One More Ride Before The Triangles Stop Spinning
June 09, 2010 / By Scott Evans
RX has long been the designation of Mazda's Rotary-powered cars, but perhaps "enigma" would've been a more apt moniker. After six years on the road, the Mazda RX-8 continues to mystify the market and divide enthusiasts, and, as its end nears, we deemed it worthy of another look.
You see, in April, Mazda announced that it would end RX-8 sales in Europe after the 2010 model year, as the Renesis Rotary Engine would be unable to meet stricter Euro V emissions standards. Less than a month later we reported that Mazda is planning to drop the model in the U.S. following the 2011 model year for similar reasons, as CAFE standards continue to tighten.
Reader response to both articles was divided sharply -- you were with the RX-8, or you were against it. Critics derided its lofty price tag, lack of torque, mid-pack numbers, and incredible thirst for liquefied petroleum products. Supporters defended the car as a misunderstood marvel, a high-revving, ultra-handling, purebred sports car that must be driven and driven hard to be understood. So which is it?
Before we go any further, the numbers people are excused. If spec sheets turn you on and raw performance, handling, and other such numbers are the primary metric by which you judge a car, we have several articles right here at the top of the MotorTrend.com homepage featuring numbers cars that you may find more interesting. This is not a numbers car, nor is it a numbers story.
"In the purest sense of a sports car, the rear-drive RX-8 is the most satisfying through corners," opined professional wheel man and two-time Daytona 24-Hour winner Randy Pobst during our 2008 Best Handling Car comparison. "I felt like it was a glove on my hand. I could put it right where I wanted. Extremely well balanced, east to drift, unfettered by weight. It's just so much fun to drive."
After lapping all 10 cars around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Pobst ranked the RX-8 third overall, beating out performance mainstays including the Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911 Turbo and Dodge Viper ACR. We mostly agreed, ranking it fourth behind the Audi R8, BMW M3 and the GT-R. (Pobst had the same first- and second-place rankings.) We knew it would be controversial, and we explained it as such: "Big handling numbers are instructive and meaningful, but they often tell you nothing about the actual experience of driving a car, how it 'feels.'"
We grant, then, that the RX-8 is not a numbers car, but instead wins hearts and minds through subjective measures. When it's time to sign the paperwork, though, is it enough to justify the compromises? A proper road trip was in order.
My plan was to drive north from Los Angeles on Highway 1 until I hit Oxnard, then jump on Highway 101 long enough to get to Highway 33 just outside of Ventura. If you're a car enthusiast living in Southern California, you've heard of 33. It's an amazing road with almost no traffic, good pavement, and miles upon miles of corners. I'd then cut west on Highway 166 back to the 101 and follow it up to San Luis Obispo, where I'd veer off onto Highway 1 again and take that amazing piece of roadway up the Big Sur coast to Monterey and the American Le Mans Series race at Mazda Raceway.
The key element of that entire plan is the word "was." Leaving late, I decided to forgo the first leg on Highway 1, opting for the more direct route up Highway 405 and over on the 101. Half an hour into my drive, I blew the left rear tire. I have no idea what I hit, but it put a hole the size of a nickel in the tread. This is when I learned that not only does the RX-8 not have a spare, but it uses an odd tire that can be difficult to find and is priced accordingly. Thankfully, Aram Bedrosian and his crew at Star West Motors in Tarzana, CA, were able to track down a replacement and get me on my way. Except now I was another two-and-a-half hours behind schedule.
Undaunted, I struck out on Highway 33 with my fancy new tire. Sure, it would've been much faster to stay on Highway 101, but never has a completely unnecessary detour been worth the extra hour it added to a trip that would've already been six hours long without any shenanigans.
Roads like Highway 33 are where you learn to love the RX-8. Start by winding out the engine to its stratospheric 9000-rpm redline and working the crisp gearshift. You won't care at all about the zero-to-60 time or standing quarter-mile, because you'll be busy trying to figure out how 232 horsepower and 159 pound-feet of torque could feel so fast. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that third gear is good for 100 mph, and you still have three more. Or perhaps it's the sound those little spinning triangles make as you rapidly approach redline -- something akin to listening to an old Formula 1 car through a brick wall. Muted, but magnificent.
The real story, though, is in the handling. The word "illegal" scarcely does justice to the speeds the RX-8 will allow you to attain on your favorite canyon road. See that yellow warning sign suggesting a safe, reasonable speed at which to execute the next corner? Ignore it. The RX-8 will double it with nary a hint of protest from the Bridgestone Potenzas. Is it a bit sharper than you thought? No problem, just grenade the big brakes and the svelte 3000-pound car will scrub speed like a race car.
The RX-8 is, in a word, balanced. Yes, it could have more power, and truth be told, it wouldn't hurt. That single limitation, though, makes it that much easier to drive the car fast. Fear not power oversteer on corner exit, for it will not ruin your day. Rather, the RX-8 will hang the tail out calmly and linearly, and only if you're really trying. In fact, any such hysterics require a concerted effort. Really, the only way to upset the chassis is to completely mess up a corner, and even then the RX-8 remains poised with all losses to the grip coming in a measured, linear fashion.
This balance is the precursor to confidence. As you tackle turn after turn, your confidence grows substantially. The car has stability control, but you wouldn't know it unless you made an awfully big mistake -- it's that permissive. The steering, meanwhile, has incredible feel for an electric unit, but again, you don't really need it since all it's telling you is that the front tires are biting hard into the pavement and have no intention of letting go.
There is a price for this car's abilities, and you will pay it at the gas pump. As I reached the end of Highway 33 out in the countryside, my gas gauge was showing the pain I had inflicted on the car. Sure, I could've stopped in New Cuyama for gas, but then I'd have to pay nearly $4 per gallon for it. No, with less than a quarter-tank left, I was going the next 54 miles to Highway 101 in search of cheaper fuel.
And I made it. Sure, I had to drive 55 mph while the road, while the car and the cars behind me begged me to floor it. And sure, I had to draft a horse trailer toward the end and turn off all the accessories. Nevermind that I didn't know exactly where the next gas station was (my portable navi was in the trunk and I couldn't risk stopping to get it, or to relieve myself for that matter), or that the needle was squarely on the E 10 miles before I reached the gas station. I made it. Thanks to my hypermiling, the fuel economy for that tank of gas hit 16.8 mpg over 253 miles. Not terrible for a mix of freeway and canyon driving, but not stellar, and not the worst I would see. My trip up Highway 1 the next morning would return a pitiful 13.4 mpg on the next tank of gas, taking me just 190 miles. To be fair, though, the all-freeway trip home would see my average climb to 20.6 mpg at 70 mph.
This is where the numbers people who are still reading get to chime back in. Less than 21 mpg on the freeway? It may not be an apples-to-apples comparison, but when a 5.0-liter V-8 powered Ford Mustang gets slightly better EPA-estimated fuel economy with 412 horsepower on tap, the 1.3-liter 232-horsepower Rotary becomes a tougher sell at the same price point.
There are other compromises. There's the tire issue we covered earlier, as well as the value-per-dollar and fuel economy issues. Navigation is only available on the mid-range model and while the clamshell doors are nice, only those of average height or less will be using the back seats. The auxiliary input for the Bose stereo was useful, but its location at the back of the storage compartment below the center armrest made for an awkward reach, especially since you still have to work your iPod manually. And while we loved the Recaro seats and Bilstein dampeners on our R3 sport model, the pedals were disappointingly far apart, making heel-toe work difficult.
Enthusiasts will argue that Mazda made its compromises in the right places -- namely, to creature comforts rather than sporting credentials. From that perspective, they're absolutely right because the RX-8 drives like a sports car twice its already high price. Really, you could call this car a bargain-priced exotic. It has all the right credentials: exotic engine, supreme handling, quirky styling, odd eccentricities and some livability compromises.
Like an exotic, you have to want the RX-8. If you're a fan of muscle cars with big power and bigger straight-line speed, you've come to the wrong place. The RX-8 is a sports car and it must be appreciated for what it is, not what the competition is. It's not the easiest car to live with every day, but if you sought out this car to begin with, you won't care because it will absolutely be worth it.
This, of course, brings us back to Mazda's dilemma. The Rotary Engine isn't an especially efficient one, nor is it a particularly clean one, with a thirst for lubricating oil as well. We've reported that Mazda is already hard at work on a new Rotary Engine codenamed 16X, but is having trouble getting the proper combination of performance, efficiency, and emissions cleanliness necessary to bring it to market. As one senior Mazda engineer told me, the company is very proud of its heritage and hasn't forgotten that it was a Rotary Engine that propelled Mazda to what would be the only overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for a Japanese car company. On the other hand, another senior Mazda representative told me shortly thereafter that it hasn't been easy moving RX-8s off the lot, as the small company's limited marketing budget is forced to prioritize bread-and-butter vehicles like the Mazda3 and Mazda6 sedans and CX-7 and CX-9 crossovers, not niche models like the RX-8 and MX-5.
As we return the keys to Mazda, we do so with the knowledge that this could be the last Rotary-powered sports car we drive. Mazda has been tight-lipped about the car's future, but the picture is clear enough. The company was reportedly ready to shelve the project years ago if not for the insistence of its North American unit, but all the Rotary fans in the country can't make the engine meet its performance and efficiency goals. The love of "rice ball-shaped" rotors is strong at Mazda HQ, so we can only wait for the next RX-7's reported launch date of the 2013 calendar year and hope there are triangles under its hood.
Randy Pobst was right when he told us "the RX-8 feels like wings bolted right to your arms." We can only hope they aren't made of wax.
June 09, 2010 / By Scott Evans
RX has long been the designation of Mazda's Rotary-powered cars, but perhaps "enigma" would've been a more apt moniker. After six years on the road, the Mazda RX-8 continues to mystify the market and divide enthusiasts, and, as its end nears, we deemed it worthy of another look.
You see, in April, Mazda announced that it would end RX-8 sales in Europe after the 2010 model year, as the Renesis Rotary Engine would be unable to meet stricter Euro V emissions standards. Less than a month later we reported that Mazda is planning to drop the model in the U.S. following the 2011 model year for similar reasons, as CAFE standards continue to tighten.
Reader response to both articles was divided sharply -- you were with the RX-8, or you were against it. Critics derided its lofty price tag, lack of torque, mid-pack numbers, and incredible thirst for liquefied petroleum products. Supporters defended the car as a misunderstood marvel, a high-revving, ultra-handling, purebred sports car that must be driven and driven hard to be understood. So which is it?
Before we go any further, the numbers people are excused. If spec sheets turn you on and raw performance, handling, and other such numbers are the primary metric by which you judge a car, we have several articles right here at the top of the MotorTrend.com homepage featuring numbers cars that you may find more interesting. This is not a numbers car, nor is it a numbers story.
"In the purest sense of a sports car, the rear-drive RX-8 is the most satisfying through corners," opined professional wheel man and two-time Daytona 24-Hour winner Randy Pobst during our 2008 Best Handling Car comparison. "I felt like it was a glove on my hand. I could put it right where I wanted. Extremely well balanced, east to drift, unfettered by weight. It's just so much fun to drive."
After lapping all 10 cars around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Pobst ranked the RX-8 third overall, beating out performance mainstays including the Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911 Turbo and Dodge Viper ACR. We mostly agreed, ranking it fourth behind the Audi R8, BMW M3 and the GT-R. (Pobst had the same first- and second-place rankings.) We knew it would be controversial, and we explained it as such: "Big handling numbers are instructive and meaningful, but they often tell you nothing about the actual experience of driving a car, how it 'feels.'"
We grant, then, that the RX-8 is not a numbers car, but instead wins hearts and minds through subjective measures. When it's time to sign the paperwork, though, is it enough to justify the compromises? A proper road trip was in order.
My plan was to drive north from Los Angeles on Highway 1 until I hit Oxnard, then jump on Highway 101 long enough to get to Highway 33 just outside of Ventura. If you're a car enthusiast living in Southern California, you've heard of 33. It's an amazing road with almost no traffic, good pavement, and miles upon miles of corners. I'd then cut west on Highway 166 back to the 101 and follow it up to San Luis Obispo, where I'd veer off onto Highway 1 again and take that amazing piece of roadway up the Big Sur coast to Monterey and the American Le Mans Series race at Mazda Raceway.
The key element of that entire plan is the word "was." Leaving late, I decided to forgo the first leg on Highway 1, opting for the more direct route up Highway 405 and over on the 101. Half an hour into my drive, I blew the left rear tire. I have no idea what I hit, but it put a hole the size of a nickel in the tread. This is when I learned that not only does the RX-8 not have a spare, but it uses an odd tire that can be difficult to find and is priced accordingly. Thankfully, Aram Bedrosian and his crew at Star West Motors in Tarzana, CA, were able to track down a replacement and get me on my way. Except now I was another two-and-a-half hours behind schedule.
Undaunted, I struck out on Highway 33 with my fancy new tire. Sure, it would've been much faster to stay on Highway 101, but never has a completely unnecessary detour been worth the extra hour it added to a trip that would've already been six hours long without any shenanigans.
Roads like Highway 33 are where you learn to love the RX-8. Start by winding out the engine to its stratospheric 9000-rpm redline and working the crisp gearshift. You won't care at all about the zero-to-60 time or standing quarter-mile, because you'll be busy trying to figure out how 232 horsepower and 159 pound-feet of torque could feel so fast. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that third gear is good for 100 mph, and you still have three more. Or perhaps it's the sound those little spinning triangles make as you rapidly approach redline -- something akin to listening to an old Formula 1 car through a brick wall. Muted, but magnificent.
The real story, though, is in the handling. The word "illegal" scarcely does justice to the speeds the RX-8 will allow you to attain on your favorite canyon road. See that yellow warning sign suggesting a safe, reasonable speed at which to execute the next corner? Ignore it. The RX-8 will double it with nary a hint of protest from the Bridgestone Potenzas. Is it a bit sharper than you thought? No problem, just grenade the big brakes and the svelte 3000-pound car will scrub speed like a race car.
The RX-8 is, in a word, balanced. Yes, it could have more power, and truth be told, it wouldn't hurt. That single limitation, though, makes it that much easier to drive the car fast. Fear not power oversteer on corner exit, for it will not ruin your day. Rather, the RX-8 will hang the tail out calmly and linearly, and only if you're really trying. In fact, any such hysterics require a concerted effort. Really, the only way to upset the chassis is to completely mess up a corner, and even then the RX-8 remains poised with all losses to the grip coming in a measured, linear fashion.
This balance is the precursor to confidence. As you tackle turn after turn, your confidence grows substantially. The car has stability control, but you wouldn't know it unless you made an awfully big mistake -- it's that permissive. The steering, meanwhile, has incredible feel for an electric unit, but again, you don't really need it since all it's telling you is that the front tires are biting hard into the pavement and have no intention of letting go.
There is a price for this car's abilities, and you will pay it at the gas pump. As I reached the end of Highway 33 out in the countryside, my gas gauge was showing the pain I had inflicted on the car. Sure, I could've stopped in New Cuyama for gas, but then I'd have to pay nearly $4 per gallon for it. No, with less than a quarter-tank left, I was going the next 54 miles to Highway 101 in search of cheaper fuel.
And I made it. Sure, I had to drive 55 mph while the road, while the car and the cars behind me begged me to floor it. And sure, I had to draft a horse trailer toward the end and turn off all the accessories. Nevermind that I didn't know exactly where the next gas station was (my portable navi was in the trunk and I couldn't risk stopping to get it, or to relieve myself for that matter), or that the needle was squarely on the E 10 miles before I reached the gas station. I made it. Thanks to my hypermiling, the fuel economy for that tank of gas hit 16.8 mpg over 253 miles. Not terrible for a mix of freeway and canyon driving, but not stellar, and not the worst I would see. My trip up Highway 1 the next morning would return a pitiful 13.4 mpg on the next tank of gas, taking me just 190 miles. To be fair, though, the all-freeway trip home would see my average climb to 20.6 mpg at 70 mph.
This is where the numbers people who are still reading get to chime back in. Less than 21 mpg on the freeway? It may not be an apples-to-apples comparison, but when a 5.0-liter V-8 powered Ford Mustang gets slightly better EPA-estimated fuel economy with 412 horsepower on tap, the 1.3-liter 232-horsepower Rotary becomes a tougher sell at the same price point.
There are other compromises. There's the tire issue we covered earlier, as well as the value-per-dollar and fuel economy issues. Navigation is only available on the mid-range model and while the clamshell doors are nice, only those of average height or less will be using the back seats. The auxiliary input for the Bose stereo was useful, but its location at the back of the storage compartment below the center armrest made for an awkward reach, especially since you still have to work your iPod manually. And while we loved the Recaro seats and Bilstein dampeners on our R3 sport model, the pedals were disappointingly far apart, making heel-toe work difficult.
Enthusiasts will argue that Mazda made its compromises in the right places -- namely, to creature comforts rather than sporting credentials. From that perspective, they're absolutely right because the RX-8 drives like a sports car twice its already high price. Really, you could call this car a bargain-priced exotic. It has all the right credentials: exotic engine, supreme handling, quirky styling, odd eccentricities and some livability compromises.
Like an exotic, you have to want the RX-8. If you're a fan of muscle cars with big power and bigger straight-line speed, you've come to the wrong place. The RX-8 is a sports car and it must be appreciated for what it is, not what the competition is. It's not the easiest car to live with every day, but if you sought out this car to begin with, you won't care because it will absolutely be worth it.
This, of course, brings us back to Mazda's dilemma. The Rotary Engine isn't an especially efficient one, nor is it a particularly clean one, with a thirst for lubricating oil as well. We've reported that Mazda is already hard at work on a new Rotary Engine codenamed 16X, but is having trouble getting the proper combination of performance, efficiency, and emissions cleanliness necessary to bring it to market. As one senior Mazda engineer told me, the company is very proud of its heritage and hasn't forgotten that it was a Rotary Engine that propelled Mazda to what would be the only overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for a Japanese car company. On the other hand, another senior Mazda representative told me shortly thereafter that it hasn't been easy moving RX-8s off the lot, as the small company's limited marketing budget is forced to prioritize bread-and-butter vehicles like the Mazda3 and Mazda6 sedans and CX-7 and CX-9 crossovers, not niche models like the RX-8 and MX-5.
As we return the keys to Mazda, we do so with the knowledge that this could be the last Rotary-powered sports car we drive. Mazda has been tight-lipped about the car's future, but the picture is clear enough. The company was reportedly ready to shelve the project years ago if not for the insistence of its North American unit, but all the Rotary fans in the country can't make the engine meet its performance and efficiency goals. The love of "rice ball-shaped" rotors is strong at Mazda HQ, so we can only wait for the next RX-7's reported launch date of the 2013 calendar year and hope there are triangles under its hood.
Randy Pobst was right when he told us "the RX-8 feels like wings bolted right to your arms." We can only hope they aren't made of wax.
