MR Car Design Wrenches Out an Extra 50hp from Mazda3 MPS Hot Hatch

German tuning and styling house MR Car Design has announced the arrival of a new performance package for the European market Mazda3 MPS hatchback, which is known as the MazdaSpeed3 in North America. Read more »

Edmunds Tests 2013 Ford Focus ST, Finds it Slower but with Better Handling than MazdaSpeed3

The fact that Ford did not have an available 2013 Focus ST press car didn't discourage Edmunds' InsideLine from testing the hot hatch in the U.S., as the online magazine went ahead and spent $29,185 to buy a Tangerine Scream example from a local dealer to add to its long-term fleet.

After completing a quick break-in to settle in the mechanical components of the car, InsideLine then took Ford's 252-horsepower hatch to the track.

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2013 Mazda3 MPS Hot Hatch Remains Largely Unchanged, Priced Just Under £24k in the UK

Mazda has released pricing information for the 2013 model year Mazda3 MPS (known as the MazdaSpeed3 in North America) in Britain.

The performance version of the series skips on most of the cosmetic upgrades found on the rest of the range. The only changes made to the MPS are the new graphics on the tail lamps, plus a new gunmetal finish for the 18-inch alloy wheels, and a Black Mica finish for the inner roof spoiler (beneath the wing), door mirror housings and lower rear bumper trim.

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R&T Tires-up Scion FR-S and Pits it Against the Impreza WRX and Mazdaspeed3

By now, the “less is more” dictum that Toyota keeps repeating at every opportunity concerning its GT86 (that’s Scion FR-S in the US) rear-wheel drive coupe must be ingrained in every car fan’s head.

The 86/FR-S/BRZ trio ignores the horsepower and performance war and focuses on pure driver enjoyment like its famous ancestor, the Toyota AE86.

Well, a safe way to have a lot of fun is going to a track. However, here the 17-inch Michelin Primacy HP 87W GreenX tires with which the Scion FR-S is fitted with are below par. This comes as no surprise since they are the exact ones worn by the Prius hybrid and they are made for low resistance and fuel saving, not recording lap times.

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2013 Ford Focus ST Sessions Video Featuring the MazdaSpeed3, Subaru WRX and BMW M3

Ford has premiered the first of five episodes of its new web video series dedicated to the 2013 Focus ST hot hatch titled "ST Sessions".

Following the one-minute teaser released back in mid-July, the first session shows the 252-horsepower Focus ST measuring up against its natural rivals, the 263hp MazdaSpeed3 and 265hp Subaru Impreza WRX hatchbacks, as well as the more expensive and much faster 414hp BMW M3 Coupe.

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Ford Teases 2013 Focus ST Vs. Rivals Video with BMW M3, VW Golf GTI and More

The Blue Oval continues to heavily promote the new Focus ST ahead of its U.S. market launch in September.

After the crowd sourced video showing Top Gear host Tanner Foust and stunt driver Greg Tracy racing against each other in Focus STs on the streets of Florida's Key West, Ford has prepared another clip titled "Focus ST Sessions", which will come out on July 31.

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