Final Drive: 2011 Mazda RX-8

“Are you serious?!”

The incredulous PR team from Mazda and Senior Editor Jonathan Yarkony all shrieked in unison. Surely I was joking.

“You’ve never driven a rotary before?”

I really hadn’t. I’d heard of them of course. I’d been on the fringe of hushed conversations about mighty, V8-slaying monsters of the past like the RX-3, RX-7 and even the RX-8. I’d grown up watching 80s era RX-7s take on monster Holden Commodores in the Australian Touring Car Championship (now V8 Supercars). I knew about the mythology behind the Wankel Rotary, but no, I had not driven one.

Their shock at my admission seemed to make them forget who they were talking to – they were actually going to let me drive one! I didn’t think I’d get to either. The RX-8 debuted in 2003 for the 2004 model year, but by the time 2012 came around, declining interest and heightened emissions tests conspired to end Mazda’s run of rotaries. There hasn’t been a rotary engine since.

How fortunate then, that the history-minded folks at Mazda Canada would see fit to keep one in their collection. Even better, their shock at my admission seemed to make them forget who they were talking to – they were actually going to let me drive one!

Quickly, and excitedly I checked the stats – 232 hp didn’t really sound mind blowing to me at first. Then again it only weighs 1,373 kg. Also it’s only a 1.3L engine. Well, sort of. The two-rotor engine displaces 654cc in each rotor but a conventional four-stroke engine uses two revolutions to produce the power that a rotary produces in one.

“Wait, so a rotary is a lot like a two-stroke?” – I’ve ridden two-stroke motorbikes, they are brilliant. I’d heard the RX-8 was a lot more mild than the twin-turbo RX-7 rotaries, so I was a little bummed that I was trying the “soft” rotary, but not for long.

This particular RX-8 has the six-speed manual gearbox, with one of the cutest shift levers ever designed. It’s shaped like a rounded triangle, and for the first three days I had the car I kept thinking, “What’s this rounded triangle shape that keeps popping up in this car? There’s even one in the rear bumper… did the designer really like child-safe three-sided shapes?” It wasn’t until halfway through the week that I recognized the shape. It’s the holiest shape in the church of Mazda. It’s the shape of the rotors at the heart of this engine and all that came before it.

2011 Mazda MX-8, dashboard. Click image to enlarge

I was thinking of the lineage of rotary vehicles as I settled into my seat, thinking of the practical but potent little Mazdas of the 70s, and the fire-breathing RX-7s. Fondly, I remembered my friends in Australia from back in the day, many of whom quoted “Fast Fours and Rotaries” magazine like it was their bible. All of whom had a rotary poster of one kind or another blue-tac’d to their bedroom wall.

I was thinking about the fact that there are no rotaries in mainstream road cars anymore, and how this was the last of its kind. In that first moment of reflection, I found myself getting back out, taking time to walk around the car and take it in.

The styling, if we’re honest, was a sea of contradictions. The grooves and crevices carved deep into the body interrupted the otherwise well-proportioned lines. The lip spoiler on the bootlid hinted at sport, but wasn’t gratuitous, the Mazda “smile” in the front bar didn’t quite sit with the gravitas of the car I was driving. The 18-inch wheels were elegant and paid homage to the unique powerplant – yes, the triangle is here too.

Crouching low to look at the exhaust outlets, their chrome tips peeking innocently from under the diffuser, I was almost disappointed to find they were round. I half-expected another triangle. The taillights looked upscale and intricate, the double-barrel red rings would be impressive even on a brand-new car.

I even opened all four doors, taking a good look at the seatbelt mounts, wondering what possessed the Mazda engineers to push this design into production. The boardroom presentation must have been exciting.

As I walked around the gleaming white modern classic I realized where its cult following comes from – this car is an odd duck. A square peg. A true individual. A genuine original. I like that.

2011 Mazda MX-8 headlight, engine bay, rear door, key fob. Click image to enlarge

I pulled the key fob from my pocket again. It looks and feels like a credit card. There’s no need to use it for anything, just put it in your wallet and forget about it. Clever touch that too.

My interest piqued, I climbed back into the driver’s seat. Foot on clutch, foot on brake, twist the ignition switch. Zoom-zoom.

A poke of the throttle and the rotary spun up through 7,000 rpm. I smiled. The shifter slotted into first and off I drove, sedately – there was no need for Mazda’s people to see me brutalize their baby.

The RX-8 is more than just a 2+2 with a cool, obscure engine in it. It also came with a console that ran from the dash through the back seats, and best of all, clam-shell doors that opened from the A and C pillars – there was no B pillar. The cool door setup also comes with a nifty seatbelt mount that slides the base of the belt out of the way, handy when you’re trying to wedge somebody into the sculpted and supportive rear seats. There’s a reasonable amount of legroom if your driver is as vertically challenged as your writer, but otherwise it becomes cramped. Headroom was average but acceptable [actually, headroom is quite horrible for taller folk, and almost unbearable when wearing a helmet for track days. –Ed.] – this isn’t a large sedan after all.

2011 Mazda MX-8 seating, cupholders, rear console, trunk. Click image to enlarge

Once ensconced in the back seats, there’s an unprecedented amount of cupholders and cubby holders for your passengers, and a handy grab handle for when the driver gets excited about the Wankel.

But the back seats aren’t important. It’s the driver’s seat that really, really counts. The steering wheel is a good size but thin. The rest of the dash layout is very similar to that found in the MX-5 we love so much here. The e-brake is clearly in the place it was originally designed – on the right of the console and angled towards where the driver would be in Japan but otherwise the atmosphere is one of a tightly packed cockpit. The instrument cluster is a joy with an angry red illuminated ring surrounding the large tach with white backing for the numbers – red shading starts at 8,500 rpm. The digital speedo is small but easy enough to read, and the rest of the cluster is all business. Temperature and a small trip metre on the left, fuel gauge on the right.

There’s a little button with some squiggly lines on it, and I held it down while I waited at the stop light. Traction control was now fully off.

I stood on the GO pedal and released the clutch. The rotary spools up quickly through its 9,000 available revs, it sounds incredible, and the RX-8 chassis leads from the back. The tires spin just a bit and the RX-8 shoots out onto the highway.

2011 Mazda MX-8 driver’s view, gauges, centre stack, shifter. Click image to enlarge

The clutch has a well-weighted feel but lacked a little definition at bite point. The transmission was spot on with great mechanical feel and short throws, pulling up through the six-speed box was fun, downshifting equally so. The pedals are well spaced for heel-and-toeing and even at high rpm the engine note is surprisingly clean and crisp.

Steering was precise and direct, though there was more body roll than I expected. This is a sporty car, not a sports car – but that doesn’t make it any less awesome. Turn-in is rapid but mid-corner corrections are common – especially on bumpier roads. There’s a lot of character to the drive, it feels almost like a roadster in its road manners.

Up front, double-wishbone suspension holds the wheels in place, while strut-tower braces and a stabilizer bar keep the whole thing from flexing and getting soggy. The long-link multilink rear suspension is aided by a stabilizer bar too, and the 48:52 front:rear weight balance makes for a compliant, nimble experience.

Small, agile, fast, fun. It’s all of those and more. The engine has incredible character, I can only imagine the joy of a turbo edition. It does hose fuel though. They all did, these rotaries. This one was supposed to be better with a revised exhaust port layout but it still sinks squirt with gleeful abandon. I averaged 17 L/100 km in it – and I was well behaved, honest! It was only after I returned it that Wankel Yarkon, enlightened me that the thing burns the same amount of fuel whether you cane it for all it’s worth or just dawdle around. What?!?!? Now you tell me?!?

2011 Mazda MX-8. Click image to enlarge

No matter though, the RX-8 is still a gem. Are there faster, more practical and better value cars out there? Ones that don’t go through almost as much oil as gas? Of course. But the RX-8 shows what a small, independent car company can do when it pushes itself. When you let the engineers off their leash you get something truly special, a car packed with ideas and innovations, an engine with true character. You get soul.

I just hope they do it again one day.