Joe Wiesenfelder reviews the 2010 MazdaSpeed3 at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show.
Transcript
<v [Announcer>Cars.com Auto Review. Hi, I'm Joe Wiesenfelder of Cars.com. We're getting our first look at the 2010 Mazda Speed 3 that's their souped up version of their compact four-door hatchback.
Now obviously the real appeal of a car like this comes in the driving. But we'll show you how it looks, give you a few facts. Now, one thing to know is even though a 2.5 liter version of this four cylinder, started to appear, the Mazda Speed 3 still has the Turbocharge 2.3 liter. It's 263 horsepower I believe. About 280 pounds, feet of torque, which is great. Kind of leaves the Honda Civic SI in the dust. One thing you'll notice is the intercoolers up top here, and there's a new, larger intake here in the hood. I have to stop because there's an elephant in the room. Actually, it's not an elephant... it's a clown. Now the contour of this smiling grills, I didn't like the regular Mazda 3 they just did for 2010, but this one, it doesn't just have a smile, it seems to have added lips. And also a deeper kind of front air dam. I mean, it's a clown and, and no one likes clowns, even kids, when they get old enough to know better, they hate clowns. They're afraid of- they fear them like I do. Now, come along the side, the profile is very similar to the regular Mazda 3 Looks all right, but then you get to the taillights here and I have to say, this look is something that I never really liked. It came out a long time ago. It became a trend. Kind of white or silver under clear lens. It's like when you're a kid and you build models and you put too much texture glue, like on a, on a clear plastic piece, that's what you get. Don't like it. Over here on the inside, things have been dialed up, like they were in the regular Mazda 3. Improvements pretty much across the board in what was already a very good interior. You've got interesting things like the contrast, red stitching in the steering wheel and also on the shift boot. Very nice. But there's one... I'm starting to think the car's gone back in time. Between the white taillights, and the fact that they've replaced the nice piano black finish that they've had for years, with this kind of fake metal look, which I don't like in other things, and a lot of manufacturers are getting away from it. Here, they've added it. So obviously the fun in a car like this is in the driving. I look forward to driving it. I'm a fan of the current Mazda Speed 3. A fan of Mazda in general. But I have to say usually I let people make their own conclusions about the way something looks, but I want it on the record. God is this thing ugly. I think this will prove to be a big, big mistake. The car may be smiling, but me... <v Announcer>For more car related news, go to Cars.com, or our blog, Kickingtires.net.
