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By
EWAN KENNEDY
21 January 2008
Take a sports machine that already has very special looks and
alter its appearance in such a way that the original almost looks bland
in comparison. Mazda has just done that with a major makeover of its
RX-8 sportscar.
Just unveiled at the Detroit motor show, this latest version of
the Mazda RX-8 has a front end that’s so new it’s almost
futuristic-fantasy in its execution. Just look at the shaping of
the bumper, particularly in its lower surfaces and at the new
front grille area. Then there's the semi-diffuser look at the rear
that gives it a real racecar look thanks to the huge exhaust
outlets.
Mazda in the USA is being coy about the mechanical makeup of
the facelifted car. There are no mentions of improvements to the
engine. An engine that’s only being used by Mazda, meaning that
the Japanese company has to find all its own research and
development money. So perhaps the engine currently being used in
the RX-8 is unchanged, pending an all-new one that’s known to be
in the pipeline for a forthcoming new RX-7, and possibly the
next-generation RX-8.
In the meantime, Mazda engineers have lowered the final-drive
ratio of the car to give it more punch in its acceleration.
However, that could increase fuel consumption, already a weak
point of this sporting machine.
Mazda RX-8 is a four-door sports coupe powered by a silky
smooth 177kW Renesis rotary engine that offers tremendous
performance. Unlike previous Mazda rotarys, the Renesis has good
torque from as low as 2000rpm.
The small, light engine sits behind the front wheels thus
giving a mid-engined layout for excellent dynamic balance. There’s
plenty of steering and chassis feel and huge amounts of road grip.
Having small rear doors in a sports car makes entry easier for
everyone. This car is almost a genuine four-seater as adults can
be carried with a lot less squeezing than you might imagine given
the sleek outline of the RX-8.
That’s the good news, the bad news is that there's no
guarantee that Mazda Australia will bring this car here. Saying it’s
being built only in left-hand drive format. However, Mazda's Glenn
Butler did say a new model is due here mid year and that it would,
"… further enhance this unique rotary-engined sportscar’s
position as Australia's best-selling fixed-roof sports car".
Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that a car just like
this one will be on Australian roads well before the year is out.
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Marque Publishing Company
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