Mazda RX-8 New Car Review - Car Reviews

Mazda RX-8

VERDICT:

The Mazda RX-8 is one of the most unusual looking coupes, but also one of the most practical thanks to a spacious interior

Performance

The RX-8 uses the latest generation of Mazda's Renesis twin rotary engine with a combined displacement of 1.3 litres. It doesn't rely on turbo-charging, yet manages to produce 189bhp or 228bhp depending on the state of tune. Instead of a succession of cylinders and pistons there's a large oval chamber in which a roughly triangular 'rotor' rotates. Where the faces of the triangle pass the spherical sides of the chamber, three separate crescent-shaped spaces are formed. Within these, the stages of the combustion process - induction, compression, ignition, combustion and exhaust - all occur as each pass the inlet ports, twin spark plugs and exhaust ports. There are two of these chambers, each with a nominal capacity of 654cc each. There's a subtly menacing whirring noise, while power delivery is progressive, instantly accessible and builds rapidly in intensity. A snappy sixspeed manual gearbox and the fact that the rev counter's needle zips so swiftly round the dial means that a relative lack of torque rarely intrudes.

Driving

One of the main benefits of the Renesis engine is its incredibly compact size. It allowed Mazda's engineers to position it very close to the centre of the car, giving the RX-8 a mid-engined layout and perfect 50/50 weight distribution. What this means in practice is wellbalanced handling with little understeer. The RX-8 attacks corners with relish; feeling taut and controlled, and giving you the confidence to make the most of that rev-happy engine.

Space

The RX-8 has what Mazda terms a 'Freestyle' door mechanism. Behind each front door is a secondary mini-door, with no external door handle. To give good strength in a side-on crash, the front doors overlap. The latter hinge backwards to open, leaving a pillarless hole to allow a pair of rear passengers to gain easy access. They'll find similar space in there to a BMW 3-Series Coupe.

Build quality

The interior is suitably performance-oriented, with a high transmission tunnel running between the front and rear sports seats. The dashboard is a bit plasticky, but it's nicely laid out and has a quality feel. So far the Renesis rotary engine has been reliable, but it's a high performance unit so who knows what will happen to it over time.

Safety

The Mazda RX-8 is fitted with six airbags (front, side and curtain) as standard as are both traction and stability controls.

Owning

Poor fuel economy (25mpg) and the car being in the top 35 percent company car tax bracket means it's not cheap to run.

Value

Costing between £21,400 and £23k the RX-8 is great value for money, undercutting many of its rivals. But prices are coming down and there are discounts available through dealers.

Verdict