So today I made the most of having a day off work and spent it car shopping with a friend -- SWRT1 -- from the forum. Our friend here is seriously thinking about going from two cars -- a '98 Civic Si "beater" and his beloved (and modded) '04 WRX sedan -- to one (a hatchback of some description) that will serve all purposes for him. Naturally, his first stop was at Subaru to take a look at the new Imprezas.
We began by going out in a new Impreza 2.5i Hatchback. From a passenger standpoint, it was about as exciting as a salt-less soda cracker -- both inside and out. Unfortunately I didn't get to drive it myself... and quite frankly, I'm not all that torn up about it. Our friend said it was a nice car -- but we both immediately knew it wasn't as visceral and lively a machine as even the 2.5i from '07. More importantly, I think he knew pretty quickly that it wasn't going to be enough "car" for him.
We then took out a new WRX hatch. I was hoping the WRX would be one of those cars that looks better in 'the flesh' than in pictures. Not so much. Styling-wise, compared to the 2.5i, it moves up the scale to Ritz cracker-without-any-toppings bland. No matter, Subarus have never been about styling, they're about the mechanicals.
Even after a short drive, the WRX felt "like home" to our friend -- and he was reminded why people spend the extra bucks to have the turbo. It is definitely more refined, quiet and smooth... but no longer feels like a proper sporting machine. Still bloody quick though, and does grip reasonably well.
So... I asked our friend if he could save a few thousand dollars, get more equipment and WAAAAY more power, but all the functionality of the WRX hatchback, would he be interested. He (like Sandman / Snowman from the forum), suffers from AA -- AWD Arrogance. I begged him to humour me and check out the Mazdaspeed3 and because we had nothing better to do, he agreed -- but I knew he was not going to the dealership because he believed this was a viable option for him.
An hour and a half later, he was asking "Why can't the WRX excite us like this thing?" ... and "I can't believe it's only $30k".
The absolute die-hard Subaru fan was showing cracks in the facade of loyalty after one drive in the Speed3. And since I made it a point of ripping around some high-speed turns in the driver's seat myself, I can certainly appreciate why he had such a change of heart.
The complaints read elsewhere about this car: rubbery shifter, brakes that 'hang on' after releasing for a second, wicked torque-steer -- none of them seemed to afflict our test-drive car to any noticible degree. Instead, we had some side-roads, highway and very-tight twisties on which we enjoyed this 18,000km 'demo' and it performed flawlessly without a hiccup... and with surprisingly little turbo lag.
Wing had mentioned earlier that his own 160 hp Mz3Sport breaks away the front tires too easily being over powered by the torquey 2.3L engine. Likewise, driving my wife's car today, I found the same thing. The Traction control system and stickier rubber really does do a remarkable job of getting the most out of that very powerful turbo 2.3 in the MS3.
Sure it doesn't handle as well as the MX-5 (or an RX8), but MY GOD, the thrust of that engine is incredible! First and second are quick and the power comes on nicely. But in third gear, with the pedal planted, it's like strapping yourself to a cheetah with his tail on fire. Yeeehaw!
Don't get me wrong, it doesn't handle badly at all. Compared to my wife's Mazda3, it corners flatter and hangs on much better, as you'd expect of the much larger, stickier summer rubber and all the suspension upgrades over the lesser car. Let's not kid ourselves though this is a taller, heavier car than either of Mazda's 'proper' sports cars and you will hit understeer at the limits.
But you know what? I didn't care, because the LSD puts power down nicely and with the turbo on boil, you can exit turns with the boosters blazing. You're going so much faster into turns and on straightaways than most other cars (and indeed surely anything as a direct competitor), that I sure didn't miss the potential for tail-out silliness that an RWD sports car affords the driver.
I absolutely love chocolate cake. And I salivate at the thought of a thick, juicy steak too. Two very different culinary delights. Similarly, the FWD Mazdaspeed delivers heart-pounding exhilaration and incredible performance numbers, but is different, if equally appealing to me than a RWD Mustang GT or MX-5 of similar value, from a fun-to-drive standpoint.
Do I still wish Mazda was able to wrangle AWD into the Mazdaspeed3? Sure, I guess... but for $30k, if I was forced to swap my MX-5 for one, I'd be sad to lose my beloved roadster, but would absolutely look forward to ripping through the six gears and feeling that corrupting power-rush of the MS3 every day. It would also be kinda neat thinking that I'd be able to have so much fun at AutoX with that little beastie on the weekends, commute to work during the week, throw my mountain bike in the back to hit the trails and, when the time comes, fit 'junior's car seat too.
Those who automatically dismiss the Mazdaspeed3 based on what they see on paper don't give Mazda enough credit and are missing out on a tremendous value and exciting machine!
