Like many, I find myself living in a day in age where there is a completely new genre of crossbred, unlabeled vehicles out there. The line between SUVs and Minivans are starting to blur rather drastically, whilst other categories such as sedans and sporty coupes aim their crosshairs on needlessly excessive amounts of horsepower surpassing the already extensive 300 mark. Aside from some elegantly detailed and designed luxury imports, it seems so that transportation continues to lose its appreciation for quality ride, comfort and just overall drivability. That being said, searching for a sporty car can seem like an endless sea of confusion. The key is to know what you’re looking for BEFORE you set out instead of being swept by the wayside of all of the gadgets and toys found on newer vehicles. In my personal search for a car, I’d been looking for the practicality of a 4-door, but not by sacrificing such important factors as ride, comfort and of course exterior design. Still living single for a short while, I didn’t need anything that could haul the Partridge family around, but would at least like a back seat that didn’t require contorting the whole car to get to. I’d narrowed my search down to the typical in the genre, which included the 350z, G35, RX-8, and also the WRX STi.
Immediately after doing light research, the 350z was knocked out for the logical reason that it didn’t even have a back seat…period. As if that wasn’t reason enough to stay away from it, peer reviews seemed to reverberate a harsh ride and limited practicality of the space available. The appeal of the WRX STi was quite simple really𠢴HP, AWD and 4 doors. Sounded like everything I was after, but I didn’t find its ergonomics to quite be on mark with my personal preference. Secondly, at 24 years old, the appeal of burning rubber for fun has just started to lose it's meaning. It’s boy-toyish rally looks certainly didn’t seem as sleek as I’d hoped, and the spoiler…functional as it be…was downright ugly. The car just seemed to pale in my eyes, and the targeted age group, tag-teemed with its not-so surprisingly high price and limited availability made for another elimination, even if thought provoking. Next came the Infiniti G35, which I found to be a very worthy competitor for my attention. Exquisitely defined and gorgeous interior was rather sweeping, and the exterior didn’t scream out obnoxiously. Price seemed a little steep, and I found that the back seat didn’t provide much more headroom then the back of my Ford Probe. A worthy opponent, but still lacking the suaveness that I’d been looking for in a sports coupe. The G35 was very nice, but it didn’t have me running back to the dealership out of excitement. That as well as the deeper pocket it required had me sadly signing off on another possible choice.
Lastly, as I’m sure 99% of you are looking for, was the RX-8. A very sporty car that looks almost double its value for those that have never seen one, nor know of its genre. Even I was rather surprised by the MSRP for all that it entailed. Didn’t take me long thereafter to take one out for a spin, and as with most RX-8 owners, the smooth-revving rotary engine may have well have offered me the X on the line right there. The car doesn’t come without drawbacks, which will be discussed further throughout the review. This review is being written by an actual owner who has put almost 1000 miles on the odometer of the car in short of about a month. Before I dig into the review, I’d like to give everyone a feel of who I am and my experience. I’m 24 years old, single and have owned everything from a 78HP 1985 Honda civic to a 305HP 1997 Mustang Cobra. I consider myself to be a car enthusiast on every level, and as you’ll find out, take note of almost every detail. Without further ado, the 2005 Mazda RX-8:
Appearance
Outside
Easily the part of the car that drew me in was the exterior. The contours of the car seem so sleek that it just flows when you look at it without any jagged or rough edges. From the outside alone, you can tell that the car takes much pride in it’s rotary decent. Planted in the lower aspect of the front and rear bumpers is a rotary shaped accent, as well as a hood that clearly signifies its uniqueness with a large triangular rotary shaped bulging emblem on the upper portion. The cues used to widen the stance of the RX-8 from it’s predecessor (RX-7) required that the car make the wheel wells slightly bubbled out. The Grand Touring edition that I purchased came with 18” alloy wheels, which really compliment the car gorgeously and fill the wheel wells perfectly. The rear doors have no external handles, which make is look flush, almost like an extension of a longer 2-door coupe. The optional sunroof really gives it a sporty look, rather it be just tilted or fully opened and slid back. Many other factors and aspects of the exterior make the car’s appeal more intriguing, although I’m sure most could tell this by looking at it, hence why I won’t try to feed your mind with what your eyes do best! Take a look…you’ll notice the styling cues to resemble numerous other cars, such as inspirations of the Vette, Viper and it’s older brother, the RX-7.
Inside
To my surprise, I found the interior of this car to be almost as gorgeous, if not MORE beautiful then the outside of the car. For a sports car, it usually seems that ergonomics of designing comes second rate to the performance and exterior, but not so with the 8. The leather wrapped front seats provided an unprecedented comfort level for a car that looked so small on the outside. The front seats also offered lumbar support controls to inflate the lower back portion of your seat. Upper back support was amazing compared to other sport coupes I’ve owned, making longer rides just as comfortable. While the seats were very comfortable, models that came with a sunroof will find almost 2 full inches of headroom robbed when compared to a base model, making the roof awfully low for anyone bordering 6’. Reclining the seat a hair and toying around with the different angles of the 8-way power seat yielded good results though, at least enough to be sufficient for me. After checking out the front seat, I opened the inside latch to release the rear door and was rather astounded to find that I could sit straight up in the backseat with my head barely below the ceiling! For someone who’s 6ֵ”, this is a VERY impressive feat for a sports car! Even after sliding the front seat back, I found the legroom to be adequate, although not excessive by any means. Comfortable enough to haul a few full-grown buds around town, but not likely to be a good choice for a 4-person vacation across the US. Anyone smaller then mid-sized children will find the back seat to be just as settling, if not nicer then your average sedan.
A full-length armrest/console shoots all the way from the front to the back, giving tons of storage space and 4 cup holders (2 in front, 2 in back). As with most cup holders in manual cars, the front 2 are almost useless when driving, so the rear 2 are an excellent addition if only 2 people are on board. The console is there due to the “tunnel” through which the transmission and drivetrain travel down, which most would never have guessed until told so. A bulge on the front passenger side of the foot area may appear strange and a lil annoying, although it's actually part of the transmission which they managed to cram into such a small space. Although leather wasn’t standard for the RX-8, Anyone with any of the touring models, rather is be the touring or grand touring models will find themselves pampered. The heated seats also work nicely on those cold days, although the lack of a temperature control is oddly bizarre. The steering wheel has both stereo and cruise controls at your fingertips, and makes for a very useful addition. The wheel itself tilts, but the absence of a telescoping option remains to be mysterious, which again makes for some awkwardness for taller drivers whom are likely to already be reclined back due to a lower roof. As far as safety goes, you’ll find yourself feeling rather safe when looking around at the SRS symbols on almost every panel from the front seat of the car. The car provides dual front airbags, as well as side and side upper (running down the side headliner) airbags, making for an amazing total of 6 airbags. Despite the smaller, sporty interior, and lack of a B-pillar (the pillar that normally separates the front door from the rear) the RX-8 did manage to drive away with a 5-star ratings on both passenger side front air-bag and rollover resistance. 4-star ratings were given to driver side front air bag as well as both side impacts.
The interior of the RX-8 was rather pleasing to me, and offered an elegant, exquisite feeling that you rarely see in sports cars in this price range. The interior looked so nice that I found it hard to determine when it really needed shined up, because of it’s lasting luster, which somehow manage to stay amidst all the dust forming. My 8 came with the package exclusive Bose 300 watt sound system, alongside with the optional 6-disc changer. Being somewhat of an audiophile myself, I found the Bose system to be a bit of a disappointment at mid-to-high volumes. As with most Bose products, the system sounds very rich at lower volumes, but fails to produce even acceptable amounts of bass at higher volumes. Despite the component speaker system with separate high, mid and low speakers, the system would distort when pushed at more then ½ volume. Instrumental, opera and lighter music sounded gorgeous on the Bose, but anything more then alternative to rock disappointingly looses lots of character due to the limited bass and inaccurate sound reproduction. The audio system comes with the typical bass, treble, fade, balance options, as well as a peculiar option called Audiopilot. In theory, it supposedly would adjust the volume in conjunction to outside noises, which normally might make the sound harder to hear. Once more, I found this option to be kinda tacky, and haven’t yet heard it work in my favor…but instead find myself turning the radio down lower and lower because it keeps getting louder, even when I’m not moving or hearing any external noise. (?) The casing of the CD player is not easily removable, which can be looked at as a double-edged sword. Theft may be deterred, but replacement of the stock system takes a faceplate that replaces everything including the climate controls, and runs just over $400 for the kit. The multi-display LCD is very nice, and utilizes a cool-orange color to do so. Info such as time, temperature, CD/track/station, and climate controls are all shown simultaneously. The CD player does support burnt CDs, which came as an unexpected surprise as well. To the extent of my knowledge, the player does NOT play MP3 discs, nor does it have an external input for MP3 players, such as an iPod. Climate controls are very simple to understand, with a button (as opposed to a knob) to switch between modes, and 2 twist dials for temperature and fan speed. Some have complained that the 8 isn’t able to keep the interior cool enough on a very hot day, although I’ve just to experience any problems with it.
Initially, visibility from inside of the car seemed to be very limited when compared to my Probe and Cobra. With the rear windows being about the size of one of a space shuttle, you learn to offset this handicap by utilizing all 3 mirrors in compensation for the lowered visibility. Quick looks back do still yield visibility, just not as much as I was used to. One look at the rear window would help you to understand the reason for this limited visibility. However, I must say that for the size of the window, it does provide more of a view then you’d imagine. The driving cluster consisted of 3 deep inlay circular gauges that provide 3 different lighting schemes depending on the situation. A dark blue lighting overlooks the gauges before the key is inserted. Once the car is on, the gauges give you the option of an excessively bright white or a cooler reddish-orange glow. I’ve found the white lighting to almost be impossible to use at night, although it supplies perfect lighting for daytime driving. Also somewhat controversial is the addition of a digital speedometer as opposed to the regular analog (needle) type. In my personal opinion, I didn’t care much for the digital initially, but it really has grown on to me more recently. While it is a quick registering digital speedometer, during full acceleration it’s normal to see it jump anywhere between 3-5 numbers at a time. Personal preference rules supreme here, so it’s really something you have to try first hand. Also as a packaged option, the sunroof is a very nice addition to the car. It comes with 2 buttons; one to tilt and one to tilt all the way up then slide back (one touch auto-open). I’ve found the tilt button to be rather cumbersome, as it barely even cracks the sunroof. However it’s quickly forgiven since you can stop the open-and-slide back function at any point to get more tilt if you’d like. Closing the sunroof requires you to hold the button down until it is closed to your point of choice. Trunk space really surprised me for the size of the car and the back seat, so I couldn’t complain there. However, very oddly, the RX-8 does NOT come standard with a spare tire. Instead, a fix-a-flat kit is neatly nestled away in the corner of the trunk. The spare tire kit can be purchased and installed for an added $400.
Engine Bay
Pop the hood, and you’ve got yourself a first hand look at an engine that is like no other…literally. The engine itself lies deep in the back of the engine bay, which account for the pert-near 50/50 weight distribution. The engine is covered by a “Renesis” titled plastic cover, which lifts off with little effort. The layout of the car is rather different then any other car, mostly because of the engine placement. The battery is located almost directly in front, as well as the air box and fuses. Although the bay initially looks full, you quickly discover that most of it is plastic covers that just enhance the look. From the small amount you were able to see, the wiring seemed very clean, and kept in logical patterns. When changing the oil, the oil filter could have been placed in a slightly better and easier to reach place, making it a little of a hassle to get to. One major bicker that most RX-8 owners will tell of is the placement and size of the dipstick. For those whole don’t know, since the rotary engine has no pistons, the engine is designed to actually consume oil in minute increments. This is completely normal, which make for frequent oil checks (every 2 fuel fill-ups is recommended). The dipstick, first off, is rather short. It is recessed a little less then a foot under the cover and top of the engine components. Its location and length really do make you question the design, especially if checking it at night, which is nearly impossible without an exterior light.
Engine Stats
Digging into the Renesis details deeper, you’ll find out what makes it so unique. The RX-8 is powered by a 1.3L, dual-rotor, 6-port “wankel” engine. The engine name Renesis derived simply by combining the words Rotary + gENESIS, which according to Mazda means “birth of the new rotary engine”. Differing extensively then a commercial-standard piston engine, the rotary engine makes it’s power in a completely different way, thus making it function differently then any other type of car. (Check out the http://auto.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine.htm article on how a rotary looks and functions…very cool). Rotary engines have been around since the late 50’s, and were created by a one, Felix Wankel, hence the name of the engine. Rather then using pistons, which violently change directions thousands of times per minute, the rotary engine is built off of the principle of using momentum to your advantage, and keeping the rotor spinning in one constant direction. The 4 cycles that normally take place in each piston chamber every 2 strokes is replaced by 1 full rotation off the rotor in its own chamber. The result is an ultimately smooth rev, topped off with an unbelievably high redline. However, as with any type of unique engine, everything comes with its price. Only specifically certified people should work on the rotary engine, often times sending you back to the dealership for repairs, which sound to be rather extensive and pricey very easily. Because of the nature of the rotary engine, power is also dispersed differently then any other type of engine.
At the flywheel, the RX-8 is rated at an exciting 238 horsepower, while it is closer to about 180-200 horsepower at the wheel. However, the car really starts to shine when looking as the ultra-high redline @ 9000 RPM. Rotaries are known to be fluent all the way up to redlines, giving them a rather rev-happy attitude. The downfall to the rotary is that torque often times is minimal. The manual version of the car only makes 159 ft-lbs of torque @ 5500 RPMs, translating into very little excitement until you get it above at least 4500 RPMs. The car is also available in an automatic version, although you lose a good amount of HP because of converter limits, putting you down to 197 HP and upping the torque slightly to 164. The RX-8 comes standard with a 6-speed manual, which can be very exciting to drive. The stock shifter is a short-throw shifter, making for some of the shortest shifts I’ve ever seen on a stock car. The transmission shifts very smoothly, although a well-known “ka-chunk” sound is always heard in the 1-2 shift. Nothing wrong with it, it’s just by nature of the transmission they’ve used. Shifts must be quick though, as lolly gagging around in neutral will leave you either rev matching or wearing the clutch much quicker then anticipated. The clutch is very light, and sensitive to very little movement. Clean and crisp, it makes for a very pleasant ride when working in conjunction with the smoothness of the shifter and transmission.
As mentioned, the 8 doesn’t really wake up until the mid-4K range, but is still acceptably drivable under that. Anything less then 1500 RPMs will be almost a nuisance, and hence average cruising stays between the 2-3K RPM range. The short-headed gears reassure you that you’re going to run through all the gears rather quickly, sitting you in 6th gear before you know it. In fact, the gears are so short that at 70MPH in 6th, you’re looking at a cruising RPM of almost 3600. Waking the rotary up is very easy to do, but requires you run it up into the 6K + range to start to feel a steady pull all the way up to redline. Speaking there-of, redline is interestingly teamed up with a beep that sounds when you’ve reached limit, warning you to shift or get off the gas. Fuel-cutoff is reached at 9500 RPMs. Unlike cars that have a specific “powerband”, the rotary is unique in that is doesn’t necessarily have any point at which it jolts more power…just a steady flow of power that gradually get stronger and stronger.
Another factor not to be overlooked is gas mileage. While Mazda claims the car to get 18/city and 24/highway, results have varied…and very much so. Some claim averages of mixed driving to be around 16, while some have went as low as the 12-14. My personal experiences have not yielded less then 19/city and no more then 21/highway. All of my city driving has been very light though, and considering that I am still in the process of engine break-in, my results may not be very reliable for a good solid average. The car doesn’t REQUIRE premium fuel although it is recommended. Some have found regular unleaded gases to lead to pinging while others have yet to have any problems with it. Obviously, with the elevated gas prices today, only a handful of people would be willing to buy premium on regular occasion. The engine purrs beautifully when started up, and sounds somewhat like a sewing machine at lower RPMs. No sudden drops or unsteady idling is noted as of now, making the engine completely solid.
Performance/Ride Quality
As for road stats, completely stock, the RX-8 runs 14.9 @ 95 MPH in the ¼ and 5.9 seconds 0-60. However, those results are based on dropping the clutch @ 8000 RPMs according to Car&Driver. A more realistic time without destroying your clutch would be closer to that of mid-15s in the ¼ and around high 6’s for the 0-60. One of the packaged options for the 8 is DSC, standing for Dynamic Stability Control. This entails both traction control as well as stability control. The aids have proven to be very useful, and provide excellent traction in suboptimal conditions. However, due to the low profile tires and low ride, the car is not very good at all with snow. Even those that have changed out to snow tires complain of ridiculous tire-spin and traction issues. The RX-8 claims to have a governor, although with everything being stock, drag will prove to be more of a challenge then power. Claiming a top speed of 148, I’d doubt that it would have much left after 130 or so. At highway speeds, the car glides like a knife through butter, and makes for a very pleasant experience. Braking has to be one of the highest points for the car, with the car registering an unbelievable 110 feet in the 60-0 test, putting it smack-dab in the middle of Porsche braking/handling. Partially due to its light 3000lb curb weight, the car breaks and corners like a racecar, and make the twisties more fun then straightaway acceleration. The other reason for the 8’s amazing handling would be the aforementioned 50/50 weight distribution, making it amazingly nimble around any turn at some of the most unreasonable speeds. Also, due to the low torque numbers, the tail isn’t very likely to kick out from behind you when cornering at higher speeds, giving you an unprecedented amount of control and response from the steering. All RX-8’s come with ABS, however I’ve yet to use it, so I’m not really able to comment on that aspect at this time.
Not to be forgotten would the in infamous flood issues that plagued some of the first RX-8s on the market. Due to problems with the air/fuel intake and mixture, once the car is started, it is supposed to be left on NO shorter then 5 minutes, or until the temperature needle reads right in the middle of the gauge. Failure to follow this forewarning from both the manual and me will possibly lead to flooding the engine. The manual lists the procedure of what to do in such an instance, so panicking really isn’t called for. Mazda claims the issue to have been resolved with a TSB change of plugs, although the warm-up procedure is still recommended. Not so much a big deal, just more devotion to the car’s minor details.
Options
The 2005 RX-8 has a large number of options and packages available. Some of those include: 18-inch 5-spoke alloy wheels, Limited-slip differential, 4-wheel discs w/ ABS and DSC, Sport-tuned suspension, Multi-colored leather, Shinka Pkg, Grand Touring Pkg, Touring Pkg, Sport Pkg, Appearance Pkg, Rotary Accent Pkg, Navigation System, Spare Tire Kit, Spoiler, Side Fender Strakes, Cassette Player, Whitewater Pearl Mica Paint, Front/Rear Splash Guards, Door Edge Guards, Cargo Organizer, All-Weather Floor Mats, Alarm Shock Sensor Upgrade, Moonroof Wind Deflector, Cargo Net, Leather-trimmed upholstery, 8-way power driver's seat w/ lumbar, Bose® audio system, Heated front seats & mirrors, Power sliding-glass moonroof, Front air dam, Side and Rear Flares
Prices
Last month I purchased my brand new 2005 RX-8 for $25,700 from a Reineke Mazda (before taxes, title or extended warranty). Original MSRP was listed at $32,500, but making way for the 2006s and soon to be 2007s has forced them to clear out 2005s for outrageously unbelievable deals. As of current day (June 8th, 2006), new 2005’s can easily be found fully loaded in the mid-high 20’s, while MSRP'd for mid 30s! The listed base MSRP for the 2005 RX-8 is posted as $26,875, while options and packages can up that number in a mighty hurry. Addition of the Grand Touring Package adds and instant $4,250 and navigation…as cool as it may be, tallies on a pretty $2K. Production number for the RX-8 continues to be in rather low volume, making the car somewhat of an exclusive car, which also seems to keep overpopulating to a minimum.
Lastly, you have the dreaded insurance. Much to my surprise, I found the car to register right in the middle of the chart. Because of it’s small engine size (1.3L) teamed with its 4 doors, most insurance companies do NOT consider the car to be a sports car, and offer very reasonable premiums. On an insurance scale used by Webb insurance company, the RX-8 rates at a 20. So what does that mean? Well, my 1997 Mustang Cobra checks in at a 26, Ford Probe at 16, and my 1993 Toyota Camry rates an 8. Seemingly, it’s significantly lower then other sporty cars in its price range…primarily because of its unique features which don’t scream sports car on paper. Rates for an average person could range anywhere between $500-2000 a year, obviously depending highly on incident record and age. Annual fuel cost is estimated to be just above $2300 under normal driving on premium fuel (assuming 15,000 miles @ $3.09 a gallon). With the gas mileage teamed with premium fuel, it becomes rather apparent that this car isn’t going to be for everyone.
Repairs
Generally speaking, the rotary engine is a very reliable engine. A lot of this is due to the fact that the Renesis only has 3 moving parts; the 2 rotors and the crankshaft. Even the simplest of V6’s are comprised of more then 80 moving parts, such as valve springs, pistons, connectors, etc. However, because of the uniqueness of the rotary engine, repairs for serious engine work can very quickly rise at an exponentially fast rate. Factory warranty covers bumper-to-bumper for 4 years/50K miles. Offers for extended warranties should not be tossed out of mind too quickly, as they could more then pay themselves twice over with ONE visit down the line. Also, because of it’s highly sophisticated and unique engine, many shops simply will not work on it, and honestly should not be trusted with them unless certifiably trained on them. This spells out one choice in the end…dealer work only. As we all know, that never means very cheap work either. As a general rule of thumb, engine repairs can be expected to be around 2x as expensive as most other cars.
Overview
By this time, you should have definitely drawn some obvious absolutes. First off, the RX-8 is NOT for everyone. The car’s meticulous maintenance needs and schedule require owners to care for it with more then just a have-to-do-it, dragging your feet attitude. The car would best suit any enthusiast who looks at it not only as a mode of transportation, but as a unique, sophisticated sporty coupe descendant that it’s been birthed into. Its lower HP ratings among it’s genre very quickly gets tossed wayside once you take it out and just enjoy all of the fun it entails. There is a certain factor that just can’t be expressed in words about the car. The only thing I could possibly suggest is stopping by a local dealership and taking a spin. You’ll immediately feel the unspoken “zoom zoom” that I speak of. The car speaks for itself, and very quickly becomes apparent why Mazda has decided to invest so much time and money into such a unique marvel that no one else can touch. The RX-8 does Felix Wankel’s rotary engine proud.
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