Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to own a sports car... There is something to be said about being able to zip from lane to lane at will and go around corners at speed with ease.
That said, I never considered buying one due to practicality issues... Two doors, usually two seats, no trunk and cramped quarters. Enter the Mazda RX-8...
Mazda has attempted to achieve what few would believe possible (including myself) -- creating a more practical sports car that can seat four adults in relative comfort, and have four doors as well. Is the attempt a success? Let's find out.
CAR REVIEWED
This review is for the Automatic Transmission (AT) version of the RX-8 equipped with the Sport package and spare tire kit.
Note: When I was 16, I had an 80 Ford Pinto that was a manual... I proceeded to go through 3 clutches in 6 months (the gas station started to put in the new ones at cost taking pity on me). There really are some people who just *shouldn't* drive a stick, I'm unfortunately one of them.
The base AT RX-8 comes with regular suspension, 16 inch aluminum wheels, along with the usual equipment including a/c, cruise control, AM/FM/CD stereo, power windows, mirrors and locks, cloth seats, alarm, etc. The 1.3 liter rotary engine is also standard.
The car tested with the AT Sport package upgrades the wheels to 18 inch aluminum alloy, 18 inch performance summer tires (Dunlop SP8090s in this case), xenon headlights, fog lights, sport tuned suspension, stability and traction control, larger brakes, and a limited slip differential. I also added a spare tire kit to the trunk, as the car only comes with tire repairing goo to save trunk space.
Just for reference, if you want a fully loaded RX-8, you can upgrade further to the GT package which has everything the Sport package offers, plus a moon roof, Bose stereo, leather heated seats, a power driver's seat, self-dimming rear view mirror and heated exterior mirrors. A navigation system is also available as an a la carte option.
REVIEW
EXTERIOR
The RX-8 certainly is a car that is aggressively styled. This aggressive styling can evoke a "love it, or hate it" emotion in the beholder. I definitely fall in the former camp, believing the car to be one of the best looking vehicles on the road. It has a bold look usually seen only with exotic sports cars.
The rotary heritage of the car is proudly displayed on the hood (the stamped sheet metal on the hood forms a large rotary style shape), and on accents to the front and rear of the car. All of this is tastefully done, and adds to the sporty look of the car.
While the front of the car has a fierce sports car look, the rear is much more sedate. By this I mean it seems like Mazda made a decision not to overdo it on the uniqueness of the car's looks, instead choosing to use rather standard rear clear plastic lens tail lights that keep the package in check.
From the side, to the average observer, it looks like the car only has two doors. This, of course is intentional. It actually, however, has four, with the two rear mini doors opening "suicide" style. By this, I mean that they have no handles on the outside (keeping with the sports car motif), only being able to be opened when the front doors are opened first. The handles are inside the doors, with no B pillar present. Very ingenious indeed!
INTERIOR
The cloth racing style seats that came with the car being reviewed were just superb. They used a kind of suede-like material in the center that allows your body to stick to the seat like glue, while a ribbed material is used around it to provide excellent comfort and lateral support. I wish my previous cars had seats like these, as they are easily the most comfortable and supportive I have sat in. Just for reference, I have test drove a car equipped with the GT package (that had leather seats), and I liked the leather seats too, but I prefer the high quality cloth for its superior support.
Leg, head and shoulder room are all excellent in the front seats. The driving position is perfect, allowing for excellent front, front side and rear visibility. The only minor gripe here is that rear side visibility from the small rear passenger windows is hampered a bit. This can't be helped though, as the rear window size had to be small in order to keep the sports car dimensions and looks.
Rear passengers have excellent head room and shoulder room, but leg room is a bit tight. I found that I had to move up the driver seat a bit in order to allow a full sized adult to be able to fit properly. That said, even with the front seat pushed up, both me and the rear passenger were relatively comfortable. Tight, yes, but definitely livable... even for a moderately long trip.
The leather wrapped steering wheel has a perfect feel to it, and it contains controls for the cruise, and CD/radio functions. Also present are metallic paddle shifter controls for allowing you to switch the automatic transmission to manual mode when the mood takes you.
Soft plastic, along with leather and metallic accents are all used heavily making for a nice upscale feel. In fact the whole display console looks very nice, and is very functional.
The base AM/FM/CD stereo is a weakness, as the speakers are not very good. I would strongly consider upgrading the speakers after market if you have audiophile tendencies, otherwise, it gets it done with a relatively average sound quality. For reference, the Bose package sounds no better to me (maybe worse).
PERFORMANCE
Let's just cut to the chase, the RX-8 is a very fun to drive car. It handles like few others, and the rotary engine makes a unique sound that is just a pleasure to listen to (who needs that radio anyway).
Off the line acceleration is quick, but not super fast... But unless you are trying to race the car, most will find it more than satisfies their needs with its 197 HP combining with a low curb weight of 3059 pounds.
Torque is more of an issue with only 164 pound feet (the 6 speed manual comes with 238 HP and 159 pound ft., while weighing 3029 pounds for reference). While I personally would love another 40 pound feet of torque, and a few more horsepower if it were available, I never felt like the car wasn't plenty powerful for my non-racing needs.
The handling is where the RX-8 excels though. Steering feel is dead on, and the car moves exactly as you would expect. You can go around turns and curvy roads at unmentionable speeds, while still maintaining perfect control. Braking is also excellent.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the super smooth acceleration of the rotary engine. While the RX-8 lacks low-end torque, the rotary engine loves to be revved, and surges to red line with ease. Sooner than you would think, you are speeding, and the engine wants more! While you may not *feel* like you are going fast, you really are.
All in all, the RX-8 gives up a bit in straight line acceleration, but blows most others away in handling and braking.
I should also mention that while the sport tuned suspension holds the car to the road very nicely and keeps you in touch with everything going on, the RX-8 does not have a punishing ride quality by any means. In fact, it is a pleasure to drive long distances. In my opinion, that is getting the best of both worlds.
CONCLUSION
Mazda has succeeded in creating a true four door, four seat sports car that still maintains the dimensions, looks, and handling of what you would expect with such a car. The RX-8 has the performance to match some of the best cars out there, while maintaining the practicality that was lacking in its sports car competition that prevented me (and others) from taking the plunge. Now that that impediment has been lifted, I bought the car... and that is the highest recommendation I can give it.
Just for reference, other cars I looked at (all good) were the Acura TSX, the Infiniti G35 Coupe, and Mazda's own 6.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 25320
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: Automatic with Sport package and spare tire kit
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