Ah ben non, si c'est turbo qui le dit, ils ont raisons non ? 
Mazda 3 MPS
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Baphi
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Testée par EVO december 2006 ...
3 étoiles sur 5 ...
- Speed, Grip, Stability
- strangely uninvolving, dull styling
...
Trouble is, travelling quickly in the 3 MPS just isn't much fun.
...
...; speed alone isn't enough.
... but you don't get the better of cards like the Focus ST and Mégane 230 with power alone.
Je retransmets , aujoud'hui sur Auto- Moto TPS, à la fin de la présentation , 2 chose négatives : inconfortable et l'autre ? je m'en souvient plus? 
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raspoutine
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Baphi
- Modérateur
- Messages : 5317
- Inscription : 22 sept. 2004, 23:08 PM
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Rival for Ford Focus. So that means a family hatchback with a mild penchant for pedalling and irritating TV adverts to alert the public to what the hell it is
It's only a theory, but I'm sticking to it: there are two distinct ways for car companies to go these days when it comes to building hot hatches - barmy or balmy. Since Volkswagen relaunched its Golf GTI in 2005, the theory has been nicely illustrated.
On the one hand, you've got the sensible GTI with 'only' 198bhp, lots of class and lots of traction; on the other, there's the ballistic Vauxhall Astra VXR with 237bhp, a lot less class and just as little traction.
So, Mazda comes along and launches the 3 MPS (Mazda Performance Series) with 256bhp. That'll be more of the VXR barmy school of thought, then - great in a straight line on a dry road, but show it a section of tarmac with any adverse camber or moisture and the front tyres will grip like they've just been dipped in a vat of cooking oil.
I'm talking about torque steer here, and it's the curse of the modern hot hatch. There's no getting away from the physical limits of shoving power through the front wheels. Accelerate hard and the steering wheel will buck and kick in your hands - it feels like the car is desperately trying to steer itself.
The first Ford Focus RS was horribly afflicted with this malais and, of the modern bunch, the bonkers Vauxhall Astra VXR has got it worse than most.
So, you'd expect the Mazda to suffer as well. After all, it's got 20bhp more than the Vauxhall. But Mazda hasn't simply bunged a socking great engine under the bonnet and left the chassis alone; instead it's stiffened up the front end nicely and there's some clever electronic trickery here, too.
This is more like it. Plant your right foot in the MPS and there's a little bit of tug through the steering, but the lack of torque steer is a minor miracle.
OK, it helped that the launch was held on German roads that were the polar opposite of British tarmac - that is, well made and smooth - but even so, I reckon the MPS is a much saner beast than the VXR. And much more relaxing and easy to drive fast as well.
So, how has it been achieved? Essentially, Mazda has tamed the turbo boost in first and second, and modified the throttle valve position so that the torque is fed in smoothly. The result is that the car lightens a leaden right foot.
In addition, the standard-fit ESP is constantly monitoring your front wheels - if it detects that one is slipping more than the other it cuts in to smooth things out and hopefully stop any 'offs'.
During my drive, I tried pretty hard to get the blinking traction light in the dash to illuminate, but failed, so it would seem Mazda has installed a fairly high threshold for it.
The beauty of all this is that you get the incredible pace that 256bhp and 280lb ft generate, but in a manageable package.
Yes, it's true that the 2.3-litre unit doesn't sound as throaty as the Focus ST, and it doesn't have the low-down instant torque of the Golf GTI, but this turbocharged unit is still smooth and exciting. The engine needs to be singing above about 2,500rpm before it gets really responsive, but from there on up it pulls strongly.
For the moment, Mazda doesn't have any plans to put the 2.3-litre unit from this car into the MX-5 because of engineering difficulties, but hopefully the engineering team will manage to find a fix because it would make the little roadster so much fun.
It has already been dropped into the Mazda6 MPS and a detuned version will apparently be going in the new CX-7 SUV when it arrives here.
If you're lucky enough to get to a derestricted German autobahn, the MPS will sit perfectly happily at 125mph for miles on end. There's a bit more wind noise obviously, but the MPS does a good imitation of a GT car.
And here's the rub. It's almost too sane. The Astra VXR takes the lunatic asylum routine a bit too far, but the GTI and ST manage to tread a fine line between being quick and sensible, yet also fun. The MPS is just quick and sensible. It's simply not involving enough for a hot hatch, and only feels like a bloody quick Mazda3.
The chief gripe is the steering. Mazda has all but eliminated torque steer, yet in the process has killed all the feel. Turn-in is still sharp and there's nothing wrong with the overall precision, but there's too little feedback through the helm.
Marry that to a chassis that doesn't talk to you, doesn't tell you about all the little nuances in the road surface, and you've got a slightly dull drive.
Which, to be fair, is in keeping with the looks of the 3. It's only available in a five-door format, which doesn't help it appear overtly sporty. It won't come in the four-door saloon shape.
There are exterior clues that this is the quickest 3, but they're more subtle than on some rivals. A deeper front spoiler and small rear wing help and the biggest difference is the contrasting black plastic on the rear bumper, along with a wide-boy exhaust. It gives the whole thing a mock-diffuser feel - very Renault Clio 197 but somehow not as attractive here.
The inside is pretty much identical to the ordinary Mazda3 - it's even still got the KITT-style flashing red LED's across the radio fascia. The five-door shape helps the practicality because you don't have to clamber over sills to get in the back, but the interior could do with being a bit more lively.
Aside from the sports seats and red stitching, the MPS is just a tad ordinary. On the plus side, those semi-bucket seats do at least hold you in place well and the low-set seating position is far better than it is in the Focus ST.
The biggest problem remains the driving experience, though, which is just too detached. Drive the aforementioned GTI or ST, and you feel like you're an integral part of the car.
Drive the MPS, and you could just as well be having an out-of-body experience. You can see that it's you driving, but the involvement just isn't there.
Piers Ward
Bon depuis ce soir je suis officièlement propriétaire d'une MPS noire (la première livrée à Paris).
C'est Tinou (vendeur Mazda) qui as effectué la livraison, mais ce n'est pas moi qui était présent pour en prendre posséssion mais une personne de graaaaaaaande confiance !
J'habite à 400 kms de Paris mais je la récupère ce week-end.
Alors premières impréssions à chaud de mon essayeur particulier 
grosse compacte, plutôt jolie (j'aime le plutôt ...), confortable, bien finie,"on s'en que ça a de la puissance et qu'elle est rigide " (je retranscris textuellement ses propos...).
Il n'a pas osé faire de rupteur pour l'instant héhé rodage!
Bon samedi je la découvre enfin et dimanche soir ou lundi soir je la ramène chez moi, trajet uniquement autoroutier, et je vous livre mes impréssions.
Ps: merci Tsar lors de ta visite au garage, et ton test sur l'A4 la semaine dernière....mégots de clop, cannettes de bières ...et l'état des pneus 
bref! t'inquiètes! ils ont remis la voiture nickel et les pneus changés...bien sûr ils t'envoient la facture hein!
gaetan a écrit :Bon depuis ce soir je suis officièlement propriétaire d'une MPS noire (la première livrée à Paris).
C'est Tinou (vendeur Mazda) qui as effectué la livraison, mais ce n'est pas moi qui était présent pour en prendre posséssion mais une personne de graaaaaaaande confiance !
J'habite à 400 kms de Paris mais je la récupère ce week-end.
Alors premières impréssions à chaud de mon essayeur particulierIl n'a pas osé faire de rupteur pour l'instant
Bon samedi je la découvre enfin et dimanche soir ou lundi soir je la ramène chez moi, trajet uniquement autoroutier, et je vous livre mes impréssions.
Ps: merci Tsar lors de ta visite au garage, et ton test sur l'A4 la semaine dernière....mégots de clop, cannettes de bières ...et l'état des pneus
Pffffffffffffff 400 kms d'autoroute à 130 km/h en 6ème pour roder une voiture neuve, tu va en faire un veau 
Je connais un super itinéraire depuis Orléans, rien que des Départementales qui sentent bon la campagne, avec des virages, des montées et des descentes, des relances à la sortie des jolis petits villages qui fleurent bon la France profonde, des tracteurs à doubler, des lièvres à éviter, de la boue sur la route, etc........tous ce qui faut pour tester une nouvelle auto !
RX8 Driver de 2005 à 2007, allez voire ma vidéo en RX8 au Nurbürgring efficacité "in live" : http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=637827435931928233&hl=fr
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Tertou
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SPEEDOM a écrit :Je connais un super itinéraire depuis Orléans, rien que des Départementales qui sentent bon la campagne, avec des virages, des montées et des descentes, des relances à la sortie des jolis petits villages qui fleurent bon la France profonde, des tracteurs à doubler, des lièvres à éviter, de la boue sur la route, etc........tous ce qui faut pour tester une nouvelle auto !
+1 pour ce genre d'itinéraire. 
Sur la route : BMW i3 & HONDA Insight
En cale-sèche : Nordic Green 192 Revol Cuir Noir,GPS,BV6 (4ème)
(EPS,Régul Vit,Kit BlueTooth,susp KWv3,Pot Hymee,Freins FrozenRotors+Hawk HPS,Embr Carb,REVi,Ailettes Inox,Harnais Toora,Dur Freins&Embr Avia)
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Tsar
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gaetan a écrit :Ps: merci Tsar lors de ta visite au garage, et ton test sur l'A4 la semaine dernière....mégots de clop, cannettes de bières ...et l'état des pneus
fallait pas te sentir obligé hein dis hein...
