunk. Even the opening was small compared to my Corolla.

Then, when I bought the MS3, I understood why they had the hatch as the speed not the sedan, the hatch's trunk shrunk as a result of the bigger tires. Plus the extra room under the trunk carpet was gone, probably because of a different suspension setup than a regular 3 if I'm not mistaken?

Now that the sedan's trunk being smaller than what I'm used to, making it a speed version would make it a little useless, though it's only an opinion from where I'm coming from.

 

[dmention7]

I don't think the MS3's trunk is any smaller than the same generation of hatches (or at least not due to the tires/suspension). The tires are only slightly larger than a standard 3, and the guy I mentioned above bolted the entire front and rear subframes from a speed3 onto his 04 SP23, so the suspension is not dramatically different in design, just different shocks/springs/sways.

 

[zzoomp09]

Honestly, it is a big difference. I had the regular hatch before. When I transferred my stuff from my hatch to the MS3, the stuff I had on my hatch which occupied the hidden storage and about a quarter of the hatch open space, occupied more than half of my MS3's hatch space. Plus, like I posted above, the storage below the hatch carpet was totally taken away on the MS3, taking away additional storage. (regular hatch 17.1 cu/ft, MS3 16.5 cu/ft)

Now, I don't think it is the reason why they went with the hatch for the speed3 version, but imagine the sedan's trunk losing that amount of space the hatch lost.

I had a 00 Corolla which had 13.2 cu/ft of trunk space and my mom had a 97 Corolla which had 12.3 cu/ft of trunk space, and that is a big difference.