Late last month, Mazda teased what sounded like a turbocharged 4-cylinder motor. It was pretty clear something exciting was coming and many, including us, put our bets on the return of the Mazda 3 MPS model. Today, Mazda Mexico unveiled what the actual car was by publishing a video ahead of its official reveal.
Unfortunately, what was revealed was not a Mazdaspeed car. Instead, Mazda are doing the same thing they did with their CX-5 with the 3. They’re offering a high-spec variant of the car with a 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a 6-speed automatic gearbox. It will also come with an all-wheel drive system, making this look more and more familiar.
In fact, the same exact output from the Mazda CX-5 Turbo is what you get from the Mazda 3 Turbo. That’s 227 horsepower and 420Nm of torque from a 2.5-litre SKYACTIV-G inline-4 engine.
Being a high-sped variant of the Mazda 3, you can expect the Mazda 3 Turbo to have the following features:
- 12-speaker Bose sound system
- electric sunroof
- 18-inch wheels
- Reverse sensors
- Blind spot monitor
- Auto LED headlights
- Leather Upholstery
No visual changes were shown, so there’s almost nothing (besides badging and some black painted rims) that sets this 3 apart from the standard models. It will be the 5-door Liftback model that gets the 2.5-litre Turbo first, with the sedan model receiving the option at a later date.
In Mexico, the base model Mazda 3 Liftback comes with a naturally aspirated 2.5L which is priced at $379,900 pesos, while this 2.5 turbo model starts at $489,900 pesos. That’s a difference of about 25%. Given the Malaysian spec comes packaged and taxed completely differently, it would be ill-advised to think the Mazda 3 2.5T is going to be 25% more expensive than our base model with the 1.5-litre engine.
About the Mazda 3
A fourth-generation Mazda 3 for the 2019 model year was unveiled in November 2018 at the Los Angeles Auto Show and the ASEAN premiere at the Singapore Motor Show. For the 2019 model, the all-new Mazda3 is equipped with the newly-developed SkyActiv technology, including the latest SkyActiv-X, SkyActiv-G and SkyActiv-D engines, each of which provides responsive speed control in any driving situation, and a Spark-Controlled Compression Ignition system.
