Mazda is not supposed to officially reveal
the 2021 Mazda3 Turbo until tomorrow, July 8, but the carmaker’s local
subsidiary in Mexico couldn’t wait any longer. In an official video on its
Youtube channel, Mazda de Mexico announced the specification for the local
market, including the 2.5-liter engine’s power and torque figures. As everyone
expected, the 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline unit delivers the
same power and torque as in the Mazda6: 227 HP and 420 Nm.
These figures are valid for the Mazda6
when fueled with 87 octane gas; on 93 octane, the maximum power reaches 250 HP.
Whether that’s the same in the Mazda3 Turbo, remains to be seen. While the
automaker will not apply Mazdaspeed or MPS badges to the 2021 Mazda3 Turbo, its
torque figure alone would certainly make it worthy of the moniker.
That’s because this turbocharged hatchback
actually has more torque than proper hot hatches like the Hyundai i30 N (353 Nm) or Golf GTI Mk7.5 (370 Nm). In fact, the Mazda3
Turbo will likely produce more torque than Toyota’s upcoming GR Corolla, which
is expected to deliver 360 Nm from the same 1.6-liter turbocharged
three-cylinder engine as the GR Yaris.
The 2021 Mazda3 Turbo will feature a
Skyactiv-Drive six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and AWD as
standard, which should make it pretty quick off the line. It will also make the
Mazdaspeed 3’s chronic torque steer a thing of the past.
According to Mazda Mexico’s video, the
Mazda3 Turbo will ride on blacked-out 18-inch alloys and feature black mirror
caps, and a black grille surround. It will sit atop the 2021 Mazda3 lineup and
offer standard features such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic LED
headlights, power sunroof, rear parking sensors, backup camera, blind spot
monitoring system, 12-speaker Bose audio system, and more. Pre-orders in Mexico
open on July 20.
