Different for Difference’ Sake
Mazda is Still Spinning its RX-8
To get in the mood for driving Mazda’s rotary-powered RX-8 I pulled up some WWI fighter aircraft videos on YouTube. The iconic Sopwith Camel was powered by a rotary engine. Its 160 hp Gnome rotary wasn’t of the same design as the Wankel rotary in the Mazda but despite the passage of ninety years between the Camel’s heyday and the RX-8’s, they’re equally anachronistic.
Mazda is the only manufacturer in the world currently producing a rotary-engined automobile. Audi’s recent hybrid A1 “e-tron” concept uses a Wankel rotary as a generator when its lithium-ion batteries are depleted but until such time as the German firm actually produces e-trons for sale, Mazda remains the only rotary auto game in town.
And the RX-8 has been in town since 2003. In that time it has successfully satisfied an enthusiastic but small following of Mazda loyalists while lagging its sports car competition in the market place. Why? The 1.3 liter rotary powerplant which sets it apart is also its Achilles heel.
Mazda’s twin-rotor Renesis rotary makes a respectable 232 horsepower but only 159 lb-ft. of torque. You don’t get either until the engine is spinning really fast. (max horsepower @ 8500 rpm, max torque @ 5500 rpm). Of course, high rpm is part of the rotary fun. I can’t remember the last time I zinged a street car’s engine past 8500.
But at the stoplight you’re still going lose the drag race to most performance-oriented cars including Mazda’s own less expensive Mazdaspeed3 (0 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds vs. the RX-8’s 7 seconds). And while keeping the revs up is cool, around town it’s neither relaxing nor fuel efficient. Despite its diminutive displacement, fuel mileage is not a Renesis strong suit. Over a week I averaged about 17 mpg in a car weighing less than 3100 pounds.
However if you’re prepared to accept the foregoing, the RX-8 is actually a ball of fun with more than a modicum of practicality. That practically is manifest in a four-seat passenger cabin with back seats capable of comfortably accommodating adults shorter than six feet for a half hour or more. The RX-8’s signature rear-hinged rear doors open wide enough to obviate unreasonable contortions for those taking a seat or placing cargo. Add in a fair-sized trunk and snowboard-ready rear seat pass-through and you’ve got a real (apologies to Nissan) four-door sports car.
Up front, driver and passenger get truly supportive and comfortable seats. The Mazda’s control ergonomics, particularly the radio and climate controls, are far from best in class and dash and door materials are uniformly hard plastic. But if you’ve got hold of the steering wheel they matter less. Not only is the leather-rimmed wheel tactilely satisfying but the RX-8’s steering feedback approaches that of the best from BMW, Porsche and a few others.
The steering is matched by a six-speed manual gearbox (an automatic is available) whose action is just a shade behind its wonderful MX-5 cousin. Clutch take-up is a bit low but you get used to it. The control harmony compliments the precise turn-in, 50-50 weight distribution and progressive grip characteristics that make the RX-8 a pleasure on twisty road and track.
The RX-8’s Nagare-inspired styling has always been polarizing with lines that got cleaned up as the car aged. Smoother though they became, the bulging wheel arches and the triangular rotor-like forms on the hood, the shifter and the seatbacks remain as do the awkward rear door shut lines.
Like or dislike the RX-8’s looks, they are different and the signs are that Mazda intends its sports car to continue to be purposely different. A replacement for the RX8, the RX-7, is tenatively to arrive in late 2011 or early 2012. Along with a return to the RX-7 nomenclature, it will carry on the rotary engine tradition, reportedly with more power (300 hp) and better fuel efficiency.
As fun as the RX-8 can be, it’s about time. Nissan’s 370Z, Ford’s Mustang and Hyundai’s Genesis coupe to a name a few, have passed the RX-8 by in terms of performance, amenities and pricing. The RX-8’s successor will have to be more than different for difference’ sake.
The Specs
Price As Tested: $33,055
Engine: 232 hp, 1.3 liter twin-rotor rotary
Curb Weight: 3065 pounds
Fuel Economy: 16 city/22 highway
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