Mazda has recently been in talks about a replacement for the CX-9. Masahiro Moro, the head of Mazda global sales and marketing, mentioned a downsized turbocharged solution to replace the Ford V6 it currently uses. What really makes this appealing to me is the fact a turbo motor that can haul around a CX-9 sized vehicle could make a Mazda 3 really fly!
The CX-9 weighs in at 4323 lbs. for the front wheel drive model and the Mazda 3 is a svelte 2797 lbs. which is ~1500 lbs less.
Can you say rocketship! If Mazda spends the time to develop the turbo engine for the CX-9 replacement with research on more applications for it to fit it in, it will make this much more of a possibility for it to be used in a future Mazdaspeed 3.
Keep your fingers crossed,
Derrick
First hint for the turbo motor… May 5th, 2014CorkSport
As you are upgrading your Mazdaspeed 3 you start to notice the sharper pulls and unpredictable weight shifting of the engine.
The CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 Transmission mount will help decrease this movement and give you smoother shifts on the streets or on track use.
Built with black zinc oxide plated steel for a strong frame and a reinforced gusset to extend the life of the bushing.
The CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 Transmission Mount is CAD-designed and machined with precision. Perfect fitment and extremely rigid to handle the stress from the torque from your engine.
The Rear Motor Mount and the Passenger Side Motor Mount are also great additions to firming up the power plant on your Mazdaspeed 3. With less wheel hop and a less torque steer this trio of mounts will greatly reduce engine movement allowing you to enjoy the Zoom Zoom of your Mazdaspeed 3.
Pre-Release – 2014 Mazda 3 Performance Lowering Spring Set
CorkSport is proud to announce the pre-release of the 2014 Mazda 3 Performance Lowering Spring Set. Dropping the car 1.75″ inches in the front and 2″ inches in the rear, effectively reducing the wheel gap without affecting ride quality.
Lowering your Mazda 3 will help increase the performance by giving you a quicker turning response and a better feel of the road, all the while giving your Mazda 3 an aggressive appearance. We are accepting pre-orders starting today for shipment next week on May 2nd.
Oh, the wonders of the East Coast. Potholes, 80mph in a 55 zone, Toll Roads and EZ Pass, humidity and some of the greatest people you will ever meet!
Kim, Brydon and I had the wonderful, nay, EPIC, opportunity this year to attend the EPIC NATOR MEAT put on by a few members from mazdaspeedforums.org . Sadly we had only a day and a half to hang out with hundreds of people, watch some drag racing, and join everyone for a Dyno Day. This is one of the greatest events you can attend and has arguably the most knowledgeable people currently driving Mazdas all in one place. Not only did we get to see 500+ horsepower speeds at the event, but we got to witness some of the cleanest looking, most original, most unique and even the world’s fastest Mazdaspeed 3, all in one place.
Here are some of my Highlights.
Hanging out till 3 am in the parking lot and back patio of the hotel and learning more than I ever thought possible about Mazdaspeed’s, among other things…
Rolling from Philadelphia to the Dyno Day and running into a crew of 6 or so Mazdaspeed’s who had no idea who we were in our weak little Honda rental.
Eating some Killer food at Buca di Beppo and hearing so much passion and love of cars during the conversation.
Finally getting to meet so many people that I’ve had such wonderful conversations with on the phone, through email, through PM, or in threads.
Getting out of the Northwest rain and finally getting some Sunshine!
Some of the Worst Parts
Arriving at 8 am to the Dyno Day after a red-eye flight leaving at 6 pm the night before with a layover in Phoenix. Ugh.
Not having my own 2009 Mazdaspeed 3 that got left back in Washington.
Having to leave around 1:30 on Sunday.
Not bringing shorts, the weather was beautiful.
Accidentally buying bottled water that was far too expensive at one of those incredibly terrible and yet wonderful, quick stops in the middle of the highway. The place was a zoo and WAY to expensive.
Walking into the wrong room at midnight.
Time for Drag Racing
Kim at the Drag Day doing some Social Media Updates
The World’s Fastest MS3 and Crew Getting Prepared for the Drag Day
Mazda’s only for Dinner at Buca di Beppo
Some of the Lovely People at the Dyno Day
Halfway through the Dyno Day, Check out those Numbers!
Flame Shooter
The Unexpected Mazdaspeed Crew we caught Rolling to ENM
Thanks for everything.
-Spencer@CorkSport
Mazdaspeed EPIC NATOR MEAT 2014 – Spencer’s Review and Wrap Up December 17th, 2018CorkSport
What does it all mean? The above picture gave us some great views into what the car is going to be like from a performance standpoint.
The obvious thing is the motor,a 2.0 Skyactiv engine with a decent looking header(ala the rest of the skyactiv models which have the cool looking scavenging headers). There are more subtle details like how compact Mazda made the alternator/A/C compressor and throttle body location. Mazda really hugged the block with them which makes me wonder how tight the engine bay will be in the production car.
You can see that Mazda is going with electric power steering which is built into the rack which is great, it keeps the weight low in the chassis and there is no power steering pump or lines to mess with. If Mazda has the feedback setup like they do in the Mazda 2 which also uses electric assist this will be an incredible car with feedback through the steering.
If you look at the current MX5 chassis below you can see one of the similarities from the one above.
2014 MX5 Chassis
The rear suspension looks similar to the current MX5 but there are several subtle changes to make things better. #1 look how the rear shock mounts to the new upper arm compared to the lower location on the older model. This makes for a smaller/lighter shock and a stronger control arm. The 4 bolt hubs and brake rotors are a move obvious difference which is saving weight too. The last piece that come across as different is the PPF (power plant frame), the current generation is pretty narrow and the new version is much wider, much like the older FD Rx7s where is wraps around the transmission and differential more. I’m sure Mazda spent the equivalent of months testing out the design difference in that piece alone to meet the requirements of the Skyactiv chassis.
I am still excited for the new chassis but I am bummed there is no turbocharger sitting on the motor but if Mazda can get us 200 wheel HP I will be happy! We shall see.
