Mazda has had their hand in the performance scene for many years. Here is a 2009 MazdaSpeed 3. This is a fun hot hatch that features a turbocharged 2.3L inline-4 putting out over 260HP. See why Mazda used the slogan Zoom-Zoom for years.
I have a 2008 Mazdaspeed3 w/ 81K miles on it. Best car I've ever owned. Quick, fast, efficient, extremely reliable, handles great, looks great, and is well put together. The only probs have been some smoke out of the exhaust pipe (occurs only at extended idle when crankcase vacuum is negative) from the turbo (it's an engineering design flaw that can be solved w/ an upgraded turbo and some better crankcase breathing), and the crappy OEM shocks, struts, and strut mount bearings. That's it. Always starts, always surprises on-road challengers, and never fails to put a smile on my face. Great car!
Mazda ditched the slogan Zoom Zoom for efficiency and fuel economy. The next gen Mazda3 is powered by the Mazda Skyactiv X which is a petrol engine but behaves almost like a diesel using just very high compression to ignite the air/fuel mixture for low loads like cruising. During hard acceleration it will behave like any normal petrol engine with the spark induced ignition. Mazda believed electric cars wont be common place on the roads until the infrastructure could fully support all the electric cars. And diesel has earned a bad rep after the Volkswagen diesel emission gate. Not sure if you know or if I ever told you this. The current Ford Ecoboost 2.3 Inline 4 was based off the MazdaSpeed3 2.3L turbo engine. The blocks are pretty much the same only the main difference are the head, head gasket design, fuel injection system and turbo used between the Mazda unit and the Ecoboost unit. So you can say the Speed3 was the predecessor to the Focus RS you are driving. That same 2.3L turbo engine was used in the Mazda 6 MPS or Mazdaspeed6 which is the bigger sedan but that car comes equipped with the front biased AWD Active Torque Split system which will send up to 50% to the rear wheels depending on the road conditions. I agree with you the first gen MazdaSpeed3 are better looking than the second gen with that smiley face like the car is happy all the time and that hood scoop which look like it ripped off from the hatchback WRX. yuck! The first gen Speed3 are fast even in stock form. The power and FWD layout you could say the Speed3 rival will be the Volkswagen Golf GTi Mk6 from the same year. And yes seen some heavily modded Speed3 with at least close to 400bhp with forged internals and a good size turbo unit. The Speed3 first gen are really sleepers because you cant really tell the Speed3 and the normal Mazda3 other than the bigger wing, rear badging and bigger rims. There are some fake Speed3 running about but the 2.3 turbo has the distinct sound from the factory blow off valve. The FC RX7 turbo also ran with the same top mounted intercooler setup on the rotary engine before they switch to the sequential twin turbo with front mount intercooler unit in the FD RX7. Mazda made the hood budge up on both the Speed 3 and Speed 6 to give space for the vents to route air into the top mount intercooler. If you put the Speed3 with the Mazda3 side by side and see the front only. You will see the slight budge on the hood of the Speed3. Japanese car maker are known for making everyday cars so the controls from that era are functional and the console layout is driver & passenger oriented and not overwhelming. No stupid or confusing electronics like today cars has just to adjust the AC, radio and navigation. The reason for the bigger stock rims is that the Speed3 were fitted with bigger rotors than the normal Mazda3 but still same size calipers. But the brakes tend to overheat if you track frequently so most will ditch the solid discs for slotted/vented rotors and brake pads and hose upgrade or just swap them out for aftermarket brake calipers from Project Mu. The factory suspension is geared towards comfort so there is some body roll if you throw the car aggressively. Good thing is that there is plenty of aftermarket support for the Speed3 when OEM parts are hard to come by. Truth to be told, open pod air filter actually kills horsepower than letting the engine breath better. Without any heat shield, the air filter is actually sucking in heated air around the engine bay and especially from the hot turbo side. The myth that open pod add horsepower has long since been busted. Which is why many owners still keep the factory air box and just swap out the stock air filter for the mesh stainless steel filter which are washable and reusable. A straight thru exahust is def the best mod for a turbo car but in my country this is illegal to run cat less. And you will be pulled over by the cops and pay a hefty fine and inspection fees to certify the car is street legal once you bolted back the stock exhaust. Cat back exahust and approval units are allowed only when you passed an inspection and you have the legal paperwork that proves the exhaust on your car is street legal. Great review and nice to see some good gems are still running about.
Lin Chester thanks for your awesome input. You bring all the great facts to the table. I appreciate the compliment and you watching? Do you think another Mazdaspeed 3 is possible for the next generation Mazda 3.
I dont mean to be so off topic but does anybody know a way to get back into an instagram account..? I stupidly forgot my password. I love any tricks you can offer me!
i loved your review. ive had my 09 speed3 for a few months now and its been nothing but a blast. your energy and detail is very enjoyable to watch! you know the car better than most people reviewing it as others mentioned too :)
@@RaitisRides camera and audio quality were just fine in my opinion, but I'm glad you've stepped it up too! Can't wait to check out your other content tonight
Nice review. I had the second MS3 sold in Richmond VA and drove it for 11 years and 325,000 miles. tracked it at VIR a few times as well before it passed 150,000 miles. In October 2006 that 263 HP made it the fastest FWD car you could buy in North America. No mods except for Koni Sport adjustable struts, which made it feel track stiff and sharpened up the handling a lot.
Old co-worker has a Speed 3 in red and loves it! He throws blizzak winter tires on in the mid-atlantic and has no issues during the cold season. The Speed 3 totally wasn't on my radar until my co-worker started talking about the vehicle and its drive train. IMO, the Speed 3 should most certainly be brought back as an alternative to the ST and GTI. With Subaru leaving its customers hanging due to the removal of the WRX hatch (and sunsetting of the Forester XT in 2019!!!) and over-the-top mark-ups on the Type-R (yes, that thing is still be marked up by thousands by dealerships), a new Speed 3 would be amazing.
Unfortunately Mazda says the Mazdaspeeds were "childish". I hate that that is their view, because I absolute love my mazdaspeed 3. With the new turbo 6, hopefully there's a new mazdaspeed in the works 😁
Great video. Brings back memories. I miss my 2008 soo much. I hate how reviewers say the clutch is too stiff and they have trouble with missed shifts. This car was absolutely perfect when it came to driving feel and I miss the ridiculous torque. If they ever come back with a new speed I’ll definitely be in line to buy.
Hey Joe I just bumped into this video while I was searching for Mazda cars LoL 🤣 by judging from the New and this old video it's a zonk for me the quality 🤣🤣🙌🙌🙌 keep up the good work one love all the way from South Africa 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦❤️❤️
That's not a cold air intake(CAI). It's a short ram intake(SRI). Cold air is a longer pipe that collects air from the lower part of the engine bay. Not much cold air up top. Also, with the SRI, this thing will more than 263 HP...More like 270+
Spot - on! There is actually an article or two about this on this website www.autospeed.com/cms/article.html?&A=0360 . Long story short - they actually proved that in some case, open cone air filter or different airbox may actually decrease power, due to a difference in pressures in front of the car, in engine compartment and in the intake manifold. Basically, you can't really speak about gains by adding these popular modification, unless you made a comparison stock vs modified with vacuum gauge.
Knuckles1859 thank you so much for subscribing! I really appreciate the support! Wow, that is a big change but the MS3 is so much fun! I’ll have more hot hatches to come!
I agree with you. I loved this generation Mazda 3 ever since it came out. It is very well proportioned, has beautiful lines and gorgeous wheels. I was never able to own one myself, but I sure wanted one. Great review!
Great review. I had my 09 for 192K which I owned since mile 8. Loved that car. My only major gripe was the early PCV design. Mazda used a port injection PCV setup which led to high crankcase pressure. And that in turn led to oil seepage on the turbo seals (pre-08) and valve cover gasket. Not to mention the unusually high carb deposits on the intake valves, runners and rings (yes, it was bad even for a direct injected motor). It was so bad that Mazda offered a $330 valve breather kit to mitigate some of the issues. And my own MS3 eventually suffered from two stuck oil control rings. Mazda seemed to have fixed their design with the Gen 2 MS3. New valve cover/breather being the most notable change under the hood. I've heard they at one time had a 3rd gen MS3 in development. But it was shelved to focus resources on the 2nd gen Skyactiv powertrain.
Godspeed931 I’m so glad that you enjoyed this and that you had the ability to enjoy such a great car. Thank you for sharing your personal story and experience.😊👍🏻
Hey Raiti, what would you go for since you've driven them all? Would you pay around 10 grand or one of these speed 3s in good condition used, get a new Focus ST for 25 Grand or is the RS that much better for 35 to 40?
I would love the speed3, but here in Michigan the weather is crazy bipolar. So I decided to get the 06 Mazda Speed6. Great cars that are super super overlooked, great video!
My first car was an RX-7, and I ended up owning three generations off that car. I bought the first gen Speed3 and loved that car. It's really disappointing that Mazda has almost abandoned the sports car market (the Miata is still great but vastly underpowered). My Focus RS feels as close to the Speed3 than any other car I have owned. Great video Joe, keep it up!
I smoke every st I have ever raced in my 09 ms3 and I have raced a fully bolted st. Shuda kept the speed I have a white one looks just like the one in the video but with 2nd gen gun metal wheels
Great informative video, I own a 2012 gen 2. The only thing I would have added even tho it is a different car is a little information about the speed6. 06-07 production year, same motor just awd. Very rare car that not many people even know exists. Keep making the great content tho!
KartFox congrats on you MS3! What year did you graduate from Eastlake? I graduated from there as well. I’m so glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for your kind words.
I've got a 2011 CX-7 with the 2nd generation 2.3L Direct Injected Turbo SUV and it is a hummer! 268 HP with big low end torque. The 6-speed manual automatic transmission is excellent too. Shifts up or down 1 gear at a time, or just leave it in "D" for my wife. As a SUV it has sports car handling with those wide grippy tires. I like it better than most anything on the market now from Honda, Mazda, or Toyota. Runs on premium but gets only 16.4 mpg, but I will sacrifice mpg for POWER any day. Raiti's Rides gives us insightful review of unique cars nobody else does on youtube. He's great at this.
Man, this is EXACTLY like my old MS3...color and everything. My favorite car to date. I wish I had never sold it. I am still kicking myself for doing so because it was mint. I only hope that if I get a Ford Focus ST or RS that I like them as much or more. I have a feeling I won't like it quite as much.
Raiti, I heard several reviewers saying the clutch on the Mazda Speed 3 was heavy while you said it was light. How heavy is it compared to a 99 Trans am or a 2009 mini Cooper S? This way I can compare the feel... Let me know. Thanks. I'm actually thinking of picking one up
Nice review! I'm about to pick up a 12 Speed3 with 97k and quite a few mods. Its smoking and needs a turbo. I'm excited to play with it. I have issues with hoarding cool cars. Right now I own 8 and really should sell 1 or 2 before I get another. The one that should go is the 05 s600 v12tt but for what I'm into it it's too fun. I've also considered moving my e39 M5 but know I will miss it because I searched for that car for years and love it. On a side note I lived in the Tampa area in the late 80s. My pops was stationed at the base there. I went to Robinson HS when I wasn't in WT Edward's lol
I liked the Mazda 3's, had the same hardware as the focus. Same block as a Zetec and Duratec in the focus but a way better head, had to get at least a Focus ST170 or RS to get the same head but Mazda had it in all model specs depending on its year. They were a great value for money car, still a nice car even this day and age.
Shame you don't mention the Mazdaspeed series began with the 6 and it was 4 wheel drive. Here in the UK it comes under the Mazda Performance Series - MPS. Mine is from 2006 and looking forward to doing work on it this summer.
Yeah sometimes it's hard to hit ever fact especially since my reviews are on the fly with no prep work. I always welcome and appreciate when viewers can bring info to the table or corrections. I am trying to have this a car community of enthusiasts. Thank you for watching from across the pond!
I just got a Mazda 3 2009 GX Sport. It felt fucking great! Basic car owned by an old lady that only drove 57 thousand KM in 10 years. I was trying to go kind of fast in a rural area and for being a small car it really packs a punch!
While I agree it's a great ride the factory turbo has proven to be a weak point. The turbo seals have been known to fail with as little as 15K miles. Oddly designed drainage system for the bearing which relies on a very narrow vacuum envelope to function correctly. Something as simple of switching the stock airbox out for a cold air kit (short ram intake) lowers the vacuum just enough to affect how the oil drains out of the turbo bearing and the car will smoke. While their are many suggestions to fix this issue most of the forums agree the only real fix is to toss the factory turbo and install a Garret GT3071R. Happy to let you know when I get the swap done. In the meantime I have removed the SRI and gone back to the factory airbox with factory spec oil. Smoking is now very minimal.
Great review Raiti! I own a 2012 Speed, ordered it from Mazda. I have just bought a 2018 STI, and I drive both 50/50. I have high mileage on the Speed, but it still is flawless and very impressive. The reason for Mazda's decision to drop the Speed designs is a little more complicated. The MZR engine was designed by Mazda, but at the time they were partnered with Ford who bought the patent to the engine. Now, the partnership ended and Ford took the rights to that design. Thus the application in the Focus ST/RS. And now even further with the engine design application to the upcoming Bronco and Ranger. One day the Speed label may come back, but as it stands right now, its just rumor.
Both are black. Politics are always involved but these types of outcomes forces evolution which is good! Again appreciate your positive and objective reviews, something that is lacking in a lot of videos. Going to run the STI on a road trip to Florida this summer to see how it copes on a long road trip. Pain or pleasure, could be both lol.
I am running through the Tampa area and heading just South to Sarasota. I heading down the I-75 from Canada, its been a while since I have done the trip.
I can’t believe I never watched this video until now. I had a 2008.5 Gt in the same color. My only mods were Hypertech tune and Cobb intake. I owned the car until it was totaled during the summer of 2019. I moved on to a Kia Stinger GT2.
@@RaitisRides I do miss some things about it. It was a pretty fun car for being fwd. The MS3’s biggest downfall was not being rwd. I felt more connected to the car with it being a manual than my Stinger. Of course my Stinger is faster and more luxurious. I do wish it leaned less in he corners. I know that it needs sway bars to correct that.
Well that is actually not a Cold Air Intake (CAI) but a Short Ram intake (SRI), which basically sucks in all the warm air from the engine. The main benefit of the SRI would just be induction+bypass noises plus increased airflow, and it will likely increase intake temperatures especially at a stop. A CAI is generally either a boxed off SRI or having the intake position placed further away from the engine. Contrary to common belief, most stock airboxes on cars are already cold air intakes by design, as they are sealed off from the engine bay and intake air through piping routed from the front of the vehicle. The major downside would be limited airflow, as they also serve to muffle induction noise, and that's why by installing aftermarket intakes you get the cool "whoosh" sounds right away.
I spoke to several Mazda dealers who definetly confirmed that a new mazda 3 mps will not be made, however a 2.0 l petrol with 200bhp will be released in the next 2 yrs. Also a hybrid version is to come up following a partenership with toyota. Things do seem promising as Mazda look to develop even further an already succesfull and loved brand.
I have a 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 with 170,000 miles, full stock and with coil overs. Fun little car but the mileage… I hope it doesn’t cause problems down the road
I had a white 09 Mazdaspeed 3 just like this one. I had black racing stripes painted on mine. I put red Mazda 3 mats in it to make the red accents pop. I couldn't find red Mazdaspeed 3 mats. Funnest car I have ever owned. Mine had steering torque so you had to make sure you held on to the steering wheel when you got on it. I sold it after a drunk driver hit me. They couldn't get the paint right and just looking at it drove me nuts.
I had some kid roll up on me in a golf gti. so I gave him a little bit he pulled up at the red light "what kind of car is that bro wtf did you do to that blah blah blah" never seen it coming left him drooling haha
I love my 13 speed3. I got it maxed out pretty much on the stock block. Putting down 400whp and 365wtq. I leave it stock looking. She is a sleeper. Lol
I have owned this car for 3 months and it is INSANITY. It is so smooth , very fun to drive. I recommend it so much . Insta: MeanMachince.ms3 for photos.
I've had a 10 Mazda Speed3 for 2 months love it a lot. I used ot drive only AWD or RWD this is my 2nd FWD car and it really grips in the turns and even in a straight line for the most part with sticky tires.
I own a (2nd gen) ms3 2010 and I prefer the 2 gen the double spoiler in the back looks even better and the hood scoop. I’m not hating on the 1st gen tho it still pretty badass
TBH, I hated initially the clown look of the Gen2 (being a Gen1 owner haha) but then it looked OK. The only 2 things I think Gen2 has better is the electric steering and the driver side motor mount. Motor mounts are not a real problem though...But the interior in Gen2 was a step back really
Hope CJ has that car tuned, didn't see an AccessPort, cause with a turboback and intake with no tune he's really putting a number on the weak point of the MS3, the fuel pump. Got to upgrade those internals with that setup!
@@Kynetguy They produced and sold Gen 2 in 2009. Trust me I have bought my Gen 1 in 2008 so I know my car lines cause my dealer had Gen2 next year and I hated that clown face.. But in 2009 they were still selling whats left from Gen 1, People call it a Gen1 2007..2009 and the Gen2 2010...2013 but actually Gen 2 must be 2009..2013.
Yes it's because he has a turbo back exhaust and intake without getting a pro tune. That thing is probably running lean as fuck, hence the engine light
Wrong. They came up with Gen2 in 2009. Last time they had produced Gen1 is 2008. So that makes this model a mid 2008 and I have one identical and I used it daily for 12 years. Hypnotic Tuned at about 400bhp (350 whp). In general, when you refer to MS3, the years they sold it were taken into consideration. Gen 1: 2007..2009. Gen 2: 2010..2013
Makes no sense to put the intercooler on top of the engine IMO.. Major heat soak and there is heaps of room at the bottom of the front bumper.. Looks like there is anyway and its a heap cooler down there.
Ironic how I stumbled across this video,considering that I just acquired a red 2010 year model almost exactly a month ago for a pretty good deal! The 2010 year model is the first year it came out with the second generation body style with an actual hood scoop. Anyway,ever since acquiring it,the vehicle has been really great to me so far! However,because I just so recently got the car,I still don't even have the spare change to buy it an aftermarket short ram intake so that I can actually hear the turbo,yet. The best part is that other than the nice looking set of aftermarket wheels I have on it,the car is completely bone stock and that also includes the appearance of the engine bay under the hood as well!
erebus38 congrats on your new baby! You will love the car! Hot hatches are a blast and I do like the hood scoop on the second generation. Thanks for watching!😊👍🏻
Yeah,I already do love the car,but since this car is my only up and properly running vehicle,I don't plan to do any serious mods to it beyond like that of a short ram intake,dual port BOV and maybe something like an axle-back exhaust because I want to maintain stock like reliability with it for daily driving. While I will briefly run it under max boost from time to time,I refuse to beat up on it like I did with actual past project vehicles I used to own. If I want to build another project I still have an old second generation 2000 year model Miata in my garage that currently runs,but still needs a little work in order for it to run at least somewhat reliably again.
If your going to do the intake get an enclosed setup like a Simota or equivalent, If you go to an open style ram kit you will get very little to no benefit because the intercooler isn't spec'd for the extra heat and will suffer heat soak. I still have no idea why most of these performance intakes are open cone filters considering its a turbo car, If its a 600hp front mount turbo beast yeah but not these little 4 cylinders. If you can go for a cat-back, the more flow you have behind the turbo the more flow you'll have in front putting good use to your new intake. you will also get more choo choo sounds, which is always a bonus lol.
Adam Randell that’s what I was under the impression with the open style short ram kit. I would think you want to isolate that and bring in cool outside air. I really appreciate your great input!
Thanks! I just picked up an 07 model a few days ago , so I've been bingewatching videos on youtube. It's usually a bunch of teenagers just repeating the same crap they read on wiki , so it's refreshing to see your take on things. thanks for the content! You've got yourself a new sub.
I am a sucka for this first gen speed3, six months ago I passed one with my GTI and it was mint an clean just like that one but silver, stopped to get something to eat and was heading home but there was an accident ahead, guess what the Mazdaspeed 3 was completely trashed on an interception, I almost cried. The only thing about them is calling your insurance company and telling the agent you have a Mazdaspeed, that doesn’t sound like cheap insurance 😂
7:40 - Even tho it sounds like the engine *might* already warmed up, I still hate it when people start revving up an engine RIGHT after starting it. 8:15 Not enough room? lol I've seen some owners who put FMI's on their Speed 3's. COBB even makes a kit to do it. The truth is, there are advantages and disadvantages in both top and front mounts. They likely went with top for other reasons. 8:55 There's a lot of data showing that Cold air intakes are actually less cool than stock boxes. Especially how he has it set up. No heat shield means its sucking in all that hot air from the engine around it. Owner likely made it worse than stock doing it that way. The Mazda designers are not stupid. 13:07 Perhaps in his modded S3, but Stock S3's power dies off around 6k. I clicked on this expecting to go into why Mazda stopped making the Ms3's. Title is kinda click baity.
lyianx I appreciate your very detailed feedback and always welcome viewers and subscribers to add extra info. I like to think of my channel as a community. The reason I chose the title is I enjoyed this car so much it didn’t make sense to me as why Mazda would not have a Speed 3 in its lineup. Thank you fir watching!😊👍🏻
Marciano Parafina That is insanely cheap, i feel like there's something wrong with it. Assuming it's 100% okay, that's the steal of the century, but that's crazy low.
