RE: Driven: BBR Mazda 3 MPS 320
Discussion
I had a 6 mps and was really quite happy with it. The 4wd worked quite well and was told by the Mazda guys that they would get a 6 round a track quicker than the 3 as a result when they had their track days. Main downside was that power delivery was quite non linear though and short road accelerations would be a bit laggy followed by a rush to the end of the road which then came up real fast.
Great Q car IMO. It was no slouch though and would give most std hot hatches in it's time a good hiding. Traded it for an EvoX 330 sst just because I wanted something a bit more lively.
Great Q car IMO. It was no slouch though and would give most std hot hatches in it's time a good hiding. Traded it for an EvoX 330 sst just because I wanted something a bit more lively.
Bill said:
GAjon said:
The reason they aren't more popular I believe is the Mazda badge on the front and rear.
You're probably right, but it seems odd. We've just got SWMBO a 6 estate as a hack and it's better in every way than the equivalent Mondeo, and it was cheaper.
I've had this conversion done to my MPS, done about 2k miles with it now and it has made the car serious fun to drive. The power comes in quick and the car feels really eager to go faster so you do have to be careful with the loud pedal, the car was very good at overtaking when stock but now it's a different animal.
I'm a little surprised to hear about torque steer, i know what limits BBR have put on the reviewed car in 1st & 2nd and i've had mine taken off completely yet i only get torque steer on very bad roads, i don't get a hint of it on 95% of roads. The limits were deliberately left on to avoid the default "torque steer" comments in media reviews.
I have taken a few scalps of supposedly quick cars that cost 4 times as much yet my trip computer tells me i'm averaging 32.3mpg which isn't bad, not sure there's a better all rounder for the price.
The car does handle the power well and i'll be looking at the stage 3 conversion early next year, you can never have too much power!
I'm a little surprised to hear about torque steer, i know what limits BBR have put on the reviewed car in 1st & 2nd and i've had mine taken off completely yet i only get torque steer on very bad roads, i don't get a hint of it on 95% of roads. The limits were deliberately left on to avoid the default "torque steer" comments in media reviews.
I have taken a few scalps of supposedly quick cars that cost 4 times as much yet my trip computer tells me i'm averaging 32.3mpg which isn't bad, not sure there's a better all rounder for the price.
The car does handle the power well and i'll be looking at the stage 3 conversion early next year, you can never have too much power!
kingofdbrits said:
I've had this conversion done to my MPS, done about 2k miles with it now and it has made the car serious fun to drive. The power comes in quick and the car feels really eager to go faster so you do have to be careful with the loud pedal, the car was very good at overtaking when stock but now it's a different animal.
I'm a little surprised to hear about torque steer, i know what limits BBR have put on the reviewed car in 1st & 2nd and i've had mine taken off completely yet i only get torque steer on very bad roads, i don't get a hint of it on 95% of roads. The limits were deliberately left on to avoid the default "torque steer" comments in media reviews.
I have taken a few scalps of supposedly quick cars that cost 4 times as much yet my trip computer tells me i'm averaging 32.3mpg which isn't bad, not sure there's a better all rounder for the price.
The car does handle the power well and i'll be looking at the stage 3 conversion early next year, you can never have too much power!
vids neededI'm a little surprised to hear about torque steer, i know what limits BBR have put on the reviewed car in 1st & 2nd and i've had mine taken off completely yet i only get torque steer on very bad roads, i don't get a hint of it on 95% of roads. The limits were deliberately left on to avoid the default "torque steer" comments in media reviews.
I have taken a few scalps of supposedly quick cars that cost 4 times as much yet my trip computer tells me i'm averaging 32.3mpg which isn't bad, not sure there's a better all rounder for the price.
The car does handle the power well and i'll be looking at the stage 3 conversion early next year, you can never have too much power!
kingofdbrits said:
I've had this conversion done to my MPS, done about 2k miles with it now and it has made the car serious fun to drive. The power comes in quick and the car feels really eager to go faster so you do have to be careful with the loud pedal, the car was very good at overtaking when stock but now it's a different animal.
I'm a little surprised to hear about torque steer, i know what limits BBR have put on the reviewed car in 1st & 2nd and i've had mine taken off completely yet i only get torque steer on very bad roads, i don't get a hint of it on 95% of roads. The limits were deliberately left on to avoid the default "torque steer" comments in media reviews.
I have taken a few scalps of supposedly quick cars that cost 4 times as much yet my trip computer tells me i'm averaging 32.3mpg which isn't bad, not sure there's a better all rounder for the price.
The car does handle the power well and i'll be looking at the stage 3 conversion early next year, you can never have too much power!
I'd be interested in this, are there any downsides/tradeoffs?I'm a little surprised to hear about torque steer, i know what limits BBR have put on the reviewed car in 1st & 2nd and i've had mine taken off completely yet i only get torque steer on very bad roads, i don't get a hint of it on 95% of roads. The limits were deliberately left on to avoid the default "torque steer" comments in media reviews.
I have taken a few scalps of supposedly quick cars that cost 4 times as much yet my trip computer tells me i'm averaging 32.3mpg which isn't bad, not sure there's a better all rounder for the price.
The car does handle the power well and i'll be looking at the stage 3 conversion early next year, you can never have too much power!
ETA - Cars a daily driver.
GAjon said:
I'd be interested in this, are there any downsides/tradeoffs?
ETA - Cars a daily driver.
Not really, the throttle is very responsive so you do need more care to drive smoothly in low gears but i quickly got used to it. What took me the most time to get was that it can be difficult pulling away from stop as even at half throttle the car wants to go quickly, same for exiting a slow corner as the torque can come in quickly and give an unwanted shove.ETA - Cars a daily driver.
Perhaps the only downside was the extra £110 insurance.
kingofdbrits said:
Not really, the throttle is very responsive so you do need more care to drive smoothly in low gears but i quickly got used to it. What took me the most time to get was that it can be difficult pulling away from stop as even at half throttle the car wants to go quickly, same for exiting a slow corner as the torque can come in quickly and give an unwanted shove.
Perhaps the only downside was the extra £110 insurance.
Thanks for that, sounds like a worthwhile modification.Perhaps the only downside was the extra £110 insurance.
Coincidentally, I just started looking at these in the classifieds. As an alternative to other hatches of that size and grunt, they are a bargain.
Being from Oz, where Mazdas are held in much higher regard than here, the badge doesnt bother me at all and the styling is actually quite nice.
Good thread, ta all.
Being from Oz, where Mazdas are held in much higher regard than here, the badge doesnt bother me at all and the styling is actually quite nice.
Good thread, ta all.
Reardy Mister said:
...
Being from Oz, where Mazdas are held in much higher regard than here, the badge doesnt bother me at all and the styling is actually quite nice...
I heard that before!Being from Oz, where Mazdas are held in much higher regard than here, the badge doesnt bother me at all and the styling is actually quite nice...
I'm from the continent and here they have a bit of an old-people reputation (because of al the 323's and 636's driven by seniors), while I was a fan of the original Mazda 6.
So when I went to pick a company car I was drawn to the (new) 6, but I found the interior quite boring, other than that I thought it was a brilliant car, and I'd have one in an instant given the opportunity.
The new(ish) 6 looks brilliant, not a big van of the 3 but it looks better than a lot of other hatches.
That to me is by far the best looking hot hatch out there, the rarity factor is a big plus too.
Seems like a decent price as well for the modifications? Cant believe how cheap these cars are after just checking the classifieds, 12k for a 10 plate, mental. The insurance is a bargain too, £1300 for me a 21 year old when usually id expect anything of £3k plus - i pay £1400 for my 1.4 bora!
Seems like a decent price as well for the modifications? Cant believe how cheap these cars are after just checking the classifieds, 12k for a 10 plate, mental. The insurance is a bargain too, £1300 for me a 21 year old when usually id expect anything of £3k plus - i pay £1400 for my 1.4 bora!
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