Mazdaspeed, a car for the auto-enthusiast

Intro:

I dont personally own the vehicle but it was recently purchased by a friend of mine. When I first heard about it I was slightly skeptical that for 19000 dollars the car could be as good as she had made it out to be. It had everything that you could ask for in a car, with a few extra things thrown in to boot. A few weeks after she got the car I finally got a chance to check it out for myself and it was absolutely amazing.

Exterior:

The sturdy looking exterior styling which is somewhat remiscent of the Subaru line of vehicles is very representitive of the vehicle itself. It is extremely sporty looking, with relatively low ground clearance. It has full body panneling the sides of the car also giving it a very low look, and a spoiler that is tastefully sized sitting on the back completing the pocket rocket image.

Interior:

The interior styling is nice but slightly on the plain side. At least in the orange color it keeps within the color scheme with things such as orange stitching in the seats. The dash is a little bit plain with just the small head unit for the radio and the climate controls. The head unit is very nice looking with entertaining visual effects and a flush "flip over" when the radio is fully turned off which conceals itself. The racing shifter and pedals are a nice touch to add to the sport feel of the car.

The front seats are very comfortable, though they are cloth and I personally prefer leather. The room is fine unless you are about 6' tall and over and like to slouch a little bit when riding/driving. I follow this qualification and unless I bring the seat back all the way and lean back a little bit my knees make contact with the front console a little bit. I havent personally sat in the back seat so I can't say how that feels.

Though the dash is simple in styling that is a plus when it comes to utility. Everything is very easy to use and is very clear as to what it does. The air conditioning is a little bit weak even on "4" so if you live in a hot place and are very picky about your car temperature it might be something to consider.

The radio and headunit in this car are deffinetly one of its strong points. The Kenwood headunit is very good looking and puts out incredible sound quality with the help of the 7 speaker system also installed. Also it can play mp3 cds so that means you can have only 1 cd in your car with all of your favorite music (over 125 songs)


Performance:

With the cars I4 turbocharged engine it is a very agile vehicle. Completing the quarter mile in just under 15 seconds it is competing with cars that have much more horsepower then it does. The limited slip differential and sport tured suspension let the car fly through corners where most other front wheel drive cars would experience under or over steer. If your not used to sport suspension the stiff springs and shocks might bother you a little bit at first, becuase they transfer the feel of the road relatively well through the car.

I got a short chance to drive the car for myself, as opposed to always being in the passenger seat and I was extremely impressed. The throttle response is very quick and acceleration through the gears is strong. The clutch engages very clost to the floor and is extremely easy to drive. If you are a fan of the turbo the sound it makes once it has spooled up is also entertaining. The stiff chassis, sticky tires, and sport suspension kept the car perfectly in balance as I took it through twists turns and whatnot. The brakes had good response and felt like they could have stopped me in a hurry if I needed to.

Overall:

For the money it could be the best car in its class. It has a handsome exterior and classy interior. It has a quick quarter mile and can tear through the country twisted roads with ease. If your looking for a car that is a good daily driver and will give you a fun time when your looking for it, this is for you.