Mazda RX8 car - What makes it a great car? | Car Review | Top Gear

Summary

The Mazda RX-8 is a unique blend of a sports car and a family sedan, offering a sporty red and black interior with ample space for four passengers. Priced at £22,000, it's well-equipped with air-conditioning, satellite navigation, and electric seats. Powered by a 1.3L Wankel rotary engine producing 228 brake horsepower, it's both powerful and smooth, with a 9000 rpm shift indicator. Despite its fussy styling, it's one of the easiest cars to drive fast, forgiving and comfortable. However, it becomes skittish on wet roads due to its tires.

Takeaways

• 🚗 The Mazda RX-8 is a unique sports car with a distinctive design that includes triangles, curves, gills, and a back window reminiscent of a Ford Anglia.
• 🔍 It features a sporty red and black interior, giving it a coupe-like feel, but it also offers practicality with space for passengers.
• 💸 Priced at £22,000, the RX-8 is more affordable than its predecessor, the RX-7, which was priced to compete with Porsches at £35,000.
• 🛠 Despite its lower price, the RX-8 comes well-equipped with air-conditioning, satellite navigation, and electric seats.
• 🏎 It's powered by a 1.3L Wankel rotary engine that produces 228 brake horsepower, offering a smooth and unique driving experience.
• 🎶 The engine is known for its high revving capabilities, with a buzzer alerting the driver to change gears at 9000 rpm.
• 🌟 The RX-8 is praised for being one of the easiest cars to drive fast, with a forgiving nature and perfect layout for high-performance driving.
• 😌 It can transition from an exhilarating drive to a quiet, comfortable, and dignified ride, making it versatile for different driving scenarios.
• 🚫 However, the car's handling can be twitchy on wet roads, indicating that its tires may not provide the best grip in slippery conditions.
• 🏅 The presenter initially claims the RX-8 as the best car of the year, but later admits that statement might have been an overstatement after experiencing its wet road performance.

Q & A

What is the main issue with the boot space in the Mazda RX-8?

The boot space in the Mazda RX-8 is very small, which is a common problem with coupes as they typically offer limited space in the rear.

How does the styling of the Mazda RX-8 differ from other coupes?

The styling of the Mazda RX-8 is described as being quite unique and busy, with elements like triangles, curves, gills, and a back window reminiscent of a Ford Anglia, making it stand out from other coupes.

What is the seating configuration of the Mazda RX-8?

The Mazda RX-8 has a four-door configuration, which is unusual for a coupe, as it combines the sporty look of a two-door GT car with the practicality of a four-door saloon.

What is the price difference between the old RX-7 and the RX-8?

The old RX-7 was priced at £35,000 to compete with Porsches, while the RX-8 is priced at £22,000, making it more affordable.

What are some of the standard features included in the Mazda RX-8 despite its lower price?

Despite its lower price, the Mazda RX-8 comes well-equipped with features such as air-conditioning, satellite navigation, and electric seats.

What type of engine does the Mazda RX-8 have and how does it perform?

The Mazda RX-8 has a 1.3-liter Wankel rotary engine that produces 228 brake horsepower. It's not the largest engine but is known for its smooth performance and high revving capabilities, with a buzzer alerting the driver to change gear at 9000 rpm.

How does the Mazda RX-8 handle on the track?

The Mazda RX-8 is described as one of the easiest cars to drive fast, with a forgiving nature and excellent handling. It has a perfect layout with a front engine and rear-wheel drive, along with a limited slip differential.

What is the unique characteristic of the Mazda RX-8's driving experience?

The Mazda RX-8 offers a unique driving experience where it can be playful and sporty, but also settle down to be quiet, comfortable, and dignified, much like switching from a Terminator to Jane Austen.

What is the narrator's final verdict on the Mazda RX-8 after driving it on a wet road?

After driving the Mazda RX-8 on a wet road, the narrator found it to be quite twitchy and skittish, indicating that the tires may not provide the best grip in wet conditions.

What is the narrator's overall opinion of the Mazda RX-8 after driving it?

The narrator initially praises the Mazda RX-8 for being the best car they've driven that year, but later admits that statement might have been an exaggeration, acknowledging that while the car is great, it has some flaws, particularly in wet conditions.