NEWS: 2010 Mazda3 MPS and i-stop
I've given quite a few updates on the new Mazda3, which is due for release in April - and rightly so, because in my opinion, it will be the most important new model of 2009. But now we finally have pictures of the best Mazda3 of them all - the turbocharged Mazda3 MPS. And something random called the Mazda3 i-stop. But M, P and S are three letters we like very much.
Although Mazda has revealed that it will not be making a turbocharged MPS variant of the current Mazda6, it has gone ahead with the Mazda3, citing the recent successes of such cars as the Volkswagen Golf GTi as a reason why the MPS is a good business strategy. But seemingly, Mazda have set their sights far higher than the Golf GTi - Mazda are very obviously pitting this MPS as an Subaru Impreza WRX killer.
And when you look at it in comparison to the dowdy new WRX hatch, it certainly does. If I were to describe how well the WRX is killed, I would describe a process involving meat cleavers, dismemberment and eating wobbly bits for breakfast. We only have three pictures of the MPS before it's shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March, but what I see I like very much. A wicked rear spoiler, aggressive yet complementary bodykit, and a huge bonnet scoop (though probably fake) are some of the many highlights. It even features a cool little "MPS" badge on the front grille. Speaking of the front grille, it has been well documented in this blog that I'm not a big fan of the new "big mouth" grille, although here in the MPS, it somehow manages to look just right. The proportions indicate a wide stance and a decidedly unholy attitude.
And that really is what the Mazda3 MPS is about - attitude. It's something that the new WRX lacks. In terms of performance, the MPS has everything covered, despite carrying over the 2.3 litre turbocharged MZR engine from the previous model (albeit with a few tweaks). Still, there's a lot to be said for the previous model's figure of 190kW, and you can also expect a 0-100kmh time of about 6 seconds flat. I say this because the new MPS would be bucking the trend of current Mazdas if it was heavier than the previous model, which I doubt.
But because "being seen to be green" is the order of the day at the moment, Mazda have announced news of a new fuel saving technique, called i-stop. Why "i-stop"? I dunno, maybe because it stops the use of the letter "i"... look, it's an odd name, and I don't get it either, but what you need to know is that it is a new engine technology that will eventually be used on all the proletarian 2.0 Litre Mazda3s, and will increase efficiency and economy by 12 percent, which on a Mazda3, will be about one Litre every 100km. If I put it that way, it doesn't sound like much, but with i-stop, the Mazda3 will become pretty much the most economical car in its class, which is far more impressive.
And of course, Mazda are boasting about the fact both the 2.0 Litre i-stop engines and the turbocharged MPS meet tough Euro V emissions standards, which mean that they don't release more than 0.5g of Carbon Monoxide and 0.08g of Nitrous Oxides (stuff that makes acid rain) into the air per kilometre. These Euro V emissions will be in force by September this year, so it's nice that Mazda have been proactive about it.
It remains to be seen when i-stop will make its way onto cars here in Australia, but nevertheless, it's more evidence that the car industry is trying to turn itself as green as possible... and make a cunning marketing strategy out of it at the same time.
RANT: I Don't Like That Arse, I Don't...
I like the Mitsubishi Lancer - it's a car that is pretty much at the top of it's game, up with the class competitors, and selling well. It's exactly the thing Mitsubishi Australia needed to increase profitability in our market. Then they introduced the Sportback.
In one rather memorable story, I remarked that you're usually pretty safe with any small car that has the word "Sport" added to it. I was pretty much right, but only because in that case, the "sport" referred to a level of specification (tuned suspension, bodykit, etc.), and not the rear end of a car. It's becoming a growing trend. Audi named the four-door version of their A3 the "Sportback", then Holden decided that the new Commodore wagon should be called "Sportwagon" (what the frick is sporty about a 5-metre long Commodore Omega wagon has got me beat), and now we have the Lancer Sportback. The reason why I'm really annoyed by the Lancer is because, unlike the Audi and the Commodore, it looks absolutely hideous.
I couldn't find a picture on the internet that hadn't been cleverly angled to hide the wierd shape of that rear hatchback - it looks pretty unloved, doesn't it? Nevertheless, I will assume that it broadens the Lancer's appeal further, and can probably carry heaps of stuff. Why I'm really mentioning it is because usually, the transfer from hatch to booted sedan comes up with some hideous cars. Think about when they made the Toyota Echo sedan! That was a shocker. Thankfully, car makers have realised that we tend not to buy ugly spin-offs of good cars, so we don't get some of these hatch-to-sedan blunders. Elsewhere however, they have. Often, these are travesties that are best represented in profile - the Citroen C4 sedan. Nowhere near funky enough to be a dancing robot (tell Tsoukinator). Another example I'd like to show you is the Mazda2 Sedan - horrible!
But the point is, with the Lancer, they went from sedan to hatch, and still got it wrong! Still, my real venom is saved for the hatch-to-sedan reworking of the new Subaru Impreza, which is about to hit our shores as a WRX model. First though, I want to have a dig at the Subaru hatch, which is now the focus of the range (not the sedan, as it used to be).
I want to have a dig at it not because I think it is ugly (even though I do think so) - Imprezas, and Subaru's in general, are meant to be ugly. It's reassuring. It tells you: "Don't worry. I haven't changed. I'm still ugly - I'm still good quality Subaru inside." Instead, I hate it because in profile, or side-view, it has basically copied the proportions of the current (and outgoing) Mazda3. Tut, tut, tut.
Alright, now it's the sedan's turn. The front half of the car is actually bearable, but only once you've seen the rear end. Subaru have done even more copycating here - although this time, they've copycatted something really bad to start with.
What would you think if I told you that you're new "fooli sik" WRX looked like a Suzuki SX4? Well, I'd be right, and you'd be fuming - "how dare you compare my fooli sik WRX with that heap of sh**!" you will say. But I will walk away and laugh, because the arse of your $50,000 sports car, with rally credentials, street savvy, and a youthful image - looks identical to the arse of your grandma's little runaround
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NEWS: Mazda3 2010 update
We had teaser pictures for the sedan - and now we have the hatch. And the pictures are even less revealing. Basically, other than the rear hatchback, it is identical to the sedan, which is interesting, because the previous generation hatch and sedan were similar looking, but not at all the same. I suppose it makes better business sense for Mazda this way - 
I guess it's not really that much of a big deal. The bumper sticks out heaps, like the sedan, but this could just be a product of the angles these pictures were taken on - I now have new, better pictures of the Mazda3 sedan which indicate that it's a better proportioned car than I had originally anticipated.
I now also know that the red hatch I showed you in the previous Mazda3 story was an absolute crock - it looks nothing like the real thing.
I maintain that the bonnet and grille still look like a Peugeot 308 (sadly this face, which has been previewed on some of Mazda's concepts, will become the face of all in the Mazda family), but I'm sure that the next generation Mazda3 will be far more stylish than it's predecessor, which was hardly dorky. I have also now have pictures of the interior, seen here in what I assume is SP25 guise (the 2.3 litre engine will be upgraded to a 2.5 like the Mazda6) and the general layout looks just like the Mazda6 really. 
Sadly, no RX-8 style wheel this time. But this car does seem to have more steering wheel buttons than I have ever seen in my life, which begs the question: what are they all for? And more importantly, aren't we all going to be spending heaps of time looking for which button to press (and averting our eyes from the road)? I thought steering wheel controls where meant to remove distraction. Can't see what I'm talking about? Click on the interior picture for the larger image.
NEWS: Mazda 3 2010 Teaser Photos
Well, Mazda has decided that the aging (but still great looking) Mazda3 needs a new model. So they leaked out some teaser images. As usual, these teaser images are taken from not-so-revealing angles, so that you don't really get much of an idea of how the car will look in real life.
Unfortunately, this looks like one contrived car, particularly at the rear, which poses the question - why did Mazda decide that two of these three pictures should showcase the back? It's hard to tell what the front looks like at all. The rear tail-lights mimic the new Mazda6, but seem far too big, and wrap around the sides too far, and the car itself generally looks big-bottomed because of the squared off boot, and large bumper - surely you don't need a bumper that sticks out that much? It may be for safety, but it weighs the rear down even more than that squared off boot does - what's it for then, sitting on? The side windows sort of just, finish - without a bit of smoothness, which is odd, considering the rest of the car has been redesigned to look smoother than the previous model.
But enough whinging. The new Mazda3 sedan will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Motor Show on November 19, and will be billed as the "next generation of Zoom-Zoom spirit". Yeah, whatever. No word on when the hatch will be unveiled, though - and I was always a far bigger fan of the hatch too, damn! No really, I was, I'm keep telling my sister to buy one for her first car, I like it that much.
A long search for the hatch yielded only this unverified picture (left), which considering we now know what the sedan looks like, could be almost right: 
Yes, I know the front doesn't look the same, but I think the general shape is right here. It hopefully won't look quite as conservative as this, but it's an agreeable design nonetheless.
I noticed something though: check out this Peugeot 308 on the right, and then the face of the Mazda3 Sedan at the very top.
Now do you understand where you thought you'd seen this face before? It's nearly identical. That's the way the motor industry works, and has for donkey's yonks - everyone copies each other. What a shame Mazda didn't copy something cooler, like it's Furai concept - google it, it's fully sick. Especially with the lights all on!
