Announced here on NihonCar.com earlier this year, the new RX8 from Mazda is now available in Japan. With a new and more aggressive body kit (RS version), Mazda also decided to tweak it a little with a new water and oil pump, improved the rotary engine’s performance to provide a better acceleration feel, a revised gear ratio in the 6 speed manual gearbox to enable more responsive acceleration at low engine speed, as well as an improved body structure more rigid and tweaked aerodynamics.
On paper the new RX8 seems to have lost most of the hassles encountered with the previous model. We're definitely looking forward to testing this new version as soon as possible.
HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation has announced the launch of the freshened Mazda RX-8. The updated four-door, four-seat rotary-powered sports car is available from today at all Mazda and Mazda Anfini dealerships throughout Japan.
The four-seat RX-8 sports car debuted in Japan in May 2003, powered by Mazda’s lightweight, compact and powerful rotary engine. The freshened version evolves and refines the high performance and sporty styling core elements of the RX-8, and features enhanced quality and packaging. The newly released Type RS grade offers exceptional driving pleasure with better performance and bolder styling.
The exterior design features fresh new styling and improved quality, with larger air intakes in the front bumper, side marker lamps integrated with the headlight units, side air vents integrated with the turn indicators, and rear combination lights that contain LED lamps. Three new designs for the aluminum wheels all reflect rotor-shaped motifs, and the 16-inch wheels (on the Type E and RX-8 base grade) have been upgraded to 17 inches. With the addition of new exterior colors such as the high quality Diamond Grey Metallic, eight colors are now available.
Interior quality has been improved through densely woven black fabric seat covers in the Type S and RX-8 base grade, finely-perforated genuine leather seat covers in the Type E (available in black, red or beige) and a new tachometer with silver markings and white illumination. The packaging has been further refined with the addition of power adjustable seats with a memory function,*2 an electric folding driver’s seat*3 and a GPS navigation system fully integrated into the center panel.*4
The RX-8 now offers even better driving dynamics. New water and oil pumps, among other changes, improve the rotary engine’s performance and provide a better acceleration feel. Revised gear ratios in the six-speed manual transmission provide more responsive acceleration at lower engine speeds. Through a redesign of the body structure, increased local rigidity and improved aerodynamics provide greater sports car performance.
The new Type RS grade comes with exclusive aero parts, 19-inch forged aluminum wheels, RECARO bucket seats, Bilstein dampers and other equipment to emphasize the sporty appeal of the freshened RX-8 model range. To highlight its pedigree as a true driver’s car, the RX-8 Type RS also boasts more aggressive styling.
Manufacturer’s suggested retail prices vary from 2,600,000 to 3,150,000 yen (including consumption tax). The sales target volume for the new RX-8 model range is 270 units a month.
*1:The five-speed manual transmission RX-8 will go on sale in June 2008.
*2:Standard equipment on the Type E (with leather seats).
*3:Standard equipment on the Type E (with leather seats). The Type S and base grade seats are manually adjustable.
*4:Available as a factory-installed option on the Type E, Type S and Type RS grades.
Performance
After a review of every aspect of the RX-8’s superb performance, the freshened RX-8 lineup now offers an even more refined sporty ride.
-The RENESIS rotary engine now provides an enhanced acceleration feel at middle to low-engine speeds due to various improvements such as new water and oil pumps. These changes also contribute to improved durability and stability.
-New variable red zone system. The tachometer red zone moves in three stages according to the engine temperature. This prevents over-revving immediately after startup when the engine is cold.
-The gear ratios in the six-speed manual transmission-equipped grades have been lowered to improve off-the-line acceleration. Model grades with the six-speed automatic (Activematic) transmission feature a newly developed Direct mode. When driving with the gear selector in Drive (D), Direct mode allows the driver to temporarily change gears using the paddle shifters on the steering wheel without having to switch to Manual mode. This provides a boost in acceleration or engine braking to aid certain situations such as overtaking other vehicles or descending steep gradients.
-The front and rear suspensions were revamped, and the dampers, coil springs, bushes and stabilizers were optimized to improve stability and ride comfort.
-A trapezoidal strut tower bar (on manual transmission grades) and reinforced suspension towers and wheel aprons increase the torsional rigidity of the front body and improve stability.
-Aerodynamics were improved by adjusting the shape of the front and rear corners, enlarging the front tire deflectors and adding an engine undercover to control air flow. This resulted in an improved drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.30 and enhanced high-speed stability. Posted on 10/03/08 By F.B
