#01#Mazda's quest to inject its so-called 'zoom-zoom', so evident in the RX and MX models, into the rest of its line-up continues. Earlier this year we thoroughly enjoyed the all-round talent of the 6 MPS, a car that combines pace with comfort and practicality and hinted at the ability Mazda may be able to extract from its more traditional and conservative mass-market offerings.

We were at the Mazda3 MPS's launch in Germany last year and came away impressed with its pace and smooth handling, hoping the competency would translate well to UK roads. Unsurprisingly, the huge pace is in no way diluted by bringing the car across the water.

Figures such as 0-60mph in 6 seconds, 100mph in 14.3 and a limited 155mph are impressive in any context. It takes a fairly serious car (and budget) to improve on these numbers by a meaningful amount. It is, by a margin, the quickest hot hatch on the market today. However, we discovered that things aren't so rosy when questions are asked away from the drag strip or Autobahn.

Deploying the kind of power the 2.3-litre turbocharged engine pumps out through a front-wheel drive configuration was always going to be difficult. One can imagine the product planning session in which someone suggested it would be a good idea from a marketing point of view; a decision greeted with some enthusiastic nodding from the accountants, but a not inconsiderable amount of chin scratching and nervousness from the team of engineers about to be handed the task.

In practice the Mazda3 gives a decent account of itself in most conditions, but it's where you would expect a hot hatch to deliver hardest that it falls short; on give and take B-roads. With their customary ruts and cambers, trying to get the 256bhp onto the tarmac is much more of a challenge than it should be. Even very gentle throttle application is greeted by a tug of the wheel as the boost begins to pile on. Wider throttle openings proportionally increase the degree of intrusion through the wheel. #p##05# Reduce the level of commitment and take a higher gear and decent progress can be made, but it somewhat negates the point of a hot hatch and is a direct and stark contrast to a Clio Renaultsport 197 or Focus ST. Unfortunately, wet weather further exacerbates the issue, with wheelspin an ever present danger and torque steer continually pulling at your hands like an over enthusiastic dog on a lead.

Our B-road test routes got the car bobbing, weaving and scrabbling for grip and stability, darting about faster than you can say the word "hedge", almost regardless of driving style. The only way to deal with the issue is to adopt a technique of only applying power once out of the corner, making it an unfulfilling and compromised hot hatch in terms of driver indulgence and enjoyment. It's a let down given the excellence of the 6 MPS, but one that further underlines the wisdom of fitting full-blown four-wheel drive to cars of this size with this much power.

The Mazda3 MPS is the new name at the top of The Car Enthusiast list of most unruly hatches - not necessarily a title to aspire to. Mind-bendingly quick for a family hatch, it is purely this pace that lends the MPS any true dynamic desirability. It is one of those cars that would actually be better with 50bhp less, as only then would the chassis be allowed to deliver without the corruption that 256bhp transmitted through the front wheels inherently brings.

It's not so long ago that the MPS version of the 6 so pleased us with its real world practicality and usable performance. Following that we had big hopes for the 3, but it fails to live up to the standards set by the bigger car by quite some margin. To compound its problems, it is only an average hot hatch, but it is priced at the upper end of the market. Personally, I wouldn't be able to recommend it over a Golf GTI or Focus ST and if it's a performance Mazda you want, the 6 is the car to buy.

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Mazda3 hatchback range overview

Model	UK (£ on-the-road)	Ireland: (€ on-the-road)
Mazda3 1.4 5dr S	£11,400	n/a
Mazda3 1.4 5dr TS	£12,700	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr S Diesel (90ps)	£12,900	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr Katano	£12,995	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TS	£13,300	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TS2	£14,260	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TS Activematic	£14,300	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TS Diesel (109ps)	£14,800	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TS2 Activematic	£15,260	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TS2 Diesel (109ps)	£15,700	n/a
Mazda3 2.0 5dr Sport	£16,330	n/a
Mazda3 2.0 5dr TS2 Diesel 143ps	£16,730	n/a
Mazda3 2.0 5dr Sport Diesel 143ps	£17,910	n/a
Mazda3 2.3 5dr DISI Turbo MPS	£18,995	n/a
Mazda3 2.3 5dr DISI Turbo MPS with Sports Aero Kit	£19,495	n/a
Mazda3 1.4 5dr COMFORT	n/a	€19,645
Mazda3 1.4 5dr COMFORT SE	n/a	€20,795
Mazda3 1.4 5dr TOURING	n/a	€21,795
Mazda3 1.6 5dr COMFORT SE	n/a	€21,995
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TOURING	n/a	€22,995
Mazda3 1.6D 90ps 5dr COMFORT	n/a	€24,245
Mazda3 1.6D 110ps 5dr COMFORT SE	n/a	€25,995