2015 Mazdaspeed3 Rumored to Drop Turbo
A Mazda engineer may have spilled the beans about the brand’s replacement for its current Mazdaspeed3 hot hatch.
During the recent Mazda3 prototype drive event, AutoExpress asked one of the company’s engineers for details on a possible successor and you might be surprised by the answer. According to the British rag, Mazda will abandon the current MazdaSpeed3’s forced induction setup in favor of tuning its 2.0-liter SkyActiv engine to about 200 hp with a 7,000-rpm redline.
VIDEO: Mazdaspeed3 vs Focus ST
That’s a 63 hp reduction over the current car’s 2.3-liter turbocharged four cylinder and might be enough to leave some fans feeling very disappointed. Could this really be true? Would Mazda discard its turbocharged hot hatch? And if they did, how in the heck would hey ever hope to compete with the GTI or Focus ST?
The SkyActiv platform could make for a lighter and more rigid car than the current Mazdaspeed3, but those weight savings would need to be significant to make up for the lost output. The car would also be without low end torque from the 2013 model enjoys from its turbocharger.
A Mazda spokesman was unavailable to comment at the time this article was written. AutoGuide will update once a response is issued.
[Source: AutoExpress]
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Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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BS. When has a Mazdaspeed ever not had a turbo? I severely doubt Mazda would actually be going in the opposite direction of the entire industry AND their own heritage/history. You can bet the 2.3 turbo is gone, but a 1.8T or a 2.0T is perfectly feasible.
That's great news....for Subaru.