Mazda RX-8

Our verdict

The Mazda RX-8 offers four-seat practicality in an impractical-looking (ie, quite nice) coupe-thing. Suicide rear doors are a treat and the driving experience is one of a kind thanks to that manic rotary engine (sorry, ‘Renesis’ engine).

Comfort

Suicide doors allow easy access to small-ish rear seats, but you'll be able to get adults in there. Front-seat pilots will have plenty of room and the engine is super-smooth and rev-hungry - but heavy on fuel and oil. Firm suspension won't put you off either; this is one well thought-out car.

Performance

Mazda's rotary ‘Renesis' comes in two flavours; 189bhp or 228bhp. The static measurement of 1.3-litres is a bit of a dodge really - the ‘rotary' part means that this isn't a classic bore-and-stroke mobile. There are three chambers, so it means that the engine is probably more like a 2.6-litre. It'll rev like a beast (well past 8,000rpm) and the 189bhp gets to 62mph in 7.2 and on to 139mph. Best to go for the 228bhp version though - 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds and a 146mph top speed.

Cool

We like it.

Quality

Another well put together motor from Mazda. There were troubles with sticky revving on early 228bhp cars, so check that's been sorted, otherwise it's stress free. And it's supposed to use that much oil by the way.

Handling

The rotary unit is very small and light, and the RX-8 takes advantage of that with a front-mid-engine layout and 50/50 weight distribution. There's little understeer unless you really throw it in, and the handling balance shades to oversteer in the wet. Otherwise you'll have trouble unsticking it. It provides bags of confidence - a bit like the MX-5 but on a bigger scale - so you can make the most of the rev-happy engine.

Practicality

Rotaries use oil as part of their combustion cycle to lubricate the rotor tips, so be prepared to get under the bonnet a little bit. Other than that, suicide doors and proper four seats make such a difference when a car drives this well. The RX-8 carves out its own little niche - there's not much to touch it.

Running costs

Bet on a litre of oil every couple of thousand miles and heavy fuel consumption (26.2mpg and 24.8mpg for the pair of variants). Insurance is either 15 or 16, so high but not impossible. The only issue is high at 35percent tax bracket and fairly low residuals.