My new desktop wallpaper

 

Look more closely at the interior pics. The Kabura is a 2+2. It just has the left rear seat folded flat as (I assume) the right side could.

 

look again.

the passenger rear seat is a FULL SIZE seat, whereas the 'seat' behind the driver is merely a jump seat/bench like those found in a pickup truck, hence the term '3+1' (3 REAL seats + 1 temporary seat)

otherwise they could'ved just called it 2+2.....

 

Direct quote from press release:

“Clearly, the standard 2+2 compact coupe configuration with restricted rear access and limited seating space doesn’t work in this context, so we created a 3+1 layout for Kabura that resolves those shortcomings”.

A standard left-side door provides access to the driver’s cockpit and the rear jump seat.Å@The right side is a wholly different and purposely asymmetrical arrangement. Removing the glovebox and minimizing the instrument panel allowed designers to shift the front passenger six-inches ahead of the driver’s seating position. In turn, the second passenger, sitting in tandem behind the right-front passenger, enjoys approximately the same leg, shoulder, and headroom.

So the front passenger seat is positioned ahead of the driver seat to provide more leg room for the seat driectly behind, while the seat behind the driver seat is a temporary jump seat.

 

Why not a 12(A)B RENISIS for the Kabura..and call it an RX-6

 

its been memtioned in the past (by you even i thought) that they wont use RX-6 as its hard for the japanese to say the x and 6 together

 

they dont have any problem saying "x", they just say eck-o-so

 

I stand corrected...

 

not x- x and 6 together

 

Actually there are several folk tales about why RX-6 wasn't used. Having a hard time saying X & 6 together was one, the japanese pronounciation sounding like "SEX" was another, the third was that Mazda wanted to distance the RX-7 from the less than successful RX-5 - so they just chose to skip 6. Only Mazda knows the real truth.

 

Everywhere I read, the Kabura is getting praise out the a** (for the most part). I would stake money on the fact that Mazda will be building a car very similar to it in the near future. However, many of the comments (even from the rotary community) recognize the broader appeal of putting the MZR in the Kabura and/or don't care. I'm not saying that is the dominate comment here (b/c it’s surely not), but even among us rotor-heads it does exist. So, I wouldn't hold my breath on the car being rotary powered. I wish it would be...but Mazda will most likely being getting my money either way.

 

I couldn't have said it better. As much as I like seeing a new rotary coupe from Mazda (not neccessrary the Kabura), I think the Kabura, marketed as an affortable compact coupe, should utilize the MZR instead of rotary. Let's face it, the the MZR is cheaper (due to it's high volume production compared to rotary), more fuel effiecient (especially with DI), and more user friendly (no need to add oil every couple thousand miles and worry about flooding). Those quailities are very important for a high volume entry level coupe. Rotary engine is great (oh so smooth and the redline ), but it's not for everyone. I think the Kabura with MZR, being priced correctly will dominiate the entry level coupe market.

The truth is, Mazda is still a second tier car manufactuer (from the financial and marketing stand point) compared to Honda, toyota, etc . What it needs is a money making car that also helps build up their reputation even further. You don't want someone who don't even know what a rotary engine is and have the car broken down because the driver doesn't know he/she needs to add oil between oil change. They will just blame Mazda for making unreliable car. The 8 is not a high volume car and mainly being sold to car enthusists and rotary-heads, so the problem is not as extensive. But for the Kabura to propell Mazda to the next level, I personally think the MZR fit the job better.

 

エックス "ekkusu"

 

It might end up as a 7 or even a 2 door 8.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/au...da-kaburu.html
___________________________________________

Mazda Kabura Wants to Be an RX-7 When It Grows Up

Jan. 08, 2006

Is it real? Yes, and no. It’s a concept vehicle but a Mazda spokesman told us, “We really haven’t decided whether to build it or not. I say, ‘Let’s build it!' ”

What's the point? With the RX-8 sports car having limited appeal to enthusiasts because of its four doors, it’s perhaps time for Mazda to explore a high-performance coupe along the lines of the famous rotary-engine RX-7, last produced in the 1990’s. The Kabura is the embodiment of that exploration.

The company line: Mazda’s director of North American design, Franz von Holzhausen, says the Kabura concept coupe is “a nimble-looking fuselage with a powerful stance, pronounced wheel arches and taut surfaces.”

The view from here: We have missed the real RX-7 since the day it went out of production, and we would welcome Mazda’s return to high-performance sports cars (which their best-selling MX-5, nee Miata, is not).

What makes it tick? Currently, the Kabura is powered by a simple 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder gasoline engine and a manual transmission. If it goes into production, it will almost certainly use the much more powerful and sporty Renesis rotary engine.

How much, how soon? The last RX-7 sports car was criticized for its high price, so maybe the Kabura will returns as a morer affordable RX-7 replacement.

How's it look? We think the exterior of the Kabura is stunning. It simply doesn’t have any bad angles. The rear window treatment is a bit strange and the mirrors are much too small for the real driving world, but the Kabura is plenty cool. The interior, however, is a bit weird, with what Mazda calls a “3+1” seating scheme, with the right front seat moved forward to allow access for the right rear occupant.

 

Well, I wouldn't take that article too seriously. Automotive comment from NY Times, humm.... I think the writer's opinion is as good as yours and mine.

 

Might be repost of pic's but they still look good.

 

Some more. Girl looks good too.

 

I'm hoping for the 13B Renesis. Then there will be more aftermarket parts for our engine.
Is there any truth to the rumor that in Australia it will be called the "Kookabura"?

 

I'm hoping for the 2 engines, renesis and I4, but will buy the rx-3

 

Perhaps this is wishful thinking on the author's part, but there are many like myself that wish this would become true. I'd buy an RX-7 over an MX/RX-3, but that's me.

 

Man the more I look at the car the more I like it. The front end is gorgeous. THe Big Three can take their retro sytling and stuff it. Mazda is definitely the king of car design right now - futuristic yet appealing.

 

Franz von Holzhausen, the director of design at Mazda North American Operations. “It seems like the Americans are reaching out for the good old days and good old times,” says the thirty-seven-year-old von Holzhausen—who was previously responsible for the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky at General Motors—“whereas the Japanese don’t necessarily have this history to draw on or can even relate to it. So instead of falling back, we want to design cars that fit the future.”

 

Thank you! Well said.

Bingo!

I remember around '94 or '95 when I thought Mazda had one of the best looking lineups out at that time with the MX-6, 626, Millenia, 929, Miata, MX-3 and of course the RX-7. I think they may do this again with good looking designs like the new Miata, CX-7, 6, 3, and of course the RX-8.

If they would produce a cheap (around $20K), RWD coupe (reguardless of engine) with more interior room than the Miata then it would definately sell.

 

Everyone's talking about competing with the NSX, Corvette, FD, M3, G35, blah blah blah. Hopefully Mazda doesn't do that. What they should do, in keeping with their light and cheap philosophy, is build the poor man's Lotus Elise.

Keep the weight at 2500, offer the 4-cylinder base model, an optional renesis, and keep it cheap. Other cars do V6/V8 versions, this shouldn't be too far fetched. The 4 cylinder will be the volume version, the renesis version will be priced not too far from RX-8's. So, for $25k you can get a smooth, laid-back practical coupe that's still fairly sporting; or you can get the much lighter car with edgier suspension, better/lighter wheels and tires, light flywheel maybe, etc. Basically a halo model that doesn't have the compromises that the RX-8 and 4-cyl. model are saddled with in order to appeal to the masses. And call it the RX-9; calling it a 7 will inevitably annoy the FD owners.

 

but the fun is in annoying the fd owners.