Following the official reveal of the facelifted Mazda RX-8 at last year’s Detroit Motor Show, the company’s flagship has officially hit markets abroad. As the front-runner for Mazda’s zoom-zoom philosophy six years ago, does the RX-8 still appeal in the wake of the recent “Nagare” range of concept vehicles?By Kyle Kock
It might not feature the controversial, flowing lines of vehicles sporting the newer Nagare design language at Mazda’s Hiroshima headquarters, like the Kazamai, Taiki, Furai, but designers have spruced up the RX-8’s appearance using a Sport Pack that includes an integrated front spoiler, 19-inch light alloy wheels, side sills and rear spoiler for added aerodynamic efficiency and aesthetics. Other new features include a redesigned front bumper with the signature five-point grille and larger vents beneath the fog lamps for increased cooling, new headlamps and LED taillights. The redesigned rear bumper houses larger 90 mm exhaust pipes.
Under the bonnet, the unchanged 1,3-litre rotary engine produces 170 kW at 8 200 r/min and 211 N.m of torque at 5 500 r/min, though the unit now makes use of a second knock sensor for increased fuel efficiency. A six-speed manual gearbox allows for a zero to 100 km/h sprint on the right side of 7 seconds and top speed of 237 km/h.
With near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution, thanks to the small twin-rotor unit being located behind the front axle and the fuel tank’s position ahead of the rear axle, the RX-8 already features excellent handling characteristics, but engineers have improved on this in key areas for the 2010 model year. Overall rigidity has been improved by 5 percent, steering feel has been optimised, and ride is smoother thanks to the special Bilstein sports suspension set-up.
The RX-8’s interior benefits from new trim materials and sportier design, including a tachometer featuring a variable red-zone that rises as the engine reaches peak operating temperature, new colour backlights for the instrument cluster, a redesigned steering wheel and Recaro bucket seats with red stitching. Features include Bluetooth connectivity, headlamp and windscreen wiper auto-on functions, and BOSE audio system with auxiliary jack.