The first spy pics of the new MazdaSpeed3 have appeared - and as a bonus to potential buyers it's being tested at the Nurburgring. The previous car wasn't tested there, and as you know the track punishes cars thoroughly. Which is a good thing: testing under these types of conditions yields a car that will handily survive the rigors of daily driving for a lot of miles or track events in high-heat conditions (such as here in Texas).
Rumors abound as to the powerplant... some folks are assuming that the Ford of Europe Escort 2.5 liter 5-cylinder DOHC turbo engine will be used. This may be a misinterpretation... note that the existing Mazda 2.3 liter 4-cylinder engine has been moved up to 2.5 liters. More important is the question of whether the Escorts trick RevoKnuckle will be used. Remember that the Escort and Mazda3 are the same car underneath. And that the RevoKnuckle would go a long way to eliminating most of the torque steer the current MazdaSpeed3 is infamous for.
Interesting pictures from AutoBlog: note the larger wheels and tires, the dual exhaust, and the much needed larger brakes. The brakes are especially a weak point in the current MazdaSpeed3. Another weak point is the top-mounted intercooler... sitting on top of the engine subjects it to extreme heat soak. Mazda has mitigated the problem this time out by adding a very large air scoop before the intercooler. That's not the ultimate fix, nothing beats a front-mount intercooler - although that would make it considerably more difficult to survive crash damage and the Federal Gov't has standards covering requirements in that area.
Apparently the car is still FWD, which is a problem. Ford and Mazda both have the hardware to get around that problem but are apparently not using it. The AWD MazdaSpeed6, for the short period of time it was in production, was the high-water mark for Mazda drivetrain sophistication.
Follow the link in the title of this post to Autoblog.com for more info.
