The current generation Mazda 3 debuted back in late 2013, and it has almost a year without any news of the hot MPS variant. And now, it seems like the hot MPS variant will be finally a reality.
According to sources, Mazda is looking to compete against the likes of the Volkswagen Golf R and the Subaru WRX STI with their hot MPS hatch. So in order to compete against those well established competitors, Mazda is very likely to employ a 4 wheel drive system. The 4 wheel drive system would give the new Mazda 3 MPS a good advantage over the Ford Focus ST and the Renault Megane RS as those two are strictly front wheel drive only. Mazda is looking at turbocharging the SKYACTIV-G engine to produce about 300 hp. “It was said that the turbo and SKYACTIV with a high compression ratio don’t work well together, but it has been already solved,” the source was quoted as saying. To keep the Mazda 3 MPS enthusiasts focused, it will be offered only with a manual transmission.
Despite that, Yasuhiro Aoyama, Mazda General Manager of Global Sales and Marketing, was quoted as saying “We are still not sure which way should be the right strategy, but we should leave some kind of enabler to work at high performance,” Could the new Mazda 3 MPS be a diesel powered torque monster? Well, for now, only time would tell, but nonetheless it would be really interesting to see what Mazda would finally decide on.
Stay tuned to Zerotohundred.com as we’ll update the moment we get the news of the hot Mazda 3 MPS.
