booked a test drive in the 6. It just makes so much more sense than the Audi financially. Oh dear, I sound like a feckin accountant.

booked a test drive in the 6. It just makes so much more sense than the Audi financially. Oh dear, I sound like a feckin accountant.

Its not that economical btw.. youll struggle to get 30mpg... usually average is 22-25.

let us know how the test drive goes

Its not that economical btw.. youll struggle to get 30mpg... usually average is 22-25.

I usually get about 25mpg in the Skud anyway. It's still marginally better than 19mpg in the Audi, and the 6 is group 16 instead of group 20 for the German. And I'll probably change my mind in 5...4...3...2...

I'll let you know how the test drive goes.

I'd have the 3MPS tomorrow, I drove it and it blew me away. The spec is amazing too...

They aren't discounting them yet though.

I'd have the 3MPS tomorrow, I drove it and it blew me away. The spec is amazing too...

They aren't discounting them yet though.

The more I think about it, the more I want a 3 MPS. The torque steer worries seem pretty much unfounded according to my research, I've yet to drive one, though.

Dave.

The more I think about it, the more I want a 3 MPS. The torque steer worries seem pretty much unfounded according to my research, I've yet to drive one, though.

Dave.

Nope, I can vouch for it feeling very stable indeed. LSD, and limited torque in the first 3 gears.

i think the 3MPS is let down by looks IMO

Kenny, please can you change your avatar? I am upset as it is by being tempted away from the S4 by a humble Mazda. If you keep displaying the 4.2 litre silky smooth V8 lump of gorgeousness, I may end up in rehab, or Peter Gilder Audi. Stop it!

Is it a work of art, I think it should stay.

:P

Steve

Steve, why I oughta....!

:eek:

:sofahide:

Steve

Feckin Hell! I've just looked on Auto trader at the Mazdas and the same dealership as I visited, GK Group, is offerin the same car for £18999 on the website. I will make further enquiries.....

This damn thread (and Tom's comment) has made me do a lot of reading of MPS road tests, and today I've got up early to go and visit Mazda!

Assuming I like the way it drives, Broadspeed are offering the 3MPS with a £1200 discount, so that should be the 'target' to try and hit at the dealership. I'll take the printout with me.

Feckin Hell! I've just looked on Auto trader at the Mazdas and the same dealership as I visited, GK Group, is offerin the same car for £18999 on the website. I will make further enquiries.....

I've just spent quite a bit of time trawling over their website and I can't find any mention of the 6 MPS. Got a link?

Duh, just reread your message and it is Autotrader I should be searching, not GK group!

Ta,

Dave.

Go Jap you know it makes sense

sorry fella the V8 is there to stay

The torque steer worries seem pretty much unfounded according to my research, I've yet to drive one, though.

Every time a FWD hot hatch comes out with a decent amount of power people start whinging about torque steer - it was the same with the Astra VXR. Ignore them, I've yet to drive anything modern that torque steers to a noticable degree.

Not driven a 3MPS but I guarantee it won't torque steer badly.

Feckin Hell! I've just looked on Auto trader at the Mazdas and the same dealership as I visited, GK Group, is offerin the same car for

This damn thread (and Tom's comment) has made me do a lot of reading of MPS road tests, and today I've got up early to go and visit Mazda!

So, how was it John?

Steve

So, how was it John?

Steve

It was a non-event. I got there and the bloke says, sorry I thought you said 'TS' on the phone.

Waste of bloody time. Still, they have one during the week and it's not far from work. Apparently one of the directors has it this weekend.

Cynical translation - someone probably thought they had it there when I phoned but didnt check til I got there.

Went via Honda on the way home (remember I had an S2000 in the US?)

Anyway, drove one of the (old) civic type R's there on the forecourt. What a great car!

Said to the bloke to check if there are any unsold old shapes knocking about the UK network, I'd be interested to see what they will sell it for assuming there is one, what with the new model coming out in a couple of weeks. He suggested I come back and try the new one as well. Reckons if there is an unregistered EP9 in a showroom somewhere then they will be glad to get shot of it. Nice chap, very helpful. Quite honest too, we talked about integras and he says only reason it's not in the UK as it would kill all the civic sales.

Trouble is I then saw S2000s and it's just a shame they are so expensive here in the UK...

(I sold my 37k 2002 model in the US for $19000 last June, which was about

Keep us informed, John. By the way, there is a group test of 11 hot hatches in the latest 'Car Magazine'. They don't have a good opinion of the 3 MPS due to torque steer, but everywhere else I've read say the torque steer is not an issue, some guy has even put up a video on Youtube to graphically demonstrate the 'problem' - or not a problem as the case may be.

YouTube - Mazda 3 MPS (Mazdaspeed 3) Torque Steering, or Not!

Dave.

didn't seem like an undrivable torque steering monster to me

I test drove the Mazda 6 MPS today. I was late for the test drive, so hit the start of rush hour traffic. Boo! I only got the chance to properly stamp on the loud pedal a couple of times, but it was worth it. So here's what I thought compared to the Octy.

The interior is good quality and very up to date. All the controls are pretty intuative and Mazda adopt the european way of putting the indicators on the left, so I wasn't too flummoxed. Plastics are nice and rubbery and the dash is clear and very well laid out. I seem to remember the displays on the rev counter and speedo lighting up when the engine was switched on, then going black when off. Maybe that was just me though. I don't like the Japanese trend of labelling every switch in english though, I prefer the german way of symbols instead. The centre console is very shiny in a dark laminated stainless steel hue but attractive nontheless. There's bags of room int back seats as well.

The driving position was spot on, the drivers seat has a multitude of electrical adjustment so I was actually able to get comfortable in a few seconds which usually takes ages as I'm very fussy. The seat was very comfortable and soaked up most of the bumps and troughs transmitted through the stiff suspension.

The first thing I noticed when driving was the gearshift. It's a 6 speed box, which I'm not used to but the shift is very snicky and precise and shorter than the Octy. The gear lever is quite stubby as well and is far enough away from the console that you're not constantly knocking buttons. Instant hit with me. The Handbrake was a bit too close though.

When driving, the car feels totally planted on the road. It's flat round corners and there's no sense of slipperyness that I sometimes get with the Octy when pressing on. That'll be the 4 wheel drive then. I also now find the Octy's ASR cuts in a bit too much as well. The steering is very pointy and direct, if a little light compared to the vRS. On the whole it's a big improvement.

Enough ****** now, this is a fast car, you can litterally feel the torque low down the rev range pushing you forward. It's not sledgehammer in the spine fast, it's more smooth and progressive than that but you can reach license losing speeds in no time and it's all done with minimum fuss. And noise for that matter. It's a lot quieter than the Octy and I kept thinking how it would sound with a CAI or a sports exhaust. Too quiet perhaps? The power delivery comes quicker than in the Octy and is a lot smoother. I didn't notice any turbo lag. It just keeps pulling all the way to 8000 revs. I enjoyed the drive and it seemed to be over in no time. It's an easy car to drive in traffic as well as I found out.

I didn't et the chance to try the BOSE stereo as it was like the starship enterprise. The boot was big enough for the Mrs wheelchair and some shopping, but with it being a saloon, it's not as practical a the hatch. Also the rear seats don't fold down due to the massive crossbrace they've fitted to stiffen the chassis.

I was impressed enough to put a deposit down after some haggling. I was worried that the muted looks of the car would put me off, but it's a grower and IMO more handsome than the Octy 2 (no offence!). It was the drive that sold me though. Great Success!

Excellent choice!