On July 6, Mazda Mexico released a video that claimed the Mazda 3 Turbo would have just 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. When you consider the fact that we were originally hoping to see it take on the VW Golf R and even the Honda Civic Type R, it was pretty disappointing. Well, Mazda has finally let a few beans overflow from its container of secrets, and the Mazda 3 Turbo is going to post a little more power than we previously thought. Is it good enough to make it competitive? Well, that depends on what you want to compete with.

The Mazda 3 Turbo Probably Won’t Beat the Civic Type R, But the Golf GTI Might Take a Beating

That accounts for 23 ponies and ten pound-feet more than expected after we laid eyes on the Mazda Mexico video and an impressive improvement of 64 horsepower and 134 pound-feet over the naturally aspirated Mazda 3. It’s funny how 23 ponies and ten extra pound-feet can change our view of the Mazda 3 Turbo, but there’s a good reason behind it – it’s not competitive, at least to some extent.

Of course, you won’t take on the VW Golf R or the 306-horsepower Civic Type R. It does beat out the Civic by ten pound-feet of torque, but that’s not that big a deal. The fact of the matter is that the Mazda 3 Turbo will offer nine ponies and 47 pound-feet more than the Golf GTI, which means it’ll at least have some competitive chops. On top of that, it’s probably going to make easy work of the Hyundai Veloster Turbo, which only comes to the part with 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. }

Mazda’s few words on the 3 Turbo sums things up pretty well:

The only other official word we have on the Mazda 3 Turbo at this point is that there are some black accents to help it stand out. The Sedan will feature a black rear lip spoiler while the hatchback will be available with a black rear roof spoiler and a black front air dam. Both sedan and hatchback will roll on 18-inch black alloy wheels and will have black mirrors. I wouldn’t expect the design to be any different, but that’s a good thing, as Mazda focused more on power than making the car look faster than it is.

If you can’t wait for the Mazda 3 Turbo to go on sale, then we have good news for you. If you’re interested in staying up to date, you can head over to the official Mazda 3 Turbo page and sign up for e-mail alerts. I don’t know about you, but I’m eyeballing that hatchback. It’s not the Mazdaspeed that we want, but it’s a fair alternative and a decent compromise.

FAQ

Q: When Does the Mazda 3 Turbo Go On Sale

The official website claims that the Mazda 3 Turbo is coming in “Late 2020,” which means it’ll go on sale as a 2021 model.