The Mazda Speed 3 is a performance hot hatch with one major point in it's design. Speed. This car has an incredible amount of acceleration for a seemingly innocent hatchback. While many people complain that it may have too much power, I think that a small amount of torque steer is very exciting. Also the handling and breaking figures rival much more expensive cars. The styling is polarizing, and while not conventionally attractive, most people, including myself, have grown to appreciate the hood scoop and the sports car like lines that run across the body of the car. The interior of a car shows surprisingly sound build quality with no rattles or squeaks having formed for 16,000 miles. Inside there is a 10 speaker Bose sound system with an integrated sub-woofer. This sound system is quite impressive for the price of the vehicle. The seats are partial leather with a solid amount of bolstering that never gets uncomfortable on long journeys. The main disappointment of the car was it's sad Dunlop tires that come with it from the factory. They do not grip particularly well and will only last around 20,000 miles. Expect to lose traction quite a bit with these tires.

The 2013 Mazdaspeed3 has been one of the most interesting vehicles I've owned. Never with any other have I had such a day to day emotional experience. I never quite know if I'm going to love or hate this car until I'm leaving the driveway. My main issue with this car has always been the interior. I sometimes wonder how a modern vehicle could be so lacking in the aesthetics department. I feel like I'm sitting in a car from 15 years ago. The seat material and matching pattern on the door panels is simply embarrassing. The incredibly cheap looking silver plastic trim is awful. The fact that there are places that clearly should have also received this trim is quite perplexing. Who designed this? How did it get through final draft? The information center displays are ridiculous. Why are there two? Why are they using different display technology? Who designed this?! I'll completely skip my thoughts on the insanely low quality audio. Most of the time all these annoyances immediately vanish when the need to pass another vehicle, or especially a series of winding curves, arises. Although this car has as many exterior design... quirks... the one thing that is consistently smile inducing is the car's handling. It's just a blast to drive!