Mazda 3 vs. Nissan SE-R Spec V

[03.5_Mazdaspeed]

You guys are joking right? You know how much of a **** up it would take for a mazda3 to beat me? I mean it can happen no doubt, but highly unlikely. I ran a 15.2 stock. 14.5 with intake/header/exhaust and a 13.8 with nitrous. I got slips and videos and all if you wanna talk just IM me (OneFast03Sentra). Until then stop saying the best run in a spec v will be a 15.9, because my good friend ran a 15.9 in his stock auto ser. Thanks for being ignorant - Rob.

 

[03_ser_specv]

Lol sorry that was me. My g/f musta been posting here and I didnt check to see if I was logged in.

You guys are joking right? You know how much of a **** up it would take for a mazda3 to beat me? I mean it can happen no doubt, but highly unlikely. I ran a 15.2 stock. 14.5 with intake/header/exhaust and a 13.8 with nitrous. I got slips and videos and all if you wanna talk just IM me (OneFast03Sentra). Until then stop saying the best run in a spec v will be a 15.9, because my good friend ran a 15.9 in his stock auto ser. Thanks for being ignorant - Rob.

 

[mikeyb]

You guys are joking right? You know how much of a **** up it would take for a mazda3 to beat me? I mean it can happen no doubt, but highly unlikely. I ran a 15.2 stock. 14.5 with intake/header/exhaust and a 13.8 with nitrous. I got slips and videos and all if you wanna talk just IM me (OneFast03Sentra). Until then stop saying the best run in a spec v will be a 15.9, because my good friend ran a 15.9 in his stock auto ser. Thanks for being ignorant - Rob.

Hey OneFast03Sentra its nhblk03ser from the vboard. I forgot you two have an MSP.

 

[03_ser_specv]

damn right man (yippy) (nana) ... lol raced many times and driver's race all the time... i love how on mazda boards the mazdas are always faster. and go to a nissan board and the nissans are always faster. people love their car so much they get their head up in the clouds and dont realize the MSP = Spec V (with the spec having a little edge IMP) as far as straight line goes. Autocross the MSP will take the spec. Both are AWESOME cars and SOOOO much fun. actually I kinda like lauren's MSP more

anywho, i would obviously love the spec more. neither of them are beauty queens, but the look of the spec grew on me (how weird huh). i kinda like the 5 door 3 better, the 4 door or whatever looks crappy as hell from the rear.

 

[03_ser_specv]

Also the MSP pull ALOT harder on the top end than a spec v would. My g/f dont get on it much after 80...and I was driving and asked her if I could see what I can bring it up to. I was watching the needle as went back 100 and was like , "well damn i hate spec v top end". Lol it was funny.

 

[mikeyb]

We had an 03 Protege5 which was traded for an 04 Miata LS 6speed. What an awesome car. The SE-R will be traded in an about year or two for a Mazda3.

 

[mikeyb]

Don't you think the interior in the MSP is better then the Sentras?

 

[03_ser_specv]

they make the new miata 6 speed? what the hell shows how much I know... that's pretty sweet man ive seen some quick ass miatas. and of course, they handle awesome.

 

[mikeyb]

they make the new miata 6 speed? what the hell shows how much I know... that's pretty sweet man ive seen some quick ass miatas. and of course, they handle awesome.

Its an option on the LS and standard on the MSP Miata.

 

[frenzy2223]

I had a 1993 Ford Probe GT before I got my Mazda 3s. My buddy has a 2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. I could hang with him and even pull on him at higher speeds. I was not impressed with the performance of his car, but I do believe that he would beat my Mazda 3s.

 

[BinaryRotary]

they make the new miata 6 speed? what the hell shows how much I know... that's pretty sweet man ive seen some quick ass miatas. and of course, they handle awesome.

A MSP owns the Spec-V in every category, how are you going to say it has an advantage?

Also, they've had 6-speed Miatas for about 6 years now, its an option.

 

[03_ser_specv]

yes yes the msp is better in every aspect of the spec v you are soooo right (blah) what car do you drive again? oh yeah that's what i thought. getting a little biased aren't we? anyways, i know from experience and do believe that the spec is better than the msp as far as straight line (not much but still)...and without a doubt the msp is better for autcross.


EDIT: about the miata comment... like i said i dont know much about the car, good to know. no need to be a hardass about it.

 

[Replica]

I test drove an MSP and was pretty dissapointed for all the hype...

 

[03_ser_specv]

eh this wasnt suppose to be an MSP bashing thread man. i gave only but praise to it and i actually like it more than my spec v. dont know why that guy got so upset over nothing.

 

[mikeyb]

The one thing the SPECV has over the MSP is factory performance parts. Where are the Mazdaspeed parts at? The other day when I was buying my Miata I asked the parts department about Mazdaspeed performance parts for either the MSP or Miata and I was told that there is nothing available for them as of yet. Also you can only get MSP vehicles at a Mazdaspeed authorized dealer. What's up with that? That is just stupid. I guess its a Ford thing because you can only buy SVT vehicles at SVT authorized Ford dealers right?

 

[badAzLava3]

I already added by 2 cents about the Spec V and the MSP, both are good, and they are more the same than they are different.

Ford owns 34% of Mazda, so I don't see the total control thing our conspiracy theorists friends do....

Mazdaspeeds are awarded to only a few Mazda dealers, the ones that do the volume, and have a customer base to support the small but crazy few that plunk down big bucks to be different.

For example, Phoenix has 2 MS dealers out of 5 dealers with a population base of 2+ million folks.

Tucson, Prescott and Sorry Vista all have a Mazda dealer but do not have the kind of numbers to support a MS franchise. I think it also has something to do with available parts inventory, # of Mazda certified mechanics and customer happiness numbers.

Somebody's got to fix those things when the high boosteleros crank 20psi into a motor designed around 8psi.

To get the Mazda go fast parts, all you have to do is join Mazda Team support program through Mazda Competition Parts.

If you do the racing thing, all you have to do is fax them 2 sets of results from the last 6 months and you are golden.

Besides access to go fast parts, you also get a good discount on OE stuff and maintenance stuff.

Makes those car related dollars go a lot farther.

Not all Mazdaspeed parts cross pollinate with the other cars, so be careful and make sure what you want to get will fit on what you are using.

Nothing really out there for the Mazda 3's yet, but it's only a matter of time.

 

[Kain]

The Spec V is an awesome car. My friend had a black '03 Spec V, and I loved the low-range grunt. I didn't have a problem with the 6-speed (not every transmission is going to be Honda-slick, but as long as the gates aren't overly vague, it's fine with me). Also contrary to popular opinion, I actually like the exterior and interior of the Spec V (yes, the MSP looks better inside and out, but that doesn't make the Nissan ugly by any means). I also like available moonroof option, the price (a nicely-loaded Spec V can be had for $16k) and the support from NISMO.

Gotta do something about that torque steer, though. The car cries for a better limited slip differential; hell, the SRT-4 torque steered like a biatch before the addition of a beefy LSD.

 

[jkjersey]

I drove both the Spec V and Mazda 3 s in 4 door sedan

My friend owns a Spec V 04 and I just sat in on a close for a Mazda 3 S

If price is your only factor in buying the car sure the Spec V is your choice.

The Spec V is no where near as tight as a car as a Mazda 3 in handling ..
aside from lateral G numbers that may be posted in a magazine from my driving experience the Mazda 3 just inspires more confidence in the apex of a turns and wants to tear through it and go further.

In another aspect the interior dessimates the Spec Vs ...

Everything wraps around and looks much better than the plainer spec V interior and everything conforms around the driver nicer. The seats fabric felt smoother when you are wearing shorts and are similar to spec V seats but I enjoyed them better.

In the exterior aspect well
The Spec V has that hideous barren front waffle coned grill ...
I haven't seen many bodykits to hide that aspect of it.

The Mazda 3 conforms well with Mazda's intention to develop a branding (marketing strategy) to look similar with the Mazda6 and RX-8.

The altezza like lights however on the hatchs look a tad cheesy esp on the brighter colors . The black inset of the lenses looked better blended in on a sedan with a darker color painted car.

When it comes to the engine well....

I will bring up the statement in this thread that his car was capable of getting 13.8s 1/4 w. nitrous (spec V)

Now seriously my ride (undergoing conversion impreza) can do that all day long with AWD to boot in rally winning style if that 1/4 had turns in it ALONG with me messing up on launches to be in the high 13s and not in the mid-high 12s time . Now this is only in a track setting not mentioning on the street keeping the engine spooled in a good boost range on the road which would throw those numbers out the window with even more responsiveness and an edge over 99 percent of the cars that I can encounter on a drive out. All this with a stock turbo on the engine

you can see pics here
Link to pics if anyone cares to see

Anyways MY MAJOR POINT is (i dont want this to turn into a pissing contest)
in the class of car your looking @ 15s range in 1/4 mile for both a spec V and mazda 3 s in STOCK form the slight speed advantage of the spec V is nothing to boast about. In real life a driver can change all of it and it would be fairly close. To be honest on the highway I would pick a VW to trick out over mostly any of the lesser expensive brands if you wanted a fast car. Like a GTI VR6... with wide phat gears that if you chip you can still be in 3rd gear doing like 95 mph.


If you are looking for a car that has it all and will make you smile when you drive and look @ it and get probably the same attention from the public about
get the mazda 3 once you drive both back to back you will know what I am talking about.

(crazy)

 

[Old school]

All talk

As usual jay you are all talk. First of all the 3 does not out handle the spec. Second, the spec is very tight. Third, the 3 is 24k and the spec is 17k duhhhh. Of course the 3 will have nicer styling. You know nothing. if you would remove your head from your friends ass for a minute you would see performance is all around the same. Good luck with your weak subura. Ill be sure to look for you in my rear view mirror.

 

[mp3mike05]

As usual jay you are all talk. First of all the 3 does not out handle the spec. Second, the spec is very tight. Third, the 3 is 24k and the spec is 17k duhhhh. Of course the 3 will have nicer styling. You know nothing. if you would remove your head from your friends ass for a minute you would see performance is all around the same. Good luck with your weak subura. Ill be sure to look for you in my rear view mirror.

a 24,000 dollar 3 comes with every imaginable option, they start at like 16,000 something and you can get a nicely equipped one for 18 grand..... so its not all that different in price than the spec v