Here’s How Awesome A New Mazdaspeed3 Could Look, If Mazda Actually Built One

Could this hot hatch throw down with today's current crop? We think so

Here's How Awesome A New Mazdaspeed3 Could Look, If Mazda Actually Built One
[Photo: X-Tomi Design | Tamas Samok]

Unfortunately, we won’t see a new Mazdaspeed3 anytime soon.

Mazda has made it clear, point blank, that a new Mazdaspeed3 hot hatch won’t hit the roads anytime soon. That’s sad news for enthusiasts, but we’re an idealistic bunch. We can always dream, can’t we? X-Tomi Design went one further, and imagined what a new Mazdaspeed3 would look like. We haven’t seen a Mazdaspeed3 — also known as the Mazda3 MPS — since 2013, so let’s take a moment to gaze upon what could have been.

How the 2019 Mazda3 actually looks. [Photo: Mazda]

From the standard car, X-Tome Design made some subtle, and not-so-subtle, changes to the car’s exterior. From the blacked out trim, we move to the massive wheels, side skirts and black roof. The front bumper is also a more aggressive design, with some actual air dams built in. Subtle tweaks like black mirror caps and a tasteful rear spoiler cap off the look.

The old 2013 Mazdaspeed3.

Then there’s the matter of performance. While the rendering makes it look fast, there’s no way we’ll see anything like the turbocharged 2.3-liter DISI engine from the old car in the 2019 model. The closest we have right now is Mazda’s SkyActiv-G 2.5T engine, used in the Mazda6. It manages 250 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. That would put it close to the old mill on output, but there’s no word it will make its way to the Mazda3.

Mazda is adding its i-Activ all-wheel drive system to the Mazda3. However, coupling that to the 2.0-liter SkyActiv-X engine does not a Mazdaspeed make, sadly. We don’t know exact power figures on the SkyActiv-X engine for the U.S. yet, but it is a naturally-aspirated unit. As such, it won’t make that sort of power.

Don’t get me wrong, the 2019 Mazda3 is still shaping up to look like a sharp new car. Mazdas have always handled well, and their cars sport top-notch interior design. But as far as having our hot hatch back, it’s just not going to happen.

Huge thanks to X-Tomi Design for showing off this rendering! If we can’t have a Mazdaspeed3, at least we can pretend.