End of the road for the Mazda RX-8

[fordgt84]

Never lived up to the RX-7 name, but still a really good car. It's been a good 8 years.

Mazda has killed off its RX-8 sports car after its innovative rotary engine fell foul of European emission regulations.


Mazda has persisted with rotary technology to power its sports cars, but the twin-rotor engine used in the RX-8 has not been improved to meet EuroV emission regulations that came into force last September. All new cars’ emissions must meet these regulations to be able to be sold in Europe.


Instead of developing the current engine in the RX-8 at substantial cost, the firm has decided to axe the current generation of the car altogether. The firm still has some RX-8s in stock, but production has now ended and there will be no more available once all the already produced models are sold.


The next RX-8 is tentatively due to go on sale next year, although the firm would need to be sure the new rotary engine powering it met the stricter EuroVI emission regulations, which come into force in 2014.


Development of this new rotary engine is underway at Mazda and it was due to be launched at last year’s Tokyo motor show. However, engineers are struggling to reduce the weight of the unit in addition to improving fuel consumption, emissions and boosting mid-range torque. Mazda wants to reduce the weight of all its cars by 100kg within five years; as it stands, the next RX-8 wouldn’t meet this target.


The current RX-8’s engine consists of two triangular rotors working within a combustion chamber, each displacing 654cc. Total power out is 228bhp, while torque stands at 156lb ft. It produces 299g/km of CO2.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/248910/

[RC45]

Its been 8 years already? I still hate it as much as I did on day 1 :P

It is a gutless hack - I would rather have a used 1l 4 seater VW Golf diesel as a daily driver and then an MX5 as a proper sports car, than this wannabe not-really a sports car mish mash :lol:

[pagani]

Its been 8 years already? I still hate it as much as I did on day 1 :P

It is a gutless hack - I would rather have a used 1l 4 seater VW Golf diesel as a daily driver and then an MX5 as a proper sports car, than this wannabe not-really a sports car mish mash :lol:
Mazda schould have put a proper engine in the rx8
:-)

[loliea]

RX8 you won't be missed. You had fancy cloth but you never made the cut.
Looking forward for the RX9 or futur RX7...

[zeus_2011]

I've been debating on getting one of these and before you crucify me.....

They're the only affordable, relatively newish RWD driftable car on the second hand market here in greece. New car prices here are extortionate and the second hand market just does not make any sense e.g. you can see 2-3 yr old models with plenty of mileage (for example the v.w. scirocco) that still demand just 1-3k off the list price (list price being in the mid EUR 30's).......and also the fact that it has just a 1.3litre engine means the government here doesn't come down on you like an Old East-European communist regime!

last summer I went to look at a few Rx-8s, two actually. THe first one I test drove made me think that it had some sort of problem or that the guy was trying to pawn off the 192bhp model as the 231bhp....until I test drove the second one from a dealer (231bhp)....I have never felt 230 horses feel like mules, and until you pass near on 5500rpm theres nothing, not that theres much after.....

so yeah, I doubt it will be missed much.

So I turned my eyes to a car I've liked since its launch in 2004, the Nissan 350Z. It had a list price here of near on 60k Euros when new (when in the UK it was about 26K GBP!) and the older models still command somewhere in the region of 30k.

So i'll stick with my 4WD audi for now and reminisce about my younger yrs in the UK where a fun car can be bought on a budget :-(

[5vz-fe]

^S2000? They are plenty fun too ;)

[T-Bird]

RX8 you won't be missed. You had fancy cloth but you never made the cut.
Looking forward for the RX9 or futur RX7...

I doubt it would be called the rx-7 the number designated the version of the car. the are rotary experiments then the number. I want an rx-3 or a repu soo bad. I've owned a few rotaries now and they are all very sluggish stock to be honest but once you do some things to them they are very good cars. yes the rx-8 was never fast car but it handled pretty darn good IMO.

[zeus_2011]

^S2000? They are plenty fun too ;)

I'm way ahead of you, but even the older models are still fetching near on 17k over here, and they're over 10 yrs old now and therefore slightly overpriced!

[10000rpmlover]

It's been a long time, I no longer get lots of time to read posts here

The Rx8 may be dead, but not its soul, the rotary will return, you can count on that
A lot of stuff has happened at Mazda in the past couple years, but there are many exciting things coming down the pipeline

I cannot comment on exactly what but I'm sure you'll like it when it does materialize, the 6 is due for a refresh and it is getting much more than just that as you may already know. And the rotary has not been forgotten by any means just like the renesis made the 13b look like a relic from the civil war what will appear will make the renesis also obsolete

[nthfinity]

wow, nice to hear from you again, 10,000.

Honestly, while I like the idea of the rotary, it just doesn't work for street use; but is amazing for racing. Mazda is hurting more lately than they have for some time... they really need a winning design with a turbocharged rotary to really knock it out of the park; and still maintain the low weight. Truthfully, I'd love to see one in the Miata.

[5vz-fe]

Poor fuel economy, low low-end torque pretty much offsets most of the positive notes of the rotary design. Let's face it, RX-8 is not a heavy car, but the engine still feels dead until 4000 rpm, not to mention the fuel consumption of a 3.5 V6. To me, the perfect Mazda will be a hardtop MX-5 with a NA 3 rotor engine, maybe with some of their latest weight saving technology to make it in the low 2000lb range.

[nthfinity]

Poor fuel economy, low low-end torque pretty much offsets most of the positive notes of the rotary design. Let's face it, RX-8 is not a heavy car, but the engine still feels dead until 4000 rpm, not to mention the fuel consumption of a 3.5 V6. To me, the perfect Mazda will be a hardtop MX-5 with a NA 3 rotor engine, maybe with some of their latest weight saving technology to make it in the low 2000lb range.

That is what I love about that mexican car... the Machette? It is taking the place of the Elise while Loti get heavier.

[5vz-fe]

Lotus seems to be going after the 911 market, and I think that is a very tough sell. Porsche owners are extremely loyal. Unless Lotus come up with a car that trumps the performance of the 991, I don't see them having much sales of the new Espirt.

[nthfinity]

Lotus seems to be going after the 911 market, and I think that is a very tough sell. Porsche owners are extremely loyal. Unless Lotus come up with a car that trumps the performance of the 991, I don't see them having much sales of the new Espirt.
It's all confusing really

[5vz-fe]

^No kidding, but 1 good decision they made over the years is to use the Toyota sourced engine. It made the car much more reliable.

[nthfinity]

^No kidding, but 1 good decision they made over the years is to use the Toyota sourced engine. It made the car much more reliable.
Yeah, the Toyota engine has been great. I just wish a solution was engineered to fit the S2000 motor in that tiny car :twisted:

[T-Bird]

Yeah, the Toyota engine has been great. I just wish a solution was engineered to fit the S2000 motor in that tiny car :twisted:

I dont think it would be an issue just someone needs to want to do it. hell they are putting S2K drivetrains into Civics now making them RWD, but on the other hand they are putting K series engines in S2k's. I'm sure if Hasport took the time to do it they could engineer a very nice kit to make it fit.