1992 Mazda MX-3 RS

[Leedeth]

Long-term review of a 1992 Mazda MX-3 RS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_MX-3

Rated on a scale of 1 to 5.

Overall (not an average) - 3.5

Overall Average - 2.875

Handling - 4
Power - 1
Comfort/Ride - 3
Fuel Economy - 4
Style - 3
Practicality - 3
Fun - 2
Reliability - 3


Handling
Handling is great, it is said that the car can pull 0.89g on a skidpad, but I haven't tested it. It holds the road really well. It naturally understeers and so is predictable. The Twin-Trapezoidal Link (TTL) for the rear suspension allows the rear wheels to turn slightly in order to enhance handling, I of course have not tested this but I assume it is there. Understeer comes on gradually.

Power
What power? There is none. The 1992 RS came with a 4 cylinder 88hp 96lb.ft engine. 10 seconds from 0 to 60. Go on the average onramp to a freeway, and flooring it through the gears on this engine will give you about the same acceleration as others when they are just trying to casually get on the freeway. I recommend going with the GS trim, which comes with a V6.

Comfort/Ride
The MX-3 comes with stock Recaro seats, and they are very well bolstered. The seats are very comfortable, but they lack a bit of padding on the bottom rear, and rear bottom, sometimes I can feel that metal bar against my back.

Fuel Economy
28-32 mpg city. I expect more on such a small engine, but this car is old.

Style
Nothing wrong with the style, although nothing great about it either.

Practicality
There's quite a big trunk for a car of this size, and there's enough room for everyone, though the rear seats are cramped. Because of the large bolsters on the front seats, large people might not fit in there.

Fun
Without the power, there is only fun to be had in curves, and daily driving. It's still a fun car and I'm still faster than everyone else because they don't know how to floor the gas pedal, but if there were any true test then it will always fall short in the straight-line.

Reliability
I haven't had any problems with the car except for a leaky exhaust, and a pin that came loose from the front brakes, which was probably the fault of a mechanic. I've had it for about 1.5 years now, and driven it almost 15,000 km.

Overall
It's everything I could ask for in a car, there's nothing wrong with it, the heater is warm, the window seals are fine, good on gas even though I don't care about gas mileage.

The only thing it lacks is power. Power is what it doesn't have. And RWD, because this is a crappo FWD car.

I like the seats though, it coming stock with Recaro seats is a real plus, they're nice and comfy.


I might have more to add later, but I don't know what it is right now.

[ihartmacz]

I personally think its an ugly car.

My friend replaced an engine in one. It got pretty gheto'd out.

[permabanned]

KLDE out of a probe or mx6 or a 626 is a direct swap in the V6 mx3s, then you ahve a 2000lb car with 170horse, and that will get you 13s. with a 200hp KLZE youll need serious tires to hook in a car that light, but 2000 horse in a car that light, a blind quadruplegic monkey could make a low 13 pass in that.

goes to show that the best kind of horsepower isnt horsepower at all, its weight.