Mazda 3 MPS Track Day

[CMK]

Well on Saturday, i managed to get myself a chance to drive the new MPS round a race track for an hour or so with a professional racing driver, before having a normal drive on the motorway etc. Have to say, was a brilliant experience, and all i can say is whoa, what a car!

Having never driven a performance car before, i was bound to be impressed, and i definitely was, but the car definitely surpassed my expectations.

However, before i got going, the racing driver, started off by putting some cones out in a line, to demonstrate the handling of the car, as you sometimes see them do on Top Gear and the likes. He then did a quick demonstration of how to go about doing this, showing how well the car handles, before going on to demonstrate the DSC in action, by getting up to around 70mph before swerving and slamming on the brakes, to show how effectively the system works by correcting you to avoid spinning out or crashing. I'm well aware a lot of cars have this now, but i was extremely impressed seeing how it works in reality, as the majority of drivers will very rarely have to use this. He also really threw the car around some of the very sharp corners of the track at an almost 90 degree angle, to again show how well the car handles. At this point, he then turned the DSC off completely, to have a bit of fun in the corners, by kicking the back end out, which in the wet conditions was great fun.

It was then over to me, and i was free to pretty much do whatever i wanted to do. Not surprisingly the sheer power of the car was unreal, in comparison to my 'wee' 1.6!   That said, whilst i had a great amount of fun getting the thrill of the power, the handling of the car is probably what impressed me the most, it really does stick to the road! In addition, it pulls away so easily even in 6th gear, which i got the benefit of on the motorway on the 30 minute drive back to the dealership.  

Anyway, i could be here all day describing it, but just thought i'd share my experience with the rest of yous, and to say what a great car i feel the MPS is!  

I took some pics of the car, for those of you who are interested. Prefer the silver colour myself, but it was a black one that i drove.

[Ben_MPS]

Sounds like you had fun. How did you get the track time?

I wouldn't like to be the person who thinks they have got an ex demo bargain when the dealer finally sells that on!!! 

[shurm]

Yeah don't buy the demo at Preston its going Oulton Park     

[CMK]

Sounds like you had fun. How did you get the track time?

I wouldn't like to be the person who thinks they have got an ex demo bargain when the dealer finally sells that on!!! 

Yeah i defenately did, my local garage was doing a promotion day for the MPS itself, and as well as giving you a test drive they included the run round the track, which was a great incentive in order to give the car a thorough test. This was a bonus as doing your bog standard test drive, doesn't always give you a fair or true reflection of the car.

As far as i'm aware, these types of promotions are being carried out in a number of Mazda dealerships across the UK, but i'm obviously not too sure which ones are & which are not.

As far as your second point goes, i totally agree with you, and that is the main reason why i'd never buy an ex demo, as it's most likely been thrashed about and driven by a number of people. But hey, i suppose that goes for most if not all car demonstrators, but sometimes the good deal you often get on these, is enough to pursuade you to buy in the end!

[skiptowncat]

The problem with ex-demos is not the fact that they've been ragged (let's face it, we all give our cars a caning from time to time) it's the fact that they're never warmed up or cooled down properly which leads to turbo problems.

[Sammy!]

you guys do realise that we have to tell the customers right?!, we dont just let them take it we have to say that it was taken on the track, like our mps demo, brands hatch for us, most of the dealers are doing it, like they did when the rx8, 3mps and 6mps and new mx5 1st come out! !, pluss when the car gets sold we check all the tyres any ways, to make sure they dont need new ones 3mm or less and we change them !

[shurm]

I can 100% guarantee that if the customer didn't ask you wouldn't tell him    why would you and jeopardise a sale ?? 

[Sammy!]

i can assure you we would, becuase it could come back to bite us in the back side, like you see how that car is in these photos, well the person who buys it could see them, then they would be like ohh screw you i didnt know my car had been used for this sort of thing etc etc, then loosing 1 sale could turn into 2 wich would go to 3, so we think of it like that!

[shurm]

Very honest, do you sell many cars ?   Who would buy it after being told it had been ragged round a track sorry but I find it hard to accept you would volunteer the information unless someone asked and I know the motor industry unfortunatley 

[BJ the exile]

Very honest, do you sell many cars ?   Who would buy it after being told it had been ragged round a track sorry but I find it hard to accept you would volunteer the information unless someone asked and I know the motor industry unfortunatley 

That is precisely why I turned from an ex-demo to buy new when I got mine.
You always look after your own but don't give a stuff about others, could'nt risk some little oik trashing my car when new.
The motor trade has little respect for it's customers.
My brother-in-law wroked for a Nissan dealer some time ago; old couple came in near close time on saturday and were ignored as it was thought they could'nt afford. They had last laugh as they bought a Bluebird top of range and paid for it with five pound notes from an old carrier bag. Took them ages to count it all out 

[MrBen]

My first ride in an MPS was at thruxton where they use also the RX8 as well for track days.

the MPS cars they had there where used for the first timers going out and most of the time you were restricted to using 3 and 4 gears only if you were deamed competent then you got to use 5 maybe. I'm sure the instructors give them a hammering later.

its credit to the MPS that its performance makes the track exciting still, even in the porsche later you have to really hit 150+ on the back straight to feel scared.

[Sammy!]

end of the day though how pissed would you be if u found out you car had been thrashed but no one had said any thing..



then again as they say used cars come with the ware and tare of the last owner  :



at wich point i shall tell you all i had my 1st service today and i needed 3 tyres!!!!!!!! only done 12,300 and ive spent £300 on rubber! what the hell haha!

[shurm]

Do you not get a company car ?   

[welly]

end of the day though how pissed would you be if u found out you car had been thrashed but no one had said any thing..



then again as they say used cars come with the ware and tare of the last owner  :



at wich point i shall tell you all i had my 1st service today and i needed 3 tyres!!!!!!!! only done 12,300 and ive spent £300 on rubber! what the hell haha!

So does your sales team tell all the punters you have driven all the ex demo's before they buy them then lol......

[Sammy!]

no i dont becuase im not a full on sales man im sort of a jack of all trades haha!, i do a bit of every thing, sales, after sales, service etc etc!

and welly ouch haha! are u trying to say im a bad driver?! haha!