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Hatchbacks Mazda3 Article Comments: 2006 Sport Compact Comparison Test 
274 messages, Last post on Aug 20, 2007 at 9:50 AM
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Article comments for 2006 Sport Compact Comparison Test - Here's the three-word definition we like: small, sporting, inexpensive. And because these cars are frequently the only transportation their owners have, reality says we should add a fourth: practical. (more)
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Replying to: bdoon (Jun 01, 2007 5:01 am) when is everyone going to realize that being a sport compact isn't just about this? I know a lot of cars that are sporty that your volvo could take in the quarter mile! I doubt it even comes CLOSE to the handling of your wifes si; the bad thing about having a really quick car is that when you realize there is someone quicker, you want to be able to beat them too; but a great handling car is something you never tire of! i hope she is happy with the si. |
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Replying to: eldaino (Jun 01, 2007 8:40 am) oh yea, actually motortrend was pulling 14.8's in the 07 civic si, and 0-60 in 6.3. which is half second slower than the speed 3 in a quarter mile. Si isnt even turbo and has a smaller engine. The motor in the Si seems to have such quality engineering.
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Replying to: themistocles (Jul 22, 2007 8:22 pm) and if they do go out, its not that expensive to replace them. again, its not the 80s anymore. automotive engineering has moved on since then. i know its hard to believe but its true.  as for mazda selling more speed3's if it were a sedan -- highly unlikely. there is more to the market than just america, and historically the rest of the world prefers hatches to sedans. the typical american thinks the entire world revolves around america though. heh.
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Replying to: bani (Jul 22, 2007 9:53 pm)  my major is political science, and minor is criminal justice, and i live in portland oregon(hehe). anyway i could go on forever about problems with the usa, lol So, back to the mazda 3. i believe the 3's hatchback is ALOT less popular, ESPECIALLY compared to the sedan. So, atleast in the USA im sure they would have sold plenty more mazdaspeed 3s if they made the option in the sedan. the 3 sedan is quite popular here and i see tons of them now. Im sure it wouulda been quite expensive for mazda though.. I do wonder how the speed 3s sales have done in other countrys. |
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Replying to: themistocles (Jul 22, 2007 8:22 pm) Motor Trend has a vested interest in making sure the Si has the better numbers, as they named the Si their " 2006 Car of The Year" months before the comparisons with the other hot hatches - and especially before the Mazdaspeed 3 (and possibly the GTI) were made available to the marketplace. As a result, MT set themselves up for a potential embarrasing ("egg-on-face") situation had any one of the other entries posted better numbers. They weren't going to risk spending million$ in advertising without achieving their "expected" results. Which is why I stopped taking Motor Trend seriously a long time ago - they tend to be the sensationalistic "Jerry Springer" of the major automotive publications. I would rank the major publication$ as follows: 1) Automobile 2) Road And Track 3) Car And Driver (formerly #2 until they changed their design) 3) Autoweek (Tied with Car and Driver, and gaining fast) 5) Motor Trend (started losing their relevance 15 years ago) |
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i agree with themisticoles; not only is the shifter less than great on the speed 3, but there seems to be not as much engineering put into it. Lets take a big engine and turbo the heck out of it. Wtf? Look at the k20 in the si, or the 2.0t in the gti, THOSE are some TUNED engines. dyno results back this up as well, since the way the si makes power is very intense up at higher rpms and if it was slightly bigger would over take many in its class. And the gti's engine is a wonder for torque lovers; it matters not what gear you are in, just punch it and go. (all this with the engine being totally castrated as the dyno's torque curve figures have shown. this engine is capable of WAAAAY more power.) but look at the power delivery on the 3; gutless under 3k and breathless over 6. Another side effect of 'we have the biggest engine with the most psi on the turbo in this segment' types of thinking. (anyone remember the srt4? fast! refined and really a drivers car? no.)
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Replying to: eldaino (Jul 23, 2007 9:01 am) the speed3 has huge torque through the power band - 2500 to 5500rpm. it redlines at 7000rpm but this means you dont have to rev the crap out of the engine to extract power from it like you do the si. both the speed3 and gti you can basically power up hills in 5th gear (speed3 in 6th) as you have lots of torque. you'll have to downshift the si to get up the same hills. the gti might spool up at lower rpm, but as it has much less hp and torque overall to begin with, the speed3 is producing more hp and torque at the same rpm than the gti is. the speed3 is way stronger and pulls way harder at the same rpm. eldaino, based on your posts you are judging performance purely by reading magazine dyno sheets. this doesnt tell the whole story -- you might actually want to get out and test drive the cars.  this is about the point at where vw zealots switch to the "well your car might be faster but my vw has a nicer interior" argument. 
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Replying to: bani (Jul 23, 2007 1:00 pm)  ) its been well reported about the odd delivery of power in the mazda 3; and regardless of how hard it 'pulls' the lack of engineering is still evident. the si may be torqueless to it rivals, but its acceleration numbers are pretty strong when you compare it to how much guts the mazda speed 3 has. its like mazda just wanted rights to the highest hp/torque numbers. they could have built a solid car by turboing the 2.0 and not adding a million lbs to the car. IMO there is just no engineering in that; its not a well thought out fine tuned machine like the si or gti is. and both the gti and si have traits/qualities about them that are inherent of the brand, something exclusive that you can't find anywhere else...they have that something. the 3 is just a blown big engine like the srt-4 was. there is no passion in that! anyone can do it, its not difficult at all. (ever see how much psi the turbo is pushing on the 3? yeah exactly.) why do you think tuners are shunning the speed 3 as well? there is just no potential, its too needy of a car, there is no elbow room with it. The gti does in fact spool up quicker and makes colossal torque everywhere, where it has been PROVEN that the speed 3 does not. After 5000 rpms, its just dead, whereas the gti still has a colossal amount of torque. this engine is totally playing it safe, and vw has examples of how far it can be tuned FROM THE FACTORY, on other high performance models of vw's and audi's in europe. i'm not trying to hate on the speed3, but to me is seems less love was bestowed upon it than on the speed protege(Which WAS and IS a great car, without losing itself to the hp/tq wars.) |
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Replying to: eldaino (Jul 24, 2007 5:30 am) was a sad loss, but he just bought a new Gti. Definitely great car, Love its power band, super torque and slick gearbox. Quality made car. cant wait to see all the stuff he does to it. Has so much potential too.
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Replying to: themistocles (Jul 24, 2007 5:53 am) but he got himself into a great car nonetheless. you guys would have fun going at it i bet!
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