BensonHsu.com

It doesn’t mean homoesexual drifting… it means…. well, I guess just watch the videos.

Chari Dori

Estima Dori

Here are some more specs on the Mazaspeed 3:

• It has a 2.3L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 263hp @ 15.6psi
• It comes with a factory LSD
• They all come with a manual 6-speed transmission
• To reduce torque steer, there is a Powertrain Control Module (PCM) that releases excess boost pressure in 1st and 2nd gear
• The hood is slightly raised compared to the regular Mazda 3 due to the air ducting running through the hood to cool the top mounted intercooler.
• The front fenders are 20mm wider than the regular Mazda 3
• Has rain sensing windshield wipers
• It has additional chassis reinforcements over the regular Mazda 3
• It has a sports muffler
• Red stitching lines every seat in the car as well as the shift boot and steering wheel
• Sports seats with larger side supports (ours is in leather)
• Mazdaspeed logo stitched into the seats and floormats, and also appears on the aluminum door sill plate
• Rear spoiler
• 18″ wheels

Here are some of my impressions so far:

• I don’t feel any boost lag
• I don’t hear the turbo
• I don’t hear the blow off valve
• There is always usable power, no matter your speed or your gear… very nice
• The muffler is a little loud, but totally fine if you’re used to a really loud drift car
• The car handles REALLY well – very surprising
• The auxilary input for my pink ipod is highly used
• Auto climate control
• Our premium Bose sound system isn’t as nice as the sound system in the G35, but thank God for the factory sub woofer (in the GT models only), or else I’d be dying
• Gas mileage is excellent! But the gas tank is a bit small (24mpg in a 14gal. tank).
• E-brake slides do not work unless the traction control is off

So they did a D1GP drifting exhibition at TAS this year. Pretty cool setup! It’s really small, probably due to venue constraints but it lets the crowd get really close to all the action. The course is cool because it’s got all the basics – main entry towards the crowd, reducing radius corners, walls to get close to, and direction changes. I love Nomuken’s left foot braking action near the wall.

If you haven’t seen it already, here’s Kumakubo’s Evo in action. I don’t really like the Evo… in fact I don’t like Mitsubishis much. Okay I hate them. But I love Kuma! He’s been one of my favs for a really long time and plus he is the king of twin drift and he reminds me of that happy fat guy from Mulan.

And I hate you Rob! Stop showing me those horrible truck drifting videos!

So yes, we sold the green machine. After much searching, arguing (yes, because my wife and I both love cars and driving, we argue about them)… we finally compromised with the… drum roll please… A 2008 Mazdaspeed 3.

Why we chose this car:

• 4 doors
• Under $25,000
• It’s a hatchback like the green machine
• It can fit a huge baby stroller plus ample room for groceries
• It can comfortably fit a baby seat in a rear facing position
• It’s fast (260hp 280tq)
• It’s a limited edition so it should maintain its value well
• It handles well

So far, I’m really happy with the car. I’ve fit tons of baby stuff in the car for our new baby room and from our baby shower. I’m still breaking it in with a couple hundred miles left, but I’m already getting 24-25mpg on average! Sweet! And the car handles oh so awesome.

Now here’s the question… what do I name it?