Overdrive TV

Premium Hot Hatches are pretty damn popular in South Africa. You’ve got Volkswagen, Opel, Mazda, Ford, BMW, Renault, Citroen and everyone else I’ve forgotten vying for your attention by fitting bigger wheels, bigger engines and bigger chin-spoilers to their pleb-hatches and then charging R100 000 more.

Although that’s sort of how it used to be. Nowadays, the top of the line hatch in a manufacturer’s line-up is generally quite special. The Volkswagen GTI for instance has grown up so much it now feels like it’s punching two classes above its weight. The Astra OPC looks ferocious and Renault can sell you car with a trick front diff for unlimited front-end traction and a Spaniard’s signature on the dash board. Mazda’s top-line offering is a bit different, however.

Its called the MPS and its a bit…tarty. This is a car that has far too much power for its sensibilities. Accelerating hard ensures that the steering wheel jerks violently left and sprains your wrist. It’s skittish under hard braking to say the least and the ride is too firm. One of my be-breasted friends wondered if she should have worn a sports bra for the journey. And I think Gavin summed it up perfectly when he said it handles like a chip packet in a gust.

This is not a car you want to buy. What you want to buy is it’s slightly slower sibling, the Mazda 2.5 Individual.

When I first saw the new generation on that TV spot they’re running I thought, “Bleh, overdesigned.” But I’m happy to report that it works in the metal. Side-on it borrows heavily from the new Subaru Impreza but that’s okay. It is a bit odd, but its like meeting a stunning women who happens to be wearing a tie-die dress. You get over the finer details and look at the whole.

The interior is a bit of a light show unfortunately. Soft blue lights run along the dash and these flicker when you adjust the volume. That’s just silly. But the Bose sound system helps you forget that quickly enough. Loads of bass is on tap and the top end is crystal clear.

Instead of tinkering with dashboard luminescence I’d rather they’d spent more time making the seats more comfortable. They’re just not good enough, or perhaps I’m oddly shaped. Either way, I didn’t like them and they don’t give enough lateral support. When you buy one, ask for the seats from the MPS, those are super.

What they have got very correct is the ride. In the same way that the new GTI feels to heavy and too planted, to the point of being a bit dull, the Mazda is light and agile. It sends you loads of feedback; you can’t help but feel connected with the tarmac. This is what hot hatches are about. Driving the GTI is like dancing with your heavier-than-ideal aunt at a wedding, while the Mazda is like salsa-ing with the interesting 20-something single girl who keeps smiling at you.

The gearchange is firm yet fluid, and the gearshift is just the right length to feel comfortable and sporty. Smashing through the gears is fun but to get the best out of it I’d go for a smoother approach; wringing out each gear progressively and using all of the turbo’s puff.

The pictures you see of the car were taken from Signal Hill drive; a magical strip of road that traces the spine of Lion’s Head, running all the way to signal hill. It dips and peaks, it throws chicanes and long sweeps at you and offers a perfect surface. I love this road and I especially love it at 06h25 on a Monday morning, with the sun slowly warming the city below.

This is driving, this is living, and I’d be more than happy to do it all in this Mazda. For this money you could be a lot less happy.

Tags: 3, cape town, individual, mazda, mps

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Driven, Knews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.