2008 Mazdaspeed 3

Road Test
The Mazdaspeed3 won us over with its combination of performance, agility, practicality, and above-average predicted reliability. Based on the already fun-to-drive and practical Mazda3, this high-performance version is exhilarating to drive without the common penalties of limited interior space or a punishing ride often associated with truly sporty cars. Plus, it's easy to live with every day.
THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE
Handling is secure and predictable. We loved its quick steering, suppressed body roll and tenacious cornering grip, though we found it less agile than some competing models, such as the Mini Cooper S. The Mazda comes only with summer performance tires; they perform well, but you'll need snow tires come wintertime. The ride is stiffer and more abrupt than the standard Mazda3, but never harsh. While powerful front-wheel-drive cars like this often exhibit torque steer -- the tendency to pull to one side under acceleration -- it is almost non-existent in the Mazdaspeed3. The car was quick and forgiving in our avoidance maneuver; it has standard stability control. It is easy to spin the front tires with the smooth turbocharged, 263-hp, 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. While it's extremely quick, the engine delivered 24 mpg overall on premium fuel, which is good considering its performance. We found the shift gates in the six-speed manual transmission a little too close together, and drivers sometimes missed shifts or felt uncertain about what gear they were in. Brakes brought short stops wet or dry. High-Intensity Discharge (HID) low-beam lights, standard in our Grand Touring edition, illuminate just a fair distance straight ahead, limiting the driver's ability to see and react to objects in the road. They do, however, provide good illumination to the sides and have very good light intensity. Halogen high beams reach a good distance and benefit from the intensity generated from the low beams.
INSIDE THE CABIN
Some interior pieces are nicely trimmed, such as the leather steering wheel and the leather and cloth seats with contrasting stitching. But many large panels are made of hard plastic with textures that look mismatched, and the fuzzy head liner isn't impressive. An exhilarating engine hum and exhaust note says this car means business; it remains refined and entertaining without being obnoxious. The cabin also has some road noise, which some might see as delivering feedback; others might consider it a distraction. Our drivers found it easy to find a comfortable position behind the tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel. But some found the large side bolsters on the seats intrusive, and the brake and throttle pedals are too close together. A wide rear roof pillar and large head restraints create blind zones to the rear, but thin windshield pillars aid front visibility. It's a bit tougher getting into the rear seats since the door opening is narrower and the roofline is a bit low. A pair of six-footers will fit in the back, though we found the seat to be low for tall passengers. The arrangement of the audio controls is unusual, and it takes some getting used to the central readout on top of the dash for audio and climate settings. But once familiar, the controls are easy to use. The push-button ignition key release is inconvenient. Interior storage is generous, with a huge glove box that can hold a purse or bottle. With its hatchback design and 60/40-split folding seatbacks, the Mazdaspeed3 can hold a decent amount of cargo.
SAFETY NOTES
Curtain head-protection air bags -- extending to protect outboard occupants in both rows -- and seatback-mounted side-impact air bags are standard. The additional air bags supplement required front air bags and three-point seatbelts in all seating positions. The front seatbelts have adjustable upper anchors for getting a comfortable and safe fit and are equipped with pretensioners and force limiters to reduce belt slack and forces in the event of a crash. A driver's seat position sensor, front seatbelt usage sensors and weight sensors in the front passenger seat influence air bag deployment. For example, the passenger sensing system in the passenger's seat detects if an infant or small child less than about 66 pounds is seated there and will disable the front- and side-air bags and pretensioner for that seat accordingly. Those systems will also not deploy if the passenger seat is unoccupied. There are adjustable and locking head restraints in the front- and rear-outboard seats; they're tall enough even when fully lowered to prevent rearward head travel and whiplash injury for most. The rear center seat lacks a head restraint and the seatback is too low to offer much protection. Driving with kids: It may prove difficult to get a secure fit for rear-facing infant seat bases when installing them using the seatbelts. There are easy to access lower LATCH anchors in both outboard seats; LATCH installation provides a better fit. The owner's manual also indicates that if the child restraint manufacturer allows for wide lower anchor spacing, the inboard lower anchors can be used to install a seat with flexible LATCH straps in the center seat. Front-facing seats should prove secure; there are three top-tether strap anchors. Outboard anchors are on the seatback; the rear-center seat anchor is on the cargo area sill.
RELIABILITY
We expect reliability to be much better than average, according to our latest subscriber survey.
Tested model: 2007 Mazdaspeed Gr Trng 4-door hatchback, 2.3-liter Four turbo, 6-speed manual
Major options: Sirius radio

This road test applies to the current model year of this vehicle.

A few of the youtube comments suggest this guy made some big mistakes lol...