Two years ago when I was car shopping, I narrowed my search to a few hatchbacks. I liked the sporty look with the functionality of a ton of trunk space. The two cars that were competing for my hard earned dollars were the Mazdaspeed3 and the GTI. After a ton of research and road tests I decided on the GTI. Magazines like Motor Trend and Car & Driver have given the GTI the nod over the past few years. The MazdaSpeed is by no means a slouch with an even faster 0-60 than the GTI. Its no secret that the MazdaSpeed is quicker. Still, the GTI continues to embody the ideal form of a “Hot Hatch.” It has a reserved, but attractive exterior with a refined and upscaled interior. It’s firm suspension provides enough give to keep your passengers from hearing their brains rattle in their skull, while also keeping you confident winding through a mountain pass. Basically, the GTI is good at it all and thus it is the gold standard in the “Hot Hatch” segment.
Today while reading through Motor Trend’s November issue, I was delighted to see that the competition is not at rest. Now I’ve seen the new Mazda3 around town and I’m just not a fan of the new nose design. The whole goofy smile thing just doesn’t appeal to me, but lets look beyond that for now. Like the GTI, the latest MazdaSpeed3 did not improve upon it’s power package which isn’t a bad thing. It’s still pushing 263hp which was plenty when the last gen came out, and still is. 0-60 in 5.6 secs is hardly something to complain about. So for those of you looking for the speed king, the MazdaSpeed3 is likely the car for you. That is perhaps only the case if you aren’t a tuner. The GTI has been known to benefit more from aftermarket tuning than the Mazdaspeed 3, specifically ECU upgrades.
Next week I’ll dig in more on these 2 rivals and what they have to offer. Car and Driver seems to be fueling the fire of this debate by including both the GTI and the Mazdaspeed 3 on their “Top 10 Best Cars” list of the year. The good news for the undecided new car buyers out there is that either car will likely make them pretty happy.
