We’ve just had a Mazda 3 MPS delivered for our
next Blood Brothers photoshoot
and it got me thinking about quite how under appreciated these hot Mazdas are. The previous 3 MPS had a beguiling mix of utterly anonymous looks and a mechanical spec – 260hp, LSD – that would shame much more shouty, heart-on-sleeve rivals. A grey slip-ons spec one in silver with some anonymous alloys would be a fantastic sleeper.
Lightly modded but still discreet looking
Not quite as taken with the swoopy looks of the current one, I have to admit, but the engine at the heart of it is a real trooper – zingy, revvy and with a nicely old-school rush of boost that really makes the LSD work for its living. And BBR can extract a little more from it too,
as tested recently here on PH.
All of which got me thinking about the other forgotten hot Mazda – the 6 MPS. It shares the same engine at its heart and a similarly beguiling mix of stealth looks and hardcore mechanicals. Standard kit was generous too, including a Bose stereo, xenons, powered driver’s seat and more besides. And, going by this ad in the classifieds, it’s now a serious bargain. Just take a look at this!
Stealth looks, big performance - win!
OK, so it’s put some miles in but that shouldn’t be a problem on a Mazda. But just look at the price – less than four grand for a 150mph turbocharged saloon with four-wheel drive, 0-62 in 6.6 seconds and a discreet silver paintjob that’ll catch most people napping. And at 1,660kg it’s no lightweight and that additional 175kg over the contemporary 3 MPS dulls that lunatic thrust a little. OK, in sheer pace it’s a little off that of an equivalent Impreza or Evo but it’s a much less shouty package while boasting the same plus points of four-door practicality and four-wheel drive. And it’s about half the price of even a boggo Impreza WRX
of the same vintage too.
It is at this point I do have to make something of a confession: I’ve never actually driven one. So I did what any sensible person would do – ask Mr Harris. His view? “Interesting car the MPS," he says. "Once drove one with a stinking hangover to Barcelona. Don't ask. Upshot was a very fast, pretty refined saloon that didn't cause a second glance wherever it went. 4WD gave great stability and traction. And I always liked that generation of 6's interior. Cracking wheels for the money.”
Can't say fairer than that. Now if they'd only made an estate version...
MAZDA 6 MPS
Engine: 2,261cc 4-cyl, turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 260@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 280@3,000rpm
MPG: 27.7mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: 245g/km
First registered: 2006
Recorded mileage: 81,656
Price new: £23,950
Yours for: £3,795