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You know that guy in high school who always had a great one-liner, a cheeky grin and a hell of a good time up his sleeve, but who also managed to make pretty good grades and turned out to be a doctor or such?


Meet the 2010 Mazdaspeed3. This four-door hatchback with its turbocharged engine, its fast comebacks and general amped-up demeanor is a lightning quick bad boy who will treat you to a spin that will leave you a little breathless, but who will also carry your groceries. And that, my friends, is a quite an intoxicating mix.


Ask the people over at Car and Driver, who’ve named the Mazdaspeed3 one of their 10Best. Read the reviews. Critics love this car. And even though it didn’t need much improving, Mazda, in the interests of keeping this guy fit and fast, has redone it for 2010.


Looking Good


The Mazdaspeed3 is a macho-looking little beast with its aggressive wedge shape, its muscular contours, its rising beltline and prominent rear end. New for this year is a new hood scoop, there to cool down its hot little turbo, and an unmistakable sign of the car’s wicked intentions. You’ll also see more pronounced wheel wells, thanks to new 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels and tires with bigger footprints (Dunlop 225/40R18, to be exact) and a larger rear roof-mounted wing.


The story is the same inside too. Look and you’ll see some very sporty cloth-and-leather bolstered black seats, stitched in red, with a red pattern spattered across them that looks very cool when the sun hits it – almost hologram-ish, in fact, in the way it glows. Ditto on the door inserts.


Red stitching also has found its way to the sporty three-spoke multifunction steering wheel and shifter, while a new LED boost gauge complements a rather brightly illuminated dash, complete with a center display that sends messages that read "Zoom, Zoom," etc. Metal pedals are a nice touch too.


Rear leg room can be very tight if someone tall is sitting up front. But there’s a 60/40 split rear seat to enlarge the already decently sized cargo area, which not only boasts an underfloor compartment, but a cargo cover for security. With almost 43 cubic feet of cargo volume and an easy opening hatch, the Mazdaspeed3 offers real practicality and a certain wholesomeness that might be good if you want to bring it home to mom and dad.


Under The Surface


Of course, what is really exciting you is the 263-horsepower 2.3-liter turbocharged, intercooled 4-cylinder engine with 280 pound-feet of torque, an engine that drives this front-wheel-drive vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds. It is fast. People who have driven the Mazdaspeed3 before (though I am not one of them) might look at this engine and see that its numbers are unchanged from its predecessor.


But they should know that Mazda recalibrated the gear ratios in the middle range of the powerband to get more out of the engine and from everything I’ve read, critics like the fact that the company approached it this way. By keeping the horsepower the same, and by reworking the torque management system, Mazda was able to give the Mazdaspeed3 more oomph without increasing the torque steer. I certainly felt very little of that.


The manual 6-speed transmission has been improved too, with Mazda providing it wider gear ratios. I loved its great quick shifts and a wonderfully sporty feel and I also loved that, together with the engine, it delivered EPA ratings of 18 mpg in the city and 25 on the highway.


Sticking To The Point


The Mazdaspeed3 is a kick-in-the-butt to drive. There is no other way to put it. This guy dispenses with corners and turns more glibly than a congressman does with facts during a campaign. It is responsive, nimble and willing, with its improved-for-2010 suspension taking advantage of increased spring and damping rates, stiffer tuning and a new electro-hydraulic steering system. The Mazdaspeed3’s larger tires obviously also play a part in this gripping per

Tags: Mazda, is-featured

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Revamped Mazdaspeed3 is still a bad boy… and that’s good was originally published by New Orleans Auto Reviews: Mazda. Read the full story by clicking here.