The engine itself is wonderfully smooth. At 247-hp it's not the most powerful of its sports car rivals, but considering the 6-speed RX-8 weighs in at a scant 1,384 kg (10 kg more with the automatic) it's ample. The wheels can be made to chirp at takeoff, and 2nd or 3rd gear for that matter, but this is probably not the best way to maximize tire or rear end differential wear.
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| The 247-hp rotary engine might not be the most powerful in the class, but when you realize the 6-speed RX-8 weighs only 1,384 kg it's more than enough.(Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Once underway the power is so linear it's almost anticlimactic. RPMs just keep building and building all the way up to its 9,500 redline, where it pegs the dial and maintains speed if forced too. But why bother. After all, there are six smooth and precise gears to play with in manual guise. Still, only 3rd and 4th were necessary for the majority of my drive as the engine hums along so effortlessly at 6,000 and 8,000 rpm, perfect revs for beginning a pass on slower moving traffic. The RX hits its optimal power at 8,500 revolutions per minute. Sweet!
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| Combined with the large paddle shifters attached to the steering column and rotary engine, the RX's 4-speed automatic gearbox is far from disappointing. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
I took a late night stint in the automatic equipped RX, and was glad I expended a last gasp of energy to do so. Few automatic gearboxes are as well sorted, with anywhere near as trick a gear selection system. Like Ferrari's F1 or BMW's SMG transmissions, large paddle shifters attach to the steering column a finger's reach away from the wheel itself. A quick pull on the paddle upshifts from 1st to 2nd, right up until it hits its top gear - 4th. The same process downshifts, but by pushing well placed thumb buttons. For those who want to change gears conventionally, the console-mounted shifter can be rowed through the cogs by tapping forward or back, or just left in Drive for full automatic mode.
While a 4-speed automatic is nothing to get excited about in a time when 5-speeds are the norm and European premium marques are offering 6 and even 7-speed autoboxes, no more gears are needed when mated to the rotary. Put it this way, even with the automatic optimized engine's 40 horsepower reduction torque increase to 164 lb-ft, first gear is good for more than 70 km/h, with what I 'estimate' to be over 170 km/h reachable in 3rd. Suffice it to say 4th gear should be ample. I was surprised with the lower horsepower engine's enthusiastic response, even from takeoff. While there was a noticeable difference at higher revs, it wasn't the big let down I was expecting.
