Put the 16x in this and I'd buy it. If they don't do something fairly drastic I'll either put a 3 rotor in my 8 or buy an M3 for the track. Slowness isn't serving anymore...

the new z looks like an overfed puffer fish

I like the 370Z technical spec's but it still look ugly.

i wouldnt be seen in it.

I rather buy a Cayman S

the title will be back in mazda's court after the 16X debuts.

sc with cat passes emission tail pipe tests
OD

One good thing about RX-8 "competitors" getting even faster: as fewer "speed/power/torque" people buy the 8 in the future, an increasingly higher proportion of 8 owners will be drivers who place a premium on handling & that wonderful thing that can't be measured: 'feel'. As the "how fast can it go" guys drift away, the crowd here will, over time, skew older and wiser; guys who—like Mazda—'get' what a sports car oughta be.

Interestingly, where the other cars in the test had 0-60 times of 4.8 and 5.2 sec, the 8 still did 6.3; plenty fast for me. (Hell, an MX-5 is plenty fast for me.) And in the subjective 'Final Results,' the 8 won in 'Steering Feel', 'Brake Feel', and 'Handling'. And it tied for first in 'Fun to Drive,' beating two other cars. That's what I want.

I would venture to say the RX-8 is a standard, if not legendary in how well it handles, the feel, etc. But a sports car is a sum of its parts, not a single trait.

The lack of speed/power/torque that puts people off as you say...and is sending many off to other brands is not because how fast the RX-8 gets to 60mph, ~6 sec is ok, not too far of the mark for ~30K. The real disconnect is in the car's power delivery personality beyond that barely useful performance metric.

Namely, there's a way too obvious lack of noticeable oomph in upper gears (4th-5th-6th); that feeds into a lack of high speed omph, as evidenced by the 0-200 km/hr (124mph) times that are NEARLY FIVE TIMES (4.6x to be exact) the 0-62 times (62km/hr). That's glacial.

Of course this is mainly an impediment on track, but there, the true lack of motive power is oh so evident. On the street, it shows in slowish passing ability, again ok, but could (should) be better.

I would agree with you that fewer and fewer will stay with Mazda's rotary cars, but those that do will...not because they value handling to the exclusion of other sports car attributes, rather because of the low prices (the market is showing a distinct discount for the RX-8), or they are too enthralled with the rotary engine to switch. Such is the case with addictions, against all reason addicts continue with something that increasingly does not hold the value proposition it did originally. For the true believers in today's market, that's at least one real benefit.

My Toy is Getting Old But Its Still Fun to Play With
 

Come on now Mazda, time to get ahead now.

Or all of those loyal, sentimental Rotary Heads will be Nissan owners going into the next decade.

Spot On again NY.

Like the Miata/MX-5 it has nothing to do about power/speed...and it is still the largest selling roadster in the World.
'
Mazda have perfected that 'go-cart feel' when driving/cornering.

MY S2 8 is always plenty fast enough for me, with the higher diff ratio I don't have any problems overtaking.

In my state the way the law is with speed, stop light/speed cameras, laser guns, fixed and portable cameras, patrol car cameras, the areas where you can really put your foot down are very limited.
Unless you want to lose your license and pay heavy fines like 40K (24MPH) above the limit it is $510.00 and 4 demerit points.

Try using the excellent 6spd gears... it works wonders in passing cars on the highway. Clutch in, switch to desired gear, blip the throttle to (it's ok, it won't mind) , spin that rotor to 9000rpm (it's OK too, it doesn't grenade like its piston friends), clutch out and off you go. Works for me so far. :eyetwitch
This car is not for the lazy, unfortunately there are just too many of them in this continent.

Just got my issue of C&D. I was blown away to see that they were even covering the 8, period.

I'll be quite honest, with the 8 continuing the use the same 230HP rotary engine making 160 lb-ft tq engine for all 7 years of existence, i'm actually quite shocked it didn't get last place. C&D and R&T both are rather obsessed with HP, and with it seeming so anemic in comparison, i was happy to hear it just didn't place last.

For the billionth time mazda, do something with either/OR the HP/fuel economy. No one wants to get 600HP fuel economy out of a 200 HP car. I liked the RX-8, but i'd be lying if I said that the lack of power and MPG didn't have anything at all to do with me selling mine. I loved the looks, the smooth 6sp tranny and the way it handled, but that's only 1/2 the battle with sport coupes. It runs with a faster crowd, and mazda should have been modifying it's engine so. The first few years it was around were understandable, but to see that the 2nd generation 7 years later didn't even touch the engine is borderline ignorant of Mazda. The day they throw a stock turbo on the 8 will be the day i'll be back in line to possibly buy another one brand new.

The R3 RX-8 is a new model...

Why is it that the Miata/MX-5 continues to be C&D's favorite Roadster when there are other more powerful cars with more HP and Torque, you say they are obsessed with HP.

This has been said to death and I don't know why some of us continue to say this but Mazda have done ALL they can with the 13B, the RENESIS was the culmination of all their knowledge in refining it to the numbers it gets now for a NA Rotary.

You know why Mazda could not turbo the RENESIS, partly to do with side seal reliability, but the main reasons were, 1, Emissions and 2, the extra cost of a mild turbo (even IF they could have used one).

I think Mazda acknowledged the fact that the competition would run away from them in the HP game, that is why the 16X showed up, a promising 290HP 1.6 litre but that was only in 2007.

You won't see it until they can perfect DI as a NA only Fuel Injected 1.6 would achieve even worse MPG.

Since that time we have heard nothing about the progress of the DI 16X, they were testing here a year or so ago but IMO it is still some time away...if ever unfortunately because of the "World Economic Meltdown".

BTW, Yes, we have seen reliability issues with the earlier RX-8's, and Mazda have upgraded over 60 mechanical changes to the Series II including the RENESIS.

It shows Mazda do listen to owners and responds to Warranty Repairs by on going modifications.

Regardless of what many may think (particularly our younger members) Mazda can't always change what others Makes can do with banger engines, I think Mazda knows what they are doing and what they are allowed to do in our Eco friendly world.

Emissions are, and always will be the achilles heal for the rotary until an alternative fuel 'AKA' Hydrogen is mainstream.

Unfortunately in the last few months I have been more pessimistic when it comes to anything Rotary as Mazda just won't risk any more losses with the rotary, it has already cost them way too much already.

At this point I don't know why they wouldn't release the 16x into a production car. The engine already exists and is likely just going through longevity testing and stuff to get the kinks out. I'm sure they also have some sort of design ready to go for the car it will go into. I know the economy sucks but after all the money Mazda has already poured into this, why quit now? It's not as if the entire 16x project just started.

Doesn't matter.. people will still buy the RX8, regardless of what C&D or MT or any other car publication says. I had an opportunity to buy a 350z and a G35 and I considered a BMW. But I bought my RX8.. It's in the same nostalgia and realm as a Harley..at least to me. I'm going to run this thing til it dies and when it does, I'll buy another.

Ditto.

If I wanted a fast car, I'd buy one. I want a car with the soul that screams to me. Hence my RX-8 purchase.

according to the sales numbers, its not "people" its "very few people"

Well, since ALL car manufacturers are in a sales slump, I figure that would include Mazda as well. If you look at 'what' people are buying, I guarantee you any 'sports' related cars' sales are down. Premium gasoline is not very popular right now.

Well, at least premium gasoline is cheaper than 6 months ago!

I dont think the rx8 is perfect at all, but if I had to choose a replacement for my car right now it would be tough, VERY TOUGH

Jan 2009 sales figures show in the US Nissan sold 10x more 370z's then mazda did RX8's

sorry... just the facts

c'mon man..it's a COMPLETLY new model very awaited...the investments of nissan into 370 are 20x the investments of Mazda into '09 rx-8 or more....

the "Mazda's 370z" it's the rumored rx-7 16x. (if we'll see)

Fact! Disco record sales went up 400% in the years 1977-1979. If this trend continues... oh yeah!


Fuck 'em. I don't need a magazine to tell me I like my car.

I wanna say Fuck 'em too but the fact is...Mazda needs sales volume to generate enough profit / interest to further the business case, especially in these kind of environments...

I do believe Mazda will hang on to the "be different" kind of philosophy though...

I think Mazda is like the Pre iPod era Apple Inc lol

We just need a "iPod" engine to break out. OR maybe the new hydrogen powered thing, which rotary engine will have an advantage over piston ones.

In a 3000+ lb car the rotary is already history. Bla bla bla we all love the rotary and everything about it, but facts is facts. No car company can keep a production of a vehicle profitable on a few measily thousand cars a year, at least not in a <$40K market.

Peps & mags alike complain that ~300hp is "meh..ok..." in sports car reveiws nowadays, competition is ever present, and increasingly better with each new car introduced. $28K Hyundai coupes w/300+ hp don't help either, as now it's just not the higher priced cars that are beating up on Mazda's territory.

People love 'different' technologies, but when it comes to monthly payments, ordinary and predictable, meaning pistons and turbos, mostly get the sports car down payments.

Fact or not, sounds like some of you are getting bent out of shape for nothing. It's just a car, if you don't like it anymore or want it, get something else. Simple.