The Mazda3 MPS Is A Bargain Left-Field Hot Hatch Animal

The Mazda3 MPS was once called the perfect getaway car, because anyone who saw it wouldn’t a) know what it was, or b) remember anything about it. It’s incredibly understated, bar that bonnet scoop.

It’s one of the most underrated, underappreciated hot hatchbacks ever made. Inside that run-of-the-mill body is a 2.3-litre Ford-derived engine with a whacking great turbocharger strapped to it. Performance was a little laggy, but explosive once it arrived.

The 256bhp output is pretty modest by today’s standards, but the chassis technology back then was nowhere near on par. As a result, the front-wheel drive MPS was a bit of an animal. It torque-steered like crazy, and traction was a bit of an issue on roads that were anything other than bone dry and warm.

If you can get the power down, 0-62mph comes up in 6.1 seconds on the way to an intimate snuggle with the 155mph limiter. Fuel economy isn’t so impressive, with the claimed 29.1mpg deflating to a more realistic sub-25mpg in normal driving. That boost is pretty addictive…

Our find here is a 2007 car with 140,000 miles under its belt. Recently serviced, with an MOT until mid-September next year, it’s fitted with the standard 18-inch alloys, automatic windscreen wipers and lights, climate control, a 6CD autochanger with AUX input, part-leather MPS seats and a Bose sound system.

It’s also the cheapest MPS on Auto Trader right now, owing to the mileage. The thing is, though, that this one comes with a six-month warranty and, at £3150, is £750 cheaper than the next option; a tastelessly modified one that you can bet has been ragged to within an inch of its life.

Lift the budget to about £4000 and the choice widens a lot, to cars with around 100,000 miles on the clock. At £5000, there are first-gen options with just 60,000 miles. The more civilised second-phase car, with its sharper styling, rises as high as £12,500. At this price, though, it’s pretty tempting.