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First Drive: 2004 Mazda RX-8
What Goes Around Has Come Back Around
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By Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com
Date posted: 11-14-2002
The product flow from today's automakers has reached a fever pitch. Where you
once had three big players and a handful of secondary car companies competing
for the American customer's attention, you now have at least 10 large-scale producers
and another 30 manufacturers (depending on how you want to group them together)
all pumping product into new car showrooms. And not the same old product, either.
With the exception of few tired vehicle designs (Chevrolet Cavalier or Acura NSX
anyone?), the majority of cars and trucks for sale in the U.S. today have undergone
at least one major redesign in the last five years.
What this means to the consumer is an unprecedented amount of fresh, high-quality
vehicles from which to choose. What this means to the automakers is that it's
never been tougher to create a truly distinct, innovative and overall compelling
design that effectively breaks from the pack.
Mazda is well aware of this need to rise above the growing product noise. The
company has touted the virtues of driving passion for decades, and when it released
the Miata MX-5 in 1990, followed by the redesigned RX-7 in 1993 (not to mention
an overall win at Le Mans in 1991), it seemed the company was serious about having
fun product. Then came the mid-'90s and a string of not-so-fun vehicles (along
with the departure of the RX-7 from American showrooms). Mazda officials now admit
to losing their focus during this period. They were trying to build cars for everyone
instead of remaining true to the manufacturer's core beliefs.
Zoom-zoom forward to late 2002 and what you'll find is a company in full renaissance
mode. The Mazda folks tell us that the plan to reinvent their company, called
the "Millennium Plan," began in 1999. The Mazda 6 was the first car to be developed
under this new (actually, make that newly rediscovered) philosophy of driving
passion. The non-U.S. market Demio model was the second step in the process, while
the car presented here, the 2004 RX-8, is the third and, according to company
officials, most important.
It would be easy to simply think of the RX-8 as the latest version of Mazda's
halo car — an heir to the sports car throne left vacant since the last U.S.-spec
RX-7 was sold here almost a decade ago. While the RX-8 will be all of those things,
its redesigned rotary engine, reverse-opening rear doors and room for four adults
make it far more.
Remember, there's an almost deafening automotive din to escape.
Pulling the RX-8 out of that cacophony starts under the car's sloping hood where
an all-new rotary engine resides. Mazda remains the one and only automaker willing
to invest the resources necessary to develop and sell a rotary engine in a production
car. You might remember that it was increasingly stringent emissions standards
(along with poor sales) that killed Mazda's last rotary engine in the U.S. This
new power plant, dubbed the Renesis (for rotary engine and genesis),
addresses not only emission requirements but also power, efficiency and weight
concerns — all key sports car elements.
The most important Renesis change relates to the location of the intake and exhaust
ports. Because a rotary engine has no valve train, the location of these ports
is crucial to the engine's performance. In the previous engine, these ports were located on the outer edge of the rotary housing, but in Renesis they are on the side of the rotary chamber. Unlike the previous design, this location allows
engineers to completely close the exhaust port before the intake port opens, and
vice versa. It also allows them to use 30 percent larger intake ports than before,
along with a variable intake system that optimizes air flow.
What this design means to the consumer is better fuel efficiency and increased
performance. Mazda estimates the RX-8 will get 20 percent better mileage in the
city than the RX-7 did. Exact figures are yet to be determined, but current estimates
put the engine at 18-19 mpg in the city and 23-24 mpg on the highway. The new
design also means far less emissions (the previous rotary's major bugaboo) because
the Renesis allows unburned hydrocarbons to be sent back into the engine and ignited
again. Despite the reduction in exhaust gasses and increase in fuel mileage, the
new engine will produce 250 peak horsepower and 160 peak pound-feet of torque
while offering a redline of 9,000 rpm. Those figures are for the "high-power"
rotary that is mated to a six-speed manual transmission, but Mazda told us a 210-horsepower
version of the Renesis, mated to a five-speed automatic, would come on line a
few months after the RX-8 hits U.S. showrooms in summer 2003.
These numbers may seem disappointing at first (the old twin-turbo RX-7's rotary
made 255 peak horsepower and 217 pound-feet of twist while offering an 8,000 rpm
redline), but keep in mind that the new engine is not turbocharged…at
least not yet. Questions about the possibility of one day turbocharging the Renesis
were given casual dismissal by Mazda representatives, but it's obvious any company
capable of making a rotary work in the 21st century could certainly make it work
with forced induction.
In the meantime, the lack of a turbo, and all its associated plumbing, gives the
Renesis an 80-pound weight advantage over the previous RX-7's engine. That weight
advantage, combined with this rotary's smaller size (approximately two-thirds
the size of a comparable inline four cylinder) also allows the engine to be mounted
further back and lower than it was in the turbo-topped RX-7. The result is a 50/50-weight
balance between each set of wheels, a low center of gravity and a low hoodline
that contributes to the car's sporty style and 0.3 coefficient of drag. Total
vehicle weight was not disclosed during our advanced drive of the RX-8, but Mazda
officials told us it should undercut the new 350Z by around 250 pounds, which
should largely negate that car's 37-horsepower advantage.
Cradling this high-tech drivetrain is an all-new chassis and suspension that uses
a double-wishbone system up front and a multilink design for the rear wheels.
Mazda's goal was to provide the handling characteristics of the RX-7 with the
fine ride quality and road noise isolation of a premium sedan. The company also
wanted to meet current and future safety standards. High-strength crossmembers
are strategically located in the engine compartment and along the frame's primary
backbone to add chassis stiffness, enhance suspension tuning and improve crash
protection. According to Mazda, the RX-8 has already received excellent safety
scores in U.S., European and Japanese crash testing, including an upcoming test
standard, due in approximately 2005, for rear-impact protection. Items like seat-mounted
side airbags, head curtain airbags and crushable pedals contribute to passenger
protection, as do "built-in" B-pillars within the reverse-opening rear doors.
Much like traditional B-pillars, these beams dissipate side-impact crash energy
and contribute to body rigidity.
It's these reverse-opening rear doors that differentiate the RX-8 from other sports
cars (as much or more than the rotary engine under its hood). The idea of a "four-door
sports car" has been bandied about for decades, but Mazda's efforts are likely
to set a new benchmark in this area. The key is the near seamless integration
of these rear doors into an otherwise lithe and lean vehicle. With the exception
of its slightly elongated wheelbase and subtly truncated rear window angle, there
is little indication that the RX-8 is anything other than a dedicated supercar.
Casual observers will likely notice neither characteristic and simply wonder how
fast this sexy, low-slung machine is.
When said observers learn that the RX-8 will hold four full-size adults comfortably,
they will further appreciate the car's exterior shape. Similar to the design of
Saturn's new Ion coupe, or any noncrew-cab four-door truck, the RX-8's rear doors
open only after the front doors are released, and they must be closed before the
fronts are shut. Amazingly, a full-size adult can be situated in the front driver
or passenger seat while another full-size adult hops in back (no front-seat sliding
required). That same full-size adult will fit comfortably in either of the rear
seats, which are just as heavily bolstered and supportive as the front chairs.
That's not to say that the interior feels large or roomy. The RX-8's designers
told us they wanted the cabin to fit four comfortably while still having a "cozy"
feel. Put four adults in the RX-8 and the word cozy will certainly apply.
From the driver seat the RX-8 offers an attractive combination of design cues
and logical control placement. The seats are low and heavily bolstered with contrasting
inserts that match the exterior color (this same contrasting color is also found
on the steering wheel rim). The gauge cluster uses three pods, with the larger
central pod housing a tachometer and a digital speedometer. Fuel level and engine
temperature information are housed in the left pod while oil pressure and the
odometer/tripmeter are on the right. We liked the optitronic gauge cluster lighting
that changes from white to red when the headlights are switched on, but we were
disappointed that an analog speedometer was nowhere to be found. We also liked
the circular theme that makes up the center stack controls, but we still aren't
sold on having the radio display at the top of the center stack, which is a considerable
distance from the audio controls (similar to the Mazda 6's setup). However, should
you ever forget what type of engine powers the RX-8 you need only glance at the
six-speed shift knob or upper seat back design to be reminded that a rotary motor
sits under the hood.
Another way to confirm what the RX-8 is all about involves flogging it on a closed
course. Mazda let us do just that at the company's Miyoshi Proving Grounds in
Japan. Miyoshi comes fully equipped with a long straightaway, sweeping corners
and fast transitions. Several of the facility's curves include midcorner bumps
that test even the most advanced suspension's ability to sort things out.
After almost a dozen laps around Miyoshi, it was clear that Mazda has again mastered
the art of driving passion. The RX-8 features powerful and progressive braking,
sublime steering and accurate shift action. It tends to understeer slightly when
driven at the limit, but it's nothing a bit of throttle can't fix. We should also
note that the steering uses an electric assist system, an increasingly popular
design found on such cars as the Honda S2000, BMW Z4 and the Mini Cooper.
The engine will spin to 9,000-rpm faster than you can say "rev limiter" and feels
more willing at high rpm than even Honda's S2000 because of the rotary's phenomenal
smoothness. Midrange torque is fully adequate and a second burst of power comes
on at about 7,000 rpm, giving the RX-8 a larger "sweet zone" than that offered
by Honda's roadster or the Toyota Celica GT-S.
But perhaps the Mazda's most impressive characteristic was how stable it felt
during fast sweepers and through quick transitions, even when the pavement was
of "Detroit quality." Driving the RX-8 at its limit took several laps simply because
that limit was quite high and, when it was finally surpassed, the car proved very
predictable and easy to reel back in.
Pricing for the RX-8 has yet to be announced, but we were assured by company representatives
that it would be "competitive." That sounds fine, but begs the question "Competitive
with what?" There is nothing like the RX-8 currently available, so when they say
competitive we aren't sure where to look for pricing (which, going back to the
idea of creating a unique and compelling vehicle, is great for Mazda). We'll assume
that the new 350Z is among the car's potential competitors simply because Mazda's
own people were quoting curb weight comparisons. The Z sells for between $26,000
and $34,000, but doesn't have a rotary engine, room for four adults or enough
trunk capacity to hold two sets of golf clubs.
It's these characteristics that will distinguish the RX-8 from the mass of new
product hitting showrooms in the coming year. We expect the car to appeal to a
wide array of customers, including both sports car fans and family folks looking
for something different.
If you fit into either (or both) of these segments, you'll want to give the latest
zoom-zoom car a spin.
See all the Ratings: 2004 Mazda RX-8 Manual 4dr Coupe (1.3L 2rtr 6M) Road Test Scoreboard
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(Enlarge photo)
It doesn't much look like a sedan. In fact, except for the extended wheelbase and somewhat abrupt C-pillar angle, the 2004 RX-8 looks as sporty as anything currently sold in the U.S.
(Photo courtesy of Mazda North American Operation)
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