[PTA Slowchat] Mazda RX8 @ 238BHP

[PTA Slowchat] Mazda RX8 @ 238BHP

Affordable sports car fun for the family man? Nauman Farooq finds out.

All too many people have had to sacrifice their sports cars in the name of practicality. The requirement to carry four people and their luggage is largely incompatible with the whims of roof off motoring for two.

In the past, the solution was a sports saloon. Well now, Mazda has a better solution in the form of the new RX8. It's billed as a sports car that can accommodate your family. In addition to the two conventional doors, this RX8 has two rearward opening doors (also known as suicide doors).


Once opened, you are greeted with a very modern, high-tech interior which is deceptively spacious. Unlike most 2+2's which have rear seats suitable only for hamsters, the RX8 can carry four 6ft tall adults. And also, unlike many sportscars, this one can carry (almost) all of your luggage too.

Rotary Power
That's a good start, but more important is the news that you'll be able to get your destination at a healty pace too, courtesy of the latest development of Mazda's rotary engine, this time called the Renesis.

This 1.3 litre, twin bank, rotary engine is a mechanical sensation, so no wonder it won the international engine of the year award earliar this year. Mazda has been dominant in the rotary engine world since the sixties and remains true to the cause with the RX8.

In the RX8, that 1.3 rotary unit develops a useful 238bhp without forced induction devices like a turbo or a supercharger.



Couple that with a car that weights 1384 kg, driving the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission and you'll get some idea of its capabilities. You can also opt for a 198bhp set up with a four-speed SportShift automatic gearbox that has manual gearshift buttons located on the steering wheel. This system allows you to change gears like a manual car when you want to have some fun, but behaves like a regular automatic when you're in the mood to just take it easy. The UK however will get a five-speed manual gearbox for the lower horsepower model.

Inside
The interior is a great place to just take things easy. It is very spacious, and the seats have been especially formed to not only provide maximum comfort to the driver, but also create ample room for the rear seat passengers to place their knees. The centre console is a work of technological art, and so is the instrument binnacle, with the tachometer taking center stage, and the digital speedometer resting inside the tach. You can also opt for a navigation system.


Downsides?
Annoyingly you have to keep an eye on the oil level on a very regular basis. Rotary engines have never been good in oil consumption, and sadly neither is this. So, according to the owner's manual, every 500 miles, you have to open the bonnet and reach for the dipstick, which is two miles down in the engine bay. It's also worth noting that this engine produces a lot of heat. Its not overheating according to its temperature gauge, it just generates more heat than a regular engine, but what do you expect from a 1.3 litre engine that works its way to 9000 rpm!


Ben maar ff zo brutaal geweest

[ Bericht 1% gewijzigd door dnzl op 23-08-2004 10:35:43 ]

Al vindt ik het jammer van die 2 extra deuren die dan ook nog eens suicide open gaan, gewoon om 'anders' te zijn, weet je wel

quote:

Op maandag 23 augustus 2004 10:22 schreef BazzoS het volgende:

[..]

Als je remmen het niet doen, doe je gewoon die achterste 2 deurtjes open

RX7 zou best wel minder betrouwbaar zijn, maar ik vindt 'm een stuk stoerder. RX8 is wat te commercieel wat design betreft, RX7 wat uitgesprokener