Found this in the Europe forum. First 0-62mph time of the low power (189bhp - European horses) engine (5MT not auto) that I've seen. The result of 7.2 secs is not bad, so maybe the US auto 0-60 will be under 8 secs. Also top marks for the BOSE audio system, so I won't need to carry a boombox with me to avoid the crap sound you normally get from BOSE...

Channel 4 Review.

First paragraph:
Let's not prevaricate around the bushel: the Mazda RX-8 is fabulous. The company has taken a fairly loony idea - a fast, four-seat, rear-drive coupe with rear-hinged back doors and a rotary engine - and made it a production reality. A rather splendid production reality.

 

thanks for bringing that to light, pelucidor! very nice review

 

4car is a very respectible auto review website. Here are some of the overall ratings on previously tested cars that could be an alternative to the rx-8:

RX-8 4car Rating = 5 stars
BMW 3 series coupe - 4 stars
Crysler Crossfire - 4
Honda S2000 - 4
Subaru Impreza WRX - 4
Audi A4 - 4
Mercedes Benz C class - 3
Lexus IS300 - 3