2008 WRX vs Mazda 3!
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Cloth heated seats > life.and no heated seat
In the video, it looks as if neither of the drivers really knew how to drive...
I also test drived the MPS3 and I thought that the car had a lot of power and that work well when you were already moving. But, accelerating from stop, it was very hard to keep the wheel straight cause of the torque steer. I found that it was not the best car, it really needed all-wheel drive in order for it to really lay it down. Over all I think that the Subie is better.
That is what I read too. That is due to the AWD. But, the Subie doesn't suffer from Torque Steer. That is a big thing. MS3 wants to jump off the road if feels like, can't imagine putting any more power into that car and have it work properly. The Subie is a much better platform to build off of.
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I can honestly say i really dislike the Mazda 3 not really my cup of tea, that and it lacks the AWD sticker on the back window....
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i've talked to various people who tests cars and two of them said that the MSP3 really dies at 5000 rpm. i personally prefer AWD as well...i don't care how much power they put to that car b/c it's FWD. such a waste...
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I drove both quite a bit prior to my WRX purchase and can clarify some of the information discussed in this thread.
The MS3 does suffer from torque steer, but it is manageable by my account. In the 1/4 the WRX barely takes the MS3, but as mentioned, its only a result of the AWD hooking up better. (And yes I took both to the track to compare) Past the 1/4 mile the MS3 spanks the WRX as it continues to gain speed where as our cars pretty much are out of breath. In the cars I drove, the MS3 had plenty of ompf beyond 5k, not sure what others are referring to.
My bottom line assessment is that if you want the truly faster stock car, the MS3 is the car to get. However there is a lot more to a car decision then just speed as evidenced by my decision to spend more money on the slower of the two cars.
The MS3 does suffer from torque steer, but it is manageable by my account. In the 1/4 the WRX barely takes the MS3, but as mentioned, its only a result of the AWD hooking up better. (And yes I took both to the track to compare
) Past the 1/4 mile the MS3 spanks the WRX as it continues to gain speed where as our cars pretty much are out of breath. In the cars I drove, the MS3 had plenty of ompf beyond 5k, not sure what others are referring to.My bottom line assessment is that if you want the truly faster stock car, the MS3 is the car to get. However there is a lot more to a car decision then just speed as evidenced by my decision to spend more money on the slower of the two cars.
actually the WRX was my second choice...
Around the time i bought the car, mazda was dropping their price on the Mazdaspeed6 2007... with financing (higher rates cause it was a 2007) the car was costing 500$ more than my WRX
BUT, my local dealer was not able to have a car for test drive because quantity was almost gone and didnt want to tell me which dealer was having the "5 car" remaining in quebec
They didnt have the colors i wanted and they were most of them ive been test driven ALOT and the only no-mileage left was bright silver with no Leather seat !!
So he tried desperatly to push the Speed3 but with no AWD compare to the 6 i didnt convice me enough... so i end up getting the WRX instead and im quite happy with my choice.... and with the mazda changing models next year or two, the WRX will keep its value longer being the first year of a new models
i alway liked to have a "different" car... so with all the haters around (thx god not around here but you know where) im quite happy if they dont like my car, it will make it more original
Around the time i bought the car, mazda was dropping their price on the Mazdaspeed6 2007... with financing (higher rates cause it was a 2007) the car was costing 500$ more than my WRX
BUT, my local dealer was not able to have a car for test drive because quantity was almost gone and didnt want to tell me which dealer was having the "5 car" remaining in quebec
They didnt have the colors i wanted and they were most of them ive been test driven ALOT and the only no-mileage left was bright silver with no Leather seat !!
So he tried desperatly to push the Speed3 but with no AWD compare to the 6 i didnt convice me enough... so i end up getting the WRX instead and im quite happy with my choice.... and with the mazda changing models next year or two, the WRX will keep its value longer being the first year of a new models
i alway liked to have a "different" car... so with all the haters around (thx god not around here but you know where) im quite happy if they dont like my car, it will make it more original
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my cousin has a MS3 and i beat him from a stand still by about a foot or two..on the highway he leaves like i am standing still... but there a POS. tranny mount broke on his 3 times w/in 8k miles
A guy that I know that had one, notice the had. Well, he was driving along, didn't hotrod the car at all, hit 10k miles and bang. The turbo ceased... The car was bone stock and was not driven hard at all... I really don't think that the MS3 holds a candle to the WRX in the long haul.
I agree. It was one of the reasons for my choice of the WRX. The car, while a beast, gave the impression of being a short-term purchase. I envisioned a ton of cabin rattles and warranty hiccups. I am a fan of cohesively engineered cars, where every piece works together for a purpose and designed to handle the mission of the automobile. The MS3 struck me as lacking in this particular area and felt too Srt-4ish. I'm sure it is a great choice for many people, but not this person.
My neighbor the Mazda tech sez:
MS3 rear transmission mounts will break when repeatedly launched hard. The mount was changed late in the 2007 MY and on 2008's.
The DISI / DFI systems on MS3's and GTI's work at obscene pressure levels, which helps low-end torque and reduces turbo lag. They also have extreme lubrication requirements. He was also adament they needed to be run hard, ecpecially when fairly new. Those that aren't tend to not seat correctly and rapidly eat oil. The new easy-driving owner doesn't feel the need to check the oil level, and if they don't respond to the low-level light, ba-boom.
They do have a lot of good qualities though.
MS3 rear transmission mounts will break when repeatedly launched hard. The mount was changed late in the 2007 MY and on 2008's.
The DISI / DFI systems on MS3's and GTI's work at obscene pressure levels, which helps low-end torque and reduces turbo lag. They also have extreme lubrication requirements. He was also adament they needed to be run hard, ecpecially when fairly new. Those that aren't tend to not seat correctly and rapidly eat oil. The new easy-driving owner doesn't feel the need to check the oil level, and if they don't respond to the low-level light, ba-boom.
They do have a lot of good qualities though.
Honestly The MS3 was the only other car that I was considering (Test Drove the GTI and it was ok but the power delivery was almost TOO linear and a little boring. Besides which, I have NO faith in VW service and reliability) and it had it's advanteges in some ways. These included: Lower MSRP (not that that was really a concern as I paid cash anyway), extra gear in the tranny, nicer/richer interior materials IMHO, more options available (Xenons, sunroof, leather, navi--no nav. on Canadian WRX's), more power stock and better stock handling (I'm sorry but Subaru should be embarassed by how pitiful the stock sway bars on these cars are--RalliTEK bars were my FIRST upgrade). A few things swayed me towards the WRX--first I never even got to test drive an MS3 because the 1 dealership that had them in stock in town wanted me to put down a deposit before they would let me drive it!!! They were reluctant to even let me sit in it.
Now, you have to understand that the Canadian market only gets 250 of these cars of the 5000 or so that come to North America, but come on, WTF!! I'm a serious buyer, not a test pilot, am paying cash for the entire purchase, have test-driven the competition already and know more about the car than the fucking idiot trying to pressure me into buying it before I've even sat in it, let alone driven it. Conversely, my Subaru dealer was an awesome guy who I had been dealing with for since last April when the 07's were still available. I decided to wait and check out the 08's first. He called me as soon as an '08 model WRX had arrived on the lot, which was back in July for those of us in Canada. He let me take it out immediately and was just overall, a stand-up guy that I would recommend and buy another car from unlike that douche-hat at the Mazda dealership!!
Other resons that I bought the REX were: More aftermarket support, a more supportive/close-knit enthusiast community and oh yeah, AWD!! I live in a place where it's winter for 6-7 months of the year and I want to be able to use my performance car's performance!
But seriously...Subaru NEEDS to firm up this car's suspension a little: Stock, the MS3 eats it's lunch in terms of body and chassis control.
Now, you have to understand that the Canadian market only gets 250 of these cars of the 5000 or so that come to North America, but come on, WTF!! I'm a serious buyer, not a test pilot, am paying cash for the entire purchase, have test-driven the competition already and know more about the car than the fucking idiot trying to pressure me into buying it before I've even sat in it, let alone driven it. Conversely, my Subaru dealer was an awesome guy who I had been dealing with for since last April when the 07's were still available. I decided to wait and check out the 08's first. He called me as soon as an '08 model WRX had arrived on the lot, which was back in July for those of us in Canada. He let me take it out immediately and was just overall, a stand-up guy that I would recommend and buy another car from unlike that douche-hat at the Mazda dealership!!
Other resons that I bought the REX were: More aftermarket support, a more supportive/close-knit enthusiast community and oh yeah, AWD!! I live in a place where it's winter for 6-7 months of the year and I want to be able to use my performance car's performance!
But seriously...Subaru NEEDS to firm up this car's suspension a little: Stock, the MS3 eats it's lunch in terms of body and chassis control.
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