It'll be all about the 3 hatchback on Mazda's stand in
Geneva next month, as the Japanese company takes the covers off the new Mazda3 MPS and its stop-start technology.
To begin with, the stop-start feature, christened 'i-stop', will only be available in conjunction with a new 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine. This new unit utilises direct injection and sophisticated engine management to restart the engine without the use of the starter motor. In time it's likely that the same system will be rolled out to other petrol engines, so it'll be only a bit player in Europe in comparison to the model's turbodiesel options (
click here for our first drive of the new stop-start technology fitted to the Mazda3).
Of more interest to hot hatch enthusiasts will be the revealing of the new Mazda3 MPS. Mazda's first images indicate that the company has gone further to differentiate its hot hatch from the regular five-door model. Enhancements include a large roof spoiler, new bumpers front and rear, chunky side sills, dual exhausts, tasty five-spoke alloys and a rather prominent bonnet scoop.
That scoop feeds a mild evolution of the
previous generation's turbocharged 2.3-litre engine. Direct injection remains and though Mazda has yet to release official figures, it's likely that the new Mazda3 MPS will have more than 260bhp to send to its front wheels. Apparently economy and emissions will be improved too.
Shane O' Donoghue - 3 Feb 2009