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From YourSITE.com Reviews and Road Tests Let’s get this out of the way once and for all: The Mazda RX-8 is not a replacement for the fabled RX-7. Okay? Good.
Certainly the most “different” aspect of the RX-8 would have to be the aforementioned 4-door coupe configuration. For some, the simple fact that the car does possess four doors indicates Mazda’s playing pretty fast and loose with the coupe definition, but really, what else could they call it? The rear doors are small and open in a “suicide” fashion, but they swing out almost 90-degrees, thus facilitating a fairly easy ingress and egress for rear seat passengers. When it comes to appearance, the lack of outer rear door handles helps the RX-8 fulfill its coupe aspirations, and the look seems to grow more appealing over time. Mazda gave the RX-8 a very aggressive shape, and only time will tell if it’s perhaps too aggressive to age as nicely as they’d like. The front has the now-familiar Mazda look, with projector headlamps under glass and trapezoidal central grille with stylized brake-cooling ducts to each side. Bold fender arches dominate the side profile and the rear, with its lower mesh diffuser and individual signal lamps under one-piece plastic covers, is in complete harmony with the front. At 174 inches in length, the RX-8 is not a particularly small car, and its 106.4” wheelbase is also rather generous for this class. Still, with the 6-speed’s 18” wheels and tires pushed out to each corner, along with those massive fender arches, the car has attractive proportions. The RX-8 needs to function as a decent 4-passenger vehicle, or we’d say much of Mazda’s R&D was all for naught. For the average driver, the RX-8’s interior is surprisingly roomy and user-friendly. We mention the average driver only because this particular author is some 6’4” tall, and to put it bluntly, really struggled to find a comfortable driving position. Either I had to tilt the seat back to the point I could barely reach the steering wheel, or I risked some nasty bruises to my scalp as a result of hitting our tester’s optional glass sunroof over each and every little bump. A telescoping feature to go along with the steering column’s tilt adjustments would have potentially solved this problem, but sadly, Mazda does not offer such a convenience in the RX-8. Luckily, the front seats are very comfortable, well bolstered and offer a good range of adjustment. Rear seat passengers receive a surprising amount of legroom, as long as the aforementioned average-sized driver is occupying the front. Not surprisingly, rear headroom is again at a premium, but the overall rear seat experience is much better than outward appearances might suggest.
The gauges are clear and precise and separated into three distinct pods. Backlit in white during the day, red at night, and a faint blue when the ignition is off, we found it hard to fault the gauges on any level, other than perhaps there simply aren’t enough of them. Our test vehicle had the optional Grand Touring package that included a Bose audio system that truly shook the car with crisp, clean bass, un-muddied mid-range, and crystal-clear highs. Very impressive. Interior materials come across as somewhat middle-class with lots of hard, black plastic. Still, we did not experience any rattles or ill-fitting components, and since the overall style, with signature trochoid shapes cleverly dispersed, is very attractive, we can definitely report this is one nice cabin in which to spend some time. So long as you’re under, say, 6-feet in height… When it comes to the RX-8’s running gear, it comes down to this: Either you’re a fan of the rotary configuration or you’re not. There’s not much room for middle ground and your opinion on this subject will likely dictate whether or not you care for the RX-8 on a substantive level. 238-hp @ 7,000 rpm and 159 lb-ft of torque @ 5,500 rpm are the specs carved in stone, but it’s really the way in which the new RENESIS puts these numbers to the pavement that breeds controversy. Rotary fans will be impressed by the RENESIS’ increase in low-rpm torque via its sequential dynamic intake system, its ultra-flat torque curve, as well as the all-around improvement in throttle response compared to the last RX-7. They’ll undoubtedly love the way it hungrily revs to its stratospheric 9,000-rpm rev-limit and the extremely smooth nature in which it goes about its work. Fans will also enjoy how Mazda has found a way to give the exhaust note a deeper, throatier sound and reduced cabin intrusion at the same time.
Those people less enthralled with the nature of the rotary engine will likely see things a bit differently. Naysayers might find the RX-8 severely lacking in low-end grunt and feel overworked by having to rev the engine so radically each time they feel a little frisky behind the wheel. They may also find the eerie smoothness a bit disconcerting as that 9,000-rpm redline seems to come out of nowhere. And the exhaust note – well, it’s just so different compared to any other sporty car that some folks will just never warm up to the sound. Different perceptions aside, there’s no doubt the RX-8 is a quick car. Car&Driver magazine recently tested an RX-8 and recorded a 0-60 dash of 5.9 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 14.5. More than respectable times, no doubt, but for whatever reason, the RX-8 just never feels all that fast. It has a power band much like a Honda S2000, which means you really have to drive it in anger to get all it’s got. Low-speed throttle response is a bit lethargic and this also contributes to the feeling that at times a few horses aren’t exactly in the gate and ready to run. Luckily, Mazda has blessed the RX-8 with a truy wonderful shifter. Rowing through the gears is a snick-snick affair and throws are short and precise. In some ways, it’s Mazda’s engineers who might be most to blame for any perceived shortcomings toward the RX-8’s powerplant. Meaning, they’ve designed such a brilliant chassis that it simply cries out for a lot more power. Blessed with a perfect 50:50 weight distribution, the RX-8 possesses beautiful balance. You might expect that a modern car with no permanent B-pillar would have some serious structural rigidity issues, but somehow, someway Mazda engineers have endowed this chassis with enough stiffness to make even the creators of Viagra jealous. Large bumps offered nary a shake or shiver from the RX-8 and the car simply always feels planted and tight. Ride and handling are the RX-8’s true claim to fame. Though the steering rack is not especially quick at 2.99 turns lock-to-lock, the car turns in aggressively and offers superb feedback through the steering wheel. You’re constantly made aware of what the road beneath is communicating but such discussions never come across in a harsh manner. The longish wheelbase offers good stability in a straight line and doesn’t seem to interfere as far as maneuverability goes. It’s not quite as toss-able as, let’s say, an FD RX-7, but the car does rotate nicely and responds well when you take it by the scruff of the neck and attempt to really attack some tight corners. Body roll is a non-issue, and almost contrarily, the ride is supple and composed.
Our 6-speed tester came equipped with a torque-sensing limited slip rear differential, and this little item really blesses the car with a tremendous sense of balance and grip, even in the wet. Attitude adjustment via the right pedal is an option, but if you’re looking to really steer this car with the throttle, you may well find that once again the RX-8’s chassis is on a higher level as compared to its engine. There simply isn’t enough torque to really break the rear tires loose on dry pavement at low speeds, and though 8,500 rpm will yield enough horsepower to hang the tail, the stable chassis and surplus of grip suggests such maneuvers are better left for the track. This car honestly feels like it could handle twice the horsepower currently available. The RX-8’s vented 12.7” front and 11.9” rear disc brakes do a good job hauling the vehicle down from speed with a minimal amount of drama. Our tester had a fairly soft pedal and we found it somewhat difficult to modulate our braking efforts consistently. Perhaps our test car had seen more than its fair share of ham-fisted journalists during its tenure in the Mazda press pool, so we can’t say for sure if our experiences are indicative of all RX-8s. It’s possible the pads on our car were a little glazed or perhaps the rotors had some premature wear, so we’ll wait to drive another example before we jump to any conclusions. So is the world, or at least our not-so-little part of it, chomping at the bit for a 4-door, rotary-powered sports coupe? That remains to be seen but we must say we can see some good reasons for Mazda’s optimism. Just the 4-door hatchback configuration and usable rear seats open the door to potential customers who could never justify the purchase of a 2-seat RX-7. Our test vehicle’s sticker came out on the wrong side of $33k, but admittedly this same car had just about every available option package tacked onto its base price of $26,680. Don’t go too crazy and the RX-8 really is a relative bargain. Simply put, the RX-8 is a legitimate every day vehicle for family-types looking for something more than a little bit out of the ordinary that will also keep their mommy/daddy status their little secret, and if these same people happen to understand and appreciate the very real appeal of the rotary engine, then Mazda’s going to be making RX-8s for a long, long time. Healthy RX-8 sales could very well pave the way for a new, more hard-core RX-7 return. And what better way to prove the RX-8 was never an RX-7 replacement than to have one of each in your North American lineup, right Mazda?
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