Inside the cabin, the 2010 Mazdaspeed3 follows the updates given to the new Mazda3, although the presentation is more sporting. The brakes remain the same size as on the 2009 model.
The 6-speed manual transmission has wider gear ratios than the last model, and now uses low-viscosity transmission fluid to reduce cold-engine shift effort - a minor issue we had noticed with R&T's long-term Mazdaspeed3.īody reinforcements and new suspension settings (the last which give the car "greater damping strength") as well as wider 225/40R-18 tires (versus the previous car's 215/45R-18s) should give the Mazdaspeed3 even better handling than before engineers tuned the suspension on the Nürburgring in Germany. model - in other words, expect similar outputs for 2010 North American model, although apparently with a better delivery of said power. of torque, almost identical numbers to the 1st-generation U.S. The European Mazdaspeed3 is rated at 260 bhp (DIN) and 280 lb.-ft.
These include "the world's first single-nanotechnology catalytic converter" along with engine-management updates, both of which result in optimized power delivery, lower fuel consumption and cleaner emissions than the outgoing model. The Mazdaspeed3's direct-injected 2.3-liter 4-cylinder turbo engine is mostly carryover, although a few updates have been made. But the most interesting detail on the new Mazdaspeed3 is its large Subaru-esque hood scoop, which feeds an increased amount of air to the turbo's charge cooler (although the charge cooler has not changed in size). The big news with the 2010 Mazdaspeed3 is its dynamic new body, now adopting - as with the Mazda3 - the RX-8's and Mazda6's pontoon-like front fenders, although the fenders and front bumper on the Mazdaspeed3 are actually not shared with the Mazda3. version we'll see at the New York show this April will be very similar. Although the car on hand at the Geneva Motor Show was a European-specification model, we expect the U.S. Mazda has followed up the redesign of its Mazda3 4-door and 5-doors with a similar Nagare-inspired redesign of the hot-hatch Mazdaspeed3 (called the Mazda3 MPS in Europe and the MPS Axela in Japan).