Mazda3 turbo will officially be a thing in July
Mazda was sneaky on social media and subtly hinted at the turbocharged compact car with a new video.
You guys asked for it and Mazda is nearly ready to deliver. On Thursday, the Japanese automaker pulled a sneaky and teased what is almost surely the Mazda3 turbo.
Remember, rumors really heated up earlier this month after dealer code screenshots allegedly confirmed the turbocharged Mazda3. Mazda didn't have anything to say about the report then, but the automaker went back into the Twitter archives from when we first published the story to tell Roadshow, "Power comes to those who wait."
The tweet contains a link to a YouTube video featuring some graphics and an engine revving with the numbers 7, 8 and 2020. We take that to mean we'll officially see the Mazda3 turbo debut on July 8. The automaker declined to comment further.
Power comes to those who wait. https://t.co/J3VmsghyfV
— Mazda USA (@MazdaUSA) June 25, 2020
A turbocharged option for the Mazda3 has been a long-awaited option from Mazda fans. In fact, the Mazda3's program manager, Kota Beppu, told Autocar last year that he'd heard such great support for such a model. It's likely the positive feedback helped push Mazda to make the decision.
As for the engine itself, we'll likely see Mazda's familiar 2.5-liter turbo-four, which makes 250 horsepower in the Mazda6, CX-5 and CX-9. If the automaker decides to keep power the same -- please do, Mazda -- that will easily hang with a Volkswagen Golf GTI, which right now makes 228 hp. It may not be a true Mazdaspeed3, but it would definitely pack a punch in the same spirit.
The only bummer is, according to those dealer codes, the turbocharged engine won't be offered with a manual transmission. Instead, it will be paired exclusively with an automatic and all-wheel drive. It should also be available on both the sedan and hatchback. We'll have all the answers in fewer than two weeks.
