2004 Mazda RX-8 Review

Small automakers must offer unique products to draw more attention to themselves, and Mazda has done just that with its rakish new RX-8 sports car, which brings its unique rotary engine back to the market.

Mazda is controlled by Ford, which wants higher sales from this Japanese automaker. Mazda had U.S. sales through August this year of 174,264 vehicles, or about 13,000 less than in the year-ago period. The 2004 RX-8 promises to increase sales considerably.

The rotary engine is a Mazda exclusive. Even the RX-8 interior has rotary engine cues, with headrests, shifter and stereo face having the triangle shape of an engine rotor.

The rotary is sometimes called the "Wankel rotary'' after its inventor, Felix Wankel. It's very compact and light with few moving parts, compared with a regular internal combustion engine. There's turbine-line smoothness because it produces power through spinning rotors, not pistons that thrash up and down.

The RX-8 is a genuine sports car, although it has room for four adults and two rear-hinged "half doors'' with hidden handles that swing out fully 80 degrees.

This rear-drive car has fast, though rather heavy, power steering and the agility of a cat with a supple all-independent suspension and 50-50 weight distribution. Traction control and anti-skid systems offered in option packages help avoid trouble during very spirited driving

A rather long 106.4-inch-long wheelbase (distance between axles) helps provide a supple ride and the roomy interior, although the RX-8's body is no longer than that of a Porsche 911's at 174.3 inches.

The brake pedal has a short travel and nicely progressive action. The RX-8 is one of those sports cars that would be a blast to drive on a track.

Mazda hasn't made a rotary engine car since it dropped its two-seat RX-7 sports car in 1995 after 17 years because the two-seat car became too costly and uncomfortable for daily driving.

The RX-8 is reasonably priced for a high-performance sports car and can be easily used daily.

It calls for extra effort to get in and out of the rear seat area through the small, rear-hinged back doors, which don't open or close independently of the conventionally sized front doors. But four 6-footers fit -- if front occupants move their supportive bucket seats up enough.

Easily grasped outside door handles allow entry to the quiet interior. It has unusually supportive front bucket seats, and a rear-seat area designed for two occupants. Both front and rear occupants have decent cupholders.

There's a large conventional analog gauge tachometer, but it's near a small digital speedometer that's out of place in a sports car. Too bad Mazda didn't give the RX-8 a conventional speedometer, while making the digital speedometer an auxiliary unit.

The smooth controls are nicely placed, and the hand brake sits between the front seats, looking like a nice piece of sculpture. A nice touch is a small pop-out dashboard coin tray to the left of the steering wheel; it will be especially appreciated on tollways.

There are no center roof pillars, so the RX-8 looks like a regular hardtop sports car, but thick rear roof pillars impede driver visibility. The small back windows don't roll down but tilt out slightly via small hinges.

The trunk has a small opening but is moderately large, with a lid that flips way up out of the way on smooth hydraulic struts. But rear seats don't fold forward to increase cargo room, and there's no spare tire. (A flat is fixed with a kit containing a compressor and fix-flat goo.)

The hood is held up by an old-fashioned prop rod, and the innovative engine is hidden by a huge plastic cover.

The RX-8 has lots of standard comfort and convenience items, including air conditioning and power front windows. But a variety of option packages costing from $1,100 to $4,600 contain tempting items. My bright red test manual-transmission RX-8 had the $3,900 Grand Touring package, which contained a sunroof, Bose sound system, power driver seat and gorgeous two-tone leather upholstery.

Also offered are a variety of stand-alone options, including a $200 cassette player and $2,000 navigation system.

Safety items include front side air bags and curtain side air bags, along with anti-lock brakes.

The four-speed automatic transmission version of the RX-8 has 197 horsepower and carries a $25,180 base price. The 238-horsepower model comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, sport suspension and larger tires. It costs $26,680.

The engine for the manual-transmission model has more power basically because it has a differently designed fuel-intake system. There's a lower-horsepower version of the twin-rotor engine for the automatic transmission version because Mazda has no automatic that can handle the higher revs of the 238-horsepower engine.

The automatic transmission RX-8 is pretty fast, partly because the car only weighs about 3,000 pounds. The manual-transmission model hits 60 mph in just 5.9 seconds. Being small, both versions of the 1.3-liter rotary need high revs for the best performance, although they're plenty responsive during normal driving.

Estimated fuel economy is 18 mpg in the city for both versions of the engine. It's 24 mpg on the highway with the manual-transmission model and 25 with the automatic.

The automatic transmission is responsive and has a manual-shift mode, but the close-ratio six-speed manual makes the car especially fun to drive with its short-throw lever. However, the light clutch has a long throw that can become bothersome in lots of stop-and-go traffic.

There's no other sports car like the RX-8, which is a winner in most respects.

2004 MAZDA RX-8

Prices:
$25,180-$26,680

Likes:
Racy styling. Smooth rotary engine. Superb handling. Four seats and four doors.

Dislikes:
Small digital speedometer. Rear seat entry and exit. Long-throw clutch.