Have you ever taken a step back from your baby, and looked at it with fresh eyes? From another breed of car persons eyes?
I spend a lot of time with engineers, and engineers like cars. (As a matter of fact we're building one. http://www.umsae.com/formula) So I talk a lot about engine/driveline, suspension, aero, brakes, and controls. Thats all a car really is.
I look at my MX-3. Its a quick car now, even by modern standards, but it has issues.
#1: Macpherson suspension. This suspension set up is used for one reason and one reason only: Its cheap.
The design does not offer anything nice as far as a race car goes. If they had done double wishbone, like Honda, it would have been much superior.
#2: Unibody. Once again, cheap. The amounts of chassis flex are incredible, which again yeilds messy handling. A full roll cage would make this car all the more nimble. Don't forget to actually fasten the strut mounts to the car, too, not with some crappy stamped sheet steel strut towers.
#3: Brakes. The system isn't bad, but it isn't great either. The rubber bushing thing, and the slide pins... whatever. The pad wear poorly inside/outside because of the crappy frame, and the pins wear them top bottom... Just cheap and poorly thought out. If we had a decent big brake kit available, this could be remedied, but the Wilwood kit costs more than my chassis did.
#4: Aero. Never mind, Its actually not bad at all. The wing options likely change it up a lot.
#5 Misc issues. All the s--- that breaks. Disties, power windows, crappy windshield nozzles, square bolts on trailing arms, square bolt in shift linkage, cheap gas door, squeaky hatch, etc etc.
#6 Transmission. I don't know what they were thinking with the 1-2 transition, and 5th gear. Yeah, efficiency of the motor at that RPM, but its just seems too much.
#7 Tune. Stock tune isn't really that great. Lots to be gained from a proper tune, both milage and power. The stock one is just safe, Mazda didn't push it much.
Basically, I conclude that it is built like a grocery getter. It is built with a lot of cheap parts and technology. This is unfortunate, but basically true. They just patched it with some neat and exciting things.
#1 The V6 option. Boasts like race car, sounds like race car, goes like race car. Shame the KL wasn't a factory option, the car would have sold like hot cakes, with little extra cost to Mazda.
#1.1 The VRIS. Beats the crap out of VTEC if you ask me. Plus its simple compared to that crap, and it works very well.
#2 The interior design. Although a bit outdated, they kept it very driver oriented. I don't find a lot of cars whose interiors I like better than my MX-3, with the early style buckets and early dash. Simple, driver oriented. It just feels good. I smile every time I sit in it. I believe this is what makes Mazda worthwhile. They actually know how to connect driver and car.
#3 TTL's. Although its not the greatest, its a cool little advantage to keep it neutral.
#4 Wheels. Our factory ally's are awesome. Light and strong. The 5 spokes are sexy, too.
#5 Overall form. Look at the other coupes offered at the time in the same price range. Nissan NX, 240, Toyo Paseo, Celica, MR2, Integra, Civic, CX, CRX, Lude, Tibby, Eclipse, Talon, Escort,..... most ugly next to a clean MX. Maybe thats just opinion talking, but you can't deny it is definitely one of the better looking ones (others being Lude, 240 & MR2 IMO).
Yay, now I feel like sleeping. See how you all hate on me tomorrow
