Test drive Mazda RX-8 2003-2008 compartment

Mazda RX-8 car review after modernization, 2006

As you know, the RX-8 car, which is equipped with a rotor piston engine, which is the pride of Mazda engineers, is now produced in a slightly modernized form. This small modernization happened last summer, and its main result was the transition from 4-speed to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Naturally, such a change must have entail some change in the characteristics of the engine itself. What this led to this read in the material of our journalist, who made a test trip on an updated car.
 
Joyful news: family values \u200b\u200bin 1st place
They say that once many years ago, when the production of the Lotus Eran +2 car began, which was part of the Lotus lineup, it was advertised only as the family variety of Lotus. If you rephrase this advertising slogan, then in relation to the modernized Mazda RX-8 machine, it can sound in this way: the RX-8 car is Rotary for the whole family!. Such an assessment, it seems to me, became possible only after during a small modernization in August last year, a 6-speed automatic gearbox began to be put on this machine. Here, however, you need to explain why Rotary. The fact is that the first letter in the name of the RX lineup came from the word Rotary, that is, Rotary Engine.
From the very beginning, it was assumed that the RX-8 model would be produced with manual and automatic transmission. However, initially the company's plans were released only by a version with a 4-speed automatic. And it should be noted that such a box that is not too subtly reacting to the nuances in the work of the motor did not allow the high -speed, rotary atmospheric engine to fully demonstrate everything that it is capable of. Of course, in addition to this, the buyer had the opportunity to opt for a model with a manual gearbox, and even then to truly feel all the charm of driving a machine equipped with a rotary piston engine. But in such a performance, the car could not pull on the title of a family car, even if its body was equipped with 4 doors and has not 2, but a 4-seater salon.
But what do we have now, after instead of a 4-speed automatic transmission, they began to put a transmission with 6 gears on the car? And the fact that the engine, the design of which allows you to easily and smoothly increase the thrust up to the highest revolutions, can reveal all its potential as successfully as it does when it works paired with a manual box.
No, I do not want to say that the RX-8 car has absolutely no flaws, and then I will try to prove it. However, the fact, meanwhile, remains: if one of us wants to change the car and purchase a new car with a rotary engine, then he will have no choice but to stop his choice on the Mazda RX-8 model due to the lack of an alternative. But at least some minimal freedom of choice, this buyer should still have, doesn’t? Therefore, I will say this: the more variety is in the lineup, the more he has popularity, and the better the implementation is going on. And if so, then the transition to a 6-speed automatic looks very logical and timely, especially if you take into account the serious intentions of the designers to bring the power of this rotor engine to 280 horsepower, and then, you look, and more.
 
General information about the machine
(Seriality)
The first RX-8 car was born in 2003, but it still remains the only model in the world that uses a rotary-type engine. The car accepted the baton from its predecessor - RX -7, however, the differences between the machine of the previous and the current generation are fundamental. Judge for yourself: the former representative of the RX lineup was a 2-door compartment, and now the RX-8 car has already been a 4-door body. More precisely, it will be expressed as follows: the body is equipped with sample doors without a central rack, and there are four such wings. And this is its undoubted uniqueness. Thus, there was a purely sports, 2-seater car compartment, and now we have a car in which pure sport has given way to practicality.
The new rotary power unit, which was called Renesis, has become much more compact and significantly reduced its weight, which allowed it to move it slightly closer to the center of the platform. So, according to the current layout, the car can be classified not just like Front Rear (front engine leading wheels from behind) but like Front Middle Rear.
Initially, it was assumed that the car would be equipped with a 5-speed or 6-speed gearbox with manual switching, as well as a 4-speed automatic. But in August last year, the model range underwent a partial update, as a result of which the 4-speed automatic transmission acquired an additional 2 more programs, so that their total number began to equal 6. The engine is still a rotary piston unit with 2 rotors of vertically in order, but in fact it is produced in three versions. In particular, when the car goes with a 5-speed manual box, this means that it has the weakest engine only 210 hp. If a 6-speed automatic is used as a transmission, then the engine power is slightly higher than 215 horses. And finally, when the engine power is 250 hp, then it is combined with 6-speed mechanics.
(Categories)
RX-8 cars with a 6-speed automatic gearbox type Active/Matic are highlighted in a separate category, which is called Type E. Thus, a distinctive feature of the RX-8 Type E is its 215-horsepower rotary engine and automatic gearbox with a sequential switching. In addition, a manual switching mode is provided in the box, a manual switch is put to the steering wheel. Initially, this engine was developed under a 6-speed manual box, and only now it was decided to try to put it in a ligament with a machine gun. For those drivers who are not indifferent to luxury, a Type E category car is offered in the Sand Beige Leather Package configuration. In the cabin of such a machine, seats are placed, covered with genuine skin beige-sand color, it provides a system of access to the interior and starting an engine without a key. The machine is equipped with 18-inch aluminum wheels and other pleasant trinkets.
  
Salon volume and the capacity of the luggage compartment (from the inside)
Interior equipment and front panel (2 points)
Inside the salon, the T-shaped panel that has already become the traditional for rotary machines of Mazda, the central part of which occupies an analog tachometer, is noteworthy. In addition, there is also a digital speedometer, in a word, everything, as in a real sports car. And how this sports dashboard contrasts with the design of the middle part of the front panel! There, on the contrary, everything is piled and sophisticated, and even decorated with lights of different colors. Perhaps, if you turn on the backlight, then all this color diversity of the middle part of the panel can even become a very tedious spectacle for the eyes. This seems all the more strange because at the same time Mazda designers have a completely different example of how to recreate a sports atmosphere in the cabin. Of course, I mean the last model of the Mazda CX-7 car, which, in fact, is part of the SUV car group. But his interior, because of his simplicity, seems much more sporty than what can be observed in the passenger compartment of the RX-8 car. But, it would seem, it should be the other way around. And then, I don’t understand where such a passion for rounded forms where is such a passion, and why should emphasize them!? Was it more correct to use more strict, straight lines in the rotary sports car!?
Front chairs (3 points)
It should be noted that the RX-8 car I tried was the so-called Sand Beige Leather Package configuration. In addition to the Type E category cars, the RX-8 Category S (that is, Sport) can also be equipped with exactly the same scheme. So, with regard to the color scheme, it really contributes to the creation of a calm, business environment in the cabin. And the quality of the skin, too, must be said, turned out to be extremely high. In a word, you sit in a chair and, as it were, plunge into the atmosphere of luxury, in which a high style dominates. The driver’s chair externally seems quite thorough, and this assessment by eye is very accurate, since you only have to sit down on it, as you immediately feel the reliable hugs of the side calipers of his back. The seat seems quite high above the floor, but you just have to sit down, as it immediately falls under the weight of your weight. It seems that you are drowning in it, it is so soft. Well, in the end, the driver is sitting in a low position. True, this chair has one, as it seemed to me, is the drawback: the frame of his back is not quite accurate, so sometimes he presses his back. In particular, I sat in it just nothing - no more than one hour, and I suddenly wanted to go out so to stretch my back and save myself from unpleasant sensations in the lower back that there was simply no strength to endure. Above, I have already noted that the layout of the RX-8 car is built as the middle front position of the engine, and, apparently, because of this, the pedal has the right offset. And this means that getting to the brake pedal with the left foot, in which case, it will be how difficult!
Rear seat (5 points)
The rear seat has a clear separation into the left and right parts, and the separator here serves as you can guess, a tunnel that is quite towering above the floor of the cabin under the cardan shaft. Since there are no central racks, and the doors are sash, landing in the car and landing from it is surprisingly easy and simple. At the same time, it should be noted that the seat has such an anatomy that the passenger sits in it immediately deeply sits down. And these high backs of the front seats that limit the rear passenger the front review! And the side windows are by no means differing too much glazing area. So it turns out that the rear passenger is bad or good, it turns out as if in a closed space. I, sitting on the back seat, and having a height of 170 cm, experienced, I must say, a certain deficiency of free space both at the knee level and at the level of the head, although it did not reach the ceiling head. In general, the layout of the rear of the cabin is performed quite professionally, taking into account the fact that it is still a car that has a sports bearing. The level of comfort must be said, also not the lowest, except that at high speed it shakes a little stronger than ahead, but the road noise is less heard. Of course, the presence of a central tunnel passing along the entire cabin leaves a certain imprint on the distribution and spatial organization of the cabin, but even here the car corresponds to a truly Japanese in the good sense of the word level.
Luggage department (3 points)
When evaluating the trunk, it must be taken into account that the rear overhang of the car has a rather small length, however, if you compare with a 4-door car such as a sedan, then, of course, the trunk capacity of 290 liters is not the best sentence, which is already hiding here. Yes, and the area of \u200b\u200bthe doorway of the rear door of the trunk is not so great - at least if you compare with the car Nissan Fairlady Z and similar models with the car, then it is clearly blurred, that's for sure. So if you take the practical side of the issue, then you should work a little more on the luggage door. Nevertheless, the luggage compartment has a fairly decent depth and yes, the trunk takes almost the entire width of the body. Therefore, if we assume that two, and not four, these two will go on the road, where to lay their baggage. In particular, according to the data given in the catalog, there is enough space to lay two large suitcases.
  
What is the car on the go?
Engine and transmission (5 points)
Initially, it was assumed that the power of a rotor piston engine, which will paired with an automatic transmission, should be the same as that of the engine of the base model with a 5-speed manual, that is, 210 hp. At the speed of rotation of the crankshaft of 7200 revolutions per minute (engine with a 4-channel intake/release system). However, when the question arose about transferring the car to a 6-speed automatic, it was decided to make another motor that would have a 6-channel the inlet/release system, as in category S, only there, such an engine acts in tandem with a 6-speed hand-handed box, and then instead of mechanics it was supposed to combine it with a 6-speed automatic. And so it turned out that the new power unit was with a slightly different speed characteristics (power 215 hp at 7450 rpm). It should be borne in this case that the category S motor has a completely different power - 250 horses, and the peak of its power corresponds to the speed of rotation of 8500 rpm. Therefore, comparing how these two structurally similar units at ultra -high -high speeds behave is not too correctly very noticeable the advantage of the latter. But if you give a comparative assessment of a new, more precisely, modernized engine and its 210-horsepower 4-channel predecessor, then I personally have no doubt who should give preference. And all because of the amazing smoothness that the new motor demonstrates when a revolution and an increase in the developed power. I have already said that the 6-speed automatic gearbox has a manual switching mode, and the switch keys are put to the steering wheel. So, for manual transition from transmission to transmission, you can use not only this switch, but also a lever that stands on the middle console. By the way, the switch has 2 keys, one of which works for a decrease, and the second to increase. This is so that the driver of something good does not confuse. Thank you, of course, for such a touching concern for the convenience of management, but in terms of design, this somewhat spoils the whole picture. And yet, when the box acts in mode D, the car holds an average speed of 100 km/h with a fairly low engine speed of about 2000 per minute. Such restraint, you see, makes him honor. This is one of the advantages of the machine I identified, transferred to a 6-speed machine.
Comfort and steering (5 points)
The steering wheel of an electric type, however, I did not notice any lethargy or unnaturalness in his behavior. At the very first moment, after you change the position of the steering wheel, the car so clearly and rapidly changes the direction of movement and does it with such a calm look, as if under the hood, it has an empty space, and not a heavy engine. But then the car seems to be replaced, and she continues to behave so smoothly, so calmly that uneasors. This, it should be noted, is one of the most remarkable features of the RX-8 machine, and its reason lies in a relatively large interdosa distance and in a specially adjusted suspension, the elastic elements of which have an increased length of the working course. Due to the fact that the car suspension works smoothly, you can even say, sluggishly, driving it, you feel as comfortable as while driving a sedan similar in class. It should be noted that the machines of both categories have both Type E and Type S, the same chassis. However, due to the features of the configuration, and as already mentioned, I experienced the Type E Car of Sand Beige Leather, the balance between handling and comfort seemed to me achieved at a higher level. It remains only to list what exactly is included in this configuration besides the leather interior of the salon. So, these are 18-inch aluminum discs and the corresponding size of the tire, sports suspension and brake discs increased in diameter. The car body, despite a large number of voids, has a decent rigidity, so that in this regard, no complaints should arise. At the very beginning of my material, I mentioned the name Lotus Eren +2, and so, among all the cars, both the eastern and the western ones that I have ever drove or experienced, only the RX-8 car is more or less approaching its running qualities to that car. Therefore, I allowed myself this historical parallel, although I am not sure whether I will understand correctly.
Technical characteristics of the RX-8 Type E:
Length 4435 mm x width 1770 mm x height 1340 mm.
Wheel base: 2700 mm.
Machine weight: 1350 kg.
Drive: on the rear wheels
Engine: Water cooling, 2 rotors, operating chamber operating 654 cm each, developed power of 215 hp. at 7450 rpm, the largest torque is 22.0 kg/m at 5500 rpm.
The basic price of the machine: 3 million 92.25 thousand yen
The results of the test race:
Year of release of the tested machine: model of the 2006 sample.
General mileage at the time of tests: 1531 km.
Tires: both in front and behind the tires of the same size 225/ 45R18 91W
The purpose of the tests: obtaining a general idea of \u200b\u200bthe behavior of the machine on the go
Test route: city line (30%), high -speed highway (60%), mountain road (10%)
Mileage during testing: 196.3 km
Actual fuel consumption: 34.9 liters
Average fuel consumption: one liter for every 5.62 km of path.
 

Source: Webcg.net