An Rx for fun
Mazda prescribes rotary power for its revvy RX-8

Sometimes when presented with a new concept in automotive design I have to stop, pause, and take a long second look. Mazda's new for 2004 RX-8 not only required a pause, but some pondering too.

I've enjoyed driving Mazda sports cars since my first time at the wheel of the light, nimble and quick, rotary-engined RX-7 of the late 1970s. And I recently had a chance to step even further back into Mazda's sporting history with a couple of hours at the wheel of a Cosmo - the original rotary-engined 2-seater of the late 1960s.

But all of these, right up to the last RX-7 of the 1990s - their rotary engines and a few other clever odds and ends aside - were fairly conventional 2-door, 2- and 2+2-seaters. The RX-8 is a little different with its pair of rear-hinged half doors that provide access to a rear compartment that can actually hold two adults in quite reasonable room and comfort.

So what is this thing, I asked myself. A sports car, a grand touring car, a coupe or some kind of new-age sedan? Mazda doesn't help with its statement of design goals, which set it on a path to build a vehicle with "sports car values that assure driving pleasure" and "practicality and functionality to accommodate four occupants."

In my time with the RX-8 I managed to experience pretty much all aspects of its character, on the road and the race track.

I put more than 500 kilometres on the RX-8's odometer. I drove it around town and on the highway, took two friends on a Sunday afternoon tour, and my wife and I put it through its paces as a grocery getter and daily chore performer. It tackled all these tasks in exemplary fashion.

The RX-8 is smooth and quiet on the highway, roomy enough in the rear that my passengers didn't feel hard done by and easy to drive around town. And with those rear doors that allow easy back seat access for tossing in small items, plus the area under the hatch to handle larger bits and pieces (290 litres), it's quite practical too.

It's also easy enough to get in and out of. Although the door pull is a bit of a reach when the door is wide open, and you have to be a little careful not to bang your head. And, of course, it looks good and is great fun to drive. All the things a modern coupe or small sedan should be.

The rear doors make getting into the rear compartment quite easy. It is admittedly a little confining back there (a full console runs between the seats) and visibility is at a bit of a premium, but the seats are comfortable and it's livable, at least for an hour or two. Headroom is good front and rear, thanks to the elongated roofline.

A large analogue tach dominates the centre of the instrument cluster, with a digital speedometer readout in its lower right quadrant. I would have preferred an analogue speedo. Our silver car's black leather interior (including the wheel, which has audio and cruise controls in its hub) with saddle brown inserts looked really good, and the seats are both comfortable and supportive.

To sample the more sporting side of its character I managed to get in some lapping at the Shannonville racing circuit, which revealed that the sporting character I'd enjoyed on the street was capable of being stretched to quite high limits when let loose on the track. The rotary engine revs with the smoothness and willingness of all these Mazda engines dating back to the 1960s, giving the impression it will just spin on forever in each gear - which, with a rev-limiter that cuts in at about 9,000 rpm, it just about does. It's not ungodly fast, with "only" 238 hp available, but most will find it more than quick enough to be exciting.

The engine is a very compact, twin-rotor, naturally aspirated unit (nominal displacement is 1.3-litres) that produces its 238 hp at 8,500 rpm and 159 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 revs. The 6-speed manual gearbox shifts with a nice mechanical feel, through short and accurate throws.

My stopwatch showed a zero to 100 km/h acceleration time of 6.9 seconds. The 80 to 120 km/h sprint in third gear required just 5.4 seconds. Fourth took 7.1 seconds and fifth needed 9.6 seconds. As you can guess from the torque figures, and as seen by the fifth gear time, you need to use the gearbox to tap into the engine's high-revving performance capabilities. It's a car that requires you to be involved in its operation, as a good sports car should.

And with a price tag of $36,795 for the base model and $39,595 for the GT version, the RX-8 is a very good deal when compared to other cars offering similar levels of performance - most of them without similar levels of practicality.

Immediate competition:
Audi TT, Infiniti G35 Coupe, Mercedes-Benz C230 Coupe, Mitsubishi Eclipse