I test drove a Type S it about 6K on the clock. Here are my thoughts compared to the 3 (face lift)
Exterior
Looks much better than the 5 door, the alloys fill the arches well. I'm still a little mixed about it - looks cool but perhaps a little over styled for my taste. Not made my mind up yet. I'm not sure how well it will age. Lol am I showing my age???
Interior
Feels like a coupe, the seat feels low and it feels sporty! The pedals are great, will be good for heel and toe (unlike the 3's!!). The dash didn't make sense until the engine was running. For me the wheel adjusted just fine so I could see the speedo and rev counter. The brochures don't do the dash display justice!! The seats were good, head rests positioned nicely. They had some lumber built in even if they didn't adjust. Wheel was nice, and the buttons clicked nicely. I didn't try the radio. I didn't like not having a rear wash wipe.
Drive
The steering was fast and had nice weighting. The ride was sporty but not crashy - better than I expected. It was a very easy car to jump in and drive, much easier than the Mazda. The throttle was more linear. I thought the gear change would be better - I prefer the Mazda's 6 speed box. Quite good roll stiffness. But I suspect on really challenging roads the Mazda might be better. I didn't drive too hard though. The damping felt spot on.
I was a little disappointed with the engine performance. I couldn't tell the V-Tec kicking in and overall felt a fraction less performance. There isn't much in it and both are a lot slower than my Golf
. No doubt the engine is more advanced - it certainly is very smooth. I liked the comfort indicators.
Any of the ex Mazda owners care to comment?
Thanks guys