ZEEROLLA

Thats tops Dylan! Great story! I guess for me the Wakefield Park discovery really made me enjoy my Stivo so much more, without being harrased by the men in blue. :)

NEW WHEELS REVIEW!! "an Aurora Blue Sports Pack was the star of the Wheels first road test of the 3 MPS. It seems to have made a good impression first up!" They mention the fact that it does the 80-120km/h in 3.5 secs. That is apparently only 0.1 sec slower than a BMW M5 and 0.1 sec quicker than a Porsche 911 Carrera. You've got to be happy with that!" I have plenty of piccies but none of them r my car :P will post them up soon, or maybe Sydney people like Bill can just see it for themselves if i make this weekend's cruise! ;)

Thanks man! ;)

Woo! Clocked 350kms already in 2 days! also hit 170km/h without even feeling it :P this thing builds speed in 4th/5th gear like a rocket! also hard to get use to the 280km/h speedo, its felt wierd. This thing handles very well, full stop. Turn in response is tops, and yet still very comfortable. Also very little body roll and high speed cornering stability is also very good. Probably better than my Stivo. No pics just yet as its so dirty bcus of the rain, will wash it on the weekend and post pics up ;)

Just 1 sleep to go! :D Hopefully the dealer keeps his promise and i get the car tomorrow! woohoo! I will post pics up as soon as i get them, camera is armed and ready to snap when i get to the dealership. Only thing is mother nature, it sems like it will be RAINY again ;)

the MPS3 is like the Corolla Sportivo, actually costs about the same as the standard Mazda 3/Corolla. I paid $1200 for the Stivo, now $1400 for the MPS3. With the WRX and EVO i can assure you for me at least it will be closer to $3000. Don't know why, maybe bcus of their cult status and theft history (especially WRX). actually its 2000 for wrx my mate owns a 2003 and hes got a shocking record but the excess is 2000 alsoat the end of the day if you like the car buy it and zeerolla did so hes gotta like it now but ohnestly man i dont see many of them selling at that price 42k on road i think you said, thats wat a wrx cost almost id rather spend another few grand get better performance better looks and awd dodgey interior but the mps aint much better but i rekon they will drop the price a few grand to 36k soon like they did with the heap of **** tiburons ooo.. no doubt about my love for the MPS3 mate :D Like the MPS6 they arn't selling as well as predicted.. but i can name at least 5 people that have bought it :P they are still fantastic cars for the money though if you look at them carefully. I won't even think about the WRX for $40k (plus i had 1 b4), like i said b4 there are too many of them around, like falcodores and their interior quality is imo lacklustre. Servicing costs, quality, reliability, safety and equipmet levels are no better, performace and technology the MPS is imo again head and shoulders above a WRX, the only thing Subaru has is its "magical AWD" but after you have driven a MPS3 and a WRX you would be thinking to yourself what's so special about the WRX!? I used to spin the inside wheels of the WRX anyway! The STI and EVO is dfferent with the trick centre diffs (VCD) and in an EVO the AYC etc, way more sophisticated but a standard WRX hasn't got that. To be honest manufacturers are creating fwd/rwd cars that handle better and better, awd is losing ground. 5-10years ago its different, its fresh, its new, and the Godzilla killed all other 2wd sports cars. But today its nothing special. Fuel economy of the boxer engine is also at the bottom of the list, and insurance no matter what your mate got will be different to me and without doubt more expensive than the MPS3 (Some people i know get the MPS3 for $650 comprehensive cover). As for prices dropping that much, i would say its a tough ask bcus its a flagship performance model and Mazda sells Mazda3s like pancakes around the world. The only time prices would drop by a grand or more is during the end of financial year sales or if you know someone, or if the government cuts taxes. The 05' plated MPS6 was going for $49-50k driveaway at some dealerships during the end of financial year sales, 06' plated ones are either $52k for non-leaher or $58k for leather ;) The MPS3 i think is great value if its the kinda car you want, just like a Corolla Sportivo.

Yep, i did that when i bought a 2nd hand WRX and guess what! $6500 engine repair bill!!! Ended up o'hauling the whole thing, but too bad gearbox went a year later along with 2 new sets of clutches :(

I think REDBOOK actually looks at what people sell their cars for to get their values. So there are always exceptions.

Should have done it on te racetrack mate.. ;) much safer to test the limits of any car there.

the MPS3 is like the Corolla Sportivo, actually costs about the same as the standard Mazda 3/Corolla. I paid $1200 for the Stivo, now $1400 for the MPS3. With the WRX and EVO i can assure you for me at least it will be closer to $3000. Don't know why, maybe bcus of their cult status and theft history (especially WRX).

ok now :P a lancer to an EVO lancer is about 3 times the $$ difference.. and you get the same sort of platsics!! :P hehe nah if i had another 10k to splash the EVO would be up there on my list, its got a good factory warranty to start with (5years), has racecar performance, and enough room for 5. BUT insurance will definitely kill me. In the end if i am smart with my money i will still get the Mazda :P bcus insurance is many times cheaper, is more practical being a hatchback, better fuel economy, and looks more "friendly" exteriorly (attracts less attn from the blues ).. plus i will save $10-15k to put it somewhere else, and i won't get mistaken for another kitted up lancer :D

the Civic Type R is quick no doubt bcus its light. if it comes to Oz it will be priced at $40k and at that price there are so many cars to choose from. The Renault and VW would be a nightmare for me if i ever bought one, fom what i heard too expensive to maintain. I don't think the Mazda 3 MPS is all that expensive, bcus if you ask me the Mazda 3 wasn't cheap to start with anyway. If you break it down its only abt $10k more than a SP23, actually i got mine for $42k wthout extras, an SP23 06' model will be arnd $32k and lux pack will be arnd $35k. But what you get in the MPS is worth every penny of that $10k. Just like buying the WRX Imprezza over the NA Imprezzas.

i was told that if you had a new car with "paint protection" and you happen to have to respray for eg your bonnet you will need the "paint protection" re-applied to the bonnet so that they match the rest of the car. Where's the detailer?? He should know! :P

Some people say F/I donks don't last as long as high performance N/A engines.. have you anything to add rollamods? my new car is FI and not planning to mod it so its running the very "rich" A/F ratio Mazda tuned into the car, is that gonna prolong engine life at all? i am guessing fuel economy sucks though and engine power is retsricted somewhat.

Advertise it for $24,500 and people will offer you $20,000-$21,000. Trust me tried that done that but mine had 60,000kms though. With abt 40,000kms last year i was offered $22,000 (mind you car was only 18months old then). Good luck with the sale :) Oh and Carsales.com are great, i have sold 3 cars through them so far, you will get plenty of enquiries, some even interstate.

Honda could be isolated here, they could end up being the only manufacturer not using FI on their hot hatch. But they are damn well known for building the world's best NA engines and coupled with a light weight bodyshell, beat the crap out of FI cars (think Type Rs), so they are definitely in the fight and the New Civic Type R will most likely still be using the K20A with 150+kw. That will appeal to many that loves to rev and people that cannot or prefer not to own FI vehicles. If the Civic remains relatively light weight it will be a quick car but will be an uphill battle now as other manufacturers are coming out with "dual purpose" vehicles like Mazda with the Mazda Performance Series (MPS) of cars such as the RX8, MPS6 and MPS3. Thats their concept. They have all the luxuries you want and practicality yet have enough grunt to make you feel like you are in a sports car. Thats what people want nowadays, and Honda in the past have created beautiful sports cars, but are more "raw" such as the Type Rs, S2000 and NSX. These cars have fantatsic driving feel and performance but usually lacks comfort, practicality and luxury. And when they tried the performance usually suffers. But like others said stay tuned ;) p.s. i am getting my MPS3 Monday! woohoo!! finally! Also saw a Red Lux version at Liverpool today, looks damn nice but i think Blue is still better :D

The turbo on the MPS will be a similiar size to a Garrett GT28. Anything more than 1 bar (14.5psi) and it will be out of its efficiency range, so creating more heat than useful air to create power. And as for boost spikes in the winter, that would be BS as boost spikes only occur when you install a manual bleed valve style boost controller. The MPS will be running an electronic boost comtroller connected to the main ecu. And as for the engine handling 30psi, unless its running forged pistons and rods special valves it may last a few runs at 30psi with a bigger turbo before it starts to melt the pistons and throw a rod. Don't quote me on those figures, as i cannot find them anywhere except from a guy that seemed to have seen it on the net, and also from Mazda 6 MPS owners. ;) "Word on the street is the engine is good for up to 30psi (fully forged from factory) .... and Hiboost is modding a bigger turbo to fit in the standard K04 housing :) The analysist tell me this engine could be better then the boxxer (WRX) for extracting crazy power from ...." gotta wait a couple of days to see my own proof :P HAH! I knew it!!! I knew you'd pour money into it! ;) Be sure to come to the next meet brother! haha no mate, haven't even got my car yet how am i supposed to pour money in? Not planning to mod it for a while due to warranty reaosns. Its got enough go for me, at least until i get bored of it :P Also these quotes are not my words, they are also not from a Mazda personel, they are from some guy at the Ozmazdaclub, so i wouldn't believe everything. Such as the stock boost levels, i won't know until i get my car. ;)

The turbo on the MPS will be a similiar size to a Garrett GT28. Anything more than 1 bar (14.5psi) and it will be out of its efficiency range, so creating more heat than useful air to create power. And as for boost spikes in the winter, that would be BS as boost spikes only occur when you install a manual bleed valve style boost controller. The MPS will be running an electronic boost comtroller connected to the main ecu. And as for the engine handling 30psi, unless its running forged pistons and rods special valves it may last a few runs at 30psi with a bigger turbo before it starts to melt the pistons and throw a rod. Don't quote me on those figures, as i cannot find them anywhere except from a guy that seemed to have seen it on the net, and also from Mazda 6 MPS owners. ;) "Word on the street is the engine is good for up to 30psi (fully forged from factory) .... and Hiboost is modding a bigger turbo to fit in the standard K04 housing :) The analysist tell me this engine could be better then the boxxer (WRX) for extracting crazy power from ...." gotta wait a couple of days to see my own proof :P

The MAzda 3 MPS has 15.6psi of boost stock although people have been seeing boost spikes in winter of 18-20psi. Apparently sources say the engine is good for 30psi. ;)

Test driving a MP3??? Hope it accelerates forward fastly, reverses, selects the right gears and most of all doesn't skip with the bumps in the road. I've heard that the seats ain't all that comfy and headroom in the MP3 cabin is limited with visibility only being a small horizontal gap. :P :P :P :P Sorry mate couldn't resist :D LOL :D upgrade! upgrade! upgrade!

The next time you see one you will notice the bonnet has a noticable bulge in it like the 6 MPS, with the special duct from the grill (you will also notice the duct in the grill) to feed the air straight to the top mount. Thanks! Will post pics as soon as i get it. Not many nights left to go :D The under bonnet scoop also splits into 2 ducts one for the intercooler and one for the battery!? i wonder why.. and the bonnet is damn heavy! and i mean really heavy compared to the Stivo's. in regards to the stock boost level i am not sure, i read somewhere b4 but cannot find the article again.. the 9.5:1 compression ratio is acheieved via DISI which helps cools the engine internals and allows the tubo to spin quicker (maybe thats why more boost?).

Just found another very ineteresting short review by UK tester, drove it in Japan. UK review The Mazda 3 MPS doesn't just share Volvo chassis, in the article it also says it has the Volvo S60's brakes!! :D