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Mazda's Big Wheel

Friday 25th April 2008

While the Mazda RX-8 was a very different car to the beloved RX-7 it replaced, it has much to recommend it. Sales have been fantastic since it first appeared – but time waits for no vehicle and the RX-8 has been given a freshening, without departing radically from the basic theme.

What hasn’t changed a great deal is the Mazda’s unique selling proposition, that 1.3-litre twin rotor Renesis rotary engine. Quite unlike any other engine, the RX-8’s unit wheezes and sighs its way around the road network with the sound growing in intensity as you approach the redline at a fearsome 8,200rpm in the most powerful car. It’s great fun and the whole experience is enhanced but the direct steering, the taught, grippy chassis and the snappy gearchange with its tiny palm-sized triangular shifter. The 0-62mph sprint is covered by the 228bhp model in a handy 6.4s and there’s a 146mph top speed so this is a serious performance car. The less powerful model gets a shot in the arm, lifting power from 189bhp to 202bhp.

The front and rear bumpers and headlamps are revised and the rear lamps now feature twin circular LEDs. Bigger diameter exhaust pipes and a sharper five-spoke alloy wheel design now measuring 19 inches in diameter are also among the highlights. Drop inside and you’ll spot the redesigned instrument panel, better front and rear seats and a beefier steering wheel. The colour of the instrument cluster has also been changed to reduce eye strain.

We’ve established that Mazda’s RX-8 is an unorthodox proposition but does it warrant selection ahead of capable and desirable rivals like Alfa Romeo’s Brera, Nissan’s 350Z or Audi’s TT? If you value the versatility of those four seats then most certainly, and the latest version stands up as a drivers car in its own right. The RX-8 R3 is a sport package that features a sportier suspension setup with Bilstein shock absorbers and urethane front suspension crossmembers. A bigger rear spoiler and the addition of side sills, fog lights and a more aggressive front bumper are added as well as 19-inch alloys with high performance tyres, Recaro sports seats and leather trim for the steering wheel, hand brake and gear lever.

Even the standard models are well finished with optional extras like leather seats and satellite navigation to consider.

The RX-8 has long been very competitively priced and it’s well worth keeping your eyes peeled for any special edition models that are rolled out as these sharpen the value proposition still further. There are faster and better looking sports coupes than Mazda’s RX-8 but as a practical and charismatic all-round package offering excellent value for money, it’s difficult to beat. The rotary engine and unorthodox door layout might look gimicky to the casual observer but on trying the car you quickly appreciate that they really do work and the rest of the RX-8 isn’t bad either.

Published Friday 18th April 2008, Motoring Post