King of the road

The Mazda3 MPS, powered by a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine, has considerably more oomph than the most desirable front-drive hatchback on the New Zealand market at the moment.

Mazda heads further into go-fast territory at the end of this month with its new Mazda3 MPS, a hot hatchback with the potential to be crowned the segment's power broker.

The lickety-split five-door is the second model to wear the Mazda Performance Series badge after the release here last year of the all-wheel-drive Mazda6 MPS sedan.

But, unlike the sedan, the Mazda3 delivers its segment-leading power through the front wheels only, where torque steer is inherent in such drivetrains.

The Mazda3 MPS is powered by a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine producing 190kW (255bhp) at 5500rpm and 380Nm of torque at 3000rpm and mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

That makes it one of the fastest front-drivers on the planet and gives it considerably more oomph than the most desirable front-drive hot hatchback on the New Zealand market at the moment, the turbocharged 2-litre 150kW/280Nm Volkswagen GTi, or the longtime bang-for-your-buck leader, the boosted 2.5-litre 169kW/320Nm all-wheel-drive Subaru WRX Impreza.

Mazda says it uses computer-controlled components to "eliminate" torque steer, where driven front wheels scrambling under a powerful throttle fight the driver through the steering wheel for control of the vehicle.

It says that to maximise traction and minimise torque steer, the turbocharged hatchback uses boost-pressure control to suppress sudden torque peaks.

This ensures that engine torque is applied smoothly and that torque increases only to a certain level, it says.

In addition, when using first or second gears in tight corners when large steering inputs are required - detected by a steering angle sensor - the engine-management system will again control the throttle valve, limiting excessive torque delivery.

The standard stability/traction control system, which can be switched off, also intervenes to keep the car from heading into a hedge by monitoring different speeds of the front and rear wheels.

To further boost traction, says the company, the Mazda3 MPS comes with a torque-sensing limited slip differential similar in its design and operation to that used in the RX-8 and MX-5.

The mechanical LSD, which has a torque split of 66:34, provides pulling power to the inner wheel during hard cornering and benefits traction under hard acceleration.

The car's body and floor assembly have been reinforced to handle the much higher load from the engine.

Engineers also gave the MacPherson front and multi-link rear suspension higher spring rates, larger stabiliser bars and dampers with up to six times more damping force, depending on damper piston speed.

The Mazda3 is expected to cost around $46,000. The six-speed manual Golf GTi costs $49,990 and the five-speed Subaru $44,990.