High performance Mazda 3, not for the UK :-(

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Wed 4 Nov 2020 18:40
High performance Mazda 3, not for the UK :-( - badbusdriver

There has been times in previous threads where I have remarked how much of a shame it is that Mazda, once the purveyors of the most powerful hot hatch you could buy (the 3 MPS with 256bhp), no longer offer anything more than a ‘warm’ hatch, the 180PS version of the current 3.

But browsing on YouTube earlier, I came upon a video clip with 2021 Mazda 3 turbo in the title. Sadly this is not coming to the UK, in fact I’m not sure it will be available anywhere other than the USA. Sadly (from my point of view), because it seems to offer pretty much exactly what I’d like from a (useable) hot hatch. 250bhp (from a 2.5 four cylinder) is slightly less than the old MPS, but it is still more than sufficient. Of more interest to me is the 320lb/ft (the MPS offered up 280lb/ft, and for a current comparison, the 315bhp Civic Type R musters 295lb/ft). which is delivered to the road via a torque converter auto and four wheel drive, bliss!.

Downsides (other than not getting it here)?, smaller than average rear seat accommodation and boot space, but if you don’t need that it isn’t really a problem!.

BTW, I’m still restricted to an old ipad, so am unable to link the clip or any pics (though it is pretty low key in appearance, another plus point IMO)

Edited by badbusdriver on 04/11/2020 at 18:43

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Wed 4 Nov 2020 21:53
High performance Mazda 3, not for the UK :-( - Engineer Andy

Yep - I was discussing this over on the Mazda3 forum which I and misar are members of. It's a real shame that even the non turbo 2.5 Skyactiv-G engine isn't available for the 3 in the UK (it was for the gen-3 car Down Under and in the US - not sure if will continue to be now that the SA-X engine is available), as it provides about 10-15% more torque than the 2.0 SA-X for about the same power output, meaning it doesn't need to be ragged as much to make decent progress.

That in Nortth America and Down Under the 2.5 comes with a TC auto (and it seems so will the turbo version) is great - just a shame it ain't coming here.

A 2.5T version would've been very welcome since the departure of the MPS, but it seems that the UK lineup for Mazda is slated to be more luxury than sporty or both. I personally think that's a real shame and a missed opprtunity to build sales back to where they were 10-15 years and aim higher to match the improvement from KIA/Hyundai.

I think that the lack of rear passenger space, and boot space (compared to rivals for the hatch) is, alongside the perhaps less sporty aspects of the engine lineup is perhaps turning buyers off. people appear to want luxury + some pace, as the Germans are offering, less so the Lexus approach.

I see far more new version (and around the year old mark) Mazda CX-5s round my way, probably because the car scores far better on those space aspects, if perhaps no better on the performance side of things. I wonder if the CX-30 will also take sales away from the 3 due to its (apparently) slightly softer ride and bigger boot (compared to the hatch and better boot access compared to the fastback).

The styling (inside and out) and ergonomics, as well as handling I cannot fault - both hatch and fastback being real lookers, and, I feel, the best in class, with the interior feel of the gen-4 car being luxurious.

Sometimes I feel a tinge of regret that I didn't buy either a Honda Civic Type R (early-mid 2000s 3dr version) or a Mazda3 MPS when I had the opportunity, both of which were eminently affordable back then at around £17k and just under £20k respectively.

Oh well.

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Thu 5 Nov 2020 07:46
High performance Mazda 3, not for the UK :-( - misar

The problem for Mazda in the EU and UK is that unlike the major manufacturers they do not have large sales of EVs, hybrids or other eco-friendly models to offset the large carbon footprint of hot ICE hatches and hence avoid hefty group fines.

I hope I have not triggered another rant into the evils of the EU. Anyway lets wait and see if having been released from its EU bonds the UK rushes to right this alleged "EU wrong".

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Thu 5 Nov 2020 13:59
High performance Mazda 3, not for the UK :-( - Engineer Andy

The problem for Mazda in the EU and UK is that unlike the major manufacturers they do not have large sales of EVs, hybrids or other eco-friendly models to offset the large carbon footprint of hot ICE hatches and hence avoid hefty group fines.

I hope I have not triggered another rant into the evils of the EU. Anyway lets wait and see if having been released from its EU bonds the UK rushes to right this alleged "EU wrong".

Indeed - what's strange is that as yet, I don't recall any noises from the government about extracting the UK from the coprorate CO2 fines per car that the EU levied. Hopefully something will come soon.

It does also seem strange that this situation occurs whilst the VED system changed with nary a peep to, aside from the original purchase year, a two rate system only (from 2017).

It is noticeable that in countries that put more empasis on particulate emissions than purely CO2, like the US, Canada, Australia and NZ that Mazda car sales are doing better, because they are able to offer a much fuller range of vehicles and engine/transmission combinations.

Maybe the situation will resolve itself in due course. Let's hope so, especially as Mazda in particular seem to do very well in real-world mpg and emissions testing (particularly on the petrol-engine front) compared with many of their rivals who use small capacity turbocharged petrol engines.

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Sun 8 Nov 2020 18:07
High performance Mazda 3, not for the UK :-( - misar

I hope I have not triggered another rant into the evils of the EU. Anyway lets wait and see if having been released from its EU bonds the UK rushes to right this alleged "EU wrong".

I just noticed that several posts have been deleted from this thread, including mine.

Anyway, with the permission of the moderator, I would again like to make it clear to anyone who might misinterpret it that the above remark was facetious. I do not believe that the EU regulations to reduce carbon emissions are evil or wrong. Neither do I wish or expect the UK government to remove these requirements. Views to the contrary posted in this thread by anyone else are a matter for them.

(Edit: I left your original post in, which was perfectly relevant. I deleted the unnecessary and irrelevant argument. If this starts again I'll simply close the whole thread. Can future posts please be concerned purely with Mazda.)

Edited by Avant on 08/11/2020 at 18:32

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Sun 8 Nov 2020 18:27
High performance Mazda 3, not for the UK :-( - Avant

"The problem for Mazda in the EU and UK is that unlike the major manufacturers they do not have large sales of EVs, hybrids or other eco-friendly models to offset the large carbon footprint of hot ICE hatches and hence avoid hefty group fines."

True. Mazda could have helped themselves by offering a bigger-battery option on the new MX-30. A short range is fine for a Mini Electric or Honda E as they're likely to be second cars with another available for long trips. The MG ZS EV gets away with it by being comparatively cheap.

I can't see the MX-30 selling well as it is. True, most people's journeys are short ones: but you need to know that if you do need to go further afield, you can.

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Sun 8 Nov 2020 18:42
High performance Mazda 3, not for the UK :-( - mcb100
Having watched Mazda’s online launch of MX-30, Mazda’s reasoning behind the short range is to restrict the battery weight, retaining the handling characteristics of an ICE equivalent and following their jinba ittai design philosophy. They’re perfectly capable of building a car with greater range and chose not to in order to retain the feel of a driver’s car.
The phrase they use regularly is ‘right size’ - they don’t have small, turbocharged, engines. They have right sized engines. In this instance they haven’t gone for a heavy, bulky battery. They’ve used a right sized battery.
Anyway, I think we all know there’s a range extender on its way.

Edited by mcb100 on 08/11/2020 at 19:10

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Sun 8 Nov 2020 19:15
High performance Mazda 3, not for the UK :-( - misar
Anyway, I think we all know there’s a range extender on its way.

The range extender approach seems sensible until the availability (and speed) of recharge points is massively improved.

I recently watched an episode of the TV series about very expensive EV conversions of classic cars. A member of the team took one of their cars to Germany to fetch an urgent part for a customer's car. I think his full charge range was about 250 miles but he still made frequent mention of the stress and need for meticulous pre-planning of stops when using an EV for a long journey. For example, he said that to optimise charging speed versus range he should have kept the battery between 20% and 80%, making it even more complicated to plan the fastest journey. In this case he messed up by stopping too soon because he was hungry!

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