Mazda RX-8

Author's Car rating:   

Value for Money
Road Handling	Excellent
Fuel consumption	Very poor
Looks	Excellent

Advantages:	Style, performance, handling, price
Disadvantages:	Fuel consumption

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full car review

I am excited. Even LegendaryMrsDude is excited. So in txt spk, you could say that "We RX-8ed". Get it?

But why are we excited? Well, its nearly that time - the time when the contract on my beloved Honda Civic Type-R runs out and I send it back to the garage. For the last 3 years it's carried me over 50,000 fun-filled miles and I really thought I would dread it when it's time came to an end. But I'm not - and I've got to thank Mazda for making it this way.

I've started looking for something worthy of replacing it. This could be a long process but the first in line is the Mazda RX-8, the latest 2+2 seater sports car from Mazda. It's only for a test drive, but in 4 days I've put it through as many scenarios as I can manage and the words you find here are based on my close scrutiny and extensive testing.

If first impressions count then the RX-8 could well be the car I end up with next. Getting home from work to find it sitting on the drive, crouched like a sprinter on the blocks I rushed through the front door to find the keys.

From the outside, the RX-8 is a beautiful car - arguably the best looking production car on the road today. It's only available in 6 colours and the one I've been sent is a metallic royal blue - Strato Blue (Mica) according to the brochure. The other choices are a typical mix of red, black and silver. But it's not the colour that sets it apart, it's the design.

Assertive without being overly aggressive the RX-8 sits on big 18" alloy wheels. It's low-slung profile and crisp but curvy lines give it a real sense of purpose. The xenon headlamps look like beady eyes, spying out the road ahead - nothing like the wide-eyed stare of a Porsche of Subaru. The long bonnet is emphasized by the muscular-looking wheel arches with the cabin space blending perfectly with the lines and leading back to the boot with it's lip-spoiler. The rear light clusters are compact and tidy; there's nothing that spoils the lines. No new-fangled styling gimmicks, gratuitous angles or pointless curves just to be different - everything seems to be done for a reason and it looks stunning.

Curiously, there seems to be something of a styling theme to the RX- 8- triangles abound. There's one sculpted into the bonnet, there's an aluminium triangle on the front spoiler, the rear foglight is triangular, there are triangles carved through the head rests and there's even a triangle shaped motif on the key! Then it strikes me - the RX-8 uses the latest incarnation of Mazda's legendary rotary engine technology - dubbed RENESIS from "Rotary Engine Genesis". At the heart of the rotary engine is a triangular rotor (or two in the case of the RX-8) that acts much like the piston in a regular engine - so they've taken this as the motif for the car. A nice touch and it proves my point that there's a reason for everything in the styling.

Opening the door reveals a very sporty cabin. Black leather bucket seats complete with plenty of triangular accents provide a well-supported and reasonably comfortable driving position. The instrument panel is a thing of beauty at night, lit with an eerie blue glow when you unlock the car changing to a crisp white light when the key is inserted and then to a clear and confident orange when the engine is running. The console is dominated by a rev-counter that runs all the way up to 10,000 with a digital readout for the speed. Then there's the usual mix of trip counter, oil pressure, fuel and temperature all sensibly arranged and contained in aluminium-rimmed "pods". The steering wheel is a fairly standard 3-spoke affair with controls for the stereo embedded in it as well as the usual air -bag.

Talking of airbags, safety is a big thing. Air bags are pretty much everywhere actually, passenger airbag, curtain airbags and side airbags mean that you should be reasonably well protected should the worst happen. These are backed up by reinforced body panels for side impact, crumple zones front and back and non-intruding pedals etc.

The centre console is equally impressive - an in-dash 6-disc CD changer from Bose is surrounded by the many and assorted dials and buttons for controlling the music, climate and heated screens etc. The overall impression of the inside is that it's quality. Not only is it quality, but it's really been thought through ergonomically. From the driver's position, everything you need is within arms reach, never a stretch. The same applies for the passengers, front and back. There are convenient ledges to rest arms on, handy little cubby-holes for drinks and assorted "things" to be stored. The handles, grips and things you need to use are all positioned just so. It really is a car that fits like a glove.

Unfortunately, fitting like a glove isn't always a good thing. Sometimes you want a car to fit more like a mitten - with a bit of room to wiggle. The RX-8 doesn't leave you much wiggle room, especially if you are a passenger and even more so if you're a passenger in the back. Space in the front is snug but comfortable. Good seat adjustments and plenty of space over the dashboard reduce the feeling of claustrophobia. The sunroof (a £350 option) also helps reduce the chances of claustrophobia, although perversely it reduces the headroom by about an inch.

Access to the back is through the "freestyle" doors, basically half-size doors that hinge at the back of the door and can only be opened once the front doors are open. This has the advantage of meaning that the front seats don't have to tilt and slide. But it has the disadvantage of giving you only enough room for someone of a medium build to get in the back. It also means that getting a babies car-seat in/out becomes something of a puzzle. Once in, there's not much in the way of leg room. I'm 5' 10" and found myself with my knees all but touching the back of the front seat. Close the doors and the back seats become even cosier, almost claustrophobic.

The freestyle door means there is only the smallest of side windows - about as big as a window on a plane. The enclosed feeling is added too by the front seats, which are big, solid objects that you can't really see through, leaving your only real view of the world coming from looking between the front seats and out through the front window. This is possible thanks to the transmission tunnel that runs the length of the car and provides good separation between all of the occupants. It also means that it's not really possible to swap from one side of the car to the. If you get in the left-hand-side back seat, you will stay in it until someone opens the front door, opens the back door and lets you out. You won't be hopping over to the other side internally.

The boot is big. Bigger than I expected and big enough for a bugaboo pushchair plus carry-cot or a full set of golf-clubs (but not both at the same time). It goes back a surprisingly long way giving about 290 litres of space. The only problem here is the relatively narrow entrance which will restrict the size of objects you can put in it. But it would certainly be enough for a good week or two's worth of shopping. It's lined with the usual boot-lining material, the fuzzy-side of Velcro which means that you can Velcro just about anything to it - provided it has the hook-sided Velcro on it.

So that should have told you about the car as an object, but how is it to drive?

The first thing I would ask you to remember at this point is that my driving experience for the last 3 years has been in a Honda Civic Type-R - a notoriously frantic beast a review of which I posted on Ciao a while back.

Start up the engine and the first thing you notice is how easy it turns over. No grumbling or growling, a fraction of a second is long enough to get is started. Once started, the instrument pods glow confidently and you are greeted by the rev-counter that dominates the instrument console. And it goes all the way up to 10,000. So this is clearly no ordinary car.

The clutch is light and the gears very positive. The short throw lever has a really good action and once you stop trying to find the right gate, it switches effortlessly. With the exception of reverse which is rather fiddly and required you to push down on the gear knob.

The engine also sounds nice - different but nice. Kind of like a cross between a jet turbine, a washing machine and a power-tool. It kind of whizzes and whines as it gains speed, with a sporty exhaust note not quite hiding the fact that the engine is only 1.3 litres. Power aplenty is provided right from the beginning, the rotary engine delivering it in a smooth curve that doesn't have any noticeable bumps in it. Unlike the Civic type-R with its VTEC engine, where all the power came in one big dollop at 6,000 rpm, this is creamy smooth and evenly spread. There's no mad rush as 200bhp suddenly hit the front wheels and leaves you frantically chasing the next gear. Instead there's just smooth, constant acceleration with the high rev limit leaving plenty of time for the next gear change.

Consequently, the RX-8 is deceptively quick (for a Type-R driver at least). The smooth delivery of power and high rev limit allows you to concentrate more on the road than the rev-counter meaning it's easier to get more out of the car. The power combined with the noise means that the RX-8 doesn't feel as quick as it actually is. 70mph feels more like 50 and I'm sure 80 - 90 doesn't feel much different. The digital speedo nestled neatly in the rev counter takes a bit of getting used to. It's far too easy to go beyond the speed limit without realising it so close attention is required until you're used to the gear ratios.

The RX-8 is also rear-wheel driven, which at least explains the transmission tunnel that dominates the inside of the car. It does mean that the front wheels are left to do what they do best - steering. And when it comes to steering, the RX-8 does a great job.

I've already mentioned the wider wheelbase but the wider tyres and near perfect weight distribution mean that the RX-8 holds the road far better than any other 4-seater car I've ever driven. Corners are consumed with ease, and roundabouts only slightly less so. There's hardly any body-roll and the steering, despite being electrically assisted, gives great feedback. If you want some extra fun you can turn off the Dynamic Stability Control, but I wouldn't advise it until you've been on a skid-pan to learn the techniques needed.

Around town the car behaves itself. The clutch is light and the gears handle the stop-start of rush-hour traffic well enough. Visibility takes a little getting used to though, the small rear windows mean that you are almost entirely reliant on your wing-mirrors as glancing over your shoulder just gives you a view of the chunky C-pillar. The suspension is compliant enough that it takes at least some of the bumps out of the road and the brakes don't leave you with whiplash if used judiciously (although they are more than capable of stopping the car very quickly indeed). The steering stays pleasingly light at low speeds, which makes parking relatively easy, or at least it would if it weren't for the poor visibility and sticky-out boot. Rear parking sensors would be a great option!

On the Motorway the RX-8 is a revelation. 70mph in 6th gear is a breeze, although there's no cruise control. The steering at speed is firm but still responsive. The drivers position is high enough that you still get good visibility of the traffic ahead. The sound-proofing also does a good job, barely any noise from the tyres and at 3,500rpm, the engine is remarkably quiet.There's still enough power on tap to get you out of trouble though, drop down to 5th (or 4th if you're feeling racy) and it will pick up nicely to get you past potential tight-spots. It's a far calmer drive than the manic, all-or-nothing Civic Type-R - the power band is wider, the suspension less bone-jarring and the cabin far less noisy.

Out on the open road is really where the RX-8 should be though. Hold the gears as long as you can and take it up to 8,000 rpm to get the best of the engine. It whizzes and hums all the way, delivering power calmly and smoothly to the back wheels. The steering firms up as the speed gathers; the aerodynamics hold the car to the road. Brake for the corner, change down and power through the apex. While it pretends to be a sensible family car, this is what it's really been designed for and it does it very well. Confidence abounds and you will joyously eat up miles and miles of twisty, turny country roads to the whizzing hum of the RENESIS rotary engine. Who needs motorways, they're always full of cars anyway. Long ways around are now a thing to be actively sought out. And if your alternative is the M25, you will probably get there quicker as well as having more fun.

Until you spot the fuel gauge.

Fuel economy is the biggest problem. It may only be a 1.3litre engine but revving up to 9,000rpm it drinks petrol like iced lemonade on a hot summer's day. Around town Mazda claim you can get 18mpg, my tests would say that this assumes you don't get stuck in traffic, stopped at lights or any other hold-ups. Closer to 15mpg may be more honest. On the motorway, with less acceleration and a more consistent speed, Mazda think you should be able to coax upwards of 30mpg from the high-performance RENESIS. On a 75 mile motorway run around the M25 I used about 15 litres (or 3.5 gallons), giving an economy of barely 23mpg!!! And I wasn't driving particularly hard - just keeping up with traffic at around 70mph. I expect that the claimed 31mpg only comes at the usual 56.6mph though. Thankfully, there is a generous 60litre tank so range is reasonably good - you might expect 300 miles of motorway driving on a full tank. On the down-side, 60ls at 90p a litre (and rising) is expensive to fill and if you drive a lot you will probably end up on first-name terms with the staff at your local filling station.

Then there's the rate at which it drinks oil. It hadn't ocurred to me before but thanks to a comment from RICHADA I checked the owners manual and was stunned to see that they recommend checking the oil at every other visit to the petrol station! Apparently this is because the rotary engine needs better lubrication than a standard engine - the carbon rotor tips get dosed in oil each time the engine starts to stop them wearing down. Add to this the usual oil-burn that happens in a performance engine, especially one at high revs and it adds up to a thirsty car in terms of oil - estimates of 1,000 miles for a litre don't seem too far-fetched. And it's not cheap either - only the best performance oils will do.

Alas, my test drive is over. I've clocked up about 350 miles so it's by no means comprehensive. It's cost me about £90 in petrol (and I used the spare litre of oil that came with the car in the boot) but I've enjoyed it. This car is great fun. It inspires confidence and goes like the clappers. It's also very comfortable and extremely well put together, both in terms of design and quality. There aren't all that many of them around so they remain a little unusual. Finally, it has to be one of the most handsome cars on the road at the moment. Certainly it's attracted admiring glances from passers-by and started conversations with the neighbours.

The rear doors are neat; the rear seats are comfy; heck, the boot is even a decent size for a sports car. But it only pretends to be practical. When you've parked in the supermarket car-park with passengers in the back, the arrangement of the doors means you get trapped in the small s[pace between the front & back doors and the car next to you! Some close manouvering is required before you can get the back door closed and leave enough space to get out between cars. For an adult sitting in the back, anything more than an hour would probably become painful. Even baby-seats are a struggle to get in the back unless you've got one of the front seats seriously far forward. The IsoFix points on the rear seats are a nice gesture but the front seats tend to intrude slightly too far on the rear passenger space for comfort. And if you're out for a fun drive you'll almost spend as much time in the filling station as on the road.

So I feel cheated and confused. My heart tells me I would really like an RX-8. It's a worthy replacement for the Civic Type-R. More mature, more refined and definitely more sporty. It looks the part and it drives the part. But my head tells me that it will cost a fortune to fuel, a fortune to insure and, probably, a lot to maintain as well. My head also tells me that while it's got rear seats, a boot and 4 doors it's not REALLY practical.

My search for a replacement for the Civic Type-R isn't over. The RX-8 is certainly a strong contender - for the price I doubt there's much that comes close - but we're looking to start a family and the practicalities need to be seriously considered. I'll test some more (and there will be reviews to match).