Mazda RX-8 Review
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After seemingly years (OK OK, more like weeks) of comparison shopping and test-driving of multiple cars ranging from the 350z to the BMW 135i to the Mitsubishi EVO X I finally settled on the RX-8. From the moment I sat in if for the first time I knew I was in for financial difficulties. Every other car I had looked at left me with a feeling that I could wait a bit longer and save up some more cash. I have been called frugal, but I prefer the term cheap...or maybe it's the other way around.
Interior
The interior of the RX-8 is well-appointed. The seats in the Canadian GS and GT models are instantly comfortable (these equate to the same seats in the U.S. spec Sport, Touring and Grand Touring models) and offer loads of lateral support. If weekend track-days are your sole purpose in life, take a look at the R3 package. The Recaro seats in this model could probably be put into an F-16 fighter and still provide more than enough support for cornering forces. The downside is that if your posterior is large, or even larger than a supermodel's, the aggressive bolstering WILL cut into your thighs and back. After 30,000km I can say that the cloth seats in my GS are more than comfortable for long trips. In fact, except for (frequent) stops for fuel I was able to drive in one day from Calgary Alberta to Vancouver British Columbia without once loosing feeling in my rump. The standard leather seats felt exactly the same in the showroom and on a one-hour test drive, however I will always buy cloth as I find leather to be too slippery for my liking when I'm autocrossing.
All of the essential driving controls in the car are located EXACTLY where they should be. The orientation of the parking-brake handle seems strange for people coming from luxury cars and SUVs as it always appears to be engaged, but the elevated handle location makes it extremely easy to grab while driving. Not that I condone the type of driving that utilizes the E-brake on public highways. It is the little concessions to performance driving like this that really set the car apart. The steering wheel is an ergonomic marvel. No matter what size your hands are or where they find themselves on the wheel it always feels grippy, substantial and perfectly balanced. The electronic power steering decreases its involvement as the speeds increase giving the RX-8 a race-car like steering feel while remaining easy to maneuver while you are meandering your way between shopping carts. The shifter is nothing short of perfection. The diminutive little knob fits into your hand better than a Coors Light on a hot day. Shift action is solid and feedback is precise. In fact, I find myself rowing up and down the gears just so I can feel the tight little "snick" that occurs when I shift. The clutch takes some getting used to as it's engagement is near the top of the pedal's travel but this makes high-speed shifting a breeze as you don't need to push the clutch all the way to the floor to execute a good down-shift.
The dash materials are not BMW or Lexus grade, but they are significantly better than the econo-box interiors of the Subaru STi and the Evo X, both of which sell for a higher price. In fact, the interior of the RX-8 shames the 350Z in almost every regard. Fit and finish seems good, but the use of hard plastic in the center part of the dash is still sort of perplexing. The door panels could also be a bit more solid however this could be a concession to weight savings rather than a cost-cutting measure. Once you get used to the sound the door makes when it closes the complaint of not having a solid door latching system will disappear. I have never encountered a clamshell type door system that is as quiet and leak-proof as the one in the RX-8 granted all of the other vehicles I have seen with this type of door were either Pick-Up trucks or ...groan... Saturns.
Despite everything else though, the view out the front window is the number one reason for falling in love with this car. The fenders flare up on either side of your field of vision giving the impression of riding in an Indy car and the central bulge in the hood blends perfectly with the dashboard. The net effect is a car that feels lower, wider and more aggressive than it really is.
Exterior
This is probably the most contentious aspect of the car's aesthetics. It is unique in every way. The belt line of the car does not rise towards a large rear end like the 350Z, and the rear-window seems to resemble a miniature observatory opening. Personally I think these design cues work well but others may not. The front of the car is longish with short overhangs that remind me of a 1960's roadster and the fender flares indicate that this car mean's business in the twisties. The headlights are sharp and aggressive and the optional Xenon lights provide more light than you can ever hope for. The choice of halogen high-beams is nice as I find Bi-Xenon lights don't provide the smooth transition in light offered by reflectors even when used in their hi-beam configuration.
The tail lights have amber turn signals up to 2008 but in 2009 they switch to red. As a motorcyclist I despise red on red turn signals as they can be hard to tell from intermittent brake use. However the lights are bright and are generally easy to see.
The wheels are where Mazda shines. Though the R3 package has the nicest looking wheels I have ever seen on a factory car, all of the RX-8 wheel options make the racer in me drool. At just 20.1 pounds each the 18 inch aluminum wheels are hard to match in the aftermarket in terms of performance. The 8 inch wide wheels also facilitate the installation of 245 section tires on all four corners.
Driving
This is where the car will sell even the most jaded of buyers. It's stiff, but smooth. By this I mean that the car tells you what is going on beneath your tires without SHOUTING the information in your ear. Cracks and bumps in the road are noticeable but they don't rattle your teeth out of your head. Body roll is limited but still more pronounced than say a 350Z. Turn-in isn't S2000 or Miata sharp probably due to the long wheelbase of the car but the stability and on-the-edge adjustability mid-corner let me carry more speed even in tight-slow corners than I would have expected. All in all, I can safely say that this car is a highway cruising machine if it wasn't for the terrible gas mileage. Yes the horror stories are accurate. This car does drink premium gasoline at a prodigious rate traditionally reserved for trucks and SUVs.
On the highway the factory Bridgestone tires tramline more than I liked. However switching to General Exclaim UHP's seemed to solve the problem while also providing me with more grip than I expected and way more grip than the stock tires. The ride also became a little less bouncy with these tires in a car that could have never been described as bouncy.
Aside from the handling, the car does feel underpowered when compared to its competition. That is most likely because it is. It lacks low-end grunt and doesn't ever seem to pull HARD even right up to redline. If you have ridden a 600cc sportbike you know what this car feels like to drive. That being said, just like a 600cc bike this car is actually much faster than it feels. The tall first gear gets you moving in a hurry and the close-ratios after that keep the rotory in near-turbine high RPMs. The power delivery lends itself perfectly to the handling characteristics of the car.
Conclusion
This car is not for the power-hungry or the image-conscious buyer. It is an excellent weekend track toy that even pretends to be practical (Honey! I swear I bought a sedan, I don't know what happened to the back doors! They must have put them on backwards.). If you are not TOO concerned about gas prices then this car is an excellent road-trip machine for two or even three people.
Take it to the track, or a nice tight canyon road and enjoy the surprise-free handling. Then take it down your local bar-street and revel in its understated beauty from the patio. No matter how old the basic shape of the car becomes it still never ceases to amaze me how many people I catch looking at it as they walk by or as they pass me on the road.
If you like this car, you will love it forever. If you like the way it looks but long for testosterone filled excitement then go for the Nissan or Ford Mustang GT. Personally I couldn't imagine having a different car in my garage.
