*** Specifications and prices contained in this article are based on US products ***
The Practical Sports Car
The term practical sports car is an oxymoron, but in the case of the Mazda RX 8 it is not only accurate, but an understatement. This is a tremendously fun car to drive, extremely well priced, and you get four useable doors to boot. It is without doubt the most underestimated car we have tested and only its lackluster fuel mileage prevents it from being irresistible. One caveat, don't get the automatic transmission version because it dulls the high revving rotary engine and the engine has been detuned for less power.
Let's start at the most interesting part of the Mazda. No, it isn't the rotary engine, but the way the company has engineered a sports car to have four usable doors without diminishing its exceptional handling. The trick is that the smaller rear doors open forward. In the old days these were called suicide doors because in an accident when they swung open they caused the occupants to be ejected towards the impact. Fortunately, the RX rear doors only release when the front doors have already been opened and so such negative effects are negated.
There is some chassis flex because of the vast opening that the four doors create, but the way this RX handles it hardly matters. With a terrific 50/50 weight distribution, an engine that does not wake up until it reaches 8000 rpm, and comfortable seats, this as friendly a sports car as you are ever going to find. And, here is the coup de gra; the car lists for $26,875 US with a six-speed manual and $25,375 if you want a four-speed automatic transmission. This car placed second in our family car of the year competition last year losing to the more practical and less expensive Toyota Prius. This is the highest a sports car has ever come in our contest since the Subaru WRX came out in fighting trim. In other words, for the price of a well equipped, but mundane Honda Accord or Toyota Camry you can have a genuine family roadrunner.
Dad's view: It is addicting. The more you drive the RX the more compelling it becomes. The sound of the rotary engine as it winds towards 10,000 rpm is as turbine like as you are ever going to hear and the easy to shift six-speed manual makes it effortless to repeat this process in every gear. The engine produces 238 horsepower at 8500 rpm and 159 pound-feet of
torque at 5500 rpm, but if you go against our wishes and order the automatic you only get 197 horsepower at 7200 rpm and 164 pound-feet at 5000 rpm. Moreover, the automatic does not have the same aggressive suspension.
This is not a road rocket, although Mazda ads proclaim in can get to 60 mph in under six seconds, but a well balanced sports car capable of enjoyable, if not blistering acceleration. World-class handling is really its forte, but you don't sacrifice a comfortable ride for this enjoyment, as the suspension is even comfortable over troubled roads. If you learn to polish your shifting skills, this Mazda can get you around a mountain road faster than any non-turbocharged vehicle in its class regardless of price. Yes, a Subaru STi is faster and has room for four, but they have little in common as the RX is the boxer and the Subaru the slugger. Both get you there, but the RX is less a bruiser thanks to a well-tuned independent wishbone front suspension with stabilizer bar and coil springs and multi-link rear suspension and coil springs.
The Practical Sports Car
The term practical sports car is an oxymoron, but in the case of the Mazda RX 8 it is not only accurate, but an understatement. This is a tremendously fun car to drive, extremely well priced, and you get four useable doors to boot. It is without doubt the most underestimated car we have tested and only its lackluster fuel mileage prevents it from being irresistible. One caveat, don't get the automatic transmission version because it dulls the high revving rotary engine and the engine has been detuned for less power.
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| 2005 Mazda RX-8 (photo: The Car Family) |
There is some chassis flex because of the vast opening that the four doors create, but the way this RX handles it hardly matters. With a terrific 50/50 weight distribution, an engine that does not wake up until it reaches 8000 rpm, and comfortable seats, this as friendly a sports car as you are ever going to find. And, here is the coup de gra; the car lists for $26,875 US with a six-speed manual and $25,375 if you want a four-speed automatic transmission. This car placed second in our family car of the year competition last year losing to the more practical and less expensive Toyota Prius. This is the highest a sports car has ever come in our contest since the Subaru WRX came out in fighting trim. In other words, for the price of a well equipped, but mundane Honda Accord or Toyota Camry you can have a genuine family roadrunner.
Dad's view: It is addicting. The more you drive the RX the more compelling it becomes. The sound of the rotary engine as it winds towards 10,000 rpm is as turbine like as you are ever going to hear and the easy to shift six-speed manual makes it effortless to repeat this process in every gear. The engine produces 238 horsepower at 8500 rpm and 159 pound-feet of
 |
| The engine produces 238 horsepower at 8500 rpm and 159 pound-feet of torque at 5500 rpm. (photo: The Car Family) |
This is not a road rocket, although Mazda ads proclaim in can get to 60 mph in under six seconds, but a well balanced sports car capable of enjoyable, if not blistering acceleration. World-class handling is really its forte, but you don't sacrifice a comfortable ride for this enjoyment, as the suspension is even comfortable over troubled roads. If you learn to polish your shifting skills, this Mazda can get you around a mountain road faster than any non-turbocharged vehicle in its class regardless of price. Yes, a Subaru STi is faster and has room for four, but they have little in common as the RX is the boxer and the Subaru the slugger. Both get you there, but the RX is less a bruiser thanks to a well-tuned independent wishbone front suspension with stabilizer bar and coil springs and multi-link rear suspension and coil springs.