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Full 2010 Mazda Mazdaspeed3 Review
What's New for 2010
The 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 has been completely redesigned. In addition to gaining the same changes as the regular 2010 Mazda 3, the new Mazdaspeed version benefits from suspension changes that improve its handling abilities over the previous-generation car.
Introduction
Since being introduced in 2007, the Mazdaspeed 3 has thumped all who have dared to take it on. Its combination of power, handling, practicality and value has proved to be unbeatable in the various Edmunds comparison tests it's participated in over the years. For 2010, the champ has reloaded in the off-season. Like the late '90s Yankees, the redesigned 2010 Mazda Mazdaspeed 3 maintains the bits that made it a champion while bolstering the rest of its roster.
Like the redesigned Mazda 3 upon which it's based, the 2010 "MS3" has softer styling than its predecessor, including a happy (some would say goofy) new face. The Speed version differentiates itself with a nicely integrated hood scoop for its turbocharged four-cylinder's intercooler and a few other subtle body modifications. The 3's interior is also new, and it features improved materials and a more visually interesting design. As before, standard equipment is generous, and luxury features like keyless ignition/entry and a Bose surround-sound stereo are available.
The previous MS3 was already our favorite high-performance hatchback, but Mazda's engineers felt that its suspension was in need of an overhaul, as it had a tendency to get unsettled over bumps and around pockmarked corners. The result of their efforts is impressive: Not only does the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 ride noticeably better than its predecessor, it also slithers through our slalom cones a whopping 4.6 mph faster.
Under the hood, however, it's more of the same, with a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that cranks out 263 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque -- unchanged from the last MS3. There are a few minor tweaks, though, including a new electric power steering pump, a reworking of the manual-transmission gear ratios and new controls in place to mitigate the car's still prodigious torque steer.
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