Mazda 3 MPS

Expert Rating:

What is it?

It's the flagship version of the new Mazda3, a hatchback that's impressed us recently in more normal diesel form because of its sharp dynamics and even sharper styling. Therefore, there's no reason to suggest this hot version, with its 256bhp 2.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine, is going to be anything less than superb.

Is it any good?

Let's start by saying that the majority of the time we spent with the Mazda3 MPS was coursing through motorways and crawling around urban areas, but initial impressions are of a car that fails to live up to its potential. When we were able to find a corner or two, the Mazda's ability to grip the road surface tightly at decent speeds was obvious - but less convincing is the way it puts its vast power and torque reserves down.

Despite some drastic measures by Mazda engineers to rein it in, the MPS skips left and right whenever you put your foot down in first and second gears; ultimately, it feels overpowered and quite uncivilised. Added to that is a rock hard ride that will make the car tiresome to live with day-to-day - and an engine note hardly brimming with character. The cabin, despite a few performance related upgrades like aluminium pedals, bucket seats and some red trim, feels outdated already, which is odd considering we don't feel the same way about the standard car's interior.

But there are positives. It's quick for a start. Very quick: 0-62mph is gone in 6.1 seconds, and the top speed (irrelevant as it is) is a whopping 155mph - the same as top-of-the-range Mercs and Beemers. And for all that performance, £21,500 seems quite cheap - and that's not considering its massive standard kit roster. It looks great too, with plenty of aggression, but not enough to wander into overbearing or cheesy territory. A subtle body kit, bigger wheels and dual exhaust pipes are the obvious performance giveaways, and they're effective.

Should I call the bank manager?

As far as hot hatches go, the MPS offers pretty decent value: with its standard equipment roster factored in, it undercuts the Golf GTI - for example - by some margin, as well as annihilating it in the power stakes. Kit includes bi-xenon headlamps, dual-zone climate control, blind spot warning indicators, Bluetooth hands-free and one of the most face-rattling Bose surround sound systems ever committed to a car.

Unfortunately, fuel economy and emissions - which are becoming more and more relevant to hot hatch buyers as makers increasingly offer fast and frugal cars - aren't too clever. This thing emits 224g/km and consumes 29.4mpg on the combined cycle, which is a mild improvement over the outgoing car, but still bettered by many others.

Summary

In its quest to make the Mazda3 MPS bigger and badder than most of the competition (as in, more powerful), the Japanese maker has ended up with a car that feels a generation behind the class best. It's clear that there's the heart of a good hatch beating in there somewhere, but as it is, the MPS is too rough and too uncivilised to mix it with the best.

Mark Nichol