Engine wise, the rotary is dramatically different than the normal piston driven vehicles that dominate the roads today. The RX-8 sports about 240 horsepower, and 159 pounds-feet of torque. The result is a car that flows rather than bursts and cries out for forced induction. However, that would mean a considerable increase in price and I don't think it is necessary for most drivers.
There is a lot to like in this new RX. The xenon headlights were superb, the interior lighting of the gauges is complete down to the illumination of the power door and window controls.
There was plenty of storage inside, including a front console compartment that slides and flips open and even has a place for a cell phone. In addition, there were side pockets, a fair sized glove compartment, and a real backseat with foot and headroom. The arm rest in the back seat can be folded down to allow access to the trunk to store longer items and also offers a small compartment to store items. Most clever and useful.
The trunk was easy to open, but the small opening the rear hatch offers made it difficult to get anything larger than a two suiter inside. Mazda chose to place extra braces behind the back seat making it impossible to fold down the rear seats which have greatly enhanced the car's versatility.
Young working woman's view: This is a love it or hate it car and that is too bad because it has a heart of gold. It loves to run and makes you feel at home even in heavy traffic or rain unlike most of the other sports cars we have tested. On the other hand, it could be considered neither fish nor fowl by die hard sports car fans. For example, the digital speedometer is brightly illuminated taking your attention from the less well-lighted tachometer that shares the same niche with it. Real drivers know the tach is more important, especially in a car that can easily rev to 10,000 rpm. And, the RX-8 has four doors. What kind of sport car has four doors, especially when it can create more chassis flex than a two door. You can order the RX with GPS and it has electric assisted steering, both atypical of hot cars, and it also can be optioned with an automatic transmission. There also isn't a surge of power because the rotary engine turns rather than having pistons that push. Finally, its small engine limits initial acceleration. All of these stand in the way of the RX from being the first choice for the Fast and Furious crowd. That is there loss.
The reasons are ample. The small engine is set back in the chassis creating an ideal 50/50 weight distribution for good handling. The lighter engine is quicker to rev making shifting less hectic. For example, can you say over 80 mph in third gear without a problem, and you have six forward speeds. Still, this is not a quick car, but it is a fast car. Look to get to 100 KM in about seven seconds unless you rev the engine to 7000 rpm and drop the clutch to shave a second of that time.