“Mazdaspeed” started in 1967 as an independent racing team (per Wiki) and later ran a pair of Group C Junior cars in the 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 12th and 18th overall. Surprisingly, I was there in 1983, and these photos of the 717C’s are mine. The Mazdas ran with the 13B Wankel rotary engine that was also in the first-generation RX-7. Another coincidence….my first grown-up car was a 1985 Mazda RX-7! It’s below, albeit with a 12A carbureted motor, not the 13B. A little-known fact is that when you’re young and buy your first two-seater sports car, your wife will become pregnant in months, and the car will be jettisoned for a sedan. Anyway, in 1991, Mazda won Le Mans overall. Wasn’t there for that.
What’s the point? Mazdaspeed was to Mazda what AMG is to Mercedes, and Alpina is to BMW, I guess. In 2003, the first retail Mazdaspeed Protege was offered, followed by the Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata in 2004, the Mazdaspeed6 in 2006, and finally, the Mazdaspeed3 in 2007. The Mazdaspeed3 continued in production until 2013. And that brings us to the unicorn below.
The first generation Mazda3 was introduced to the USA in 2004 as the successor to the Protege. The Mazdaspeed3 was imported from 2007 to 2013 with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder motor, turbocharged and intercooled. The second generation, launched in 2010, had bigger brakes and stabilizer bars and a number of engineering upgrades to the motor. And the hood scoop was legit, dissipating heat from the too-hot engine.
The Mazdaspeed3 also had a six-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential powering the front wheels. It zoom zooms to 60 mph in the low five-second range. The top speed is an impressive 155 mph.
The interior of this 2013 model is sparse, though. Bose sound, CD player, Bluetooth, a USB and aux port, and cruise control. CarMax rated it 2 out of 10 on features. Decent seats and a stick to row your own gears. A driver’s car, I guess.
The Mazdaspeed3 has a big old trunk and can haul some gear as a four-door hatchback.
The fun stuff is below a 2.3-liter, 263-horsepower motor with 280 ft-lbs of torque. Reviews suggest some torque steer, although it’s not horrible. It handles well. It’s a bit of a sleeper.
The 2013 Mazdaspeed3 sold for maybe $28,000 new. It’s only lost a third of its value in 12 years. My Mercedes GLE63 has lost a third of its value in the 16 months I’ve owned it! The 2013 Mazda 3 Mazdaspeed is here at the Dulles, Virginia store. Wait a minute! That’s my store! It looks like the car was sold by the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, CarMax and returned a few weeks and a hundred miles later? Wonder what that was about. I wouldn’t bother with MaxCare, really. Just drive.
Stock No: 25925209 VIN: JM1BL1L34D1824997
(By the way, if you’re into the Mazdaspeed3, take a look at this 2010 model I spotted in 2018. It was $19,998 and had only 10,000 miles on it!)
Care to see how the Mazda 3 Mazdaspeed stacked up against its rivals back in the day? Scroll down a bit.
In 2013, Motor Trend compared the Mazdaspeed3, the Ford Focus ST, and the Subaru WRX. It was subtitled “Turbo Treats: How Much Fun Can You Stuff Into a Track-Tuned, Cheap, and Versatile Wrapper? Lots.” (Here’s the link.) MT set the parameters at a $25,000 starting price, a four-cylinder turbo motor making at least 250 horsepower, manual transmission, four doors, and some cargo space. It was noted there are cheaper cars like the Mini Cooper and Hyundai Veloster, and yet they are underpowered, and better cars like the Volkswagen Gold R, for a whole lot more money.
The review makes for an interesting read. If it’s not for you, here’s the final summary:
“Pick any of these three tasty, fun flavors and you’ll be entertained for years. Each has room for at least 11 cu-ft of cargo, achieves a minimum 0.91 g on the skidpad, and has a performance-focused ride. For its rough-around-the-edges performance and personality, meager comforts, and aged interior, the speedy WRX Special Edition brings up this group’s rear. For its everyday livability, potent mill, decent stick, and well-rounded amenity list, the Mazdaspeed3 fills our second-place slot. If you want the most style, athleticism, utility, and MPGs for your hard-earned buck, the Focus ST is your turbocharged treat.”
For fun, I’ve added this 2014 Ford Focus ST, found here in Murrieta, California. For a fair comparison, there were no 2013s, and this one is cheaper and has more miles than the Mazda and the Subaru. Interestingly, while CarMax will sell you a MaxCare warranty good to 150,000 miles, the same as the Mazda and Subaru, the Ford’s warranty is limited to 36 months—the other two cars will go 48 months. What’s with that?
Stock No: 26550805 VIN: 1FADP3L9XEL176297
There were no 2013 Subaru WRX comps either, so I chose this 2015 Subaru WRXÂ in Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s $3,000 more than the Mazda with the same mileage. The WRX also gets you AWD.
Stock No: 26434262 VIN: JF1VA1D66F9827535
Which one would you choose? When I can’t sleep, and I’m up at night sifting through the CarMax inventory over and over, I sometimes get nostalgic for a cheap manual transmission hatchback to use as a local runabout. It wouldn’t be my long-distance cruiser. There is no need for fancy electronics, but it must have some style and, of course, some exclusivity. I set a cap of $20,000 and less than 100,00 miles. There are some interesting choices. A Fiat 500 Abarth? Maybe too slow. A 2013 Audi A4? Very well equipped and only $17k, but limited personality. And slow. A VW GTI? Same motor as the A4.
The three cars in the Motor Trend comparison might fit the bill, and the Mazdaspeed3 may just get the edge as a final-year model. Maybe there are fewer of them on the streets than the Ford and the Subaru? Then again, when I can’t sleep tonight, I just might convince myself that $30,000 for this 350-horsepower AWD Ford Focus RS is the manual transmission runabout for me!
