I'm pretty sure the STi would be superior all around.
0-100mph
sti - 12.4
ms3 - 13.6

0-130
sti - 24.5
ms3 - 29

1/4
sti - 13.2 @ 103
ms3 - 14 @ 101


All numbers according to Car and Driver.

The only advantage the ms3 has that I see is the top speed: 151 for the MS3, and 145 for the STi. So the MS3 would catch up eventually, assuming you had a really long straight road. lol

 

thanks smoker6, but i'll give up a little performance for 11K... MS3 Sport (20K) STi (31K) invoice price...

 

You didn't mention anything about bang for buck or value of the cars. First post was about which was faster.
As an owner of the speed6, I obviously went with better value over slightly better performance, so I'm of the same mind as you. lol

 

oh i know, just wanted to point out the obvious... imagine a speed 3 with 11K worth of mods... BALLS!!

 

oh i know, just wanted to point out the obvious... imagine a speed 3 with 11K worth of mods... BALLS!![/b]

11k could get you some amazing burnouts, but you'll probably still lose to the STi in many situations. :nono:

 

Is this in a road race or an understeer competition?

 

The MS3 would Suffer from SEVERE UNDERSTEER!!!

 

Is this in a road race or an understeer competition?[/b]

lol :laugh:

 

oh i know, just wanted to point out the obvious... imagine a speed 3 with 11K worth of mods... BALLS!![/b]

Or you could just buy a 3k dollar civic and put 20k into it and then think about it.

Thats a pointless debate. The sti is just a better car. Try modding a ms3 and getting traction without slicks. Ive driven 300 hp light fwd cars and I couldnt get traction till mid 3rd.

 

Or you could just buy a 3k dollar civic and put 20k into it and then think about it.

Thats a pointless debate. The sti is just a better car. Try modding a ms3 and getting traction without slicks. Ive driven 300 hp light fwd cars and I couldnt get traction till mid 3rd.[/b]

Scary thought.........I wrecked a light fwd pushing 140hp at the top, can't imagine driving a 300+hp lightweight fwd. No thanks!!!

 

sti hands down.
if your going to pit mazda against subaru you have to consider that the speed 6 is basically at the same level as the legacy gt spec b

so i mean you could race a speed 3 and say a regular impreza wrx but not the sti your asking for a spankin.

 

I've seen this very same question on the mazda 3 forum and it's really an apples to oranges comparison. For a daily driver I think the ms3 will be more tolerable and practical. However the STI will be superior in everything else imo and will no doubt make a better project car. With that said, a stock STI would not pull away quickly on the highway. From a dig is where it has its biggest advantage. And I agree anything above 300 hp on a fwd is approaching pointless unless it's just for straightline drag use or bragging rights. I'll be happy with anything between 270 - 300hp on the stock turbo. If cobb gets its way though, we'll probably see 350-400hp cars soon.....spin, spin and more spin. And I'd hate to think what the tq steer would be like. Still it would be fun to see the track numbers.

 

MS3 not= STi.

Completely different cars in terms of performance and price. Compare an MS3 with a Civic Si, FWD Rabbit or Subie WRX.
The MS3 is about taking a small, inexpensive car and adding a little heat. That means FWD since rwd is only seen on higher end models now. FWD is fundamentally oppossed to performance, but sticky tires, chassis tuning, small size and reasonable expectations can make up a lot of ground. I was initially interesed in the MS3 but when the street price for it turned out to be thousands more than my MS6 I took the latter.
MS3 vs WRX --- better comparison, because the price is closer. I'd expect more thrills in a stock MS3 - more power and no awd drag. But once you start modding the WRX, forget it. You can invent a test where 350hp FWD compact will win over a 350hp WRX, the word here is invent. On a road course, auto-x, dragstrip or real life that much power requires awd or at least rwd.
Bottom line: Fun/dollar in a stock vehicle, MS3. Want a hatchback to haul stuff, MS3. Performance potential with mods, WRX and it's not even close. Past 300hp in a small FWD car and it's all torque steer and wheelspin. Fun, maybe. Fast, no.
Another thing to consider is that STi hoodscoop Subie is so fond of practically begs for a ticket. May as well make the car into full size mural from "2Fast 2Furious". You will get the tickets after you've been passed by 3 minivans, a Greyhound bus and a moped.

MS3 not= STi.

Completely different cars in terms of performance and price. Compare an MS3 with a Civic Si, FWD Rabbit or Subie WRX.
The MS3 is about taking a small, inexpensive car and adding a little heat. That means FWD since rwd is only seen on higher end models now. FWD is fundamentally oppossed to performance, but sticky tires, chassis tuning, small size and reasonable expectations can make up a lot of ground. I was initially interesed in the MS3 but when the street price for it turned out to be thousands more than my MS6 I took the latter.
MS3 vs WRX --- better comparison, because the price is closer. I'd expect more thrills in a stock MS3 - more power and no awd drag. But once you start modding the WRX, forget it. You can invent a test where 350hp FWD compact will win over a 350hp WRX, the word here is invent. On a road course, auto-x, dragstrip or real life that much power requires awd or at least rwd.
Bottom line: Fun/dollar in a stock vehicle, MS3. Want a hatchback to haul stuff, MS3. Performance potential with mods, WRX and it's not even close. Past 300hp in a small FWD car and it's all torque steer and wheelspin. Fun, maybe. Fast, no.
Another thing to consider is that STi hoodscoop Subie is so fond of practically begs for a ticket. May as well make the car into full size mural from "2Fast 2Furious". You will get the the laser tag + tickets after you've been passed by 3 minivans, a Greyhound bus and a moped.[/b]

 

anyone know what the rebates and/or lowest price for a new speed 3, or a wrx are? (not sti)

 

LOL, mission complete! I knew this topic would get some replies...

oh and MS3 to Rabbit...thats really funny...

 

You will get the tickets after you've been passed by 3 minivans, a Greyhound bus and a moped.[/b]

LOL! :laugh:

 

The STI is the ULTIMATE daily driver- the shifter and clutch are fantastic. AWD is crazy fun when it rains. It's just as much fun in the snow. The car hits 30mph in just over a second (!!!), perfect for when you're stopped behind a car with its blinker on and want to merge into moving traffic. About the only bad things you could say about it are the seats (which seem not to fit tiny people well, they fit me great) and the stock suspension (which is a little rough).

But that's fine, because I wouldn't keep the stock suspension of either car. The Mazdaspeed3 has those nice Koni FSD shocks available, but the STI has Bilstein PSS9's and RCE Tarmac 2 coilovers (modified KW Variant 3's). Both ride nicely while offering incredible handling. The STI fits 17x9" wheels with 255/40/17 tires quite easily, too.

Both engines are impressive, but I like the efficiency of the Mazdaspeed engine and its direct injection. The STI engine has more ultimate potential due to its fuel system being replaceable (easily), but this is only important if you're planning on installing a huge turbo (not relavent to the normal user). Adding much power to the Mazdaspeed3 would be pretty pointless given that it's FWD.

But the primary advantages of the Mazdaspeed3 are price and practicality. It's fuel efficient and roomy. Despite this, I still think the STI is the ultimate daily driver, and ugly or not, this forthcoming iteration is going to be a drastic improvement over the current generation (lighter, more powerful, longer wheelbase, fold-down seats, stiffer chassis, quieter, more refined, classier interior).

 

anyone know what the rebates and/or lowest price for a new speed 3, or a wrx are? (not sti)[/b]

MSRP on the speed 3 sport is around $22,840, the gt is about 1500-2k higher. You should still be able to get them for that and nothing more. As far as I know, there are no rebates yet but some dealers have actually sold them for slightly below invoice. I'm not sure what the WRXs are going for now.

 

MS3 not= STi.
Bottom line: Fun/dollar in a stock vehicle, MS3. Want a hatchback to haul stuff, MS3. Performance potential with mods, WRX and it's not even close. Past 300hp in a small FWD car and it's all torque steer and wheelspin. Fun, maybe. Fast, no.[/b]

I will disagree here a bit. While I will admit more than 300 or so hp on a fwd will yield lots of wheelspin and torque steer, I wouldn't go as far as to call it 'not fast'.
A friend of mine who has a bugeye WRX (forgot the year) with the cobb stage 2 package got murdered by an modded SRT-4. He said it was night and day. The SRT-4 did spin but once it hooked up, that was it. From a dig though, the srt driver would have a hard time getting traction for obvious reasons. So yeah, a modded FWD could easily blow away an AWD, but living with the side effects of that much power to the front can't be easy or desirable.

 

MSRP on the speed 3 sport is around $22,840, the gt is about 1500-2k higher. You should still be able to get them for that and nothing more. As far as I know, there are no rebates yet but some dealers have actually sold them for slightly below invoice. I'm not sure what the WRXs are going for now.[/b]

jeez , thats a great price for so much speed!!! anyone know the price on the wrx. and yes i can go on autotrader, just wanted to see if anyone did any hagglin and how low they got it to?

 

my dealer here said he'd get me out the door on a loaded GT for under 20.3 k.

 

my dealer here said he'd get me out the door on a loaded GT for under 20.3 k.[/b]

damn you

 

sad thing is with the trade in value of my 6s vs the new ms3 i'd only have about a 4k new car loan as my car is paid off.