Mazda’s new-generation hot hatch returns for seconds.

In 2006 Mazda filled a void in its lineup left by the 1993 demise of the 323 GT-R. And while the Mazda3 MPS (Mazda Performance Series) wasn’t four-wheel-drive like the GT-R, it was every other bit the turbo hot hatch, and a whole lot more. Since the car’s debut some 30,000 examples have been sold worldwide, some badged Mazda3 MPS, others badged Mazdaspeed Axela, but all delivering the same level of driving excitement, lack of traction, and arm-wrenching torque steer one would expect from a 250hp front-wheel-driver.

Three years on and the most powerful Mazda in the current New Zealand range returns, and now it’s bigger and much, much badder.

EXTERIOR

Mazda had clear intentions when it went about designing the new MPS, and it all revolved around giving the car its own identity. The last generation was accused of being soft, of looking too similar to the run-of-the-mill Mazda3, of betraying the intent of the manic powertrain hidden within.

This time around Mazda has got it right. It’s a completely new design incorporating an aggressive Mazda Performance Series bodykit that adds unique front and rear bumpers, side skirts, a vented bonnet and a large spoiler suspended off the back of the roof. Add Xenon headlights, LED tail lights, twin rear mufflers and a front undertray splitter into the mix, and there’s no mistaking this car’s performance credentials.

What you can’t see is increased body rigidity through extensive use of high-tensile sheet metal and extra reinforcements.

Seventy-five millimetres longer and five millimetres wider and lower, the MPS takes a belligerent stance on the road. It’s seven per cent more slippery, too, now with a drag coefficient of 0.32.

INTERIOR

Of all the Japanese carmakers, Mazda probably does the best job of finishing interiors, and the MPS’s cockpit is a nice place to be. Fronted by a sweeping, elliptically shaped dashboard, the mostly black interior features half-leather semi-bucket seats accented by red stitch work. The same goes for the the door trims, and the leather-bound steering wheel and shift knob, which all get the red-on-black treatment too. Pedals are drilled aluminium.

The dash instruments are perhaps the pièces de resistance of the interior space, featuring large MPS-emblazoned dials that illuminate electric red against blue. That tacho does a 260-degree sweep on its way to the redline and is flanked by a very cool digital boost display so you can plot your progress to 1-bar boost when you mash the go pedal.

ENGINE

Under the bonnet the MPS features the same boosted MZR 2.3-litre DOHC 16V powerplant as its predecessor, although it’s been tweaked slightly to improve performance and offset an extra 50 kilograms the body now carries. The turbocharged inline-four features Mazda’s direct injection spark ignition (DISI) system, which by design helps to reduce temperature in the combustion chamber and deliver an in-cylinder cooling effect. The result is improved mixtures, leading to an improvement in torque output.

The intercooler arrangement remains the same, although the larger bonnet vent means more air is now directed across the face of the top-mounted air-to-air unit to reduce air temperatures.

Finally, a re-mapped engine management system does a better job of controlling boost pressure, especially in the way it’s delivered, which is far more linear than before.

The sum of all these parts equates to 190kW of power slapping your senses at 5500rpm and a 380Nm shot of torque at just 3000rpm. Serious numbers.

DRIVELINE

Gear changes come quickly and distinctly through the MPS’s 6-speed box. This time around the ratios have been widened slightly to make the most of the engine’s torque curve and keep the thing on the boil.

To help get the power to the ground out of the corners there’s a torque sensing limited slip differential and bigger tyres than before Dunlop SP Sport 225/40R18s, shod on newly designed RX-8-style alloys, to be exact.

In an effort to reduce torque steer, from which the original MPS suffered badly, both front driveshafts have been revised.

SUSPENSION & BRAKES

'Evolved’ is how Mazda is pitching the suspension system in the MPS. Once again the performance-grade Mazda3 gets revised dampers and heavier spring rates than its lesser-specced siblings, but for ’09 larger diameter stabiliser bars front and rear (on longer mounts to achieve greater roll linearity) are part of the equation, too. It all adds up to a firm and neutrally balanced ride that’s complemented by a re-tuned braking system featuring meaty 320mm vented rotors on the front end and all the electronic aids to pull the hatch up from pace.

ON THE ROAD

Delivering a 6.1-second 0-100kph sprint, the MPS is a fast car. First gear is a bit of waste of time, but once second is engaged and the digital boost meter is making its beeline to 12 o’clock, it’s all on especially if the traction control is disengaged. Third gear delivers the real power, and the engine keeps pulling strongly through fourth, fifth and sixth.

Mazda claims the chassis is good for 250kph, but lacking a racetrack with a long back straight we didn’t get to test that theory. We’ll take the company’s word for it.

The greatest triumph of this car is its drivability. If you’re not so brutal on the go pedal but quick with the gears and handy on the steering wheel, the MPS has the ability to humiliate cars of much greater reputation and cost. You can’t ask for much more than that in a sub-$50K package.

2009 MAZDA3 MPS – Factory Specifications

Engine: Mazda MZR 2.3-litre inline-4 DOHC 16V, 9.5:1 C/R, turbocharger, intercooler, direct injection spark ignition
Driveline: 6-speed manual gearbox, limited slip differential, traction control system
Suspension: Front — MacPherson struts, MPS dampers, MPS coil springs, Rear — multilink, MPS dampers, MPS coil springs
Brakes: Front — ventilated 320mm discs, Rear — solid 280mm discs, ABS, EBD, EBA
Wheels/Tyres: 18×7.5-inch alloys, 225/40R18 Dunlop SP Sport 2050 tyres
Exterior: Mazda Performance Series bodywork — aero front bumper, aero rear bumper, sports grille, side skirts, vented bonnet, roof spoiler, LED tail lights, Xenon headlights, driving lights, twin mufflers
Interior: Half-leather trim, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-wrapped shift knob, drilled aluminium pedals, digital boost meter, Bose sound system
Performance: 190kW @ 5500rpm, 380Nm @ 3000rpm, 0-100kph — 6.1 seconds
Price As Tested: $48,545

Words: Brad Lord Photos: Adam Croy

This article is from Performance Car issue 154. Click here to check it out.