3 MPS officially hottest hatch

Mazda has officially launched its hottest hatch ever. The Mazda3 MPS goes on sale in Australia this month. Indeed, we're one of the first markets to see the 190kW hotshoe front-wheel drive five-door in dealers' showrooms.

Priced from $39,990, the 3 MPS shares its turbocharged and intercooled 2.3-litre DISI direct-injection petrol engine with its 6 MPS all-wheel-drive big brother. The 3 also features the 6's six-speed manual gearbox and gets uprated brakes, suspension and special body strengthening to tame its 190kw/380Nm output.

Featuring an innovative torque control system which senses steering angle in the first two gears to help eliminate torque steer (the bugbear of high-powered front-wheel drive cars), the 3 easily out-powers the current hot hatch crop.

With 190kW the Mazda tops Ford's XR5 (165kW), Holden Astra SRi Turbo (147kW), VW Golf GTI (147kW), MINI Cooper S JCW (154kW) and RenaultSport Megane 225 Cup (165kW). It even betters the likes of the significantly more expensive Alfa's 147 GTA and the soon to be released Golf R32! And in terms of torque output the margin is even greater.

Mazda says the 3 MPS will accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 6.1sec (0.5sec faster than the 6 MPS) and go on to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h. The real performance story is in the car's in-gear urge, however. With strong boost from 2500rpm the 3 MPS accelerates almost as quickly from 70-80km/h than it does from a standstill!

Styling revisions are subtle with the changes echoing the aggressive edge added to the 6 MPS.  Equipment levels for the hot 3 include climate control air, 18-inch alloys, sports seats and quality MP3 compatible audio system. A full complement of safety goodies including multi airbags, switchable stability and traction control, and ABS brakes with emergency brake assist and brake distribution.

Buyers can also opt for a $43,650 Sports Pack 3 MPS with leather trim, BOSE sound and xenon headlamps.

According to Mazda, around 130 3 MPS' will find their way into new owners' hands each month. This number is in stark contrast to the 30-40 supply limited units Ford can supply of its XR5.

Look out for CarPoint's drive launch review of the Mazda 3 MPS soon.