Mazda RX-8

...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 ...
...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 ...

LegendaryMrDude 13.11.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

...are quite important too.......and the Mazda RX-8 ticks all of these boxes. I became the owner of a second-hand 2 year old 192bhp 4 door version a month ago and I like it. It sticks to the road like brown stuff to a blanket......you can do a good 80-90 mph round a sharp bend without losing control of your sphincter and feels very safe and controlled. Steering is quite stiff but very responsive and, again, gives you that feeling of control. It looks ...
...A full service at a Mazda garage will set you back around £400 and intermediate servicing about £150. Have heard stories about the engines flooding after short journeys but have also been told that if you rev the car over 4000rpm before turning off the ignition then this will help prevent any flooding. I haven't had it happen to me yet. In summary, it's very pleasing.....it looks good, puts a smile on your face when you put your foot down and is ...

rotty64 14.07.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

...without a hitch and since Mazda extended the warranty to 8 years on the Renesis engine there is little to worry about. The rest of the car has a 5 year/60,000 mile warranty and aside from needing a few ECU upgrades I have had no unscheduled visits to Mazda. Mazda's service is far from the best, in fact the people at Mazda take twice as long as they say to fix your car and will almost never work with you to help you. They do whatever they feel is ...
...a fraction of what it should cost for a machine that quite literally drives you to drive it more the Mazda RX8 is the clear forerunner. I highly recommend this vehicle, it absolutely the best I have ever owned. The RX8 has singularly turned me into a skilled, passionate driver. ...

eweibmanm 25.12.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

...long you can tell where Mazda have saved money on quality. Here are some of the Pros and Cons of ownership I have experienced: Pros: 1. Looks fantastic! 2. Drives exceptionally well with good but not fantastic performance. 3. Good value for money. Cons; 1. Drives seat can be a little unconfortable (digs into my right buttock!) at times. 2. Cabin plastics and leather are not the best quality. 3. I've had my alloy wheels replaced twice now for ...
...a bit of a chore. Mazda have designed a car which requires oil to be constantly added but have placed the oil filler cap under a plastic hood in the engine (which needs to be removed each time) and placed the oil dip stick at the far back passenger side of the engine bay. Not a lot of thought went into this. Anyway, putting oil into the engine when it is raining/cold/blowing a gail is not to be recommended. 3. Handling and Cornering. In the dry ...

stobbie66 30.04.2006 (05.05.2006) · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

...noise from outside. italso has abs and traction control and comes with an electronic tilt and slide sunroof. all in all a lot of car for your money. so if you are in the market for a good sleek sports car you cannot go far wrong with the mazda rx8 ...

stevieboy123 18.05.2009 · Read full review
Review of Mazda RX-8

...to get the oil from mazda by the gallon, i have just purchased some more and it cost £30.70 inc vat which is not too bad, its cheaper than a new engine! I have only had one bad experience with the car and that was that it flooded and refused to start, this was due to the car being started from cold and switched off almost immeidiatley when the car was still on choke, so now i ensure that the car is up to temperature before i switch it off and this ...
...be prepared to rev the engine when pressing on as the power is all at top revs, the gearbox is really good and the ratios are well sorted to keep the engine singing. I was expecting to feel more power from the engine but this is deceptive as the power deliverey is very smooth. I am very impressed with the handling as i once discovered when i switched the traction control off, the car is very forgiving and quite easy to hold a slide if this is provoked ...

Fueleta 24.09.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

...of 230 bhp. Mazda have created a very interesting design. A stylish sporting coupe that can double up as a practical hatch. The rear doors open in a suicide fashion to give good access to the rear seats unlike many 2 door only coupes which require a bit of maneuvering to gain access. However as there is no pillar separating the doors it is a requirement to open the front doors before opening the rear ones. The interior quality is very good indeed ...
...In fact in the USA, Mazda recently announce that the performance figures were incorrect and gave a 3% reduction and offered to buy back cars from owners of existing cars. The car has also suffered from some reliability issues. Although not in my brief experience. It is reported that the car can flood if used on very short journeys. Still if this is the case at least you can always walk home!! In conclusion, if you can ignore the mpg and performance ...

wales34part 03.12.2004 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

I bought my Mazda RX8 230bhp two years ago as an ex demonstrator (2000 miles on clock) It has most of the extras you can imagine - 6 CD multi changer in dash, sat nav, heated seats, etc The car is a real pleasure to drive, very quick off the mark. The high revving rotary engine takes some getting use to and you tend to change gear too early and not get the full benefit out of the engine at the higher revs, as it is designed to do. Once you get use ...
...wood) we have had no problems with it. The only work carried out has been servicing at our local Mazda dealer where we bought it from and the service prices werent too bad. Would recommend this car to anyone looking for a sports car with genuine 4 seats ...

Woodsa12 24.09.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

My RX8 is a year old now. I had a wonderful first year with the car and am looking forward to at least another couple of years happy motoring with my 230 bhp model. I have the leather seat option along with a sunroof. When I was choosing this car I wanted something performance orientated that handled well but offered some degree of practicality. I wanted to be able to take the family out in the car at weekends or even for short breaks without having ...
...at the A3 V6, and even borrowed one for the weekend from a friendly dealer. Whilst the performance was there, the drive of the car just wasn't engaging enough. There are probably a number of other models I could have looked at, but having seen the RX-8 at the motorshow I wanted to take it out for a test drive first. The driving experience was such a contrast from the A3, I instantly felt like I was in a sports car, and that I was in control. The ...

tameboy 17.10.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

...to repair (later refunded by Mazda when they issued a recall) lucky I found out about the recall as I sold the car after the repair. On the plus side the car was great fun to drive, but let down by its reliability. Also running costs are quite high. For the best drive(at least in the dry),the traction control needs completely turning off, the car really drive well with this turned off and has got to be one of the best handling cars available. In ...
...outlasted the Bridgestones. While Mazda claim a possible 25mpg, I very rarely saw above 20mpg and on one rather quick trip on the Isle of Man fuel consumption dropped to under 15 mpg and only 150 miles on a full tank. Apalling consumption, but guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. I also suffered a front tyre puncture, no spare wheel and to cap it all the AA couldn't tow the car from the front, had to take the wheel to the tyre shop for a replacement. ...

freshtracks 13.05.2008 (14.05.2008) · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

For the price, you simply can not beat the RX8! Handling is absolutely perfect courtesy of the Wankel engine. Being lightweight and compact allows it to be mounted lower and further back than a traditional engine. This engine position leads to perfect 50:50 weight distribution. Despite its fancy doors, the chassis is very stiff and sporty. This combined with rear wheel drive results in perfect handling. The only thing letting the handling down is ...
...are very good in the dry, with stiff sidewalls so as not to let down the suspension. These tyres, however, are not very good in the wet. As a result I changed to the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tyres at the first service. These are just as good in the dry, equally stiff, but an improved treat pattern yields far better performance in the wet. The fancy pillarless doors are more than just a gimmick, they vastly improve ones ability to get adults into ...

aero-box 25.08.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

If you're after a car that's a bit sporty for around £25K you've got two choices. Go for something like a Lotus Elise or Honda S2000 and have enough luggage space for a trendily small handbag, or go for a 'sports saloon', like an Impreza STi or BMW 3-series coupe, and lose out on your car actually looking like a sports car. The RX-8 solves this problem by looking and handling like a conventional sports car, but actually having a reasonable boot and ...
...60 in the high-power version), loves cornering at speed (rear wheel drive and 50-50 weight distribution), and there's room in the back for your mates/kids (delete as appropriate). The high-power goes for 22K, and it's not like BMW where you end up spending a load more on options. The RX-8 comes as standard with a in-dash 6 CD changer, 8 speaker Bose system. You get automatic climate control, xenons and full traction control at no extra charge. The ...

wstockuk 07.02.2004 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

I've had my RX8 for 2 years now and I still absolutly love it. Yes it does burn oil although as long as you keep a rough eye on it it really is not a problem. Fuel economy is not great, although as said before that does depend how you use it, in my case a lot of motorways so its not the end of the world. The handling is amazing, the looks are great and generally a fun yet pratical car. I've managed to get 147mph on a German autobahn and on the other hand used the car when I moved house and had to buy half the Ikea catalogue! Well worth a try. ...

mysteron61 30.08.2009 (06.11.2008)
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

Well, I think that the wait for this car was well worth it! Arrived at my local garage to test one of these beautifully sculptures beasts and was not dissapointed one bit. It looks great from every angle. You get in to the cabin and feel at home straight away. Shut the door and it makes that great "clunk" not a tinny rattle, a sure sign of good build quality. Pull away and the power from the smooth pull from the engine is immediately evident. Gear ...
...bit as good as you would expect from a company who produced the best selling roadster in the world. The car feels assured and performance from the rotary engine is great! The so called "Suicide" doors for the rear passengers to enter the car are designed to open backwards, so the front doors must be opened first, but I personally cannot see that being a problem. There is ample room for the two rear passengers and the boot is quite roomy. All in ...

daz318ti 30.09.2004 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

I was lucky enough to get one of these cars in April and every day I look at it and feel proud to be its owner. It looks fantastic, drives fantastic. Downside...petrol consumption. In the first 2 weeks that I had it I had been used to £20 lasting me all week in my previous car, I was gutted when I found this only lasted half the week...to enjoy this car you have to overcome this dread of putting petrol in, fill up the tank and then just keep it topped ...
...it. I love this car so much I would'nt hestitate to buy one again. Its so comfy, I'm 5ft 11" and have bags of room. With back passenger seats its the ideal sports car as you can still carry your kids around. The boot is deceptive, looks tiny but its deep, can easily hold a weeks shopping for a family or a couple of holdalls and lots of other extras needed for a few days away. Just to add abit more as it was my first review so should have made it ...

heather21_07 18.07.2007 (19.07.2007) · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8