RoadflyTV - 2011 MAZDASPEED3 Test Drive Car Review

[AgileMJOLNIR]

I have a 2010 Speed 3 and it's a killer car. The only thing I disagree with during this review s the statement about the aftermarket community being small. Corksport alone makes a shitload of parts for this car, performance parts.

[TypeR1013]

@AgileMJOLNIR—you raise some good points. However, the tire size still sucks! It's hard to find tires in that size and they are very expensive. Also the MS3 roasts tires and brakes in a big way. —Ross Rapoport

[champ1193]

droid eris... i hope you have something else now... that phone drove me nuts for a year and half

[TypeR1013]

@champ1193—it's actually not an Eris. It was an HTC Hero.

I now have a Samsung Galaxy S2, which doesn't fit in any compartments, lol.

[TheGenovski]

Nice car

[Arphalia]

Anyone out there who owns one of these, can you tell me how the long distance comfort is? I know it's more of a sports car and comfort isn't exactly it's forte, but I'm considering this car as my first car after I come out of Tech School. I'll be driving in snow and may find myself in mountainous areas as well. How easy is this car to pick up and become accustomed to its clutch and shifting? I'm not as experienced with driving a manual car yet, but I'm learning (less than a year driving manual)

[DrumminJ219]

@Arphalia I've driven this car across country 3 times now, fully packed to the brim with all my stuff....it is great on comfort, never had any issues I can think of. Great seats, alot of storage/hauling capacity, and still quick/nimble. Had it 3 years now and still running like new!

[davidjgmail]

The turbocharged engine is not so handy in cities where cops are at every corner catching your speed :(

[DrumminJ219]

@davidjgmail I have the 9500ci installed, has gotten me out of WAY too many tickets to count, not a single ticket in 3 years yet and I zoom zoom all the time.

[jerimierothwell]

I got 30 HWY and about 23 city, just upgrade the intake.

[JangoM1]

Civics are crap compared to speed3s. How dare you compare. Civics are for broke high school kids that don't know anything hahaha

[TVinmyEye]

@JangoM1 haha sooo muthaf**king true, can't stand those fan boys, i mean i have respect if you car is at Least an SI model but a standard POS CIVIC? -_-....

[JangoM1]

@shawnspeed3

You bought a Mazda 3 and you don't like it??? Were you forced to buy it or are you really stupid?

[thedenimvault]

why do you care if it's peaky. it makes way more power then a civic at half the rpms. the power is more useful and it's faster. how can someone be disappointed to have to stay in the powerband at 3000-5500. 9000 rpms is for ricers.

[SweetHubby82]

get outta the rain and go to LA Auto Show, give us some reviews there

[lauriejamesmackeson]

Good review. I would buy one if I didn't worry me to have a car with much less performance, refinement and ease of driving as soon the road became wet. IMHO, The gap between it's dry and wet abilities is its only downfall.

[avlisk]

Does anyone know if you still have to saw off the gas and brake pedals and weld them back at a comfortable angle on Mazdas? We stopped buying them in 1995 due to this issue.

[shawnspeed3]

I have a '08 Speed3...and Mazda made a mess of everything!  Front end is ridiculous, ugly wheels, cheesy interior materials/colors that just says "cheep".

[Acc0rd79]

Its too bad its a mazda, Honda and toyota really need to learn from this. We want the power, just not the ugly car and cheap car company. if it was a Honda it would sell much much more. Then again, they fell off and mazda still has the balls to make this kinda car.

[razioth]

@Acc0rd79 you're the proof people buy looks&badges and not cars

I agree the front end of the car isn't attractive, but in black or white I think the car is looking good as a whole!

Mazda has made a great job making this great car, but made a poor job on the styling (for the front bumper)

[Acc0rd79]

@razioth and there ya go, im not into 5 doors either. I want sports cars. Mazda has never been known for good quality cars either or with great resale. Hyundai is going through the roof on both areas and so im going to be looking at them for future cars as Honda/Toyota doesnt make shit anymore. Mazda is basically ford and well...yah ford.

[soyntgo4it]

@Acc0rd79 Wait Honda and Toyota are coming back they will surprise you the Si is going to be resigned all over again for 2013/2014 model year. This why Toyota has Scion to make that happen and they are doing it. They are just getting started after the Tsunamis they had to continue production of current vehicles. New things are brewing. Not giving up on these to brands. Mazda is still a so so car company all their cars look the same. Mazda Speed 6 is gone so why now put the AWD in the Speed 3 ?

[PantstofryPWNZ]

@soyntgo4it The Si is a sad shell of a car, far from what it used to be.

[soyntgo4it]

@PantstofryPWNZ I agree the 9th generation wasn't what everyone expected. From what I read and heard 2013/2014 a new one is in development now. So I guess we have to wait again to see what happens. I was hoping they would have at least put the 2.3L Turbo that the RDX uses then at least it would have a place in small sport segment again.

[vitaliy2008g]

Is there limited slip differential?

[EVILGOKU1986]

thanks charlie@roadflytv i just hope we dont get stuck on the parkway again in snow storm . and just to let you know youre road fly review helped us in making the decision to buy the juke we didnt know how fun the car was to drive.

[kalargyi]

i can only imagine since he looks that small in MS3, do CX-9, we will have an invisible reviewer

[porsche558]

I have to agree with you Ross I too like the nice touches like storage spaces and cup holders in sporty cars.....there is nothing wrong with adding a little functionality to any car even if it's geared towards performance. I don't get the ridiculous looking "smile" in the front air dam. I'm done buying FWD or RWD cars anyway after owning 4 Subaru's with AWD. With symmetrical AWD there is no torque steer at all. Like I say FWD is for tricycle LOL!

[bartmatton]

Wrx or Speed3?

[sordow]

ugh, why the smiling car?

[Zornus]

get a speed3 i love mine.

[select20]

I'm in the market for a new car. Looking between a new Speed3, GTI and STI. Thanks for the reviews on each of these cars, really helps.

[ILikeReallyBigButts]

@select20 Are you a good shopper? Your price range is too open, doesn't look like you narrowed it down enough. I would go for the 2011 WRX. Check out RoadFly's video if you haven't.

[select20]

@ILikeReallyBigButts Yeah, I just need to go test driving. I just got rid of my 2006 Evo IX. I love driving the car if I was just out to drive hard. However i hated it for a Daily driver. I'm looking for something that will be fun to take out for autocross, but also not mind driving for every day.

Yeah, my price range is pretty wide because I the max I'm wanting to spend is about 35k. But I've always had a soft spot for hot-hatches.

[EVILGOKU1986]

ross i know this is is way late but i was wondering if the nissan juke you test drove was good in snow with the stock tires, i know its late but winter is coming sooner than expected and i need to know my mom has a juke and i need to know if she will be okay come snow. greetings from northern va fairfax

[roadflytv]

@EVILGOKU1986 The street tires on the Juke are fine. It would be a waste of money to have a second set of snows for the Juke in the DC area.

-Charlie@RoadflyTV

[TypeR1013]

@EVILGOKU1986 I tested the Juke in a snowstorm and it was awesome! No worries. Hope this isn't too late...obviously we didn't get much snow this year.

[ohiost8freak]

holy shit, i knew he was small, but he looks smaller than usual in this.

[netman88]

Pretty fast car with acceleration like that.

[maaaaccckkk11111]

Thank u Ross u really knows how to do ur job ... I always like yr car reviews

[mooda4208]

it sooo sad that in canada, it starts at 30k, before delivery and 13% tax...WTF

[aendzo]

Awkward moment 3:44

[rdwhite83]

yay Ross!

[smp336]

Pretty good speed but how is it that the ford mustang boss is twice as fast and they both have about the same fuel economy

[swinglow33]

Too bad Ford and Mazda are having issues. I'd like to see the Focus with this power plant.

[GerryK61]

27K for base!

Up here in Canada they want 33K. For that price a person can get a 2011 Mustang GT 5.0 And still have money left over to Insure the Stang.

[blacksinrealm]

Still loving my Mazdaspeed6... All four wheels driven = no torque steer!

[imaginaiton4me]

Why did Mazda limited power out?

[WRXXXual]

@imaginaiton4me To limit the effects of torque steer. As you can see by the video, they didn't quite achieve their goal.

[sentrakidsr20]

You forgot one of the quirks being the big stupid black smiley face that ruins this car,even aftermarket bumpers can fix that problem, oh...thats right m there is no aftermarket for this car

[phantomloita]

The Mazda Torque Steer.

[brihamlin1]

What do you mean by "limited aftermarket" as a downside? Also, what is included in the "Tech package"?

good video, nice car!

[builthatch]

@brihamlin1 Tech Package is basically what used to be included with the last gen's GT trim, plus some additional items. Self-leveling HIDs, adaptive headlamps, headlight trim LEDs, auto on/off headlights, blind spot monitor, rain sensing wipers, LED tails, satellite radio, navigation, push button start and alarm.

[brihamlin1]

@builthatch got it, thanks for the info.

[venom5809]

Kind of a badass little car.

[GMCvancouver]

gas mileage same as ford crown vic or linclon town car

[OneOfaKind949]

Why they don't put that engine in the Mazda MX5 really baffles the heck out of me!!!

[Verification11]

263hp and 280foot pound of torque is no joke

i had a car with same hp but less torque with a weight of 1650kg and it was seriously fast....

[peelout40]

Mazda!!! Keeping the stick-shift alive!!!! :)

[datpimpinboy]

@peelout40 and i love them for that!

[whiteandnerdytuba]

i dont understand how these turbo 4's get the same mpg as something like the v8 in the mustang or camaro. those cars cost the same as this and are faster, and i know they only have two doors but its a much more powerful v8 vs a 4 banger.

[ms3bani]

the mazdaspeed3 would be much better as a rwd car.

an awd car would be more expensive, heavier, and slower. the ms3 and ms6 were built in equal numbers in the US, dealers had a hard time keeping the ms3 in stock -- ms3 flew off the lots. the ms6 grew roots into the pavement. the ms6 only sold when dealers blew them out at firesale prices.

mazda learned their lesson, so no awd ms3.

[ProJcool]

this will be a perfect first car

[alphaswimmer55]

The old Mazda 3 was much better looking. Imho that car is giving the RX-8 a run for its money on the scale of over styled. Not particularly original sentiment, but they need to pick a styling direction and go with it (and ditch the grinning face while they are at it). The whole car, interior and exterior, is a bit fussy. Common Mazda lets simplify things a bit.

[dinonoce]

Quit the background music, it's distracting.

[brikag]

I'll wait for the Focus ST. That front end of the 3 is too ugly!

[robertjdm]

@brikag Oh yeah.........That Focus ST is gonna be badass! And looks hot as hell!

[rickyguti]

@brikag ... the king

[rforracing]

@brikag Focus is uglier.

[chigasaki06]

@brikag I know, I just can't get over that stupid smiling face, I just want to punch it. Other than that, its a great car.

[xlaostha704x]

@brikag Thats what i said, but when i looked at it in person, it grew on me. My brother owns a 2012 speed3 and i love it.

[MyRandomLife247]

@brikag You serious????

[brikag]

@MyRandomLife247 Hell ya!!!! Probs?????

[urafudgehead]

Nice review, but please stop with the crappy music in the background. I'd rather have just talking than having the crappy music you guys have been including in your videos lately. They make me embarrassed to watch your videos without any headphones.

[conceptcs]

who shut the hatch?



[ChipotleAlpaca]

It would be a good car if there wasn't already the WRX.

[KarlowBOI]

looks like a fish :3

[spartandy]

love your channel guys keep up the good work !!

[AlternativeUses]

for the same money ill take a base GTI and chip it so that it makes around 270hp w/o the torque steer and spray paint look seats

[cold02rex]

I like the newness and the overall package but... The old 02 WRX hatch gets better mileage while being modified suspension and engine wise. I cant hate on its rattles and basic interior. Its payed for and this new mousy looking thing is far from burning a hole in my trade in pocket.

[orochimaruisugly]

GTI interior destroys this car's interior.

[acurazdx4]

@orochimaruisugly No kidding. The GTI's interior is...perfect!

[razioth]

@orochimaruisugly Agreed, but mazda is better everywhere else performance-wise

[orochimaruisugly]

@razioth You would be a fool to buy this car over the GTI.

The GTI is more reliable, less expensive on insurance, better mileage, better interior, better exteior, etc etc etc.

[razioth]

@orochimaruisugly not if someone wants a weekend warrior at the track!

I agree that the styling is better on the Golf, but it depends on where you live for the insurance, a 5-door hatch is usually cheaper than a hatch coupé (3-door). But I still wouldn't buy any of these 2 because they're FailWheelDrive ! I'd rather have an AWD Ralliart or a WRX (manual of course). FWD is just wrong for a sports car

[iTzMattz]

@orochimaruisugly Everything you said is true but don't forget maintenance fees for VW are waaaay more expensive compared to Mazda!

[orochimaruisugly]

@iTzMattz Cause volkswagen has better parts!

[thugangel662]

ohhhhhhhhh shit :D

[ooharloo]

i have the 2010 MS3 (nothing has changed for 2011 model) and i still love it! all i have is a full intake and a rear motor mount (RMM). I wanted more mods but i am actually happy with what i have now ;) great car.

On a side note, If you are getting this car or have it i recommend the rear motor mount. It greatly reduces torque steer and wheel hop. Plus puts more power to the ground! The best part is it takes only 5 minutes to install!

[TheVtieg6]

I really dont like it when they limit toque in lower gears. If they cant handle low down torque put the traction control on. As for torque its really not a big issue unless you cant hold a steering wheel properly

[Betaops252]

that was a good review

[iliasky]

nice



[flammnkta]

Love it. The impreza too.

[Logicsupremacy]

The only Mazda vehicle I would consider buying.

[mazda6tuner99]

New ones are ugly AF! They smile at everything.

[ShermanMR2]

You got on it. Note, didn't notice.

[bmwrocks325]

if only it was AWD and had better brakes

[isev94]

the power of the car is great, the only thing that would stop me from getting this car is the look of the interior and exterior

[giannial1985]

Very nice 3. It looks sweet and sounds pretty quiet for a performance car too. Love the sound of the engine.

[ffdaasssd]

This car , in my country has ~33.000 euro , that is about 40.000 uds ... :(

Great car

[flatblackstrat]

@ffdaasssd US is still one of the cheapest places in the world to buy a car.

[ffdaasssd]

@flatblackstrat yes but , it is allmost have the price .. :P :D

[flatblackstrat]

@ffdaasssd No they aren't. He said this thing tops out at 27K, That is 27,000 USD which come to about 19,000 Euro.... How are they almost the same price? Anyway everywhere is more expensive than the US.

[ffdaasssd]

@flatblackstrat on my previous port * half price :D

and in greece , this car on the high taxe rate ( 2.3 cc ... )

[ron20102002]

Dont get me wrong i also like this car but when he said this car has insane power i thought he gonna say 400hp or 500hp. Now days having 264hp under your hood is common.

[flatblackstrat]

@ron20102002 Not in a compact. Most mid and compact cars barely have 200 these days, the only ones that do are ones with a V6 option in the midsize segments. 400-500 Hp is not suitable for such a car and would make it undriveable for the average person, not to mention the engine would not last very long if they kept it an I4.

[Sadfhorde]

MS3 is a nice car, but I'd be hard pressed to take this when a WRX is in the same price range.

[nforspeed91]

Finally a car that's shorter than ross.

[bajabusta]

Ross' definition of torque steer is incomplete. Unless that is what he really thinks defines it. You forgot to add the 'unequal length half shafts' as a variable w/ lots of power, that also induces this quirk.

[upiluften]

Looks like an insect from the front.

[hopkinspro]

@upiluften to me it looks like a whale smiling at you

[Niche79]

Sad when Mazda is king, Honda and TOyota used to go neck and neck but they have fallen off so bad. I guess we can look forward to all the good Hyundais comming out though. Just not a fan of a wagon at all.

[313hotboi]

Like the video and car, but the reviewer was kind of boring. Anyway decent job.

[2003SCT]

18/25 mpg is not good fuel econ considering that this is a compact hatch with a turbo direct injected engine. Some full size luxury cars with V8s without DI will damn near do that..and I think one or two actually do.

[mehsdomi]

I'm happy with my 2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 R-Spec for 25k.

[stinky242]

i want

[raspad67]

Ahh yeah finally got a review on my favorite car.

[walkthepark]

veloster anytime soon?

[bottomlayer]

Too bad you can't get a sunroof on the MS3.

[soroboro8]

zoom zoom zoooom !

[DocWolph]

MAZDA needs to work on a AWD MS3 at least as an option. They did it for the MS6, so why the deuce not?

[WRXXXual]

@DocWolph No kidding, right? The MS3 is a HIGHLY appealing car, and AWD with a torque vectoring rear differential would be an outstanding addition to the car. The flip side, of course is:

AWD => more weight => more power for same acceleration => need more boost and/or larger motor => more fuel used => less range on current tank OR larger tank and/or fuel saving tech => if larger tank and/or larger tank => or weight... and so on.

Still seeing what a good AWD for that car can do would be sweet!

[DocWolph]

@WRXXXual Are you trying to argue against and AWD option or not?

[WRXXXual]

@DocWolph I would like to see AWD on the MS3. In fact, I would prefer it if Mazda tries a rear biased AWD system on the MS3 with some form of torque vectoring. That said, I just wanted to point out to people that the introduction of AWD into the MS3 could potentially introduce a lot of weight into the car. I also wanted to highly some of the cascading effects of an AWD system.

I suppose if Mazda does an AWD MS3, then the world finally gets a hatchback EVO X, HAHA!

[DocWolph]

@WRXXXual Adding parts always adds weight. No argument. But it is for a reason. The weight added is useful. Most AWD systems add about 150-200lbs to a car. But it is for a reason. Because AWD in real cars (RC is quite surprising) is usually kludged and needlessly complicated, it is never as fast as 2WD, in a straight line with the same power. But control, grip, and maneuverability are always the big pluses.

I get what you are saying. I think we agree.

[Alex19al]

@DocWolph because then it would make it at least 3 grand more expensive which would put in competition to the WRX impreza which is an exponentially better car

[DocWolph]

@Alex19al I would argue that. The EVO X has proven to the vastly better car than the WRX in every regard, and of course you get what you pay for. But if you can get a car at least as good as the WRX for as much or less, then why not?

So what you are saying is, "don't try you'll endanger the car I love". I am I wrong?

[Alex19al]

@DocWolph oh don't get me wrong i agree in that the evo X is light years better than the wrx. And the reason why I think Mazda doesn't make the MS3 have AWD is because it would jack up the price of the MS3 and defeat the idea of the car, (which is cheap speed), and I think it would also put the car in a higher insurance group. Not to mention the subie fans won't drive anything different, and the evo fans won't touch it because of the limited aftermarket.

[geppegep]

@DocWolph why have AWD? only so u dont have to deal with the shame of having a fwd?

[DocWolph]

@geppegep Because you want one or need one.

[kozes]

@DocWolph ya!

[ms3bani]

@DocWolph

look at how well the ms6 did, a complete smashing sales success was it not?

no sir no, awd. it would make the ms3 slower and price it out of the segment.

if anything rwd would be a far, far better idea.

[DroverChicago]

@ms3bani - The MS6 was always intended to be a limited-production car. Mazda sold exactly as many of the as they intended to sell. The reason there is no current-gen MS6 is because Mazda uses two different platform sizes for the Mazda6: one for North America and one for the rest of the world. So they'd have to duplicate a lot of development costs to bring it to market making it impossible for them to do so cost-effectively.

[DocWolph]

@DroverChicago I think the MS6 used a different front and rear mounting system not a new platform, to accommodate the AWD system. It would have cost far too much to build an entire new platform for a limited run car they were only going to sell for a year. 

[DroverChicago]

@DocWolph - Because it adds weight and cost, and 90% of the MS3's target market will be content with FWD. I have both a Mazda6 (V6, manual) and an MS6, and while the MS6 is obviously a much quicker car, the regular 6 is more nimble, more responsive, and provides a more direct connection between the driver and the road. The MS6 makes a better winter car and stoplight warrior, but other than that the regular 6 is more fun to drive without the extra weight and ponderous AWD system.

[DocWolph]

@DroverChicago Hence they need to work on it more. To just "do it" is romantic, but as long as the MS3 works fine as is, getting an AWD package or version right would be sufficient for now.

[RochesterGT]

@DroverChicago The MS6 is not "a much quicker car." Every match up I've ever seen has the MS3 winning.

[DroverChicago]

@RochesterGT - first of all, try reading for context -- I was comparing an MS6 to a Mazda6 V6 as a way of explaining why the MS3 won't necessarily be a better car with an AWD driveline. Second, if "every match up you've ever seen has the MS3 winning" you haven't watched many. of them. In the hands of a very skilled driver, the MS3 is a dead heat for an MS6. In the hands of average drivers, the MS6 will take an MS3 80% of the time.

[BloodyHawk39]

STI is the better car;)

[blackseries99]

GTI is better car.

[davesecx]

I rather buy a GTI.

[bestguy656]

the car is like =D

[groove420]

The smiley face front grill should be an option! ;-)

Other than that it seems like a lot of car for the money.

[Underxman]

ice review

[dickcheese663]

also....the belt line on this car is mega high, just look, is at his neck level, or he isn't tall....who knows

[DocWolph]

@dickcheese663 He's not that tall. The MS3 is about 57.5in/4ft9.5in tall.

The belt line is fine. Buyers and fans honestly think "bubble tops" looks goofy now-a-days. So, a balanced look that has no perfromance aura, or higher belt line that exudes it. Then there are the safety regs to consider.

Besides it looks cool and those, who actually buy new cars, are comparing. "Chop-top", perennially cool, within limits.

[desurgeon]

Will you guys be looking at the VW Golf R?

[catalin357]

@desurgeon or scirocco:D

[TheVtieg6]

@desurgeon

More like seat leon cupra r which has the golf r but is cheaper and fwd

[dotZodiac]

@desurgeon Really want this review.

[QAdeputy]

Torque Steer 2:37

[hahaha10001]

lots of power for a small car.

Nice.

[dickcheese663]

looks good, but just like a Volvo S60 T5 FWD.......torque steer kings!

[DoomTra1n]

@redsoxfan5240 congratulations on your first thumbs down, and flag as spam than

[redsoxfan5240]

@DoomTra1n I doubt it's the first thumbs down, but I appreciate how highly you think of me.