Mazdaspeed3 wins C&D's latest sport compact comparo

[MX793]

Title pretty much says it all.  It was a 5-way comparo including (in alphabetical order by brand) the MS3, new MINI Cooper S, Sentra SE-R V, WRX TR and VW GTI 5-door.

I would have been interested in seeing where the Cobalt SS S/C and Civic Si would have ended up in this group, but I guess you can't have it all.

[565]

Title pretty much says it all.? It was a 5-way comparo including (in alphabetical order by brand) the MS3, new MINI Cooper S, Sentra SE-R V, WRX TR and VW GTI 5-door.

I would have been interested in seeing where the Cobalt SS S/C and Civic Si would have ended up in this group, but I guess you can't have it all.

What were the acceleration numbers for the SE-R?  I'm curious if they are competitive and the new issue isn't out here yet.

[Submariner]

What were the acceleration numbers for the SE-R?  I'm curious if they are competitive and the new issue isn't out here yet.

0-60 in 6.4
0-100 in 17.0
1/4 mi. 15.0

[MX793]

0-60 in 6.4
0-100 in 17.0
1/4 mi. 15.0

To add, the Sentra was the slowest in all of the acceleration tests except 30-50 top gear acceleration, where it was 4th.  Longest braking distance, 4th in lateral grip  (the WRX was the worst here, but it had all seasons and the other had summer rubber), 3rd in the lane change maneuver.

[goldenlover1101]

What were the final rankings? My guess is 5. Sentra SE-R, WRX TR, GTI, MINI, MS3. Just my guess, although my top two would be the 3 and the GTi. like mx said, Any ideas why the Cobalt SS and Civic Si weren't included in the comparo? Seems like they would of fit in. The Cobalt would of placed towards the back and the civiv top 3 but it would of been interested. They probably couldn't get a hold of them in time.

[MX793]

1) MS3
2) GTI
3) MINI
4) Sentra
5) WRX

As for the Cobalt and Civic, no clue.  They didn't even mention that they had wanted to include them but couldn't get ahold of them.  The Cobalt lost a previous comparo and hasn't been changed since, so maybe that's why it was excluded.  That's often one reason they exclude cars.  All of the others have either been revised since the last comparo or are all new and yet to have been included in a comparo or are comparo winners (the GTI).  That and compared to a bunch of sedans and hatchbacks, the coupe would seem out of place.  The new Civic Si sedan would have been a good fit with this crowd, IMO.  Only reason I could think of that it wouldn't be included is because the Si also lost in a previous comparo (to the GTI).

[S204STi]

Poor Subaru in disgrace.

hehe, oh well.  Put any of these in the snow and see what happens.

[S204STi]

I have to add that the MS3 and GTI are the only two cars that made me question my WRX desire, and if I didn't live in a snowbelt state I may have gone with one of those.  Very nice cars.

[TheIntrepid]

Wait, I thought the MS3 was AWD... or is that just the MS6?

[goldenlover1101]

I agree the Si sedan would of fit in well. I am suprised the WRX came in last because usually C&D likes Subaru for good reason. I agree with the rankings though. What did they think of the Sentra? Marked down because of interior because thats the major complaint I've been hearing, and the exterior.

[the Teuton]

Poor Subaru in disgrace.

hehe, oh well.? Put any of these in the snow and see what happens.

You know I agree.

[S204STi]

Wait, I thought the MS3 was AWD... or is that just the MS6?

MS6 only.

[S204STi]

I agree the Si sedan would of fit in well. I am suprised the WRX came in last because usually C&D likes Subaru for good reason. I agree with the rankings though. What did they think of the Sentra? Marked down because of interior because thats the major complaint I've been hearing, and the exterior.

The scoob just didn't go stop or turn as well as the newcomers.  It is a 7year-old platform on allseasons, so no big surprise.  It was not totally embarrassed however.

[goldenlover1101]

The WRX is by and far the oldest of the group correct, and if you ignore only styling updates I think it is much older so no wonder it came in last.

[the Teuton]

The scoob just didn't go stop or turn as well as the newcomers.? It is a 7year-old platform on allseasons, so no big surprise.? It was not totally embarrassed however.

The Scooby is also a lot easier to make faster and better handling than the others...which doesn't help with the non-techie types, but it gives hope that where you start the race is not necessarily where you finish.

[r0tor]

z00m-z00m 

[Raza]

I'd take a GTI and WRX TR first.

[TheIntrepid]

I'd take a GTI and WRX TR first.

GTI

[Raghavan]

A HINT!

[Onslaught]

I'm looking forward to when someone smashes their MS3 so I can drive one.

[MX793]

A lot of the competition was pretty well equipped (the GTI rang in at over $29K as tested) while the TR is the stripper model of WRX, so it got hurt in that area.  The all season tires put a damper on handling and made it "uncommunicative" in the zig-zags.  Powertrain flexibility was rated poorly as well.  This is pretty evident by the difference in the WRX's 0-60 and 5-60 acceleration times.  All of the other competitors only had a 0.4-0.6 second difference between the standing start and the rolling start while the Subie had a 1.2 second difference.  Its top gear acceleration performance was also at the back of the pack.

[sportyaccordy]

Of that class of cars the only ones I would mess with are the Civic Si and the Cooper S...

250HP FWD cars= not fun

[Eye of the Tiger]

Of that class of cars the only ones I would mess with are the Civic Si and the Cooper S...

250HP FWD cars= not fun

b.s.
all you need is a limited slip

[ro51092]

I'd take the WRX over all of them.

[Champ]

Of that class of cars the only ones I would mess with are the Civic Si and the Cooper S...

250HP FWD cars= not fun

I beg to differ!

[omicron]

Interesting. Wheels tested the hot hatches, too - Mazda3 MPS, Focus XR5 Turbo, HSV VXR, Renaultsport Megane 225 F1 and Volkswagen GTI.

'Here, the big let-down was the Mazda. So taut are the MPS suspension settings, so limited the spring travel, that crash-through is inevitable. A torsion-beam rear (as with the Megane) puts the VXR at a disadvantage, but even the HSV proved better able to absorb the punishment.

Arriving at a ranking depends on your priorities. Which brings us back to the natural divide. If a rocket-fast ride is all important, the Mazda does a better job than the HSV, which is very fast, looks cool, but not much else. Conversely, withholding price, the Golf is a superior allrounder to the Focus and such a complete package that it can?t possibly lose this comparison on any rational grounds. Which, to our amazement, leaves the Renault as the emotional choice. '

This was amazing: 'Astonishingly, the little Mazda is so seriously quick that the 3.5sec it takes between 80-120km/h (50-75mph) in third gear is marginally quicker than an HSV Clubsport, 911 Carrera and Aston Martin V8 Vantage. It blows a WRX clean away.'

[Raghavan]

Interesting. Wheels tested the hot hatches, too - Mazda3 MPS, Focus XR5 Turbo, HSV VXR, Renaultsport Megane 225 F1 and Volkswagen GTI.

'Here, the big let-down was the Mazda. So taut are the MPS suspension settings, so limited the spring travel, that crash-through is inevitable. A torsion-beam rear (as with the Megane) puts the VXR at a disadvantage, but even the HSV proved better able to absorb the punishment.

Arriving at a ranking depends on your priorities. Which brings us back to the natural divide. If a rocket-fast ride is all important, the Mazda does a better job than the HSV, which is very fast, looks cool, but not much else. Conversely, withholding price, the Golf is a superior allrounder to the Focus and such a complete package that it can?t possibly lose this comparison on any rational grounds. Which, to our amazement, leaves the Renault as the emotional choice. '

This was amazing: 'Astonishingly, the little Mazda is so seriously quick that the 3.5sec it takes between 80-120km/h (50-75mph) in third gear is marginally quicker than an HSV Clubsport, 911 Carrera and Aston Martin V8 Vantage. It blows a WRX clean away.'

Wow!

[Danish]

A lot of the competition was pretty well equipped (the GTI rang in at over $29K as tested) while the TR is the stripper model of WRX, so it got hurt in that area.  The all season tires put a damper on handling and made it "uncommunicative" in the zig-zags.  Powertrain flexibility was rated poorly as well.  This is pretty evident by the difference in the WRX's 0-60 and 5-60 acceleration times.  All of the other competitors only had a 0.4-0.6 second difference between the standing start and the rolling start while the Subie had a 1.2 second difference.  Its top gear acceleration performance was also at the back of the pack.

Why would the stripper model of the WRX have all-seasons? That makes no sense at all to me

[850CSi]

Of that class of cars the only ones I would mess with are the Civic Si and the Cooper S...

250HP FWD cars= not fun

In general, yes. But it really depends on the chassis so that is a bit of a generalization. There are Peugeots with this kind of power that are said to be some of the best-handling cars in the world.

I'd take the Mini. Turns a damn sidewalk into a highway.

[MX793]

Why would the stripper model of the WRX have all-seasons? That makes no sense at all to me

Firstly, all WRX models have all season tires.  It's not just the TR. 

Secondly, the TR isn't stripped for performance.  It's stripped to make it cheaper (much like the clubsport MX5).  It's a model intended for tuners who plan to upgrade their car, so Subaru shaves off some of the accessories that tuners are apt to either remove or replace once they get the car anyway to bring the price down.  Most tuners ditch the OEM wheels and tires as soon as they get the car, so why would Subaru bother putting anything better on there?